The story..

About a month ago, through a series of events that were full of drama, revenge and distrust, it was brought to my attention that my beloved daughter was smoking. SMOKING!! Just days after she looked me in the eye and said, "I will never smoke, that is disgusting!"

I'm proud of myself. I remained calm, after a fashion. I waited a full day before I spoke to her about it. I calmly put her under house arrest for a month. I calmly froze her allowance and her debit card. I calmly took away her car keys and I calmly applied parental controls to her phone to made it shut off every night at 10:30.

After two weeks I was tired of driving her to school so she got her car back for that. Nothing else though. Last week her grades came in: A, A, A, A, A, A, B. Not too shabby - and apparently she's smarter than she appeared when she started smoking. I rewarded her with an extra 1/2 hour of phone time at night. Then I hit upon a brilliant idea and proposed it to her. She could write me an essay. If she wrote it and convinced me she learned her lesson, I would lift her house arrest a full week early. Of course, she would still be on probation and we would have random smell-checks and purse searches.  She agreed and  the following is her essay.

If you knew about something that killed 430,000 people a year, you wouldn't think to do it, but about 25% of Americans do. Smoking cigarettes is much more dangerous than just getting lung cancer. There are many more repercussions that are also very severe, and repercussions that aren't nearly as dangerous, like to your appearance, and your wallet. The fact of the matter is, there is no positive light to such a deadly addiction.



Most people are aware that smoking can cause lung cancer, but most people don't know that of the 430,000 people that die every year, 180,000 of them die from cancer. Over 1,000 people die every single day from smoking, thats about 1 in 6 people. The statistics are frightening, over 3,000 people die every 3 days, thats how many people died on September 11th.

The cause for all these deaths are more in-depth than just smoking alone. It's what is in the cigarrette that causes sickness and harm. About 4,000 toxic substances are absorbed into the bloodstream within seconds of inhaling on a cigarette. It also increases your cholesterol and blood pressure. Smoking raises your blood pressure by 5-10 mm Hg for about 30 minutes, if combined with caffiene, the effects are bigger and last longer. Another frightening fact: smokers are twice as likely to have heart-attacks.


Another reason not to smoke, is for vanity. If you care about your looks, you shouldn't want to smoke. It causes pre-mature aging, and wrinkles. It also stains your teeth and gums, pales your skin, and gives you bad breath. Just the smell alone is very disgusting. 67% of people think seeing someone smoking, is a turn-off.


The smell of smoke stays in your clothes, hair and skin. If you smoke in your car or house, this will deeply impact your wallet. A person who smokes has to pay more for insurance, the resale value of a car or house is damaged, and they take about 25% more sick days than non-smokers. A person who smokes three packs a week, spends about $1,000 a year on cigarettes. And don't forget all the perfume and cologne people buy in attempt to cover up the odor.


My personal experience with smoking lasted about four months. This is not a long time in a normal spectrum of things, but just smoking for that long I could feel a very large difference in my breathing, stamina, and over-all health. I play the trombone, a large wind instrument, and after smoking, it became more challenging to play because smoking affects your lungs, and makes breathing more shallow. This leads to bad breath control which not only makes it harder to play but makes it harder for you to control the sound coming from your instrument. I also used to run cross-country. Now, after only four months, I can barely run down the street without becoming very short of breath and exausted. When I began smoking it seemed as though it was because I was surrounded by friends doing it, and I did it as well socially. I now expect to see my friends, and worry for their health. Now that I fully understand the severe consequences of smoking for even a short period of time can cause I have no intention of ever going back to smoking cigarettes, but making it my personal mission to help my peers to quit as well.


Smoking is one of the most dangerous activities a person can engage in. If you felt like risking your life, you could try bungee jumping, only 27 people have ever died from that. Only about 16 people die every year sky diving. Compared to the 430,000 people a year that die from smoking, skydiving sounds much safer. There is no such thing as safe smoking. It is the worlds leading cause of preventable disease.

She is now free to roam with friends, I hope she is armed with tools to stay smoke-free.  She says she is.