Hi, my name's Cheryl and I'm 48 years old. My main job is as a fictional character inside a journalist's head.
Work can be crazy sometimes, and a few weeks ago I saw a couple of colleagues nip outside for a break. I asked what they were doing, and they said they were 'vapping' or something. They said I wasn't cool because I didn't vap and couldn't go with them on their breaks.
I looked into this vaping thing, as it is correctly called. I decided to give it a try. I mean, for my whole life I had never smoked. I'd avoided smoking despite the constant cigarette adverts, endorsements by professional sports players, cool characters in films, constant peer pressure and wide spread avialability of cigarettes during my formative years. The fact that two colleagues I rarely spoke to were mean to me because I didn't vape really got to me though. So I started vaping. Being a non-smoker, I went straight on the 36mg/ml e-liquid. I'd give you a reason why I didn't try zero nicotine strength, but there isn't a sensible one. Next came the subliminal messaging: "don't smoke, smoking is bad for you, vaping: a safer alternative to smoking, quit smoking." My willpower began to cave in. The two colleagues I was vaping with told me that smoking was awful but, at total odds with my previous instantanious cave-in to peer pressure, I decided: I'm going to smoke despite what you think! I bought a pack of silvers, which The Sun had told me was the perfect cigarette style to transition from vaping to smoking, and had my first cigarette. God it was awful, which is exactly what I was looking for. While I was vaping I kept saying to myself "if only there was a more disgusting alternative to this, which caused proven irreversible harm to my body". Now I've found it!
Unfortunately, since starting smoking I've lost a lot of friends. The colleagues that vape won't let me near them; something about all the carcinogens in secondary smoke they say. Everyone tells me I stink, and people move away from me on public transport. My life insurance policy has gone up, and my house insurance has rocketed since I burnt the house down. Cigs cost a lot of money so I've started turning tricks. It's the only way I get through the week.
In these hard times I look to my idols, and stalwarts of pig-headed ignorance, Nigel Farage and Jeremy Clarkson. If they smoke then it can't be bad. All of my hardship must be due to the Polish, or Muslimanians or something. Cigarettes are the only things that reduce my stress in this climate of media induced paranoia and fear.
To sum up, I'm penniless, have no friends and I'm slowly killing myself. I couldn't be happier.
True story brought to you by The Sun newspaper.