I quit smoking 3 years ago, 31st May 2001.

I smoked from the age of 13 until I was 25. I smoked 20 a day: Marlboro Reds, Lucky Strikes, Camels, Cutter's Choice, Marlboro Lights, Camel Lights.

I tried to quit a number of times. My father, who still smokes a pipe and used to smoke cigarettes, had a heart attack. That got me to quit, but only for a few months. Ultimately, I quit because I didn't want to smoke any more. I smoked my last cigarette, not thinking too much about it. It wasn't a life-changing event in a good way, so why concern myself about it? I quit with nonchalance. I think that's the best way to do it. If you quit with fervour, then you are still thinking about it all the time. Indifference is the key: If you smoke or don't smoke, it doesn't bother me.

Now it does. Someone smoking bothers me. I look at them, and I see the person I used to be. I thought I had a right to smoke. I thought I had a right to inflict it upon others. They are selfish, but they cannot see it. I feel sorry for them. I hope they will return to the world where the food smells great!