I dreaded weekends because my parents' friends who were all smokers would come over our house.  The house was filled with so much smoke that it sometimes looked foggy inside.  The weekends we had company over, I secluded myself in my bedroom and came out only to use the bathroom.
 
One year, my dad went for his annual exam and the doctor urged him to quit smoking cigarettes for heath reasons. This wasn't the first time the doctor suggested he give up smoking, but this time something clicked and my dad decided to finally listen. When he got home after his appointment he threw out his last pack of cigarettes, and never picked up another cigarette since. My mother followed suit and they both were able to quit cold turkey. I think quitting together made it easier for them.

I was ecstatic and relieved that they decided to stop this nasty little habit that affected them and me as well. My dad had an easier time giving up cigarettes than my mom did. She had some wild mood swings afterwards, it's like she became a monster. It took months for my mother to calm down and be back to her old self.  I gather quitting smoking is very hard because your body craves the nicotine so badly.
 
I dated a couple of smokers but it never led to anything serious. I couldn't see myself spending my life with someone addicted to cigarettes. To me kissing a smoker was like kissing an ashtray. Their breath, hair and clothes always stunk. I knew I could never marry someone who smokes. There was no way I was going to expose my future kids to living with a smoker. In the past, I remember going out to eat and asking to be seated in non smoking sections. The restaurants couldn't contain the smoke just in one section and they always reeked of cigarettes. I started avoiding those places because they seemed to cater to smokers.  Thank goodness smoking is now banned in all public buildings including restaurants.
 
Even though my house is smoke free, I don't like walking into a cloud of smoke when I'm out and about. Whether it's in front of a store, an office building, a restaurant, or other public place, smokers continue to put their needs ahead of others. Just because they are standing outside, puffing away doesn't mean they're not affecting everyone who comes in contact with them. Why is it that people who smoke stand right next to entrances. Can't they have some courtesy and move further away. Maybe they're annoyed they can't smoke inside so they have to be pests to everyone else.

I think most smokers are careless and inconsiderate people, who only think about themselves and their nasty addiction. Some, but not all are litter bugs who throw their cigarette butts all over the place. Not only are they polluting the air we breathe, but also you can't walk very far without finding cigarette butts everywhere.To this day I cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke, it literally turns my stomach. I'm glad the price of cigarettes has shot up so much in recent years. I hope these hard times will force people to quit smoking because they won't be able to afford it anymore. 
 
People are dying everyday from cancer and other diseases caused by smoking. Once I found out that breathing in second hand smoke is just as dangerous and deadly, I am even more opposed to being around smokers. If you are a smoker and reading this please think about what you are doing to your body and the people around you.  I hope you find the strength within you to quit smoking cigarettes and live a healthier life.