From the Editor's Desk...

"X-number of people get such-and-such illness from smoking."

That's more or less what the anti-smoking signs around campus have said all week. We have all walked passed them. Many of us ignored them, probably. Some of us, including me, wanted to kick them down.

This is not to say I don't appreciate the position of those who put up the signs. They are fighting for a noble cause. They just aren't going about it in the right way.

I should know. I was a smoker, and even as an ex-smoker, those signs still tick me off.

Aside from a rare few, every smoker knows that smoking is bad for you. It's not new information, so bombarding a smoker with statistics about people with smoking-related diseases or death is not likely to make a person quit.

Fear tactics - or applying any pressure, really - just isn't effective.

Instead, most will roll their eyes, some will smoke more and they will all gripe about it when they gather in front of a building to finish a cigarette before class.

Putting someone on the defensive rarely works.

I remember when I first thought about quitting and looked online for help. Most of the websites were extremely aggressive and tried to shame me into changing what had become a lifestyle for me. Almost immediately, I signed off, went outside mumbling and lit up a cigarette.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances out there, chemically and psychologically.

A British study placed nicotine as equally addictive as heroin. As early as 15 years ago, scientists at the University of California at San Francisco said the relapse rate for nicotine was higher than heroin and cocaine.

Just to consider quitting smoking takes will power, fortitude and support from others.

I say this because well before I even planned to quit, a relative was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on top of numerous heart problems.

What did I do? I hid my addiction from my uncle. I didn't quit yet because I knew I would "someday."

It's sad, but that's addiction for you.

With me, what ultimately led to my decision to quit were the effects on my own life.

I struggled to breathe when I climbed a flight of stairs. If I climbed any more, I needed to take breaks, and just like each morning, would cough for minute or so.

If I couldn't find my lighter, I would tear apart the entire apartment in a rage, unable to focus on anything else.

I calculated driving time by how many cigarettes I could smoke between point A and point B.

If I wanted a cigarette in the dead of night in winter, I would get out of bed, bundle up and huddle in a corner outside to protect myself from the wind just for five minutes.

Finally, I found a good website, becomeanex.org. Maybe it's because former smokers designed it, but this site was the first that didn't try to guilt it out of me.

The site helped me devise a plan to quit smoking - they suggested practicing quitting - and helped me choose what nicotine replacement therapy - gum, lozenge, patch, etc. - I should use.

Nicotine replacement really helped me, and studies have shown doubling up on products dramatically increases success rate.

Now that's the type of statistic that would be helpful on a sign.