He started smoking in kindergarten and drinking in 8th grade. He drank himself to the point of having several episodes of delirium tremens, and after one particularly heavy drinking bout, he vomited blood – he hasn't drunk since. After some time, he quit smoking. Now he feels good, and in his free time from work and studies, he does sports.
About the past years, I can say: they brought nothing but problems.
P.S. These years were enough for me to understand: cigarettes and alcohol morally and intellectually degrade a person (alcohol especially)...