by Peter Johns

Created on: July 26, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2010

CHILDREN MIMIC US

I'm sure everyone knows the adverse affects smoking has on one's health; by now it's on every cigarette box, so I won't bore you with those countless points. If concern for your health isn't enough of a deterrent though, consider the fact that children mimic us down to the way we walk, talk and think. That's an excellent reason to quit smoking. They also learn how to cope in life by watching how you cope, so if smoking is one way you cope with stress, chances are they'll resort to smoking too when they get stressed as adults. What else do they know? You're their parents. Sure you can tell them what you want them to do till you're blue in the face, but I promise you they'll follow your actions more than your words.

The reason I say this with such confidence is because I did just that; my parents smoked, and when I was a kid I came across a half smoked (still smoldering) cigarette. Still being naive about germs, I remember wondering what was so great about smoking, so I picked up the cigarette and smoked the rest of it.

A friend of mine smoked because his parents smoked and he died around the age of fifteen from a smoke-related asthma attack. His parents still smoke.

QUITTING IS NOT EASY

My parents caught me that one time and gave me a lecture about it. The lecture had an impact, but what really did it for me was their eventual decision to finally quit and they actually followed through with it. From watching them, I'll be the first to say that quitting smoking is not easy. I witnessed first-hand the struggles they went through when they finally decided to quit. I thought they'd never succeed in quitting in fact, because the process was so slow and arduous, but I was wrong. One thing they told me a couple of years ago still haunts me though: they said that although it's been decades, they still remember as if it were yesterday how good it feels to smoke.

That, above everything else, has sealed the deal for me: I will never get into smoking for as long as I live.

COULD SMOKING BE CONSIDERED A DISEASE?

Over-eating, alcohol abuse, cutting oneself, and even pulling one's hair out are all considered diseases. Addiction to nicotine easily fits within those categories (it's definitely worse than over-eating). How can carefree choking of oneself (and others) on toxic fumes not be considered a disease (if all those other conditions are)?

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

My mother came close to death when I was four years old due to smoking. She had a severe asthma attack, and that traumatic experience has never left my mind. Now that I'm older and have also learned what second hand smoking was doing to me, it just compounds my frustration.

PEER PRESSURE

I realize some people smoke due to peer pressure; they smoke primarily in social situations. The problem with that is, you're more likely then to match up with someone else who also smokes and being in a relationship with someone who shares a bad habit makes it all that much harder to quit that habit.

VANITY

Many people smoke to lose weight. It's true that smoking can aid in weight-loss, but if you can remind yourself that smoking is also responsible for eventual graying of the teeth, premature aging of the skin and hoarseness of the voice, hopefully that will counter the temptation to smoke for weight-loss reasons.

Again though, for me the number one reason to quit is for the sake of the younger, impressionable people around you.

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