I have a confession to make. For about one day, back when I was nineteen (you know, young and silly), I smoked. 

My death stick of choice was menthol (minty fresh!) and I remember vividly buying the pack when I stopped at the service station, terrified the woman at the counter was going to ask me for ID (which was dumb, cause I was old enough!!). 

I don’t think I ever finished that pack. After watching my friends smoke at school from the age of 13, my desire to be ‘just like’ them lasted all of about 2 minutes once I realised my hands always smelled, my clothes seemed to waft smoke and that while smoking was touted as being ‘social’, I often watched the smokers slink outside alone for a quicky while the rest of us stayed inside where it was warm. 

I often wonder at my own idiocracy for that one day ten years ago. How susceptible I was to peer pressure. How silly I was to think that smoking would make me look ‘cool’, a la Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s with her cigarette holder and air of elegance. How blind to presume that smoking would suppress my appetite, like the top models, or give me that edge of awesome, the one James Dean seems to have.

I’ve watched many of my friends quit smoking since my teen days, but there are still those few who clearly think they are cool/edgy/awesome with a tube of tobacco between their fingers. Of those who most recently quit, one went cold turkey and they other is sucking on nicotine tablets. She also noted that she was saving $500 a month on cigarettes. FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!! Do you realise how many shoes you can buy with that money?

Smoking isn’t only bad for your clothes though. Your various body functions can’t be replaced like last seasons cashmere that has a musty smell about it – lungs and livers are meant to last a lifetime. And what of your skin? Yellowed and aged from the effect of smoking. If you want to be Helen Mirren when you grow up, don’t act like Keith Richards now.

So if you still think smoking is cool, perhaps this ace new app that’s designed to assist in quitting will be trendy enough to help you out. The QuitNow: My Quit Buddy app is your best friend when taking the next step, providing encouragement, sharing and timely reminders when you might feel a little on the edge (and thats not the edge of awesome).