When I was 14 my friend and I skipped school one day. A group of girls our age were smoking next to us. That day, I asked my friend, "Should we smoke too?" And that’s how we started. It actually helped us bond with other people; we got into a friend group. The more we hung out, the more we smoked. We couldn’t even smoke our very first cigarette properly because we kept coughing. But over time, we found ourselves getting used to it. When our parents caught us, we quit. But then, the two of us started smoking secretly again from time to time.
When we started university, our paths crossed. Since my dad told me, "If I catch you making one mistake, I’ll take you out of school," I stayed away from cigarettes for a while. I was too scared to even touch them. Later on, I went through a really dark period. I was studying art, and drawing started causing me stress. I began questioning life. I would come home and cry every single day, terrified of losing what I had. When my mom started working, I felt lonely all over again. I was left alone at home. During that time, I read books, masturbated, and smoked a few cigarettes just to pass the time.
Strangely enough, I started looking forward to being home alone. Before that, I was so afraid of losing my family and dying alone that I didn't want to go anywhere without them. Ironically, every single day I was left alone at home, I smoked and masturbated. Being alone became something I loved. After that, whenever I felt down or empty, I turned to cigarettes. I needed something that gave me both physical and mental pleasure. So, to cut down on masturbating, I started smoking more.
Eventually, as I started smoking more frequently, my family caught me. When they told me, "You’re an adult now, you can make your own decisions," a strange sense of emptiness washed over me. I thought about quitting, and I didn't even feel like smoking that much. But I kept doing it anyway.
Now, I have a boyfriend who doesn’t smoke. My family started mentioning that my teeth are turning yellow. My boyfriend is someone who really values self-care. He doesn't think smoking is cool, and I’ve come to realize that smoking clearly affects my appearance, my smell, and my wallet. So, the other day, I decided to quit.
The first 12 hours went great. I even read Allen Carr's book. I broke my cigarettes and threw them in the trash. But yesterday, around the 12 to 17-hour mark, I started feeling nauseous. A deep restlessness settled in. I started crying a bit, just like the old days. I got terrified of feeling that way again. It suddenly felt like I’d never be able to cope with that sense of emptiness without cigarettes. I took a shower to relax, but I was still crying. I couldn't take it anymore and smoked one. My head spun. The nausea didn't go away, but that dizziness… I liked it.
I decided to smoke my "last cigarette" and quit again because I couldn't stay stuck in the middle. I was either going to smoke or quit. I smoked my last cigarette and threw the lighter out the window. During the night, I woke up feeling restless. For some reason, I felt the urge to masturbate. In the morning, I felt awful. And I decided to light yet another "last cigarette." I finished it and… I realized I can’t quit.