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Ek draai nie meer in die rook nie

Otis Daniels
Ons word nie met gewoontes gebore nie, ons leer die goed aan.

Ek was ’n kettingroker vir baie jare nadat ek dié slegte gewoonte as jongeling op skool aangeleer het.

Ek was vasgevang in die kloue van Lexington, Paul Revere, Gunston, om maar net ’n paar “brands” te noem en dit het ’n un-Lucky Strike gekos om my van hulle te verlos en my rooklus vir altyd te blus.

“Moet nooit sê nooit nie,” is ek herinner toe ek die dag aangekondig het dat ek nooit weer wil rook nie. Dit was so 20 jaar gelede en lank voor die tyd toe sigaretpakkies met aaklige prentjies versier was om mense af te skrik en teen die gesondheidsgevare wat dié stinkerige gewoonte inhou, te waarsku.

Ek het tuberkulose opgedoen. My kort asem het my laat besef dat elke teug aan ’n sigaret my eindelik beroof van die kosbare suurstof wat my longe nodig het en dit is besig om my lewe stelselmatig te verwoes.

Vir my eie onthalwe en gesondheid, moes ek noodgedwonge van dampies ontslae raak.

Met behandeling het ek my stryd teen tuberkulose gewen. Sonder “gwaais” (straatnaam vir sigarette) het my asemhaling stelselmatig verbeter en die knaende hoes was ook mettertyd iets van die verlede.

Die aaklige rookreuk wat aan jou klere kleef en op jou asem rondsweef was tot niet.

Verdere aanmoediging het gekom in die vorm van ’n aanlyn artikel wat my daarop gewys het as jy ’n pakkie teen sowat N$35 (destyds se prys) per dag rook, bestee jy sowat N$12 770 per jaar aan sigarette. Die somme het in my kop begin klop. Met geen sigarette op my inkopielys en in my lewe nie, het ek sente gespaar en my gesondheid ’n groot hupstoot gegee. Nogals ’n duur les om te leer.

Die rooklus was egter nog daar en het vir my gekom fluister dat “okapyp”-rokery ’n goeie plaasvervanger vir sigarette is. Jy rook mos net “once in a while”.

Toe ek dit probeer, val my niere amper heeltemal plat. Dit was vir my die laaste strooi of spreekwoordelike rook oor my lippe na my longe!

Maar ná pyn en lyding kom mos genesing en bevryding. ’n Elektroniese sigaret kom nie naby my nie!

Ek moet sê, ek was nogals ’n arrogante roker. Ek het nie daarvan gehou om my “gwaai” te nip (dood te maak) wanneer ek in ’n huurmotor geklim het nie.

In ’n tipiese “what goes around comes around”-oomblik plaas ’n roker met sy brandende sigaret hom op die voorste sitplek van ’n huurmotor. Ek kon die aaklige rookreuk nie verdra nie. Dit het teen my sin in my neusgate opgedwarrel waar ek op die agterste sitplek gesit het.

Dit het my laat dink hoe ander nierokers moes gevoel het toe ek dit aan hulle gedoen het.

