By Hadiyah Samuel

Recently I attempted to quit smoking cigarettes and failed the first day. I can’t lie about that, but today starts a new day & I’m ready! Before I go into depth about why and how I’m going to quit smoking, I want to tell you how much I usually smoke and how I got started. I began smoking consistently Memorial Day of 2013. To be quite frank with you, I’m actually grossed out by cigarettes. At first I didn’t see the point of smoking. It’s not just the fact that it costs money, but it’s like I’m opening the door for cancer and telling it to walk right in. Personally, I smoke about 3-5 cigarettes depending on the day, but around my friends it’s more like 8-10. I recall a time we smoked a whole pack within 8 hours. That was the day I realized quitting wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Reminder that this is not something I’m being forced to do. After a while my knowing smoking is so bad for you (I mean “me”) and seeing I was smoking more on a daily basis was really getting to me.
My first day attempting not to smoke cigarettes went downhill about 18 hours in. It was Saturday. Friday I had gone to a concert that was my last hurrah. Saturday was going to be the new me. I want to blame it on the fact that I was at work or because I was stressed, but really I was craving a cigarette all day. At first I wrote a bogie instead of cigarette, but I’ve just learned I have to clarify that. Ms. Birmingham, I don’t mean marijuana. If I say I craved a bogie, I mean a cigarette like Humphrey Bogart smoked in the movies. Other words I use are a loosie, square, fag and cig. They are all nicknames for tobacco. I know the peaceful euphoria tobacco gives you (me) when you (I) do just about anything – waiting at a stop light, dealing with stress. Now it’s time to say good-bye to all that. To say “I used to smoke.” So read along with me on my journey. And, fellow smokers, either way, you and I both can benefit from quitting, so I’d really appreciate if you try to quit with me!