When I was younger, myself and thousands of other students took countless health classes on why tobacco is bad for you. They taught us that cigarettes contain tar, arsenic, rat poison and thousands of other chemicals that are used in cleaners, batteries and explosives. They taught us how quickly cigarettes will turn the insides of your lungs black with a thick goo and create a nasty, permanent cough. They taught us that among many- lung cancer, throat cancer, and mouth cancer are very possible fates after smoking just one cigarette.
My health class did a very good job at diminishing any desires and curiosities I had about smoking. However, they did not teach me how to have loved ones that are addicted to nicotine.
I never learned how to patiently sit and wait for someone's cigarette to be done. I was not taught how to be okay watching a loved one spend hard earned money on something that is harming them. I wish I was taught how to breathe around the second hand smoke. I never learned how to help my loved ones stop hurting themselves and start living healthier.
Having a person very close to you that is also addicted to cigarettes is a challenge I was not anticipating. I never thought that someone else's habits would affect me, until one day I realized every single inhale does.
A Letter to Cigarette Smokers,
You are too good to smoke your life away. Stop feeding into an industry that makes billions by killing your insides, and taking your money and dignity in the process. Do not let the business thrive, be better than that. Turn your efforts and addiction towards success, love and adventure. Your life is worth more than lonely ten minute smoke breaks twenty feet away from the restaurant we are all eating at. Your life is worth more than coughing fits, gasping for air and hacking during conversations. You are absolutely worth more than decaying, yellow teeth, thinning hair, bags under your eyes and wrinkly skin. You are too good to smoke your life away.
You are a role model, so be a good one. Whether you are a big sibling, little sibling, partner, child or parent, you are a role model to those around you. You influence those closest to you by your actions and reactions. The more often you smoke, the more desensitized the people around you will become to it. They will gain curiosity; increasing the chances of becoming an addict themselves. If you do not want to see your loved ones lead an unhealthy lifestyle, the first step is taking the temptation out of the picture completely. Find healthy alternatives that you will be proud to share with your loved ones. You are a role model, so be a good one.
We need you here. We do not need you outside the car, in the parking lot, or on the back porch. We do not need you at the bodegas and quick stops, around the corner or at doctor offices. We need you here to enjoy every laugh, joke and moment together. We need you here to make the best contribution to the world as you can. Some say that one cigarette can take off as much as 11 minutes off your life. That's 11 minutes that could be spent with your spouse, your children or your grandchildren. Eleven minutes that could be spent watching sunsets, savoring desserts or soaking up the sun. We need you here.
It's never too late. Today is always a good day to begin a journey to a better lifestyle. There are so many ways, methods and paths towards becoming smoke-free. Pick one that works for you and stick with it. It will not be easy, but you will thank yourself down the road. You will feel the better version of yourself emerging and wonder why you never quit earlier. Your loved ones will thank you for being so brave, so dedicated and so determined. If you won't quit for yourself, quit for your loved ones. It's never too late.
We all love you endlessly. No matter the circumstances, you will always be loved. Cigarettes will not make us love you less, but it can very possibly cut that love short. It is difficult to watch strong loved ones be dependent on something so small. You should quit because you are so loved and admired and your choices will not just affect you. It will affect your parents, your siblings, and your children. It will affect your friends, coworkers and neighbors. We all love you endlessly.
Sincerely,
Your Loved Ones
