Quitting Smoking Experience - Essay Example

Every individual tends to discover a habit for himself that proves to be a source of relaxation and serenity. Some people may find sanity in playing video games, drinking caffeinated drinks etc. The habit that has kept me immersed for the past 10 years is smoking. Despite being aware of all of its hazardous long-term and short-term effects, I have not been able to eradicate the complete existence of this aspect from my life.

I have tried to quit smoking at numerous instances in my life and have been successful in most of those endeavours for an elongated period but have found myself backsliding. One of the major reasons for reverting to smoking is that it has become a source of leisure time for me and an excuse to get outside the house for a breath of fresh air, a walk around the block or to the store. Still, the endeavours of quitting smoking have been a result of the realization of the financial, as well as the health problems related to it. The cost of a cigarette pack may seem trivial to an occasional smoker but the small amount of $7 tends to have a significant effect on the budget of a serious smoker who has greater consumption than an occasional one. Alongside the monetary effect of the addiction, smoking tends to increase one’s chances of getting cancer.

It is usually witnessed that some instances prove to be life-altering and compel the individual to adopt different paths. One such incident also took place in my life that made me realize that the harmful habit of smoking tends to affect the smoker, as well as the people around him. This notion was realized when I had to face the dilemma of having a 17-year-old move into my mother’s house. His transition into my mother’s house not only meant that a teenager was being exposed to smoking all the time, but it also brought up the situation in which he wanted me to sponsor his smoking. When this occurrence was revealed to my sister, she was very concerned about her son’s well-being and disappointed in me for being an unconstructive influence on her son’s life.

After suffering ethical issues and disappointment from my family, I finally decided to quit smoking and try to relieve myself from its addiction. Alongside making the decision to quit smoking, I encouraged my nephew to quit too but my nephew turned a deaf ear to all of my reasoning for quitting smoking. My decision also proved to come in between my relationship with him since our common ground of communication had disappeared. Still, I stayed persistent and stayed away from smoking. After being successful in staying away from cigarettes for three months, I was faced with yet another challenge. My nephew’s father came to live in my mother’s house and we went for a drive one day. He was in the same boat as me as he had also quit smoking recently. Upon our return from somewhere, we stopped at a coffee shop where he urged me to buy a cigarette pack for him since he had forgotten his wallet at home. Not only did I buy him cigarettes, but I also ended up smoking a few. I remain perplexed as to why I couldn’t refuse the offer and stay persistent in the face of my resolution. However, I believe that one needs to try again and again to succeed in life, therefore, I plan to stay determined in my future endeavours to quit smoking and take up healthier habits in life for my and society’s well-being.