Kicking and screaming
Sunday, 20 Mar 2005 6:11
You shake a Marlboro from that iconic red-and-white pack and, letting it dangle from your lips, you flick open your Zippo with practiced ease. Cupping the flame from imaginary wind, you light up, snap the lighter closed and inhale. The familiar flavor of cigarette smoke floods the senses and a few seconds after it hits your lungs you feel the nicotine sway your world, a welcome counterpoint to the mild burn that comes from inhaling smoke. After a second you exhale through your nostrils, blowing smoke like dragon and casually tap ash from the tip of your cigarette. You’re cool, you’re hip and you’re participating in a minor form of conspicuous consumption. You’re also taking around 13 years off you life, and even if you ash that dart right away you’ll still be at a greater risk of smoking-related disease 15 years later.
