I started smoking at a very young age - we were 12 years old when we pinched my friends parents cigarettes, lit one, tried to smoke it, coughed our guts up - it was horrible, but then shortly after I got in with a group of friends, and they smoked, and so I smoked.
I regret it heavily, I hate that I smoked, but back then I didn't care I was a teen in revolt, and when I met my hubby he was a smoker too, and so we smoked - it was normal.
I fell pregnant and so I quit but started again after giving birth, but never smoking in the house of near him, and then three years later I fell pregnant with my second child and quit again. Then my nanny was diagnosed with lung cancer, and I wanted to quit completely. At this point in my life, with two small children, I was hardly smoking, I never smoked around them, and I only really lit up on breaks at work, or when I was out socialising.
My main drive to quit was my boys - I realised that if I continued to smoke it was highly probably that they would end up smoking too and I don't want them to smoke - so hubby and I made the decision to quit - for me it was much easier - I just simply stopped smoking - I did slip up now and then, especially if we were out having a drink I would have the odd one or two, but then my nanny passed away and I never touched a cigarette again. For hubby it was not so easy, he needed quitting aids, patches, and gum etc. it took him a lot longer, but in the end with my support he quit - the last cigarette I had was approx 8 years ago.
I look back now, in shame that I smoked, I hate the fact I smoked, it was too easy as a 13-year-old to walk into a corner shop and buy myself a packet of 10 Red Band - we used to smoke at the bottom of the high school field, my parents never knew - although, my little sister caught me behind the shops once, ran home to tell my parents - it was the huge disappointment on my dad's face that I remember, and he made me watch these videos about the effects smoking has and I promised never to smoke again - but I did, I was young and I didn't care, thus I continued to smoke.
The reasons to quit smoking out-way the reasons not to quit - Smoking is a dangerous habit with real health risks and don't forget Life Insurance is always more expensive for smokers.
If you can't quit for yourself, then quit for your loved ones.