The Smokers on the Streets

When you go to the mall or the store, do you ever notice all of the ash trays and cigarette butts laying around? You leave the store or mall and someone is standing right at the exit/entrance just smoking right in front of everyone. I know because I used to be one of those people. An individual so obsessed with trying to get an adequate supply of nicotine just to concentrate. I would smoke everywhere and anywhere. I was so obsessed with something that I knew was harmful and could easily kill me. It was like a sick love affair and I was a hopeless romantic addicted to the sweet smell of death.
On Tuesday of last week, however, I started to notice that my chest and lungs was in serious pain. Before Tuesday I just passed it off as heartburn or something related to that. I went in to get X-rays at the hospital that I work and right away I knew I needed to quit smoking. The X-rays were printed and I ran them to my doctor. According to him, there is a lot of calcification that is present that shouldnt be for someone my age. The minute he told me this my heart sank. I knew that this was a problem that I could have easily prevented. I knew what smoking does and causes and yet I continued to be addicted like a young pup going for the milk over and over again from his mother. As of Tuesday, I have not had a single cigarette and will continue to quit as long as I can. Hopefully I dont go crawly back to my ex-lover.