Smoking et Moi

In Alan's lecture on smoking he asked the students what their association with smoking was, and how it made them feel. Most people said it reminded them of a time in their lives when they were particularly happy, and there were really quite few negative opinions save the man who said it reminded him of family members with illnesses.

My feeling towards smoking is incredible apprehension. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, never taken a drag, and the closest I ever came was walking through the gang of smokers in my 6th form, who used to huddle by the main doors under a tiny strip of roofing.

The reason smoking worries me so much is because my parents would go absolutely spare if they ever caught me doing it. It is an absolute rule in my house, which I don't intend to break. My parents don't smoke, and have never taken more than a drag, and so I can't really argue against them not being good role models.

I've been aware of the dangers since an early age, but recently even the smell of tobacco smoke makes me really quite nervous. This is mainly because of my A-Level French teacher. She used to walk around the back of the room behind each table of French students, and smell us. She could tell just from the way our hair smelt whether we had smoked during the break, or were habitually smoking. Since I often had to walk through the great huddle of emo cigarette smokers, it used to terrify me that she'd think I'd smoked too. Because if she did think you were smoking, you would have to go for "a little chat" in her office, where she repeatedly called you a total plonker.

I'm very glad I'm not a smoker. I don't know how the government expect lessons about the dangers of smoking to help in the long term. They should just get my old French teacher to call you thick until you promise never to touch one again.