cigarettes

dear everyone i know-
i absolutely hate that many of you are young and smoke like chimneys. you are bright, funny, articulate people who i hate to see buying into the horrible sneakiness of the cigarette industry. never mind that you're wasting your money on this multimillion dollar industry which knew as early as the 1950's the harm they were causing people by denying that cigarettes were harmful.

never mind the fact that this industry found lots of nasty ingredients like concentrated tobacco juice, formaldehyde and other horrid things to make sure that you got addicted to this filthy habit.

never mind that smoking these things will make your skin age faster.

or that you may be smoking because you thought it made you look cool (you already were!), or were trying to use them as an appetite suppressant, or to take a break from the action, or thought they calmed you down when you were nervous (actually, they're a stimulant- it's an illusion).

can i tell you that i used to be able to find my husband in any store by the sound of his hacking cough? it's become a heart cough, in part, no doubt, from his long habit of smoking a pack or two a day.

i don't need to tell you about increased likelihood of emphysema, which makes it increasingly hard to breathe till you feel like you're strangling, or lung cancer or asthma. how about your immune system's natural ability to fight off disease in general. and if diabetes or heart problems run in your family, it's more likely if you smoke.

come on, people. when i see you all out there smoking, it breaks my heart. you could take the money you'd save by quitting and go on a fabulous vacation. i'm talking exotic location, money for the flight and great meals. that's how much you waste on this stuff. i calculated about 5 years ago, when it was cheaper, that 1 1/2 - 2 packs a day was about $1500 a year. it's got to be even more now. imagine where you could go with that kind of money! talk about relaxed. a week in tahiti or paris or the himalayas. wow.

i know it's hard to quit, but after about 2 weeks of misery, it gets easier. can't we put these creepy tobacco industry bastards out of business and give the poor tobacco farmers being robbed by them something else they can grow? there has to be some cash crop they could replace tobacco with. these guys laugh at you while they come to work in helicopters with the money you gave them. wipe the smile off their faces, will ya?