Every reason to quit, and none not to...

I can still remember when my best mate offered me that 1st cigarette @ 17, and how foul it tasted despite his assurance that menthol was "fresher". And how, so quickly, I stopped noticing the stink, the expense, the coughing, the tiredness. These were the first of so many things we smokers try and kid ourselves about: that "only smoking 5-6 a day isn't so bad" (it is), or that "I can give up just like that" (you can, but it's hard to break addiction without persistence, support and guidance), or that "I'll stop altogether when I turn 40" (I'm targeting my 44th birthday as my quit day now), or that "I won't suffer health consequences because of it" (Truth is, I already am - and if I don't quit now, they're only going to get worse).

But I am determined to do it, because there are two beautiful girls here, and I want to see them both grow up. Wish me luck, folks; and I'll wish you all the same...