I picked up my first cigarette at the age of 12, due to wanting to be like everyone around me. I thought to myself; all of my friends think it’s cool. So why shouldn’t I be cool like them? And, at first it was nasty, disgusting, and even choked me. But for some reason I wanted more. It didn’t matter that the first puff was disgusting and made me caugh. All I knew is that for some reason I was craving more of it. So I took another puff. Than before I knew it, I was addicted. That addiction lasted for 17 years. I am now 29 years old and was recently diagnosed with diabetes and diabetic neuropathy. I was told that I wasn’t getting enough oxygen in my left foot and leg, and if I didn’t get it under control my leg would soon be paralyzed. Or I could lose my leg entirely. Well this thought frightened me very much. I thought no! No way! I can’t lose my mobility. I’m a runner, I’m a martial artist, I love to go on hikes and bike rides. So right then and there I knew something had to change. So after a few days research and talking to a cousin that also wanted to quit smoking, I decided to switch to vaping. I read stories about vaping being 95% safer than cigarette smoke, so I thought why not switch to vapes for like a month just until my cigarette cravings went away then I’ll stop vaping as well. I thought that vaping would be so much easier to quit than cigarettes. But that was 6 months ago. No I haven’t touched another cigarette, but now I seem to be addicted to vapes. And I’m starting to feel the side effects. My chest burns, I caugh all the time, and my leg and foot are not getting any better, and my body just feels awful. So it’s time to take my life back! Its time to say goodbye to nicotine forever.
