For all you folks out there whose hobby is procrastination—and I’m one of those who have perfected it to a high art—here’s some news: your days of smoking are numbered. In fact, N.C. just enacted a ban January 2nd making it illegal to smoke in restaurants or bars, with the exception of cigar bars. So if you’ve put off kicking the habit, here’s a big incentive. In fact, N.C. now joins 28 states who’ve enacted the same ban, as well as 36 other states who’ve enacted similar smoking bans. Our sister state, S.C., has chosen their ban city-by-city and presently has 24 cities on board, as far as I can tell.

It’s no coincidence that here in N.C., GlaxoSmithKline has taken out full page ads to encourage–or should I say lambast—those nicotine addicts to stop smoking by purchasing Nicorette! The ad reads, “Dear Smokers, 2010 is going to suck.” Interesting word, huh, “suck?” Especially since smokers literally suck or puff on cigarettes. Anyway, the ad goes on to tell you 2010 won’t suck if you buy their Nicorette gum which will help you stop smoking. And there are other companies to “help” us as well. (Isn’t that nice?) There’s Chantix who shows Lisa from N.C. convincing us on T.V. She even TELLS us she’s from N.C. and seems to be proud of it.  Is that a coincidence? I think not. There’s also NicoDerm CQ patch and Committ lozenge. All this information makes me wonder if I should start. No, no, not start smoking, you silly goose: but instead, start buying some of the above-named company’s stock. I’m just saying.

Remember when smoking was “too cool for school?” Ridiculous? You bet. But I think back to the days when our high school had an outside designated smoking area for senior students only. (We also had a senior fountain.) This was in the late 60’s and early 70’s. After all, this was in the Tarheel State also dubbed “Tobacco Road.” On the one hand, you couldn’t wait to become a senior, a twelfth grader, because you could smoke on campus. (I’ll bet you thought seniors looked forward to their final year, then college and independence.)  On the other hand, I’d have been clobbered by my parents if I’d smoked. And yet, both of my parents smoked, as well as my grandparents. Don’t worry: they’ve all quit since then. I would’ve been grounded for sure if I’d smoked. Now there’s another interesting word: “grounded.” It’s funny because I’m sure children nowadays only hear the word “grounded” when an airplane can’t take off. But if my friends or I were grounded waaaaaaay back then, it was terrible! Phew! Talk about clipping your wings: it meant no ball games, movies, dances, hanging out with friends, etc. for anywhere from a week to a lifetime.

 But back to smoking: just to set the record straight about smoking cessation, I feel your pain, smokers of America. Truly, I do. Because yes, I’m ashamed to say, I was once a smoker. I got into the habit in my early 20’s. Even though it was for just a couple of years, I remember how hard it was to quit. I especially missed that first and last cigarette of the day and the one after a meal. The reason I quit was both smart and stupid—smart, because I had a case of bronchitis on my honeymoon. Not romantic and certainly not fun. Stupid because I should’ve never started smoking in the first place.

However, hubby Russell didn’t follow suit. He waited two more years to give up the habit, with my continuous prodding and plotting. His reason for quitting was also smart and stupid. The stupid part I’ve already mentioned. The smart part was because neither of us wanted to bring up a child in a smoke-filled home, since we were planning a pregnancy. He did indeed quit, we became pregnant and Katie was born into a smoke-free home.

With all that said, in the interest of clean air and obeying the law, I’m offering up my top ten reasons to encourage you to quit smoking, in no particular order: 1) You’ll feel so much better—no more getting out of breath walking up a few flights of stairs. 2) You’ll smell better—clothes-wise, hair-wise, breath-wise. 3) You’ll save LOTSA money—at $35 a carton, you do the math. 4) You’ll be able to taste food once again. 5) You won’t have to sneak off for cigarette breaks. 6) You won’t be fumbling for a cigarette or a light while driving or otherwise engaged. 7) You won’t panic when you do run out of cigarettes. 8) No burnt holes in the couch, chair or carpet. 9) No more staring at your watch or pacing the floor, waiting for that moment when you can light up. 10) You’ll be obeying the law; of course, this is depending on where you live. So, stop procrastinating! Just say no! You can do it! I did.

 Ann Ipock “Life Is Short, So Read This Fast!” amipock@ec.rr.com  www.annipock.com