Put the Cigarette Down!

It was nearly 2:00 a.m., I was getting sleepy, and as I got ready for bed, I lit a cigarette. I'm an on-and-off smoker, some days I do and some days I don't. But as I puffed away the cancer stick, I realized just how stupid I was for doing so. Nothing beneficial comes from smoking. It is poison. I know, you know it, everyone knows it, so why do we continue to do it?

I've always known it was a stupid habit, why would I willingly and knowingly continue to inhale toxins? I tried to think deeply on the issue, which I had never really done before. I can remember when I was a child, fervently trying to persuade my father to quit smoking, so how could I be so hypocritical? The answer is arrogance.

I, as every other smoker in this hypocritical world, have had an arrogant approach to smoking. Several smokers will remind you that we all have to do some way, so why not enjoy yourself while you're here? But that is just a stupid observation by people that don't want to acknowledge their own flaws. Personally, there are millions of other ways I'd rather die than from smoking related causes. Call me crazy, but a slow, painful, and agonizing death is not the way I want to go out.

I am only 21 years old, but I can already notice the effects of smoking. I began smoking right after I graduated high school, and as in most cases, it was a production of peer pressure and social scenario. I was never forced to smoke, but everyone else was doing it, so I just picked it up. Stupid.

So, as of this morning, I pledge to myself that I will never smoke another cigarette, and I can only hope that others will do the same. It's a personal decision, everyone already knows the facts. The government could package all tobacco products in black boxes labeled "Cancer :you will die," and they would still be a multi-billion dollar business. It's up to the smoker. I don't care what methods I have to follow to quit smoking, but I'd rather deal with the pains of withdrawal instead of alternative.