I decided last weekend to do something special for myself when Tuesday rolled around, my one year anniversary as a staff writer here at The Evening Sun. I didn’t take myself out for a special lunch or dinner, didn’t visit the book store for a new novel to immerse myself in or buy myself that new guitar which I really don’t need (but would love to have anyway). No, I finally came to the realization that it was time – and past time – for me to quit that inherently evil, dastardly habit of smoking.

I’ll be honest, I’ve been promising myself (and others) for quite some time now that I should finally quit, actually since my thirtieth birthday nearly four years ago. Yet, for some reason or another, it just never stuck. I’ve been smoking (at least) a pack of cigarettes a day for almost 16 years now and, even though I’ve always known the stupidity of this particularly nasty habit, I simply couldn’t summon up the willpower to drop it for good. This time around (like so many others in the past) it came down to two factors – the damn things are far too expensive, especially in New York State, and I’m tired of paying that much money for something that is slowly killing me.

While that reasoning in itself should seem completely logical, even to the most diehard smoker, it’s amazing how difficult it can be to live by. And yet that’s my ultimate reason for quitting, I’d like to live (not to mention saving up for that guitar I mentioned). It’s that simple.

However, I’m forced to face the facts. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of America’s estimated 50 million smokers will attempt to kick the habit this year. Only one in ten will succeed. The reason behind this isn’t all that hard to figure out though – the nicotine found in today’s cigarettes is, according to many, more addictive than heroin (yet still legal).