“Excuse me, do you have a lighter, a cigarette or both?”

That is the question that I am usually greeted with when I  walk out of the  building where I take most of my classes in my college. For some reason, that is the “smokers’ hang out spot” where the smokers gather to share a cigarette  and basically fry their lungs while the rest of the non-smoking population is forced to breathe in their second-hand smoke. And then smell like it so their friends, parents and teachers think they have picked up a new extra curricular activity.

So when I read an article about Rockland Community College, a school that has totally banned smoking both indoors and outdoors starting September 1st, I kinda sorta considered transferring. A school that is completely smoke-free? A school where I can go anywhere on campus and not have to worry about coming home smelling like an ashtray? Heaven!

But is that really possible?

I can see this ban working at community colleges, as students don’t live on campus and can light up as soon as their car leaves the campus lot. But what about a regular university? Could a school really enforce that rule? And would banning smoking on campus really promote a “healthy environment,” (the goal of the ban) or are students just going to get in their cars, drive to the edge of campus and enjoy a cigarette over there?

Even more, is this really fair? I am all for a place where I don’t get smoke blown into my face, but is it really fair to take away a legal individual’s right to smoke when they have the urge?

What do you guys think? Would a ban work at your college or university? Would this ban help the nearly 30% of  American college students who smoke?

I know I’ve taken a mini-hiatus for the holidays on my no smoking resolution, but let me fill you in. The holidays for me require lots of drinks, food, laughs, and the obligatory smoke here and there. So, I let myself smoke when I wanted for the holiday…I smoked up until New Years Eve. One week ago.

And since then, I have been completely 100% smoke free.

No packs. No puffs. No nothing. I went completely cold turkey after NYE and I’ve maintained it for an entire week. It’s very difficult; especially when I had a few glasses of wine this weekend and desperately wanted one, but I had the will power to say NO to myself.

I am a strong willed person and if I set my mind to something, I stick to it. After seeing a series of horrific smoking commercials, I made a serious resolution to myself that, on top of not wanting my teeth to turn yellow and my hair to permanently smell like an ashtray, I don’t want to die from lung cancer (cliché but true).

So, for now, I’ve a week smoke free. I feel cleaner, healthier, and will hopefully continue on this path. Wish me luck!

(Photo courtesy of smokefreezone.org)

Hello, 2009!

We didn’t start the year off in the best way (laying on the couch, chugging water and eating breakfast sandwiches while watching USC dominate on the field), but now we’re ready! And not hungover! And we couldn’t be more excited to get 2009 going. We have huge plans and goals and lists of things to do.

In the spirit of the new year, we decided to sit down and list our resolutions for 2009. We probably won’t keep ‘em, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

John – UConn: I think the only New Year’s resolution I know I can keep is to diligently turn 21. Pounds can leave, come back and leave again, and friends are the same way, but drinking age is forever.

Leah – Ryerson University: Stop dating, getting involved with, and/or having sex with douchebags. 2009 will be a douchebag free year!

Elise – UCLA: No Diet Coke!!!!

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: To keep running for fitness health, and wellbeing – not weight loss.

Carly – Grinnell: To get at least one step closer (whatever that might be) to becoming a pastry chef.

Elizabeth – UA Hunstville: To find the easiest, most slacker way possible to make tons of money.

Lauren – University of Michigan: Get out and flirt with boys more. What? I like to make resolutions I can keep. Read More »

I don’t make resolutions for the new year. Not only do I know I will not keep them, but I also know that anything important enough to give up on December 31st should probably be given up on any other day. I tried to give up cake once – what a disaster. Just knowing the 31st was coming and that I would soon be without my beloved buttercream sent me on a downward spiral that resulted with me, a fork and a missing Costco sheet cake.

The only thing I hate more than making New Years resolutions are the people that do. They are annoying, act all “holier than thou,” and make the first few weeks of every new year miserable for me.

The Gym Goers: Seriously, people, get off of my elliptical. I shouldn’t have to wait to get on my machine (that I have been using 5 days a week for the entirety of 2007 and 2008) just because you finally decided you’ve had enough with your muffin top. And, for those of you who don’t know because this is your first time at the gym, you are supposed to be sweating on that thing, not standing on it and texting your friends about the girl standing behind you giving you the stink eye. Read More »

I can’t believe Christmas has already passed. Is this year flying by or what? New Year’s is less than a week away, which means it’s only two weeks until I’m breaking my resolutions.

So, are you happy that winter’s finally arrived, or have you added a “Days to Summer” countdown to your Myspace profile? To determine whether the glass of egg nog is half empty or half full, let’s weigh the pros and cons of winter!

Pro: We get a month off from trekking around campus just when the temperature hits below zero.

Con: The “spring” semester starts in January. Brr!

Pro: Whatever holiday you celebrate, you’re bound to get some free stuff over break.

Con: You’re bound to get some free stuff you don’t want for the holidays, especially from your Grandma, who means well, but hasn’t been in style since the Great Depression.

Pro: Homemade treats, including (but not limited to) pumpkin pie, fudge, Christmas cookies, popcorn balls, and anything with chocolate in it.

Con: The calories that come with those treats.

Pro: You can get away with layering baggy clothes after indulging in the above treats.

Con: Spring break (and bathing suit season) is still just around the corner. Read More »

Well, if you remember correctly, I was fed up with my smoking-only-when-drinking rule, so last week I went cold turkey. It went decently for a few days, until I craved and had one during a SERIOUSLY stressful day at l’office. I have had a few here and there, but I must say, the thrill and sensation of lighting up a smoke and taking that first drag is gone for me.

Now, I just have to get my brain to agree with the rest of my body.

