Tommy Teav senior offers Tiffany Phan freshmen, some cigarette by the school gym, Tiffany declines. (Cigarettes are fake.)

Dear Benjamin Franklin.

     My friends are all smoking cigarettes this year and I'm always around it. It seems tempting and they always ask me if I want to smoke. I've also been really stressed out lately, so smoking seems even more tempting. What can I do to not get sucked into it?

Dear Fellow Quaker,

    Smoking has become more and more common among high school students. No one ever has a valid reason to start smoking cigarettes. Kids usually start smoking to fit in with a crowd and to look cool. Others start because they've heard that cigarettes relieve stress. Either way smoking is unattractive and really serves no purpose. Even though your friends are smoking, just remember that smoking is extremely unhealthy and can cause numerous health problems. One of those problems being a hairy or black tongue! After someone gets a distorted tongue, it’s pretty clear that their physical appearance has gone way down. You'll soon realize your spending all your money on cigarettes and skipping lunch and other necessities in your daily life. Think about how hard your parents work to give you money and how spending it on cigarettes behind their back is extremely disrespectful and wasteful. To get yourself less focused on how stressed you are, try keeping yourself occupied instead of sitting around after school smoking cigarettes all day with your friends. Go out with friends who do actual activities, find a job or just do something you enjoy! Spend time with people who can keep you happy and keep your mind off the negatives. In the end it will all pay off; you'll have more money in your pocket, fresh smelling clothes, healthy lungs and a smooth tongue! You lose less by saying NO STANK YOU!

Dear Benjamin Franklin,

        So I've been smoking for a couple of months and I always felt like I could quit whenever I wanted, but I just recently tried quitting and I only made it through half the day. Now I've been telling myself over and over to stop but I've realized it’s really not as easy as I thought! What do I do?

Dear Fellow Quaker,

         I've gone through the same exact problem as you. I smoked cigarettes for over a year and I always thought I could quit when I wanted, but to my surprise I couldn't. It took me literally half a year of trying to confidently say I've quit my smoking habits. Smoking is more of a mental thing than anything else. You can say your’re addicted, but in reality your just to use to your daily routine of smoke breaks. You smoke when your friends smoke, after you eat, at break, when you're in a bad mood and especially when your bored. Smoking has become an entertainment to you and a way of your daily life. It has become something so close to you that you'll miss it if you stop. The best way to kick the nasty habit is to do it slowly. Start by not carrying any lighters or matches on you, throw them away. That way even if you have cigarettes you can't smoke them unless you find a lighter which can be quite a hassle at times. After that you are somewhat forced not to smoke as much as usual. The second step would be to stop buying packs of cigarettes.

Tell yourself you will not waste anymore money on cigarettes and that you will have to ask others for cigarettes when you want one. That way you have a higher chance of not getting one because people who smoke tend to get greedy and say no if they don't know you or are tired of you asking all the time because you don't have your own. You will soon grow tired and embarrassed of asking all the time. If you are getting cigarettes from people, it’s more likely that you are "duecing" off them, meaning sharing a cigarette which is causing you to smoke half of what you were before. The process may be a hassle and troubling at times but it’s a way that really does improve how much you smoke. Sure you will still be smoking and not completely clean right away, but you will be gradually smoking less than before and soon you'll notice your craving's and urges to smoke over time come to a minimum. These are ways to cut down on smoking slowly but surely and in a way that isn't cold turkey and not driving you completely insane. Good luck and whatever you do don't give up!