The evolution of smoking is a fascinating one. In the 1940s people would smoke to feel glamorous because a cigarette symbolized wealth and sex appeal. Then by the 1970s people would smoke to feel cool because a cigarette had turned into a symbol of rebellion. You started smoking cigarettes when you were young and irresponsible; somehow you felt more like an adult with a cigarette between your fingers. And yet, you did not outgrow your irresponsible ways, you became trapped in your brainless and selfish phase of childhood because your black tar addiction has taken over your body.

It is all too well known that smoking causes much harm to your health, but you keep smoking anyway. Through commercials, doctor warnings, and family deaths, you know what smoking can do. Yet, for some reason, you feel lucky enough to be one of the few who does not get sick. But you are already sick. You run out of breath when you go upstairs, you cannot play for more than five minutes because you cannot breathe, and worst of all you’re ill with denial. That is what scares me the most. I know what denial leads to. It leads right to the path of lung cancer, poor blood circulation, chest pain, heart attacks, heart disease, strokes, bladder cancer, mouth cancer, stomach cancer, throat cancer, pancreatic cancer, cancer of the voice box, and other life crippling illnesses. It takes a real scholar to inhale 4,000 toxic chemicals into their bodies and then expect it to cause no harm. You think you are immortal, but that is not true. All you are is irresponsible.

Furthermore, we cannot afford your irresponsible habit. You spend fifty dollars a week on cigarettes alone. You spend two hundred dollars a month on cigarettes, that is our water and electric bills combined. It was just last week when the water company threatened to turn us off. You had more than enough money to prevent that, but you decided to buy cigarettes instead. We do not have it easy and I know that, but you make it harder than it has to be. You have countlessly made the “adult” decision to puff smoke into your body before you’ll pump gas into your car. How many times have you woken me up to take my money to put gas in your because you couldn’t make it to work? It infuriated me that you did not have gas in your car but you had cigarettes in your pocket. You choose cigarettes before me, before yourself, and before your responsibilities.

You never think of how your smoking affects me. You fail to realize that smoking damages more than just your life, but also the lives of those around you. Second hand smoke kills an average 53,800 people a year. Could you imagine burying me because of your choice to smoke? Having you in charge of my health is a scary thought. What is even scarier is the thought that you would irresponsibly discard said power and endanger my life. Your smoking has already led to my asthma. The fact that I’ll need an inhaler for most of my life is something you don’t seem to be too remorseful about. I never got the chance to have many of those meaningful childhood memories of playing tag, or dodge ball, or jump rope, or hop scotch, or hide and seek, because you stole my ability to breathe. The harm that smoking has had on me is all because of your inconsiderate choice to smoke.

Smoking is a revolting habit. There is no reason to do it. Smoking is an irresponsible addiction that should be broken at all costs. Did you know I used to pretend to smoke when I was little? I pretended my pretzel sticks were cigarettes. I did not know that smoking was bad, because you did not teach me. You were my role models, I used to want to be just like you, but I don’t anymore. You are irresponsible, selfish, inconsiderate, and frankly stupid. I am your child; I should not have to educate you on how harmful smoking is. You were supposed to teach me. I am tired of begging you to stop. I know now that I cannot make you stop. You have to decide to break your addiction, you have to decide to grow up, and you have to decide to save yourself. Meanwhile, I will learn from your mistakes. I will never put a small, tobacco filled, cancer causing, time bomb up to my lips.