Oh Chick, not that I'm glad you're a smoker too (wouldn't wish that on anyone now that I understand it) but I'm glad to know that someone understands.

Now that I've witnessed the wars against smoking and read about all of the dangers and the culprits that targeted us despite the health risks have been divulged, I feel mad! Not just at myself for not trying harder all of these years but at the system that solicits such unethical tactics, the deceit.

I recall long ago when the first wars against tobaco started. Videos of folk using ?traches? to inhale their cigarettes was enough to stop me for the rest of the day only.

The subject forced me to recall how and why I started this repulsive behavior in the first place. In short, I was one of those teenagers they discussed as targets.

I was young, 16, staring at this strategically placed billboard dispaying a beautiful woman with her male suitor. I was working in a resturant/bar and had lied about my age so I decided to get some cigs to make me seem age appropriate like the others that smoked there.

I purchased a pack out of the vending machine. On my 30-45min break, I smoked the entire pack not knowing that I was supposed to smoke one or maybe two. Surely enough, I passed out and it was obvious that I wasn't a smoker. Probably the laugh of the week, as a matter of fact.

Shortly after that, my boyfriend, which became my husband later, came home from the service with the habit. The birth of two new life-time smokers. The only and longest times I've ever quit since then are when I was pregnant, twice. That would only be a total of two years out of 20+. How sad. That number of smoking related deaths continue to rise. Geeze!