Looking into the face of addiction

I smoked a pack of Marlboro Reds every day my first semester of college. I switched to Lucky Strike unfiltereds the second semester because I’m secretly a middle-aged man from the 1940s.

I make no excuses for this behaviour. The reasoning is simple: I wanted to be as cool as my indiemodhipster suitemate. I loved the curl of smoke around my face, the earthy scent of a fresh cigarette, the sharp hit of a new pack against my palm.

One day, idling at a stoplight while grocery shopping, I abruptly c...