Posted by Jane Wildflower Doe (159.153.4.4) on July 10, 2001 at 15:00:21:
I am posting this message anonymously for no good reason other than the fact that if I sign my real name, I am essentially admitting that I am doing something that isn't good for me (which is true). I am thirty years old and have been a social smoker since age 15. This means that I "only smoke when I drink" which ranges anywhere from once every few months to once a week, or whenever I visit someone who smokes regularly. I guess you could say that I am easily influenced by my surroundings, but have been lucky enough not to develop a habbit that affects my day to day living (at least not in my actions). I reallize that what I am doing is playing with fire (literally). I know that each time I pick up a cigarette to catch that little buzz or for that calming feeling of enjoying a smoke with a friend, I am diminishing my quality of life and harming my body (what a selfish thing to do....). I have always tried to lead a healthy lifestyle. But, the smoking is a force that has been pushing my efforts in the wrong direction for a long time now. Good luck to everyone, including myself, in fighting this self-destructive battle.