A Toxic Habit

An unlucky strike

Image by author

I started smoking at the age of eleven. Those were different times. Tobacco had not been demonized as a killer drug yet.

A poll released in 1960 revealed that 48% of American doctors smoked cigarettes. With half of all doctors smoking, no wonder people ignored any of the early hints regarding the dangers of the habit.

The impact on health associated with tobacco use did not become widely known until 1964, when the landmark Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was released.

By that point, at the age of thirteen, I was addicted to nicotine. I constantly carried a pack of Lucky Strike in the breast pocket of my school uniform. My transition from non-smoker to smoker received no resistance or push-back from any of the adults in my family. It seemed to be accepted as a rite of passage. It appeared that everyone around me smoked.

There was certainly not a single shred of information presented to me indicating that tobacco could be a harmful substance. That lack of awareness now seems incomprehensible.

On March 16th, 1968, I immigrated to Canada. I took my last puff of a Lucky and boarded a plane to Vancouver. I would not smoke again until four years later, during my second year of university.

Smoking again. Trying to ignore an annoying woman. Photo by P. Elliott

How it happened, I am not entirely sure. Shards of memory tell me that it happened at a get-together. Someone offered me a smoke while we were talking. Without much thought, as if that choice had no consequences, I accepted the offer and lit up a Players Light cigarette.

That would be the beginning of my longest stint as a smoker.

Seven years later — roughly 2500 packs of Players Light later — it was once again time to quit. That translates to burning $12,500. Had I invested that money, with accrued interest, it would be worth $481,616.78 today. Let that sink in.

Nine years later, as if Forrest Gump had invaded my body and soul, I started smoking again. Stupid is as stupid does.

I didn’t smoke for long during that stint, just a few months, but the effort it took to kick the habit… AGAIN, was monumental.

I’ve been a non-smoker now for over 35 years, yet I have been aware of the grip of addiction for almost twice as long as that, so I have a great deal of respect for the power of nicotine. I wish that I had known that before I took my first puff.

So…

If you have never smoked: consider yourself lucky. (pun intended)

If you smoked and quit: pat yourself on the back.

If you are still a smoker: Quit.

It’s not easy. I understand.

You already know the reasons why you should.

Disclaimer: Part of this text is based on a previous story I wrote titled “How I Managed to Kick The Habit,” posted on August 10, 2022. (link)

Thanks to Suma Narayan for this interesting prompt about our toxic habits.

Wanna play along? Here are the July prompts from the Challenged:

[embed]I’m Jumping for Joy It’s July Why? I can still jump… not high… but lift two feet off the ground togethermedium.com