June 9, 2023: Stop Smoking （禁煙）

The week from May 31 to June 6 seemed to be the No-Smoking Week. I was not aware of this as I am no longer a smoker. In retrospect, I used to smoke a lot. It was as soon as I was an adult that I began to smoke. I had been interested in smoking before, but waited for it until I was an adult. Since then, I had continued to smoke for a few decades. I did so even when I lived in Europe. Tobaccos were far more expensive in Europe than in Japan. But I was lucky enough to be able to have chances to buy most of them at duty free shops. I travelled so much on business, almost every week, that I always bought them at a duty-free shop at an airport. So I had bought them at no tobacco shop in the Netherlands or the UK, where I lived. Even after I returned to Japan, I continued to smoke. I could not stop smoking even when I was in hospital for my hip replacement. After I had the surgery, I found the smoking room and used to hang around in the room.
However, about 10 years ago, I could suddenly stop smoking. As far as I can remember, it was when the consumption tax was raised. That might have tempted me to quit smoking as I could not afford to pay more taxes. At the time, I was fortunate to have no pain or irritation to stop smoking. I still do not know exactly why, but I must have had a huge change of my heart.

　5月31日から6月6日まで禁煙週間だったそうです。ボクは、もはや喫煙者ではないので、このことを知りませんでした。思えば、昔はよくタバコを吸っていました。たばこを吸い始めたのは二十歳の時でした。その前から興味はあったのですが、未成年だったため抵抗がありました。成人になった途端、吸い始めました。それから、何十年にも渡ってたばこを吸っていました。欧州にいた時も吸っていました。欧州では、タバコが日本より高かったのですが、幸運にも、ボクは大半のタバコを免税店で買えました。仕事で毎週のように出張にいっていたので、空港の免税店で買っていたのです。日本に帰国後もたばこを吸っていました。股関節の手術した病院でも吸っていました。手術後、喫煙室を見つけたので、入り浸ていました。
　ところが、今からたぶん10年位前に突然たばこを止めました。たぶん、消費税の税率が引き上げられた時だったと思います。これ以上負担は耐えられないと思い止めたのでしょう。この時は、何の抵抗もなく止められました。正確な理由はわかりませんが、よほどの心境の変化があったのだと思います。

World No Tobacco Day