I stopped smoking about a year ago. It took about four months and about three false starts, but I quit cold turkey. I had picked up the habit during college. It was the only way to grab a quick break during my days as a waitress, and once the habit was formed, it stuck.
There were plenty of reasons to quit. If you’re a smoker, you’ve heard them all. All of the health effects – coronary and pulmonary diseases, yellowing of the nails and teeth, cancer – weren’t enough to stop me.
It was the actual cost of cigarettes that converted me into a non-smoker.
It was just a normal day. I was driving to work, but I pulled over and went into a gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes. When I pushed a ten dollar bill across the counter, I was shocked to only get two dollars and some change back. I thought, “There must be some mistake. It’s not that expensive, is it?”