“No, no, no, no, no, noooooooooooo! How could this happen?” I hollered.
Clenched fingertips grab the sides of my head as I sat rocking back and forth in despair.
“What was I thinking?” I said. “Why did I agree to not smoke for an entire day?”
Granted, this may seem like a crazy reaction in doing something that will better my life, but I couldn’t help but feel like I left the house without my “blankie.”
The reason for all of this mayhem is due to the annual American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.
The all-day event on Nov. 18 asks smokers from across the country to quit smoking for at least a day in the hopes that some will take it one step further and quit altogether.
Currently, 79.8 percent of Americans are daily smokers which an estimated 36.7 million people, according to the St. Louis Globe – Democratic.
I wish I could quit this very moment. I wish that cancer stick never touched my lips.
But every time I’ve tried to quit, it’s never quite “stuck,” regardless of the fact that I’m signing my own death sentence. It’s time for a change.
Since this is my first time participating in the Great American Smokeout, I decided to give it a practice run. My boyfriend never saw me coming.
I woke up in the worst mood just thinking about not smoking. It was 2:30 a.m.
“Do you need a hug?” my boyfriend asked.
“Bite me,” I replied.
My mother would be so proud if she could hear me now.
After apologizing to my boyfriend for my unlady-like demeanor, I grabbed my pack of cigarettes that were on the desk and threw them in a drawer.
“It’s just one day,” I said. “Snap out of it.”
And off I went. The remainder of the day wasn’t that bad. Classes preoccupied my mind and hunger preoccupied my body, leaving no room for nicotine dreams.
Imagine that.
Though the world is filled with many unknowns, there are two vital pieces of information that I have learned from this experience.
First piece of information is that I will dig myself an early grave if I continue smoking.
The second is that the only way I can truly quit smoking is if I want to, mentally that is.
So join me fellow smokers on Nov. 18 along with others from across the country in kicking the habit.
And for those who don’t smoke but know someone who does, give them a helping hand. We can use all the help we can get in fighting this ever-growing epidemic.