by Heather Saulsbury

Created on: July 13, 2008

Each day we wake up to an unlimited amount of choices to make. Some are easy and some are hard. Do we get out of bed? ? Do we want Trix for breakfast or Lucky Charms? Do we accept the new job or stay in the old one? Do we light up that cigarette or not? Do we choose to inhale various different toxins? Do we walk to work today or drive?

Everyday people have to accept the choices they make and accept responsibility for those choices. Smoking is one of the many things you choose to do over and over each day. You have to choose to buy the smokes and carry them around, you have to choose to carry a light, you have to choose to find somewhere to light up and you have to choose to inhale it. You even have to choose whether to smoke around other people or not. There are so many choices related to being a smoker. It is not something you accidentally fall into or you don't really decide to do. Everything you do when you are a smoker is a choice. Smoking helps you choose your friends, where you eat, where you travel too, how long you stay at a party, which rooms you stay in and even how much money you are going to spend.

I am non smoker now. Which is a choice I made for my health and my family? Just like I made a choice to light up for 10 years and spend my hard earned money on something that only last a few minutes. Granted I never said it was a good choice but it was my choice for too long. Because of that I feel it is also my responsibility to deal with the consequences to my health. Just like I would deal with the consequences of any choice I have made.

People are not forced to smoke and it is definitely a conscience decision. I believe smoking is a very hard habit to break. It is incredibly hard to change a smoking habit and all that it entails but it is not impossible. It is just another choice you make in your life.

So, if people choose to light up that cigarette then they better be prepared to deal with the consequences to their health. The label on every single cigarette pack couldn't get anymore to the point about what it will do to your body. In a world full of blame I find it very hard to blame anyone else for a person choice to smoke and affect their own health. Nobody ever forces you to light up over and over and over again. You decide every time that you are putting your health at risk. Yes I believe smokers should bear the responsibility for the health risks of cigarette smoking.

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