another quiting smoking thread

[jdhowland]

Originally Posted by GunnedDownAtrocity

... the world has a surplus of self centered sh1twh0res, so anyone who extends compassion to a stranger with sincerity is alright in my book. also people who fondle road kill. those guys is ok too.

LOL

That's the point, isn't it. On some level, every life is valuable. Everyone's OK. As long as compassion is there.

Thanks, everyone. By the way, my daughter's name is Ivy. I hope to get her posting on this forum someday. She has been training since she was three years old. Even in her weakened condition the medics are amazed at her strength and lung capacity. Maybe she'll feature in a qigong healing thread, soon.

To get back to the subject matter, has a genetic component for "addictive personalities" ever been found? Ten years ago I spent a couple of weeks trying to give birth to a kidney stone that was in danger of destroying my right kidney. Trying to dig it out the M.D.s punched it through my ureter and never found it. Not the worst thing you can go through, but the pain was considerable. After a lot of oxycontin and morphine, I never craved painkillers again. Yet a friend who went through some serious back pain after a skiing accident couldn't stop thinking about that last oxycontin tab in the glove box of his car. To his credit, he never took it but he was impressed by how difficult it was to throw it away.

My mother smoked from the time she was 13. Tried to quit a couple of times as an adult. Then, at the age of 50, put a pack of cigarettes into her handbag in case she felt the craving, but never smoked again.

I can't seem to get addicted to anything. I used to smoke cigars once in awhile. Never felt a craving for nicotine, but I like to watch the pretty smoke curl into the air (I'm an unrepentant pyro: love to stare into the fireplace, too). But after having kids I decided that I didn't want them thinking it was grownup or cool to smoke.

Cigar smoking was problematic, anyway. Besides not wanting to influence my offspring there was the threat of mouth cancer. But the main reason is the logistics of where I live. I won't smoke in the house because of the odor. I won't smoke in the dark because I can't see the smoke. I won't smoke on a windy day for the same reason. Given that I live where it is dark half the year, and too cold or breezy much of the time, and the fact that you have to have 40 minutes of leisure to enjoy a good stogie, means it just isn't worthwhile.

That combination of tactile and visual feedback makes a subtle demon for smokers to handle. I read somewhere that people who lose their eyesight as adults frequently stop smoking.

So what are your reasons for leaving it alone?

jd

[jdhowland]

[QUOTE=Lucas;970165]

Originally Posted by jdhowland

Best of wishes to your daughter. Thats an incredible fight shes going through...

Thank you, Lucas. And congratulations on seven years!

jd