30 Days of Truth: Day 22

Day 22: Something you wish you hadn't done in your life.


Here's a small little story about the VERY BIG thing I did that I wish I had never picked up.

I don't really know where or how it began, I just remember that it was a habit during my sophomore year in college...I honestly think it started when I started dating a guy who worked his ass off to get my number.
Anyways, I'm not proud to admit, but at one point I started smoking. It was an awful addiction.

Then I started hanging out with people who smoked. And when I would go to bars and stuff, I made cool new friends just from being outside and smoking and introducing ourselves to each other, because so many people would shun us for being smokers.

Then one of my best friends in the sorority house started smoking, so I had a smoking buddy. There was one godawful night that we went through about a pack and a half together (heavy drinking was involved). I'm pretty sure we got nicotine poisoning from that night.

Then I started dating a different guy who was also a smoker. And he chain smoked. Every time he would light one, he'd ask if I wanted to smoke. I smoked just about one for every three of his cigarettes.

Once I decided I wanted to run consistently, I quit. Just said, "Okay, once I've had these last three, I have to give it up for good." Cold Turkey. It wasn't that bad for me, but the social pressure came in a couple times for the remainder of that semester, and I tried to smoke a couple times at parties but it gagged me. My lungs were reminding me (painfully) that I was serious about running and quitting smoking.

I can be around smokers, but the minute I try to take one puff, I choke and gag. But I haven't looked back since, and I wish I had never become an addict. The quitting part was a big step for my health, saved me a lot of money (I smoked cloves, and they ran about $7/pack), and I'm glad I quit.