A doctor was trying to convince his patient, who was also his old friend, to stop smoking. The doctor had explained the dangers of smoking but the patient was a stubborn man. So in his desperation, the doctor asked his patient, “Tom, what are you burning when you smoke?”. The patient, a little confused, answered, “My cigarette, of course.” The good doctor asked again, “Do you realise you’re burning much more than just a cigarette when you smoke?” The patient, even more confused now, only shook his head so the doctor explained, “Your cigarettes cost money, don’t they? Which means you’re burning away your hard earned money, but I’m sure you realize that. What you probably don’t realize is that you’re burning away your own life and also the life of the people around you. I’ve told you about the dangers of cigarette smoke, but have you ever considered that when you smoke around your family? Do you realize that when you smoke around your wife and daughters, you’re also burning their lives away?”
The patient couldn’t answer anything so the doctor added, “You know what you have to do, Tom. If not for your sake, then do it for your family’s sake.” The patient quit smoking the folowing week.
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