Okay so about 2 and a half years ago, my sick grandpa came to live with us and he was basically a vegetable so my dad was under a lot of stress taking care of him, so he started smoking again (he was able to quit once) and it stresses me out a lot because I can’t help thinking it’ll end up killing him eventually.
Also he’s a firefighter, how ironic is that?
We recently went on vacation to Ontario, and on the second day, he was trying to sympathize with me that beating cravings is hard since I like to drink Pepsi so much. So I decided I would go the remaining 12 days of the vacation without a single carbonated beverage!
But all the while, I was still worrying that maybe what I was doing wouldn’t change anything and he would just keep on doing it.
So when we landed in the airport back home, we were leaving with our luggage and he started drifting off to a building corner so that was when I planned on telling him how I had gone 12 days without pop.
Of course, being the soft shell taco that I am, I immediately started crying.
My dad’s girlfriend (who also smokes) immediately rushed to my side and was repeatedly asking me what was wrong and what she could do to help, and I mumbled, “stop smoking.” And she said “that’s what this is all about?? Alright, I will work together with your dad and we will quit together.”
I felt like a million bucks, and Dad told me he had 2 packs left and then he’d be done and that he was proud of me and then we drove home.
We got home on the 29th of August, and it is now the 13th of September and he is still buying cigarettes. I’m pretty sure his girlfriend is still smoking, too.
I found a pack on his workbench in the garage, so I hid them in the basement. When he got home from work, he noticed they were missing and asked me about them. I was shocked that he would so openly admit to me that he was still buying cigarettes. I even asked him, “why are you still buying them?” and he responded with, “I asked you a question.” I feel like a child, told lies just to calm me down in the moment. I’m worried about how many more emotional breakdowns of mine it will take to get him to see it’s killing me. What can I say or do to get him to stop?
