THE DAILY WRITE
I’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
Only took me 50 years to quit for good
Writing prompt for June 12th: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done because of peer pressure?
In the 60’s, cigarettes seemed to be something very desirable and cool. In commercials, on television and in magazines and newspapers, socially vivacious, athletic, and sexually appealing men and women endorsed the good life and great satisfaction that smoking cigarettes promised. Actors and actresses were all smoking in television programs and in movies. Clearly, smoking was the most desirable habit a person could possibly hope to develop!
I had my first cigarette when I was in the fourth grade. It was easy to get cigarettes. While neither of my parents smoked cigarettes, they enjoyed entertaining at home and when they did, they’d put out decorative containers with cigarettes for the guests.
Oh my gosh, they were so nasty! My first attempts should have been my last, but I was going to persevere. I wasn’t going to let the smell and bad taste stand in the way of my social success and future popularity!
By the 7th grade, I was buying cigarettes from vending machines for 50 cents a pack. If anyone asked, I was getting them for my parents. No one asked.
