Hello!

I'm nineteen years old and my name is Kristina, I've been smoking for about three years now and have been using cigarettes to help me cope with stress, over eating, and boredom... but I decided to quite, so I did.  And it's worked.  The first 48 hours of my decision to stop smoking (as it is always the hardest) my friends helped me and we spent two nights together and she constantly encouraged me not to smoke, that really helped me there too.  But the thing that triggered me the most, was that I was slowly killing myself and it was leading to a slow wand painful death with smoking cancer if I would have developed it.  I quite not only for myself, but for my loved ones.  I never wanted to even think it was possible for me to kill my family or friends with second hand smoking, so I wanted to stop this habit before anything serious happened, lucky for me I listened to my inner voice and to God telling me to stop.  I saw a commercial on TV about throat cancer, lung cancer and mouth cancer (to name a few) attributed to smoking.. that's what really triggered me to stop as well.  The images that I saw were absolutely disgusting.  Gross large tumor's were on this young girls tongue and all over her mouth.  I didn't want to end up like that!  I went online and researched it some more and found pictures of lung cancer after the body had been autopsied spelling?).  Then I thought.. what really do I gain from smoking?  Sure it cures my boredom for about five to ten minutes, and yes I won't lie, it does help me to cope with stress.  But there are other ways I'm learning that will also help cure those things.  Those are the only two pro's of smoking that I've found..  I usually smoked about a pack a day, now I smoke nothing at all and am proud of it.  As for the cons of smoking... I can't run, I can't hike like I so enjoy doing, I can't swim for very long or do vigorous working out.  I can't hold my breathe under water for very long like I used to before I smoked when my sister and I would have competitions as to who could hold their breathe the longest (kind of childish I know, but they were fun times..)  My clothes always smell and so does my breathe after a cigarette and my teeth are stained a yellow tint which is a serious turn off to the opposite sex.  My lungs I imagine must look terrible on the inside.. black and full of tar, just the thought alone makes me sick to my stomach.  Not to mention other grossities like lung cancer, mouth cancer, throat cancer, emphysema, having to smoke out of a whole surgically cut into your throat one day.  Thank God none of the more serious things have happened to me, but I bet that if I would have continued to smoke, they would happen to me someday.  Not to mention the life of cancer is extremely painful, as is the death.  It's definitely not the way I want to go.  When I die, I don't want my loved ones to remember me with always having a cigarette in my hand.  This decision to quite smoking has taken a lot of thought and time and a lot of tries before I could finally get it right.  But this time, I have the help and support of my loved ones, and my faith in God to back me up.  Every time I have a craving for a cigarette, I call a friend who doesn't smoke and she gives me strength and encouragement.  Or I read the bible, or go out for a walk with my sister or listen to music or have a really yummy healthy meal or salad.  I draw or paint or go onto the computer to ease my boredom, I read books, write poetry, watch movies that I love.  I don't know if my story or attempt at encouragement can help anyone else, but I think what your doing is absolutely wonderful! And I would love to help you help others in any way I can!  Please email me back.

Always,

Kristina

Hi, I am a 16 year old, male from Essex. I am completely against smoking whatever is inside the packet! I have never tried it and never intend to! I do my best to stop my age group from smoking anything but it is so hard these days! People just fail to realize how much they shall regret it and what confuses me is that they have never given me a good, true reason for doing it today! I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND! I am so confused that I am more than willing to help people like you stop people from smoking and prevent theirs and our lungs from suffering when we are in the environment. I feel that if I have got through all the pressures and still live a fine social life then everyone can. In other words this is a voluntary letter, I am volunteering to help you with your campaign and I am very interested in starting on up myself. I have never understood why people smoke AT ALL! There really is no point.

I have attached a file of which I created purely for my satisfactory just to let it all out and just to let you know how I feel. I shall help people in my area and of my age group or anyone, please I am volunteering. Thanks a lot (sorry the emails a bit rushed)

 

Alex Wilding