50's, Kilts & Health

[macgreggor]

[quote="awoodfellow"]Brethren,

Everyday is the first day of the rest of your life.
Best of luck!
The worst thing is that after about a week i could taste cheesecake again.....now try to lose weight.
when i quit chewing even my ex wife said i got a little cranky...hmmm


don't forget to reward yourself a little
MacG

[Atticus]

Wow...look at the support! Although the battle to quit is very personal, I urge you to find a partner to help. Maybe a spouse, friend, or coworker wants to stop as well.

Read a book on quitting from the library...carry a "ten reasons to quit" list that you write out...a picture of your kids...a "yuck" jar full of old wet cigarettes to smell when you get the urge to light up...whatever it takes! Set out a plan (to go cold turkey or whittle down or whatever) and a quit date a few weeks in advance. On that date you throw out your matches, lighters (including the one in your dashboard), ash trays, and hidden packs of smokes. You tell everyone that you are quiting and not to let you bum a cigarette.

Go see your physician! There are medicines (and of course nicotine replacement products) that may help. Ask him/her about Welbutrin (also called Zyban and Buproprion).

Oh...I'd also pray. God can do all things!

[Riverkilt]

Ah Ambrose, you made my day.

I went from 4 packs of Marlboros a day to chain smoking green cigars and inhaling - to the point I drug myself to a doctor thinking I had the flu and was told after a blood test that I had nicotine poisoning.

It takes what it takes to quit. There may be some free support groups from the American Lung Assn or American Cancer Society or your county health dept.

Docs can help with nicotine replacement therapy to at least change your method of nicotine deliviery...

It took me many attempts to quit, but I finally made it back in '74. If I can do it, you can do it.

These days I facilitate tobacco cessation groups and know more of that horrible stuff tobacco smoke does to the human body than I ever wanted to know. Keeps me from going back...that and losing friends to lung cancer on an all too regular basis.

Its worth the effort, and the agony. Just be sure and warn your loved ones and coworkers you'll be a tad irritable for a while.

AND, think of all the extra money you'll have to spend on kilts!!

Ron

[awoodfellow]

I didn't want anyone to think I took a powder on this project.

I want to thank everyone for their support, words of wisdom and prayers. I'm working to break my addiction to cigarettes and nicotine. I always said to myself, bud, you can quit when ever you want. It's taking some real determination. Dad smoked Lucky's for 30 years and one day just put'em down on his dresser and never looked back.

I know I've got The Clan standing with me on this but I sure wish dad was here now. Ha, he'd probably bet me if I'd quit smoking, he'd wear a kilt. Guess I better make good on this one. I'll bring him a kilt when I get there.

Thanks guys. Please don't give up on me.

ambrose

[Mike1]

Hey, Ambrose, long time no "see".

I just saw this thread for the first time. (I'm still reading back, trying to make up for lost time! )

My friend, being between 50 and death myself, allow me to give you a gentle reminder to take good care of yourself.

To give you an indication of how wonderful it was to stop smoking, let me offer you this date - 14 May 1984. I've not had a cigarette since that day. 20-plus years, now.

As you doubtless know, it is not easy to quit. But tell me this - are the cigarettes stronger than you, my friend? Since they aren't, then don't assign them any power they do not have. Ambrose, I remember counting the hours, during the first few days. "I've made it 63 hours, can I go 64?"

About a year ago, my doctor got tired of my complacent attitude about my extremely high blood pressure and he squeezed a head gasket. One question and one statement stuck in my mind. The statement was that the good Lord pretty much gives us those first 40 years, but the second 40, we have to work with Him a bit. (I probably don't need to point out that we are well into that second 40, eh?) The question he asked was if I wanted to die, because my poor choices were going to cost me my life.

I've since lost 50 pounds and my blood pressure is back under control, with medication. I feel better and I feel better about myself, too.

Do it for your family, Ambrose and if that doesn't work, then by all means, do it for yourself! Hang tough, you can win this battle.

How about the Glasgow games, this year? Are we going to meet up, say at the CAD stage? They are going to be in NW Indiana (Ft. Wayne) the following weekend, too. I think you need to make one or the other, don't you?

[Miah]

Best of luck my friend.

I used to chew Copenhagen, I was up to 2 tins aday untill the days of 5 dollars a can started killing my wallet. I made myself cut back to 1 tin a week and then boom, I just stopped. I want a chew after every meal i eat almost a year later but i can say that i have not had a single chew.

[Riverkilt]

Way to go Miah, its worth it! Chew is about 3X as potent a nicotine deliver system as cigarettes. Not an easy quit.

Be proud of yourself!

Ron