The Way I See It by dustmac

I hate cigarettes. As a small child, I watched my grandfather die of cancer caused most likely by his many years of chain smoking. My grandfather was a wonderful man with a big heart but an addictive personality. As he lay on his death bed in the late 70's, I can recall him warning all of us to stay away from cigarettes if we wanted to live a long healthy life. (My grandfather was only his 50's). Despite only being seven years old, it was a lesson I never forgot.

As a teenager, many of my friends took up the habit of smoking cancer sticks. Most of my buddies began the habit simply to look cool. A few of them are no longer living today or in poor health despite only being in their mid 30's.

For many years, I refused to date anyone who smoked. I could not stand the smell of cigarettes and was always offended when someone felt they had the right to put my life at risk with secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, I did not stick to my guns.

My first wife smoked but she never did it in front of me. I would often complain about what she was doing to her health, but I never made a big issue out of it. I always argued it was her life and as long as she didn't do it around me, what was the real harm?

After my divorce, I vowed I would be stronger in my belief that cigarettes are ultimately death sticks. However, cupid once again made me forget about my vow and I married a wonderful woman who also smoked. While I did not like the fact she smoked, for a long time I kept my mouth closed.

My wife has a ton of health problems. In her thirty-four years on this earth, she has had an amazing thirty-three surgeries due to a ton of health problems. One of the things she is most commonly told is to stop smoking. Sadly, this has fallen on deaf ears. My wife spends over one hundred thirty dollars a month supporting her addiction.

When we were first married, my wife had the bad habit of pulling out a cigarette in front of me. Finally, I my foot down and she no longer smokes around me. However, that is not the point. The point is what is it going to take for smokers to wake up. I understand that smoking, like many other things, is an addiction. I also understand that the U.S. government contradicts itself. It often warns against smoking, but has made nicotine a legal drug because the government is able to tax cigarettes to death.

My mother-in-law smokes even more than my wife. She has heart problems and often coughs for minutes at a time. When she is not coughing, she usually has a cigarette in her mouth. Everytime I mention her addiction, she comments, "I am 62. I have lived long enough and I am not quitting." I simply do not understand.

According to statistics, over 390,000 people a year die to cigarette related illnesses. People who smoke have more than twice the odds of suffering a massive heart attack than those who do not smoke. For those of us who live with smokers, over 4,000 chemicals float in the air putting not only their own lives in jeopardy but ours as well. It is an issue that I have become so passionate about, I often wonder if my otherwise solid marriage will someday come to an end. I simply will not be around it anymore.

This morning, we received news that my wife's uncle died of a massive heart attack late last evening. He was in poor health and had spent years on an oxygen machine caused primarily by smoking. He is the second of my mother-in-law's three brothers to die of a smoking related illness.Both were in their 60's. Her youngest brother is also in poor health and is not expected to live more than another six months to a year.

This morning I went by to see how the family was doing. Most of my wife's family was sitting around the table, cancer stick in hand. Don't be surprised if this time next year, I am writing another blog talking about another death in the family.