OT: One Year Ago

First of all, congratulations Bill! 🙂 🙂 🙂

And, congratulations to all the others who piped in and said they've successfully quit too. 🙂 🙂

And, a very enthusiastic go4it to those who want to. 🙂

I've never been a smoker myself, but both my parents were and I watched them quit. My mom made many attempts before succeeding, so I know it's a hard habit to break!

Besides, with how much they cost now, you'll have quite a bit more for those GAS attacks. 🙂
 
Congrats, Bill! I gave up over 20 years ago, cold turkey. It was tough. But I was born & raised in Manchester, England (used to hava lot of coal dust suspended in the air), my dad smoked and died of lung cancer, and I started when I was 13. After I gave up, I had so many chest x-rays over the years that my doctor told me I was going to glow... 😀

Glad I gave up, but the craving didn't go away completely for a very long time. Keep it up! 🙂

 
Congratulations, Bill! Those few extra pounds won't do as much damage as all the chemicals from smoking. And we love the way you look!

I quit cold-turkey 18 years ago after going to the hospital & have never had the desire to smoke even one since. I have a harder time with my willpower when it comes to dieting & trying to lose a few pounds.
 
Congrats, Bill. I kicked the butts over 11 years ago. I can't stand the smell of it anymore; once in a blue moon I crave it, but when it's in a smoke-drenched place, and only then I'll have a puff or two, and that's it. My system can't take it; I'm "lucky" that way. Who knows.
 
Congratulations Bill & Joe !!!

After 50 years of this nasty habit, I woud love to know how you did it.

At today's prices for smokes, it's like taking a brand new Leica M with a nice lens and watching burn in a fireplace or being run over by a large truck about every 18 months.

Now that is a scary image - maybee if I dwell on it ????

Regards to all,

Bill K.
 
Just hang in there all of you. Don't give up. Don't start again, but if you do, stop again. If you can do one, why not the other. I must have quit five or six times before it stuck about 25 years ago. That is the real key. Don't stop stopping!
 
Bill K. said:
At today's prices for smokes, it's like taking a brand new Leica M with a nice lens and watching burn in a fireplace or being run over by a large truck about every 18 months.
Click to expand...

Uh, that is quite an image. 🙂

One of my reasons for resisting the peer pressure to smoke (and in my teen years there was considerable peer pressure to smoke, even for girls) was that I had acquired another addictive habit that needed a fix - in the form of film. 🙂
 
Bill K. said:
Congratulations Bill & Joe !!!

After 50 years of this nasty habit, I woud love to know how you did it.

At today's prices for smokes, it's like taking a brand new Leica M with a nice lens and watching burn in a fireplace or being run over by a large truck about every 18 months.

Now that is a scary image - maybee if I dwell on it ????

Regards to all,

Bill K.
Click to expand...

Three things worked for me.

1) I got married. My wife did not ask me to stop smoking. She did talk to me about how she should live her life after I'm dead. At about age 60. Just as my father (61) and my grandfather (age 69) died.

2) I do not like my teeth rotting out of my head. I brush them twice a day, I take care of them, but they're falling apart. I am told that's related to smoking. And they look like hell, I'm embarrassed.

3) I am a weak man. I know that. I give in to urges. But I told myself that I could be strong for two minutes, and that was the price of a smoke. In other words, when I felt the urge, I told myself that I would give in - and have the smoke. But first, I had to wait two minutes. If I still wanted the cigarette in two minutes, then fine. I found that this trick worked for me. After two minutes, the urge had always passed. It came around again, and I played the same game again. Two minutes. I can only be brave for two minutes at a time - but that was enough.

By the way, I got that from Church. Works there too. "God, I know I'm a sinner. Big time. And I'm gonna go and sin up a storm, starting right now. But for two mintues, I'll resist as best I can. After that, I'm going to go sin like crazy. So give me the strength or close Your eyes, this isn't going to be pretty."

I do not beat my chest and crow that I quit 'cold turkey' but essentially that's what I did. I just stopped on June 12, 2004. I have not had one since. The worst of the physical symptoms were over in two weeks, and the cravings have been slowly vanishing since then. I will probably fight the battle forever, though.

Best Regards & Good Luck. If you quit, do it for you.

Bill Mattocks
 
Thanks Bill, for your kind reply and your advice.

I have two young garandsons (2 years & 4 months) that would probably enjoy using "Grampa's old Cameras) I'd like to be around to teach them.

I will take your advice to heart and maybe give it a shot.

Regards,

Bill K.
 
Great to hear. I somehow was never attracted to smoking. In these 28 years and a half I have never smoked a cigarette or cigar or anything in fact. OK, i took some sips from a joint, occasionally, but no big fun resulted so i didn't get hooked neither to that nor to tobacco.

(May I remind you that the above happened only 2-3 times, and it was fully legal, lol!)
 
Bill K. said:
Thanks Bill, for your kind reply and your advice.

I have two young garandsons (2 years & 4 months) that would probably enjoy using "Grampa's old Cameras) I'd like to be around to teach them.

I will take your advice to heart and maybe give it a shot.

Regards,

Bill K.
Click to expand...

Bill,

No one who has not been addicted can understand, but as a recent quitter, I think I can identify with you. I have promised myself not to become an evil anti-smoker as many ex-smokers do. It's like the newly-converted religious, they're just on fire to share it with ever buddy and you wanna smack 'em.

I think people should be free to make their own decisions, enjoy what they want as long as it harms no one else, and live they way they want to. That would include smoking, drinking, etc.

It is a tough decision, and it is a tough road if you decide to go down it. All I can offer is moral support if you need it. Happy to be your cheering section.

Whatever you choose to do - enjoy your life and don't regret your choices.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
jdos2 said:
Congrats, man!

My third week sans ciggies is tomorrow. I had quit for 3 years. It's hard for me simply because I do like it so.

That extra $100/mo. NOT spent on smoking does indeed help.
Click to expand...

That's a milestone for you, jdos2. I remember when I was quitting, I always heard the danger points were 3 days, 3 weeks, 3months, so you're past two of those.
(But for me, just about every day was a danger point.)
Hang in there!
 
I'll hang in there.

I just like to do it. The habit, that is. Almost a nervous tick, and as such, almost as hard to get rid of. What do folks do when they want to walk away from their desks for a few minutes? I do it and unless I'm making a bee-line to the smoking area, bosses raise their eyebrows as if to say: "MALINGER-ER!"

Anyway.

I don't wanna do it anymore. Though when I did quit for those three years, I'd occasionally have one in a bar, if the air was thick, the headache strong, and the desire there (and of course, just like my desire to drink, it never went away after I quit)

ANYWAY.

A non-smoker rambling.
 
bmattock said:
...but said she never saw anyone so obviously overweight in such good physical condition. Hehehehe. Clean living, my droogies.
Click to expand...

Congrats! Verry big deal. Keep it up.

On the good condition and overweight.

I went backpacking with some friends. Well, we were going up Mt. San Jacinto in California. Nice little kike, one of the steepest trail hikes anywhere actually. Thing is, when going up or down I am a rock hopper. I hop between rocks and can litterally drive a pace that just about kills my friends🙂

In fact on the way back, one of them looked like he was gonna die, the other two looked tired as hell.

Oh... two of the others are those, work out constantly, no extra weight on em types🙂 One often ends up in martial arts mags in fact...

Now that was fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom