DOWN THE DRAIN

Yucky innit? And apologies to all my friends trying to quit. I passed this on the pavement leading up to the hospital entrance. Standing outside was a slippered and gowned woman, hanging onto one of those portable things that hold drips with one hand and puffing furiously at a cigarette with the other. She was conversing with a fellow smoker who looked equally debilitated.

I smoked for years. A lot. I decided to quit after a party when everybody had run out of cigs after midnight and we were desperate to the point of weeping because there was nowhere to go for more. It wasn't the money down the drain that bothered me as much as the lack of freedom that addiction inflicts. I don't mind being around smokers - in fact I quite like the scent and would vote for smokers pubs so that people have a choice. And I'd probably choose to go there because all the smokers I know are jolly good company.

The way I stopped was through acpuncture by a wonderful woman in Zimbabwe. A course of three sessions - and I stopped after the first. It was great, and I never felt any angst or withdrawal symptoms. I've never been able to stop my chocolate addiction though.

Talking about Zimbabwe, if you didn't see the BBC4 documentary on Zimbabwe's Forgotten Children on Monday night, it's on again tonight at 10.45.
If you have children that go unwillingly to school, and even if you dont, watch this and weep.

Enough! Back to flowers and sunshine tomorrow. Hopefully...