I came out as Gay when I was 12, and have been open about my sexuality ever since. My coming out came around after I fell victim to homophobic bullying on my way home from school. After having told my parents about the incident, they both asked if the accusations of me being gay were true - I had no trouble in answering with a "yes", since I'd been comfortable with my sexuality for a while before that.
I began smoking due to stress when I was 15. A series of difficult family situations combined with difficult school and personal problems led to my decision to begin smoking. It wasn't hard to find my first cigarette - my family smoked, so we had packets of cigarettes lying around the house. Since my parents gave up smoking, finding cigarettes has become a lot harder - I used to steal the odd one here and there and smoke them secretly at the train station. In all honesty, I enjoy smoking. I find it relaxing, and it certainly calmed my nerves before my GCSE exams, and no doubt it will do so again during my IB.