Surviving the Domestic Jungle

I am extremely upset with my husband at the moment and I am sure I am not alone as the spouse of a repeat offender of smoking cigarettes. He quit back in March with the help of a medication called Chantix and he quit and it wasn’t too painful. Then at sometime I am unsure of, behind my back, he started smoking again and I am extremely upset about it. Does he not think that cigarettes will kill him? They will. They will kill everyone that smokes them and that is breathing next to someone smoking. Me being pregnant, I am extremely sensitive to the putrid smell of a cigarette and there is no hiding it from me. I have told him over and over and over again that I do not want him smoking but he doesn’t seem to care and continues to do it and I know that cigarettes are very addictive ( I used to be a smoker myself but my children were enough for me to stop) but you CAN quit and you CAN stay quit. I personally do not want to be eaten away by cancer and we are getting to an age where we must watch our health so closely and doing all the things that add to your risk are just plain stupid. Financially it is a waste of money and physically it is a waste of a life! He says it helps calm him down from stress. Well, that ‘excuse’ doesn’t sit well with me because who doesn’t have stress? Every person on earth has stress and that does not make it ok to smoke or do illegal drugs or get drunk either. When I am stressed, I have no outlet for it. I have to deal with it and keep moving. Life requires that of mothers. We don’t get to have off days or be a mess. We have to keep going for our kids sake! He I guess doesn’t look at it that way. I think it is a very selfish act and it takes away money from our family and it makes him smell disgusting and have bad breath and he also broke a promise to me about quitting. He said he would never smoke again. Well that didn’t happen did it? Now I am very upset and have told him that he is under no circumstances to smoke near this house and can walk down the street for his ‘fix’ or ‘stress relief’ or ‘selfish indulgence’ but I am no longer tolerating it or enabling it. I’m done complaining and whining and bitching. I am putting my foot down on this for his benefit as well as for mine and the children. I encourage all other spouses of smokers who have had enough to put their foot down and try and save their spouses life!!!