My Mistake: Smoking

I started smoking at the age of 14. Nobody had any influence on my addiction to cigarettes when I started. It was that one night, I had a dream of smoking Benson & Hedges. It was a very nice feeling. The next day, I illegally jumped out of the school fence and bought myself a small pack of Benson and a box of matches. I smoked a stick and it was the same feeling as in my dream. I then became addicted.

The night on the same day, I was about to have my cigarette in the school toilet. To my surprise, I found some of my closest friends smoked too. They were very shocked in the beginning and then were very happy that I too smoke. It was a very memorial night.
For 28 years, I had nothing against smoking. In fact, I thought it was a moral obligation. It was the physical embodiment for my individual spirit. Smoking was the main reason why I had been very productive. Never had I questioned anything regarding deteriorating health or anything on the economical factors. To make it even worse, I used to point out that smokers are important to the nation’s economy as we pay ‘tax’. Non-smokers should even thank us for this. For some reason, friends just cannot argue with me.

Three months ago, something did happen when I was presenting a seminar where a gallant participant embarrassed me of my smoking addiction. Since then I started to rethink on this addiction. Finally I quit.

The truth about smoking, in my own words now:

Think of the money I could save.

Very difficult to give up - not looking forward to withdrawal symptoms.

Bad for health, too expensive, very hard drug to give up.

I wish I had never started.

It doesn’t do me any harm but it doesn’t do me any good.

Horrible really when it boils down to it - just say you can’t taste things properly and it is right when you stop smoking things taste a lot better.

Filthy habit.

Years ago they were cheaper - it is getting too expensive now.

Will kill me in the end if I don’t stop.

Anybody who starts today knows of the down side. When I started nothing was said about health side.

It’s all pointless really.

My children keep telling me to give up.

My chest is probably black!! I would be healthier.

No plus points - stained teeth, blackened lungs, bad arteries, etc.

The harm a cigarette can do, I realise that I am throwing away my money to kill myself!!!

Effect on my wife and children.

It is an idiotic thing to start to do.

For the small amount of pleasure it gives me, it’s not worth the hassle I get.

I would be richer.

Offensive habit.

It’s a killer.

Because it comes to control your life - I have a physical craving which stops me doing other things.

Don’t like smell on clothes.

Feel I’m addicted to a drug.