Kristen Starts

Kristen Starts

Kristen just graduated from high school and had the whole summer ahead of
her.  Over the summer she worked at a sporting goods store to save up her
money before going off to college in the fall on a full ride to play
softball.  Her summer routine was working and going to the gym to stay in
shape at least three days a week.

One day at work one of her friends she worked with asked her if she wanted to
step outside with her while she smoked.  Kristen really wanted to get out of
the store for a while so she went out with her friend.  Jenn, her friend,
asked her if she wanted to smoke, and Kristen wasn't sure if she wanted to or
not so her curiosity took over and before she knew it she was lighting up
for the first time.

She wasn't sure what she was doing so she just puffed a little smoke in and
out of her mouth without inhaling.  Jenn asked her to inhale the smoke and
try to enjoy it.  Kristen by now was starting to get used to the taste and
put the cigarette back into her mouth and sucked the smoke deep into her
body, when she did this she coughed for a good while.  She decided to finish
out the cigarette with her friend and then got back to work.  She felt really
dizzy and felt like she need to sit down for a while.

Three hours later Jenn went out for another break and asked Kristen if she
wanted to come back out.  Kristen went out but said that she didn't want to
smoke this time.  When the two got outside Jenn lit up immediately.  Kristen
just sat there and looked at her and asked "why do you smoke if at first the
taste is really bad?"

Jenn just laughed and said "It's something that you get used to, plus it
feels great once you get used to it."

Kristen again let curiosity get to her again and asked for a cigarette.  This
time she inhaled every time and started to feel dizzy again, but this time
felt her body more relaxed.  After the break they both went back in and
finished they're shift.

After work Kristen went to the gym for her workout.  She still felt a little
sick so she didn't work out as hard this time and decided to take it easy.

Over the next couple of days Jenn kept talking Kristen into coming outside
with her to smoke and Kristen started  to like smoking.  She smoked three
cigarettes every time she worked with Jenn.  She still continued to workout
and felt no different than before she started smoking.  It wasn't long before
Kristen bought a pack of cigarettes because she felt bad that she had to keep
asking her friend for three cigarettes every time they worked together.  She
bought a pack of Marlboro' Lights just like Jenn smoked.

She decided that she would just smoke at work with her friend and not
anywhere else.  It stayed that way till about the middle of the summer when
Kristen got into an argument with her parents so she decided to go to her
room.  She decided to light up and smoke a cigarette, "WOW" she said to her
self as the cigarette quickly calmed her down.  She ended up smoking three
more before she went to bed.  The next day she was off and decided to go to
the gym around noon.  She worked out for an hour and a half pushing her body
to the limit.  After her workout she got into her car and saw her cigarettes
in the passenger seat.  She lit up a cigarette for the first time after
working out.  She quickly felt really relaxed.  She didn't smoke again till
the next day.  

Kristen was at the point where she was exited about her smoke breaks with
Jenn.  Kristen kept working out and after every work out she had a quick
smoke when she got in her car.  About two weeks later it was almost time for
her to go to college when she started to notice that she had gotten into a
habit of smoking after her work outs.  She knew she was in trouble because
she knew smoking could effect how she played softball.  After her next few
workouts she felt the urge to smoke but fought the urge.  She even stopped
smoking at work.

This went on for a week and one day after one of her workouts she couldn't
fight the urge that time and lit up and enjoyed another cigarette.  After
that she didn't want to stop anymore, she decided to let it happen and let
her urge take over her.  She started smoking more and more.  When she got to
college she met the rest of the team.  She quickly made new friends off the
team.  She still knew she might be in trouble when the softball season began.

One of the girls on the team came up to her and asked 
her if she wanted to go hang out at this club all the other girls went to.  
When they got there her new friend Brandi lit up a cigarette and Kristen 
looked at her and said "you smoke too".

Brandi nodded and said "Of course everyone on the team smokes, don't you?"

Kristen nodded back and said "Yeah I do but isn't hard to play ball and smoke
too".

Brandi said "No, just keep working out and stay in good shape and you will
get used to it".

Kristen felt relieved and lit up as well.  When the season started it didn't
take her long to get used to it.  For the next four years she continued to
smoke, workout, and play ball.