Was buzzing about in town today, getting some errands taken care of, and noticed something disturbing.

Seemed everywhere I looked, someone, somewhere, had a cigarette either in hand or hanging out of their mouth. It boggles the mind – well, mine anyway – how people can still be hooked on this filthy habit in this day and age. The work and time alone that has gone into educating our youth about the proven effects of smoking is staggering. Yet today, as I ran hither and yon through our town I came across person after person with a cigarette. Young people, too. A pretty blonde girl in her early twenties, driving a cute red sports coup pulled up beside me, and I couldn’t believe that she had a cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth. How gross! How truly low class she looked, despite her cute car, clothes, hair, etc. Way to ruin your image, sweetie.

Image? Well, that’s the least you’re going to ruin, isn’t it? Your health, the health of those you smoke around, the health of your future offspring – everyone is affected by it.

What I don’t get though, is why you’d want to smell so bad? It permeates your skin, your clothes, your hair – there is no getting rid of that stink. I can’t get within 6 feet of a smoker without being immediately offended; it’s akin to standing near open sewage.

Your skin? Turns to splotchy leather. Deepens wrinkles.

Your teeth? Lovely shades of yellow and brown rot.

Past the obvious risk of developing any one of a dozen different cancers, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses, smoking increases the risk of developing Diabetes Mellitus by more than three times, and has been linked to vision loss among older people, mental impairment later in life, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Tell me again that the “buzz” is worth risking any of that.

Smoking isn’t cool anymore, folks. It’s dangerous. It makes you stink. It’s ugly.

P.S. Sorry Thom ;) Wasn’t written with you in mind, I swear!