Why I Quit

[JTBrown]

I have been meaning to write this for a while now, and I don't think that there is a better time than now. See, my Dad has smoked for roughly 46 years. His father died of heart and lung failure, due to the emphysema in which he suffered. This morning, my dad was checked into the ER due to bad chest pains. Not sure what is going to come of it yet, or what exactly it is, but he is certainly on the road to a heart attack. And the first thing he wanted to do is go smoke a damn cigarette. All afternoon and night. 

Which leads me to this. The addict brain never ceases to amaze me. The control that it has over him is the same control it once had over me. If I were ever in a situation like that, the first thing I would think is how I was going to get my next dip. But today, having broken those chains almost 700 days ago, it pissed me off to no end. IT IS YOUR FU%$ING HEALTH! My God. How can you sit there, knowing what that plant is doing to you, and still crave it? That can, that carton, whatever your poison, is never too heavy to pick up and throw it the hell away. You know that each and every dip you put in your lip or every cigarette you smoke will eventually kill you. Sure, we all are going to perish at some point, but what is your damn hurry? Does your life suck so much being attached to a poison that you are willing to shorten the years you have with your family? Friends?

I didn't want my speech to be all about someone else, but you sure as shit can't use me as an example anymore. I freed myself long ago, and I will continue freeing myself every time I open my eyes and my feet hit the floor. And those feet will proceed to lead me to the closest means I have of putting my name on that scroll, and telling nicotine to go shove it up its own ass for another day. I will do this until the end of my days.

And for anyone reading this, no matter your background, no matter your story, I sincerely hope that I will see you on scroll as well.