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If you always try to be the smartest person in the room, everyone else will leave the room. As a published writer, I know that a poet fights with words. But wisdom lies not in wielding them like weapons—but in knowing when to sheath them. And that’s why, in this delicate yet hostile time of quitting smoking, I’m learning to be careful with what I say. Agitation creeps in from the withdrawal, anxiety flares without warning, and if I’m not mindful, my words can do damage. “Sticks and stones may break my bones…”—sure, we’ve all heard the proverb. But let’s...

Nicotine is a drug, and alongside some of the over 100 chemicals in a cigarette, it acts as a sedative. Smoking suppresses emotions, numbing out stress, anxiety, and even anger. So, when I quit, those emotions come back stronger, like a backlog of feelings waiting for their moment to shine—or, in my case, explode. For some, quitting smoking brings out depression and tears. For me, it’s mostly anger. I get irritable, short-tempered, and downright mad at the world. This is hard on me, but it’s even harder on the people around me. No one wants to be collateral damage in...

This morning, I had a plan. I was going to space my cigarettes out longer, especially when I first woke up. I’ve been trying to cut back, and for the past few days, I had successfully reduced my smoking from three packs to one pack a day. That was already a big step in the right direction. But today? Today was different. It started with anxiety, the kind that creeps in and takes hold before you even realize it’s there. No caffeine, no extra stimulant—just stress. A phone call with my mother left me on edge. Arguments around the house...

Today marked my second session of the local smoking cessation class, a free five-week program that meets every Tuesday at Anaheim Regional Medical Center. So far, it has been both informative and inspiring. I’ve already made significant progress, cutting back from three packs a day to one by spacing out my cigarettes—from every fifteen minutes to one every hour. This week, my goal is to extend that time gradually to two hours between cigarettes, and next week, I’ll begin using nicotine patches to quit entirely. One of the biggest triggers we discussed in class today is my morning routine. Waking...

Quitting smoking isn’t just about breaking a habit—it’s about rewiring the mind, challenging the body, and outlasting the cravings that have dictated my daily routine for years. Over the past week, I’ve made serious progress. By spacing out the time between cigarettes, I’ve cut down from three packs a day to one. That’s a huge victory, but now, I’m hitting a wall. The plan is to get down to half a pack a day within the next few days and then prepare to quit entirely. But the further I stretch the gaps between cigarettes, the more I feel the anxiety...