http://192.168.2.6/english/1117/与烟草纠缠不清的一生.rm

Like a lot of people, Julia Hansen started smoking young, at age 19. She tried to quit dozens of times and failed. She even had herself chained to a radiator for a week. She writes about it all in her memoir,A Life in Smoke.J ulia Hansen, good morning.

Hi, nice to be here.

Nice to have you. You literally chained yourself to your radiator. You brought in, about 12 inches of the type of chain that you...Wanna hold it?

Yep.

Ok .And you had a 72-foot- long chain.Why did you chain yourself to a radiator to quit?

Because I was desperate.I mean, I had tried patches,I tried gum,I tried medication and nothing had worked and when you try everything and nothing has worked for you.You have to go to the next level and lockdown as I call that week in chains is the next level,was the next level for me.

What did that week chained to your radiator do to you?

Well, it, err, it was strange,it was a lot of things. It was , err,lonely,it was err, comical at times. I took a lot of naps. And...

And you physically did not have any cigarettes within your reach, was that the key there?

Well,the whole idea of the chaining was that,I, I couldn't trust myself to walk around free and not buy cigarettes, thereby I had to physically restrict myself from, from buying them. You know, but the other,the other thought was that I wanna to confront my addiction. I wanted to wear my addiction,I wanted it to flash behind me. I, I kinda walk around like Marley's Ghost for a week basically.

And it worked?

Yeah.I mean,it,it, it worked for a while.It worked for 6 weeks and then,unfortunately I started smoking again. Err, I think that in hindsight ,you know, smoker,you know, quitting smoking is not “one size fit all thing”you know, some smokers can toss away their cigarettes and say "That's it for me. "Er,other peoper, er,have to quit time and again. That was me. But, for me, I also needed, you know,constant sustained reflection, I mean, I'm talking 24/7 to order and order to understand what cigarettes meant to me, what role did they play.

What did they mean to you? Was it a sensation like you were craving the nicotine or what did it do for you, smoking?

Well,I mean, it did everything for me, in short,er it's, you know, smoking is like Swiss army knife addictions. There is nothing it can't fix to a smoker. It was comfort,it was pain, it was reward, ahh it was punishment.

What made you finally decide to quit? Coz you started at age 19 and you've smoked for 20 years. That you haven't been smoking for how long now?

About 20 months.

20 months. How is the process going?

You know,I honestly can say I don't miss it at all.There are,there are occasional flashes when I see this sort of convivial party atmosphere, a lot of my in-laws smoke and they look so happy and...

Is that hard to be around?

Not, not always.It's more like a wistful. Looking at cigarette today is looking at someone you used to know a long time ago and had fond feelings for. And now you can just like,I don't wanna cross the other side of the street to say "Hi".

And why did you decide I need to stop smoking?

Really, my son.I mean,my son was,was born and,and after his birth was the first time I knew, how difficult it,it really was,I have tried to quit in the past a couple of times. But...

How old is your son right now?

He is ten.He was seven when I started this.

Wow.

And I wanted to be around for him.I needed to be alive to raise him. And I wanted to be around for my husband who I just married. You know,basically life was good. I didn't wanna end mine in a oxygen tank with a hole in my throat.So...

It seems like smokers don't get much sympathy.

No, they...

Why is that? I mean,(I)it's in addiction but people think it is a choice you made though ?

Yeah, but I think people with a lot of other addictions also get that kind of contempt. Er,people who have problems with eating, er, get that same contempt.Er,smokers,smokers are used to that contempt and I'm not sure why,because I just think we have to do a whole let, lot less moralizing in the whole lot more, er empathizing.

Yeah. Well, we're glad that the chain seems, like it's worked for you to stop smoking and that you are smoke-free for 20 months, we wish you well on this journey. It's not easy. Julia Hansen. Thanks so much.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome. A Life in Smoke is published by the Free Press, part of the Time and Schuster which owned by BuyerCom, part of the same parent company as a c...