Day Two: Why I smoke

If my first day of giving up smoking mainly consisted of batting away fantasies of stapling things to my colleagues foreheads, the second was dominated by a hacking cough.

I’ve been smoking since my early teens after pinching a cigarette out of a momentarily unguarded pack at a family garden party.

While the stereotype is that teenagers start smoking due to peer pressure, for me it was just plain curiosity.

People say that the first one you have is always disgusting, well that wasn’t my experience.

I really enjoyed it and pretty much immediately wanted another one. Addictions are complex and, like a true addict, I can justify mine.

I smoke because it gives me a bit of time out.

When I had exams, essays to write, boring temp jobs involving putting four thousand pieces of paper into numerical order (yes really) and through trouble with my family, smoking offered me seven minutes to step back and think about how I wanted to react.

In fact, over these last two days I’m pretty sure I’ve thought less and made poorer decision purely because I haven’t taken a step back and thought about what I’m doing.

When an introduction to an article I write is a bit flat or I’ve got a tonne of stories to write, disappearing into the car park for a few minutes and evaluating my strategy was excellent.

I’m think about getting a yoyo and doing that instead.

This is the second entry in reporter Amanda Nunn’s blog on giving up smoking. If you’re also giving up, or have any tips, send her and email at amanda.nunn@archant.co.uk.