Today (the third Thursday of November) is the annual Great American Smokeout — a day the American Cancer Society urges smokers to kick cigarettes to the curb and finally become non smokers, something I'm proud to say I've been for nearly two weeks now.

If you're a nonsmoker reading this, awesome. Never start. Every long-term smoker wishes they could go back in their lives to where you are and never light that first cigarette. I promise you that you're not missing anything.

If you're a smoker reading this, you've likely longed to be smoke-free, and maybe have tried quitting in the past, perhaps finally caving because of bad timing. Quitting isn't easy. But it's not impossible, and it's something every single smoker is capable of doing, I promise. When is the best time to quit? Right the f*$k now. Seriously. No time is ever going to feel right. There's always going to be too much stress in your life.

I smoked a pack-a-day for 13 years. I considered cigarettes my best friend. I'm not sure what kind of best friend slowly kills you, distances you from friends and family, takes thousands of your hard-earned dollars, ruins your appearance, oh and gives friends and family members cancer.

After 13 years of being a smoker, I'm happy to say I've now been a non-smoker for 12 days and 12 hours. In that time, I've saved $72.81 and regained 74 hours of my life (according to the Smoke Free app —available on iTunes and Google Play — which I highly recommend). If you're thinking about quitting, I also recommend reading Alan Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking to help you break through the brainwashing of cigarettes and the tobacco companies.

There's also resources locally! The folks at A Smoke-Free Paso del Norte initiative online were great in helping me feel confident enough to finally set my quit date and stick to it, and can help you do the same.

Smoke-Free Day 12
Smoke Free App
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