‘I’ll admit, I’m an addict’: Students struggle with smoking, spend hundreds a month

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Whether it’s one cigarette or a pack each day, some students at Central Michigan University are battling an addiction shared by millions of Americans.

For Clarkston freshman Ali DeNoon, cigarettes have been a staple in her everyday routine since age 13.

“I have to have a cigarette in the morning when I wake up, or else my entire day is thrown off,” she said. “Yeah, I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to cigarettes and I don’t see myself breaking the addiction anytime soon.”

Outside of the Towers residence halls, clusters of students can be found smoking all day and well into the night.

“I came out at 4 o’clock in the morning the other day and there were about 25 people out here smoking,” said South Lyon freshman Sara Johnston. “We’re like our own community here on campus.”

Though some students pick up the habit while at college, many smokers come to school already addicted to cigarettes.

“I started smoking when I was 12-years-old,” said Midland sophomore Kayla Lederer. “I used to steal my grandma’s cigars and go into the woods and light up.”

Johnston said she started as a social smoker at age 15, but when stress increased, it became a habit.

“I hate smoking, I really do. I especially hate the smell,” Johnston said. “I rationalize my smoking by telling myself that my lungs will continue to regenerate until I reach about 27, but I’ve never thought about what I’ll do when that time actually comes.”

Smoking has been part of both Lederer’s and Johnston’s lives for a number of years and the two recognize the harmful consequences of their habit, yet still choose to smoke.

“When I was 15, I got caught smoking and my dad made me write an essay about the harmful effects of cigarettes,” DeNoon said. “I did it and remember thinking that I wanted to avoid all that, but I still smoke — don’t ask me why.”

In addition to health risks, the cost of cigarettes causes financial stress for these students.

“I figured it out one time, and I spend around $400 on cigarettes in a month,” Johnston said. “It’s ridiculous, and I realize that.”

Lederer spends between $60 and $80 per week on cigarettes, while DeNoon spends about $100.

“I obsess about it,” Lederer said. “I always think about where the money is going to come from, how I’ll get cigarettes, when I’ll get cigarettes — it’s ignorant. I hate it.”

Though she doesn’t see herself giving up cigarettes anytime soon, Johnston offers advice to students thinking of picking up the habit.

“It’s the biggest waste of money and the dumbest life decision ever,” she said. “Don’t do it. Trust me.”