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Today we have a former smoker
who will talk with us
about his smoking
and what it is like to quit.
Hello Hao and thank you
for coming on the show
to talk about this.
Please tell us
about how long you smoked
and how you got started smoking.
I started smoking
after I graduated from college.
Then I would smoke
with my friends at work
and continued to smoke
until I was over 40 years old.
So you smoked for over 20 years.
Can you say what it felt like
at that time for you to smoke?
When I first started smoking
it did not taste good
but i enjoyed looking at the smoke.
My mind felt free
and I could forget
the bittersweet things in my life.
But when I smoked tobacco
I just thought about smoking
and that is all and
the main reason
that I smoked.
As you said before, cigarette smoking
helped you forget
about your problems.
Did you think
about the health effects
when you started smoking?
At first I didn't realize
any health effects
but after I had smoked a few months,
I became used to how it felt to smoke.
After eating, I would notice
my mouth would not taste right to me
and I would smoke
not aware of the foul smell of tobacco.
It felt relaxing for me
to have a cigarette in my hand.
I felt sad and
began to realize I was becoming addicted.
During this time,
about every one or two months,
I would have health problems
like coughing.
Then I was noticing
that the tobacco
was effecting my health
and I was
having health symptoms
five or six times a year.
So, you said
after you had been smoking a while,
you became addicted.
Do you remember how many
cigarettes a day you were smoking?
During that time,
I was smoking
about two packs of cigarettes
every three days.
When you smoked,
did you smoke a particular brand
or type of cigarette?
I smoked filtered cigarettes.
I thought that filtered cigarettes
would have less effects on my body
and discourage smoking
so I only smoked filtered cigarettes.
While you smoked for so long
did you feel that smoking
was not good for your health
and did you want to quit?
During more than 20 years of smoking,
I was aware
that tobacco use is not beneficial,
and is actually harmful.
I tried to quit
a few times but failed.
There was a point after stopping
a few weeks that I would
start smoking again
and smoke even more than before.
You said you failed a few times
to quit smoking.
Can you tell us
why you failed?
There are many reasons
that caused me to fail.
It is known
that cigarettes are
hazardous to the body,
and bad for everyone around us, too.
But friends that I worked with
and who I would drink coffee with
would be smoking and
I would feel I needed
to smoke, too,
as they had invited me
to be with them.
So, I would smoke with them.
I know this time you
have quit for 4 years.
Why do you think
this was so different
from previous times
that you quit?
This time I was very determined.
Before I quit
I began to gradually
reduce my smoking.
I did not tell anyone
that I was quitting.
I selected milder cigarettes
like menthol and lights.
And this time along with my determination
I thought about my little daughter
and that my smoking
was not good for my children
and my wife.
And also my health was not good.
I coughed even more than before
and was prone to sore throats.
So, i just remained
determined to quit
for me and my family.
Now I will interview Huong.
So you are living
with your husband
at the time he is smoking
and you have your child
there too.
How did you feel
about him smoking then?
During our marriage,
whenever I sit next to
my husband when he is smoking
I always feel uncomfortable
because of the smell.
Occasionally I would urge him to not smoke,
but he always had an excuse to smoke.
At night I would advise him to smoke less, too.
as I would be cooking.
I was afraid it was affecting his lungs.
Many nights he would be coughing
into a cup he keep near the door.
I felt very sad and worried about it.
As a couple we were not very happy then.
Until one night at the table
he pulls out a piece of gum
to chew instead of going
to smoke a cigarette.
When I saw he was going
to quit smoking
I was glad.
My husband was very determined
and it made me very happy.
I knew that from then on
I would not smell
cigarettes in our home.
And now we will take a break.
When we return
I will ask our guest
what benefits he
has experienced
since quitting smoking.
Also we will have as a guest
Dr. Giao, who will
discuss the health benefits
of stopping smoking.
Please stay tuned.