The cost of a silent addiction
Every morning, as he lit up his first cigarette, Marc thought he needed one to start his day. It had become automatic, a reflex ingrained in his body, his mind, his life. Over the years, he had stopped counting. However, when one day he did the sums, the shock was brutal. In ten years, almost all his money had literally burned up in cigarettes. “When I saw that I’d spent the equivalent of a wagonload of bills, I felt sick to my stomach,” he says, sitting in a public place in his town in western France.
The daily life of a city smoker: stress, noise and addiction
Marc was working in the municipal services, and a development plan put in place by the government had enabled him to find a stable job. But with the noise, the daily train problems, the delays, the public pressure, smoking seemed to him to be the only “break”. The police, neighborhood affairs, the commotion in the downtown lanes, all encouraged him to smoke even more. He thought it was the only interest in his daily life. But this addiction, though habitual, was pushing him into a worrying state of mental and physical fatigue.
Quitting smoking, a breath of fresh air
The method that changed everything: the anti-smoking laser
It wasn’t a doctor, or a miracle product, but a friend who told him about the anti-smoking lasercenter in his area. The session lasted less than 45 minutes, and for the first time in years, Marc didn’t feel like smoking afterwards. No irritability, no cravings. Just a strange, profound calm. “I thought it was false advertising, and yet… theeffectiveness was immediate.”
A new lifestyle after quitting
Marc replaced cigarettes with nature walks, near the disused train linewest of the city. He rediscovered theinterior of his home, cleaning out stubborn odors, putting away ashtrays and emptying jacket pockets. He even found a handwritten text by his son, explaining that he was afraid “Dad would die from the smoke “. It was a wake-up call. He understood that weaning himself off tobacco was not just a personal battle, but a gesture of protection for his children, and for theenvironment.
Public services mobilized for health
As part of a new regional health plan, the town council offered free outdoor sports sessions. This public service was a driving force. Reconnecting with sport, reconnecting with the body, breathing deeply at thewater‘s edge, listening to the sounds of the birds rather than the clanging of the lighter, it was quite simply the beginning of a new life.
Catching your breath through sport
Free sessions in the heart of the city
Marc’s first cardio class lasted… 7 minutes. The benevolent coach told him that “every step is a victory”. Today, he runs 3 times a week in the surrounding mountains. He has also joined a small public service Nordic walking group, which crosses the forest tracks talking about health, tobacco, sleep, and sometimes government, because “you have to grumble a bit”, he smiles.
Water, nature, mountains: rediscovering life
Marc also swims regularly. He has enrolled in a municipal structure, financed by social affairs. Swimming in clean water, breathing deeply, feeling his insides soothe, makes him feel alive again. He even recalls a moment when a bear appeared on a trek in the Pyrenees. “I saw a quiet strength in its eyes. I knew I was ready to turn the page.
Conveying a message to children, relatives and the general public
Today, Marc testifies. He has written a self-published book. He speaks in classrooms, with the regional health protectionassociation. He tells how addiction stole his years, his money, his pleasures. But also how he got on with life . He wants to tell others that “it doesn’t have to be this way”. That everything can change if we accept to get help, and open our eyes. It aims to convince the public that solutions do exist, whether through anti-smoking lasers, a commitment to sport, or the simple desire to take control of one’s health.
