by Robert Dams

Created on: February 01, 2010   Last Updated: February 02, 2010

What is addiction?

Each day I wake up wanting a cigarette first thing in the morning. I really do not want to smoke a cigarette but my mind has associated that is the first thing I should do. I guess you could say addiction is knowing the consequences of your actions and the things that you're doing and not being able to stop what you're doing, or thinking you can't. I struggle with this addiction every morning when I get out of bed. I understand there are worse addictions out there, so to say, but cigarette addiction is worse than all of them combined in my opinion. Cigarettes are legal to buy as long as you are of legal age and have enough money in your pocket. All you have to do is walk into any convenience store and get a pack. The convenience, the convenience, the convenience, that is what is so addictive. Maybe if cigarettes weren't so easily accessible people would quit? No I don't believe that would happen. People will do the same thing for cigarettes that someone would do for heroin or crack. We would go to the streets to find our drug and if that didn't work we would go home and grow our own.

I was sitting on the back porch one morning when I realize that smoking a cigarette is actually committing suicide in a sense. I mean, I know the consequences of smoking a cigarette. The cigarettes cause all types of major health problems. I also know that in most cases you have a lot of chronic breathing problems because of it. So what is it about smoking that makes it so addictive? All these years I have put it in my mind that smoking is the lesser of all evils when it comes to addiction. I could be an alcoholic, a drug addict, a sex addict, or many other things. This tiny cigarette isn't as bad as all the other addictions, is it?

Why does our government allow certain addictions to be legal and others not? I believe we all know the answer to this question, but are afraid to admit it. I believe that if we did not have these addictions that kill people every day, then the world's population would be triple what it is now or more. Let's say, "The government has banned all cigarettes". What would happen if it ever happened? One thing for sure, we would have a lot more people using up our natural resources. With millions of people not dying each year from cigarette smoke, means our population grows and grows.

With all that being said, I plan on doing the one thing that the government doesn't want you to do. I plan on changing my thought process as to what the lesser evil is. No longer will I consider cigarettes the least of them all. It is definitely the worst of them all! Last, but not least, I plan on praying to God that he will stop this addiction and that I will no longer hurt his temple inside of me. So is this really the lesser of all evils? No!

P.S. Be right back I need a smoke break! Another terrible association!

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