Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH secretly smoking

41 replies

forestblade · 22/03/2024 08:47

DH and I were watching TV last night and it was getting late so I said let's go to bed. He insisted on staying up a bit later and would be up soon. I thought it was odd but went to bed anyway.

He came up to bed and as soon as he got into bed I could smell cigarette smoke on him and I asked if he'd been smoking and he said no. I asked him to breathe out and he had definitely been smoking. He kept denying it until I asked to smell his breath.

It then all came out that he has "1 or 2" every week when he's out at the pub, it's the same night each week. I'm always in bed when he returns as it's a week night and I work the next day. He felt guilty smoking his friend's so he bought his own which are in the house.

DH and I smoked years ago, I moved onto vaping and still do. He stopped cold turkey after decades of smoking. The turning point for him came when our eldest asked him to stop.

About a year ago his friend was round and he sneaked off out the back to have a cigarette with him. It came out that he smoked when at his friends house (very rarely).

I asked him only last week how he managed to stop smoking the way he did as I want to stop vaping but this whole time he'd been smoking in secret.

I am really angry about it. I feel lied to and that he's been deceitful. I lost it last night because of the way he did it by insisting I go up to bed without him and he'd be up shortly then he comes to bed stinking of smoke.

He says I'm a hypocrite because I vape. But I don't lie to him about vaping? He said he didn't tell me because I reacted exactly like he thought I would by giving him "an earful". I feel he's been lying over and over and gaslighting me frankly.

I am still so angry about it this morning and don't want to even look at him.

I am posting here because I have ADHD and see things as very black and white and take great offence to being lied to and I'm looking for opinions on if I am being unreasonable.

OP posts:
Nanny0gg · 22/03/2024 12:06

So is he going to carry on?@forestblade

peakygold · 22/03/2024 12:20

You are both BU. Smoking and vaping are disgusting, expensive, unhealthy habits. Your poor DCs.

Gcsunnyside23 · 22/03/2024 12:20

I think you're being very dramatic about it crying because he's has a sneaky cig every now and again. As an ex smoker, 13 years now, I can say that this was how I actually stopped. I went straight cold turkey but ended up that every now and again I have a sneaky one (although not as often as your husband does) but the fact I've told everyone I stopped stops me starting properly. I even sometimes go stand with friends smoking just to smell it lol. It's so hard and in my opinion way better than smoking full time and better than vaping. I don't see this as a major deceit and can't see the harm. At the end of the day it's up to him isn't it and it's not really harming you

forestblade · 22/03/2024 14:54

@Nanny0gg Probably

OP posts:
forestblade · 22/03/2024 14:55

@WoodBurningStov Yes, this is how I feel.

OP posts:
forestblade · 22/03/2024 14:57

@Helpisso I feel you're projecting here. It's not the smoking I'm most annoyed about, it's the repeated lying/deception.

OP posts:
LadyGAgain · 22/03/2024 15:01

Same happened to me OP. I was hurt by the lying. Told him to change his life insurance to a smoker and pay the extra. I can't make him stop. Both our dads died of smoking related lung cancer so he's aware of the risks and the rapid and awful death.

Abbyant · 24/03/2024 19:37

I went back to smoking after 2 years and I hide it from my dp because I was ashamed that I’d cracked, my dp eventually found out and I got really upset and started crying that he’d found out he just laughed and told me I don’t need to hide it.

hot2trotter · 24/03/2024 19:51

Remove the smoking from the equation. He's a blatant liar. Not just once, but every single time you asked him outright. Do you want to be with a liar?

Bluebellsparklypant · 24/03/2024 20:42

To pick up on one point with no judgement intended… sometimes people’s reaction causes the secrets/beading of the truth. Right or wrongly If you know someone’s reactions would be extreme then you avoid full disclosure

Sjh15 · 24/03/2024 21:52

I think the only thing you need to find out is why he lied to you about it.
once you’ve got that in the open then move on, he won’t have hidden it to hurt you x

Harry12345 · 24/03/2024 23:44

Yanbu, I’d be the exact same, I hate lying and sneeking about, I have adhd too and know exactly what you mean with big emotions and over reacting, I seem to get hurt more intensely than others and others can let go easier than me too

YabbaDabbaDooooo · 24/03/2024 23:49

I feel great indignation over it as in how dare he lie to me. I have big emotions due to the ADHD.

I wonder if that's why he lied, because you have big emotions?

Might've done it for an easier life, although it's still not OK.

Boobettes · 24/03/2024 23:50

Abbyant · 24/03/2024 19:37

I went back to smoking after 2 years and I hide it from my dp because I was ashamed that I’d cracked, my dp eventually found out and I got really upset and started crying that he’d found out he just laughed and told me I don’t need to hide it.

This is a common thing with addicts, my sister did the same with drinking.

Frazzled83 · 25/03/2024 15:29

It’s an addiction and he’s lying because he’s ashamed. I get where you’re coming from but thinking about it in those terms might help you feel more empathic.

Mimimimi1234 · 28/03/2024 10:51

Lying is not good, but your reaction is controlling. He is an adult. Up to him if he smokes, you vape so you are a hypocrit if you accept that for yourself but not smoking for him. You can express your opinion and concerns fine but doing a breath test is a bit much.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page