Commit to Quit
My poor habit started the second week of college when I bought my first pack of Marlboro Lights. Since then I have bought about 5 more packs. By April 29th, I wish to quit smoking. When most people preach about the dangers of smoking, they list facts such as “on average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers” [3] and that smoking causes 480,000 deaths every year in America, [5] but they never tell you how much it affects your motivation. Before going to college, I thought I had everything planned out – I was going to join several clubs, get great grades, and become the person I dreamed of my whole life. Since then, I quit every club I joined and don’t play any sports outside of with my friends. Whenever people try …show more content…
My parents have never even picked up a cigarette and none of my friends ever smoked cigarettes. It might be that since my grandparents smoke, the smell reminds me of them. Also, the first cigarette I ever smoked was an expensive Venezuelan one that I puffed on with my friend the day before leaving for college. Buying that first cigarette may have been me trying to feel close my high school friends when in a foreign place.
When smoking my first pack of cigarettes, I had no clue what I was doing, but I felt cool doing it. By the time I bought my second pack, I learned how to properly smoke and it felt great. The nicotine rush was equivalent to being buzzed for a few minutes. Eventually the rush disappeared and I had no clue why I kept smoking, but still did it. It became a part of who I was and I actually liked it. Watching Netflix series like Narcos and Sons of Anarchy really didn’t help because someone always had a cigarette on them and they looked cool with it. The first time I noticed I had a problem was when I decided to go swimming one day. I swam for my varsity high school team for 4 years and was decent; when I swam for the first time after smoking, I was horrible. It became impossible to hold my breath for longer than a few strokes and I couldn’t swim for longer than half an hour. It felt awful, but I still had my cigarettes so what did it
My poor habit started the second week of college when I bought my first pack of Marlboro Lights. Since then I have bought about 5 more packs. By April 29th, I wish to quit smoking. When most people preach about the dangers of smoking, they list facts such as “on average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers” [3] and that smoking causes 480,000 deaths every year in America, [5] but they never tell you how much it affects your motivation. Before going to college, I thought I had everything planned out – I was going to join several clubs, get great grades, and become the person I dreamed of my whole life. Since then, I quit every club I joined and don’t play any sports outside of with my friends. Whenever people try …show more content…
My parents have never even picked up a cigarette and none of my friends ever smoked cigarettes. It might be that since my grandparents smoke, the smell reminds me of them. Also, the first cigarette I ever smoked was an expensive Venezuelan one that I puffed on with my friend the day before leaving for college. Buying that first cigarette may have been me trying to feel close my high school friends when in a foreign place.
When smoking my first pack of cigarettes, I had no clue what I was doing, but I felt cool doing it. By the time I bought my second pack, I learned how to properly smoke and it felt great. The nicotine rush was equivalent to being buzzed for a few minutes. Eventually the rush disappeared and I had no clue why I kept smoking, but still did it. It became a part of who I was and I actually liked it. Watching Netflix series like Narcos and Sons of Anarchy really didn’t help because someone always had a cigarette on them and they looked cool with it. The first time I noticed I had a problem was when I decided to go swimming one day. I swam for my varsity high school team for 4 years and was decent; when I swam for the first time after smoking, I was horrible. It became impossible to hold my breath for longer than a few strokes and I couldn’t swim for longer than half an hour. It felt awful, but I still had my cigarettes so what did it