When I was in the fifth grade, a friend of mine wanted to try smoking, so she borrowed her dad’s pipe. We put some tobacco in it and tried smoking it out of the pipe. We were experimenting. We thought it would be so cool to smoke. I wanted so much to look cool with my friends. I especially didn’t want this friend to think that I was chicken, so I couldn’t be afraid when she asked me to smoke.

It went on for a short while. I never had to deal with my parents finding out because they never knew. I never got addicted because, thank goodness, I stopped before that happened. But I did have an experience that convinced me that I did not need tobacco in my life. It was pretty awful. I tried playing soccer one afternoon after we had been smoking. I thought that I was going to die during the game. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t run. It was as if I had a big hole in my heart. It was so painful.

I was pretty disgusted with myself right away. I knew that I did not want to feel like that ever again. Soccer and sports were just too awesome to give up for a stupid smoke. It was easy to give it up. Soccer was just too important in my life.

What was hard, though,was telling my friend. I was worried about her reaction. I decided to be honest and really tell her my feelings. It was the easiest way. I told her that smoking was disgusting, it made it hard to play sports and that it was a mistake if she continued. She tried to tell me that I was just afraid. I told her, no, I wasn’t, and I was through with smoking. She kept trying to make fun of me! I didn’t hang out with her after that. Besides, I had a soccer game to play.

Hear how the issue of smoking led taekwondo star Nia Abdallah to win her very first U.S. Open- you won't believe it! Find her SportsReel in the Gym!

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