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Jump to full article: ESU Bulletin (Emporia State University), 2008-04-10
Author: Mallory Livingston
Intro: Today I'm ten days into a journey that, five years ago, I didn't think I would find myself in the midst of. Five years ago, I was just a 15-year-old kid with my whole life ahead of me and nothing prompting me to actually acknowledge that fact. In short, I might have been old enough to know better, but I was certainly young enough not to care. So I started smoking.
Little did I know how hard it would be to quit. . . .
I'm "sticking to my guns" when it comes to the rights of others to make their own decisions, however self-destructive they may be. I refuse to become a self-righteous, cigarette crushing ex-smoker simply because I've made a lifestyle change.
Above all else, I know that quitting smoking doesn't happen out of sensitivity to the criticism of others or concern for the opinions of any collective society. It comes only from a personal choice, conviction and dedication to quitting, and only the smoker can make that choice.
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