Lryics from a song I like. Every time I hear that song I am reminded of an experience I had several years ago when I was in the Navy. Back then (1987) we were not allowed to smoke in Basic Training, except at designated times. I think it was the last week of training. No one in our company of 105 souls had had a smoke for 7 weeks! I don't know why I didn't just quit then, but I was very young, lol. Anyway, take 105 people who smoke, take away their cigs for 7 weeks, then point at a room, tell them they have 10 minutes to go and smoke, and watch what happens. Thinking back on it, I find it amusing, but it wasn't very funny at the time. Guys were quite literally running over each other to get to that room. Within seconds, all the smokers were in that room lighting up. Many were smoking multiple (I saw one guy with 5!) cigarettes at once. No one was talking, everyone was sucking. It was February in Chicago, so the windows were closed. Smoke was SO thick you couldn't see across the room. It was like being in a fog. I looked at people's faces. Everyone was on cloud nine. They all had a look on their face like they were stoned. I might as well have been in an opium tent somewhere out in the old west! This was a shocking experience that confirmed to me that I was dealing with a drug. These people looked stoned! Anyway, this was the first time I started to think that maybe this smoking wasn't such a good deal afterall. Today, it is a reminder to me that, all those years ago, in that smoke-filled room, we let the drug take control. So when I think of this memory from time to time, it serves as a reminder to me to NEVER LET THE DRUG TAKE CONTROL. I AM IN CONTROL.
