Smoking

I don't smoke. I've never smoked, nor have I ever felt any desire to do so.

My mother was a heavy smoker, a habit she picked up during World War II in her late teens. At that time, the harmful effects of smoking were not generally known, and smoking was promoted as a good way to lose weight. A cigarette ad from that time had the slogan, "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet".

My father never smoked, and tried everything he could think of to try to get my mother to quit, all to no avail. One time, he even cut up all her cigarettes with a pair of scissors. She knew it wasn't any good for her health, yet she could not stop.

I am convinced her smoking was a major factor causing her death at the age of 47 of a massive stroke. For a person with hypertension, smoking is the absolute worst thing they can do, as nicotine constricts the blood vessels, which only exacerbates high blood pressure. I believe that had she not smoked, she would have lived many more years, most certainly into my adulthood.

But she didn't stop, so I lost my mother at the age of thirteen. My father, who never smoked, outlived her for nearly 25 years -- 25 years they could have had together.

She served as a negative example to all three of her children, none of whom smoke. Neither do any of her four grandchildren. We've all inherited the tendency to hypertension, but we'll not aggravate it by smoking.

I fully realize that permanently giving up smoking is one of the hardest things someone can do. When I went through the police academy, I learned that nicotine is one of the strongest drugs known -- it is actually easier to kick a cocaine habit than it is to give up smoking.

But to all those fighting this battle, I urge them to keep trying and to never give up, no matter how many times they fall off the wagon. It's worth it.

Thoughts?