| Subject: Did you share your full start smoking story on here? |
Author:
Jay
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Date Posted: 14:27:43 03/22/02 Fri
In reply to:
Past Tempted
's message, "Re: This board needs posts" on 08:56:28 03/15/02 Fri
I found this very old post of yours from the old days of Late Bloomers, and I think this version of your start smoking smoking story is interesting.
Why did I wait to smoke?
Posted by Past Tempted on 3/26/2001, 11:55 am
I had a friend in high school who has turned out to be a model citizen. She doesn't smoke or drink, attends church regularly, has seven children ranging in age from four to 17 and is active in PTO and civic activities in our town.
Twenty five years ago, we once sat at a remote section of our town park. She smoked, I was chicken. I figured maybe I would try a cigarette soon but not that day. Betsy has some stories to tell as to how she explained her appearance of bad conduct and always got away with it.
So I think back to that day in the park and the times I avoided smoking until just recently. There were high activities including athletics.
Then there was going with the high school football star who surely wouldn't want his girl to smoke.
Then there was getting pregnant by the high school football star and being a mother the day after I turned 21.
Then there was trying to return to my good-girl image by being a good adult. Then there was another daughter and another. There was always hope that Ron and I would have a Ronnie.
That hope faded. The first girl went to college. The second got caught with cigarettes at the age of 16.
For the first time in more that 25 years, I again had a pack in my hand. It was a Marlboro Light this time, not a Salem.
This time, when the pack presented itself, I was still the model citizen. I was over the stigma of a rushed marriage that will celebrate 20 years in June.
I got on the internet to research Bonnie's statement that everybody did it. The chat rooms enticed me to try it.
From that Friday night when I took six cigarettes from Bonnie until the Sunday morning when I lit one, that pack was literally burning a hole in my pocket.
So, finally that Marlboro Light replaced the Salem I didn't light. Smoking at 40 was not a stupid, impulsive move. It was the realization that it was way past time to try something I always intended to try. I was careful not to make myself sick or avoid any sort of bad smoking experience.
The rest of the story has been recorded in the cartons. Several brands have been tried but never a Salem. My brand is now Marlboro 100 in the red pack. More Menthol hangs in there as a distant but steady second. Packs of Marlboro Lights, Virginia Slims and B&H have all ended up in my purse in the last month. A few cigars have found the way to my mouth but that hasn't happened in more than a month.
It took two days to smoke those first six. Ten weeks later, thirty a day is now normal. Ron likes it. I later found that not one but all three daughters were smoking daily before I tried it.
The 19 smokes openly, the 16 has quit for sports and the 11 is forbidden to smoke.
I see Betsy often. We run in the same civic circles where I follow all the non-smoking rules. Betsy only grins when she sees me with a cigarette. I don't think I've burned any bridges with friends by becoming a smoker.
Perhaps someday we will share laughs over a pack of Salems. These days a jigger of beer might get us drunk. Cigarettes made their way into my life and out of Betsy's. It just seemed understood that her offer of a cigarette remained. We are still good girls who help our community activities a lot. Just thought I would share my smoking memories.
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