It was 1996, and while many of the readers of this column were starting kindergarten, I was beginning the first year of my first attempt at college. I was also beginning my first year as a smoker.
I had heard plenty on the dangers of smoking – the warnings were already on the packs – but some idiotic part of my brain still decided it would be a good idea. While college did not work out so well – I flunked out after two semesters – my cigarette habit took off admirably.
For 11 years, I smoked at a rate of two to three packs a day and worked many crappy, low-paying jobs. This left me walking a thin balance between food money, gas money, rent money, and the most important cigarette money more than once.
For my New Year's resolution in 2007, I vowed to go back to college and get a degree and to quit smoking. The college vow was new, but the quitting the habit of smoking was an annual tradition since 2002.
I finally managed to kick the habit with a lot of support, and quickly realized one major development: for a few months after my last coffin nail, the smell of someone else's smoke was an enticing aroma that made my mouth water. Soon, though, it turned into this cloud of stench that began to piss me off.
When UBreathe Free was announced here at UB, I was really optimistic. After spending hours stuck in buildings studying, the last thing I wanted to inhale when heading outside for a breath of fresh air was someone else's cloud of cancer.
They say that an ex-smoker is the biggest advocate for a smoke-free environment and it was not until I became an ex-smoker myself that I realized how true this is. I deeply regret any clouds of my smoke that blew in the face of non-smokers now, simply because I deeply resent it when a cloud of smoke blows in my face.
The many times I attempted to quit smoking, I had limited resources to help me. With UBreathe Free, Wellness Education Services is offering many resources to aid in quitting. Forget about health reasons; think of the impact on your wallet if you were no longer shelling out $10 a pack.
E-mail: michael.tyson@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Photo courtesy of Clyde (@chemical.trails)
