I smoke and love smoking and before you say “It will kill,” I know; its on the package.

Smokers have been ostracized about this for years. We are forced outside and looked at as jerks every time we light a cigarette in public.

People pull that little fake cough when they walk by us. It is truly better to be a drug addict than a smoker in California.

Most people that smoke do so because they are addicted, not because they feel like killing themselves.

Addiction is a disease. Addicts of drugs are sent to rehab, while addicts of cigarettes are given a patch or some gum and that’s supposed to help fight the addiction.

There are many types of addicts. How many people talk trash to someone that drinks a lot of coffee or eats a lot of sugar.

It’s the same thing, those vices will also kill you.

Personally, I never smoked until I joined the Navy and the only reason I started was to get a few breaks here and there.

I know that is a stupid reason but after 16 straight hours of work, drills and anything else the powers that be decided we need to do, it doesn’t seem as stupid.

When you haven’t slept in days, you start to look for ways to get even a five-minute break.

I continue to smoke now because I never found a productive outlet for my stress. Instead of being even more mean to people than I already am, and trust me I am pretty mean, ask anyone who knows me, I just light up cigarette.

And my story is just one of the millions of reasons why people smoke.

People that don’t smoke will never understand what drives people to smoke, because they are sometimes part of the problem and are too selfish to know it.

For instance, I have tried to quit many times but the people around me never want to understand how hard it is.

People just don’t understand that when you try to quit you get moody, grumpy and sometimes when you say you want to be left alone, all you want is someone to say its ok, I understand, I’m here for you.

Instead they take everything you say personally.

So if you have a friend that really wants to quit smoking just be there for them and understand that sometimes they might lash out at you.

Understand that they don’t always mean what the say. When they push you a way they really want to be closer.

If more people were understanding of this, then maybe there would be less smokers.

The last thing you should do to a friend or family member that is trying to quit smoking is to leave him or her out because he/she smokes.

If you embrace the fact that they smoke, they just might feel comfortable enough with you not to smoke around you. They might actually begin to trust you because they know you don’t judge them, and they might even actually ask you to help them quit smoking.

And when they do, be there for them always and never judge them when the say something stupid because that will just drive them back to smoking again because they don’t want to hurt you.

This also might lead to a resentment toward you because you were not there for them in their darkest hours.

Think about this: When you go to a club, where is everyone having fun? From my experience, it’s the people that are outside smoking, because instead of trying to find a reason to talk to the person of the opposite sex, all they have to do is ask for a light.

Then you start talking having fun and next thing you are having a drink and dancing together.

Smokers that must leave to go smoke find themselves joined to by a common habit; one the rest of the world hates and that makes them unite, even if subconsciously.

When this happens then it is smokers against the world.

Because we are all going through the same thing. Our friends hate us for smoking, our loved ones who don’t understand continually talk trash to us, do you really think that helps quit?

Don’t get me wrong, starting smoking maybe the worst decision I ever made and I don’t think anyone should start. All I am saying is give smokers the same respect that they give non-smokers.

We don’t talk trash to you for not smoking so don’t talk trash to us for smoking.

And if you really want to help someone quit smoking, don’t judge them. Just love them.