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Republikein 2024-05-12

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Premier League: Nottingham Forest 2 vs 3 Chelsea | Newcastle 1 vs 1 Brighton | Wolves 1 vs 3 Crystal Palace | Everton 1 vs 0 Sheffield United | West Ham 3 vs 1 Luton Town | Bournemouth 1 vs 2 Brentford | Tottenham Hotspur 2 vs 1 Burnley | Fulham 0 vs 4 Manchester City LaLiga: Atletico Madrid 1 vs 0 Celta Vigo | Cadiz 1 vs 0 Getafe | Athletic Club 2 vs 2 Osasuna | Granada 0 vs 4 Real Madrid | Villarreal 3 vs 2 Sevilla | Mallorca 1 vs 0 Las Palmas | Deportivo Alaves 2 vs 2 Girona SerieA: Genoa 2 vs 1 Sassuolo | Hellas Verona 1 vs 2 Torino | SS Lazio 2 vs 0 Empoli | AC Milan 5 vs 1 Cagliari | Napoli 0 vs 2 Bologna | Frosinone 0 vs 5 Inter Milan European Championships Qualifying: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United English Championship: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United Katima Mulilo: 15° | 33° Rundu: 15° | 32° Eenhana: 14° | 34° Oshakati: 16° | 32° Ruacana: 16° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 31° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 16° | 31° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 20° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:02, High tide: 06:03, Low Tide: 00:33, High tide: 18:39 Swakopmund: 15° | 16° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:01, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:37 Walvis Bay: 15° | 23° Wind speed: 31km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:00, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:36 Rehoboth: 15° | 29° Mariental: 20° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 17° | 30° Lüderitz: 12° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 10° | 23° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 15° | 27° Lubumbashi: 15° | 29° Mbabane: 14° | 19° Maseru: 8° | 23° Antananarivo: 12° | 25° Lilongwe: 16° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Cape Town: 13° | 22° Durban: 18° | 22° Johannesburg: 14° | 23° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 17° | 28° Harare: 14° | 27° Currency: GBP to NAD 23 | EUR to NAD 19.82 | CNY to NAD 2.55 | USD to NAD 18.41 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.56 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.06 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.6 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1439.8 | USD to ZAR 18.44 | USD to ZMW 26.75 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 78464.25 Up +1.19% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1754.6 Up +1.22% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13527.01 Up +0.36% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26003.16 Up +0.05% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 360.52/OZ UP +0.59% | Copper US$ 4.62/lb UP +1.13% | Zinc US$ 2 961.00/T DOWN -0.06% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.21/BBP DOWN -0.0171 | Platinum US$ 995.62/OZ UP +1.05% Sport results: Premier League: Nottingham Forest 2 vs 3 Chelsea | Newcastle 1 vs 1 Brighton | Wolves 1 vs 3 Crystal Palace | Everton 1 vs 0 Sheffield United | West Ham 3 vs 1 Luton Town | Bournemouth 1 vs 2 Brentford | Tottenham Hotspur 2 vs 1 Burnley | Fulham 0 vs 4 Manchester City LaLiga: Atletico Madrid 1 vs 0 Celta Vigo | Cadiz 1 vs 0 Getafe | Athletic Club 2 vs 2 Osasuna | Granada 0 vs 4 Real Madrid | Villarreal 3 vs 2 Sevilla | Mallorca 1 vs 0 Las Palmas | Deportivo Alaves 2 vs 2 Girona SerieA: Genoa 2 vs 1 Sassuolo | Hellas Verona 1 vs 2 Torino | SS Lazio 2 vs 0 Empoli | AC Milan 5 vs 1 Cagliari | Napoli 0 vs 2 Bologna | Frosinone 0 vs 5 Inter Milan European Championships Qualifying: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United English Championship: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United Weather: Katima Mulilo: 15° | 33° Rundu: 15° | 32° Eenhana: 14° | 34° Oshakati: 16° | 32° Ruacana: 16° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 31° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 16° | 31° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 20° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:02, High tide: 06:03, Low Tide: 00:33, High tide: 18:39 Swakopmund: 15° | 16° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:01, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:37 Walvis Bay: 15° | 23° Wind speed: 31km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:00, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:36 Rehoboth: 15° | 29° Mariental: 20° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 17° | 30° Lüderitz: 12° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 10° | 23° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 15° | 27° Lubumbashi: 15° | 29° Mbabane: 14° | 19° Maseru: 8° | 23° Antananarivo: 12° | 25° Lilongwe: 16° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Cape Town: 13° | 22° Durban: 18° | 22° Johannesburg: 14° | 23° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 17° | 28° Harare: 14° | 27° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23 | EUR to NAD 19.82 | CNY to NAD 2.55 | USD to NAD 18.41 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.56 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.06 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.6 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1439.8 | USD to ZAR 18.44 | USD to ZMW 26.75 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 78464.25 Up +1.19% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1754.6 Up +1.22% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13527.01 Up +0.36% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26003.16 Up +0.05% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 360.52/OZ UP +0.59% | Copper US$ 4.62/lb UP +1.13% | Zinc US$ 2 961.00/T DOWN -0.06% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.21/BBP DOWN -0.0171 | Platinum US$ 995.62/OZ UP +1.05%