I have come to hate the smell and, almost equally, hate the taste. When my non-smoker co-workers won’t come near me because I reek of smoke, it makes me feel a little embarrassed, so I have been working on not smoking at all. I’m a human and have a weak moment here or there, but, for the most part I am doing much better.

The thing is, I really want to quit. I know it’s a horrendous and dirty habit, not to mention completely unhealthy. That said, there’s still a small part of me that needs that smoke when I’m stressed or upset, which – granted – is not very often, but still makes me want that smoke when I need it. I need to find another outlet as a way to deal with my stressful situations that arise from time to time.

So far, I am less than pleased with my progress, but hey, it could be worse. This week I am focusing on trying to bite my cravings with gum or something else to stop my smoke craving. This morning I smoked one and was so grossed out I vowed to not smoke anymore the rest of the day. I know for all you non-smokers out there, it may seem odd that I just can’t quit even though I say I want to, but it’s more strenuous than it seems to be. When you’re body is used to something, cutting it out right away is hard to do.

I have come to the conclusion that I will never actually stop smoking if I continue to let myself smoke at all, even if it’s just when I am drinking. For example, I went out to a Japanese Steakhouse on Friday night and had myself a lovely eight cigarettes, but justified it because I had a drink in my hand. Then, I rationed that it was acceptable to smoke an entire pack (yeah, you heard me) between Saturday and Sunday because I was out being social with people, having a drink here or there.

When I woke up Sunday morning hacking a lung, I realized that I had two decisions: A) Give up on my quest to quit smoking, succumb to my urges, and light up whenever I feel like it, or B) Make a serious decision about my health and realize that if I continue down this road I could have cancer in 20 years.

So, I chose the latter and have decided to go cold turkey. No packs. No one here, one there. No drags. I’m not going to kick this thing if I continue to allow myself to cheat.

It’s Wednesday and I have successfully gone without smoking a cigarette for three whole days. My running feels better and so does my overall body. While the cravings are still strong, my will to want to be rid of this habit has (for now) remained stronger. I just hope that next weekend, when I’m out having drinks at my company’s holiday party or out on the town with my boyfriend and friends, I don’t feel compelled to sneak outside and steal a drag.

Think cold turkey was a good move CC-ers? Give me some strength to get through the very trying days (big holiday dinners with lots of annoying family members) ahead. I can use all the help I can get.

(Photo courtesy of www.nmhypnosis.com)

So, I know I’ve been gone for a little bit, but that doesn’t mean I have given up on my quest to quit smoking.

It just means that I have been really busy/stressed/having a harder time reaching my goal.

I was doing pretty well there for awhile (I even had a few cigarette free days!), but between Thanksgiving (and the ever infamous Night Before Thanksgiving), school stress and that nagging in the back of my head to “just have one,” this whole quitting thing has proven more difficult than I thought.

I have gotten a bit better with the drinking thing, though. I took some of your advice and have forced my friends to police me when I am at the bar. Yes, I may have snuck away for a cigarette or two one night, but that is still a hell of a lot better than the half a pack I used to suck down on a given night.

As I said before, going to the bar is the hardest part of this journey, but I can’t give that up. I need to set a goal that is realistic and saying I am not going to drink is just not true. My goal for this week is twofold:

1. No more smoking unless I am drinking. You may think that is a BS goal, but I need to cut things out one at a time. And let me tell you; not taking a smoke break during exam time is going to be hard.

2. When I am drinking, I am going to limit my cigarettes to one. One and only one. I tend to smoke a lot at the bar because I can, but I don’t necessarily always want or need that many. If I can cut down to one, I can definitely cut down to zero.

We’ll see how that goes.

[Our writer, Kelly, has made it her goal to quit smoking and share her experiences with you. We have been following her for two weeks now. Here is her latest progress.]

Well, I’ve been trying to refrain from smoking at all, but – geez – it is tough. Last week wasn’t too bad – I smoked maybe one or two a day and had a day or two where I didn’t smoke a cig at all. Even better, I didn’t even crave one – score!

But, then, I went to a Halloween party last weekend where I buckled and smoked about ten cigarettes in one night. I know, bad girl, Kelly; but honestly, with all the liquor, I just let myself go with the smoking…again. There’s something about needing a smoke with my vodka soda, or my glass of red wine that I just can’t seem to shake. Am I the only one?

After my lovely smoking binge of Friday, I tried to calm down the rest of the weekend. And I did. I smoked only one or two cigarettes a day for the rest of the weekend.

On my way to work on Monday, though, I almost put my car in park and asked the guy in traffic behind me, who was smoking a cig, if I could bum one. Then I realized how crazy and pathetic I would have looked, so I stopped myself. I didn’t have a cigarette that morning, and I didn’t have one for the rest of the day. I made a conscious decision to either go big – and do it as close to cold turkey as I can until I can finally withdraw myself from the cravings – or not do it at all. And not doing it at all is not an option. Read More »

Well, we all – even the smokers like myself – know smoking is a bad habit. I have been smoking on and off since I was 14 and, not to date myself, with almost 10 years of smoking under my belt, I have decided it is time to try and kick the bad ‘ole habit once and for all.

Because quitting is really effing hard, I am going to share my journey with and you, CollegeCandies. I hope this inspires you to join me…and inspires me to stick with it. Smoking kills thousands and thousands of people each year and I don’t want to be part of the statistics.

So, week one, here is the progress to date:

After smoking a pack every two days, a few weeks ago I decided not to buy packs anymore. Translation: I’d only mooch my cigarettes, which I hate doing. I figured this would cut my daily intake drastically. And it did, for a few days. Then, one weekend after having a few too many cocktails (my prime time to smoke), I caved and bought a pack… and proceeded to smoke the entire pack in one evening.

Not so good for me considering I’m an avid runner who huffs and puffs on my daily run like I’m a 400 lb. man. Read More »