Flirting with Danger
I’ve found quitting smoking pretty easy so far. I believe I don’t want to smoke any more. I know how really, really bad it is for me.
Then why did I take one small puff of a friend’s cigarette last night? I did this once last week too, but it was just my second day of quitting. I guess I can understand that better. Neither time was I remotely tempted to smoke more. I even have to say, I DID NOT INHALE. (OK, make a wisecrack. I can take being the butt of jokes.) But I know that doesn’t get people off the hook.
I need to figure out what to do next time I’m tempted to take just one puff. I think I could probably use the distractions that already work for me–work on the computer, read a book, work in the garden or clean house.
Would it count if I just took a little sniff of the smoke?
When Kids Smoke Just One
A study of 2,000 school children in Britain found that kids who tried just one cigarette are twice as likely to take up smoking–even years after that single cigarette.
Could I conclude that my willingness to take one puff might mean I’d be more willing to start smoking again?
Just One Puff Damages DNA
Smoking just one puff–1/25th of a cigarette–can damage your DNA, according to a University of Pittsburgh study. Damaged DNA, particularly the kind of damage that results from cigarette smoke, can lead to cancer.
I don’t even want to think about my DNA after 35 years of smoking.
A Single Puff
That single puff I took last night may well have changed the way my heart relaxes between beats. In fact, researchers at the University of Arizona found, after one puff, the heart actually appears to stiffen between beats–an early indication of heart failure.
I can’t imagine how many puffs I’ve taken over the years.
