Heard on a commercial for a nicorette gum: "stop smoking, start quiting"
Quiting is not a process. It means you stop. You have free will and don't always need a crutch or help from someone to quit something. If you want to do something then do it, if you really want to stop doing something then you will have already done so.
"Do or do not, there is no try"
-Master Yoda
15 comments:
Hi, my name is Daniel and I know nothing about addiction.
Hi, my name is also Daniel and I quit smoking (and chewing) cold turkey. I'm not a slave or victim to something called "addiction" and I'm in control of my own actions and behavior.
And since all human beings are an exact biological replicate of Daniel Miglavs, right down to the molecular level, DNA, everything -- clones, basically -- anyone should be able to do exactly what Daniel Miglavs did. Just like Daniel Miglavs did it.
Ain't life simple and grand?
Daniel-
I have to start by saying what you did with your addiction is no small triumph. Quitting cold turkey takes work and determination. The breaking of a physical addiction, especially that of nicotine, is at least a milestone achievement.
Having said this, you shouldn’t expect every single addict to have the same results with cold turkey quitting. Stages of addiction, especially that of a physical addicting substance such as nicotine, are different for people depending on their genetics and the length of their addiction. What worked for you may not necessarily work for the next person.
Woohoo, I have someone named "tired of daniel's bs."
My point here is that I don't subsrcibe to the notion that addition is a "disease" or something that can't be dealt with by willpower.
More and more I see people making the "it's not your fault" excuses for people who choose to do things. (alcoholics anonymous - it's not your fault, you have a disease that you can't control)
That being said, if al anon helps you, great, whatever works for you. I just don't happen to subscribe to that notion that you are the victim of a disease and I think that the increasing frequency of using that explanation for why people can't control their own actions is dangerous.
A world of Daniel clones... hmmmm...
I think what Daniel is saying is that too few people take personal responsibility for anything these days. If this is what he's saying, then it's too true. Just look at all the people on state assistance (including state workers) and people willing to break the law.
I wonder if it was easier for you to quit because you were SO DISCIPLINED as a gangbanger, snark.
I wish I had enough time to slavishly read someone with whom I always disagree, and post hundreds of thousands of words of argument.
Personally, I was a seriously addicted smoker... between one and two packs a day for 18 years. I'm currently a shade over 6 months without a breath of smoke.
That said... in content, if not completely in tone, I am in agreement with Daniel. The success rates for gum, patch, Zyban, and other current modern methods are all in the single digit percentages... not statistically significant differences from the chances of cold-turkey quitting, to be honest.
The negative of "prop" quitting, is that marketing and myth try to convince smokers that quitting with those products is easy. The fact of the matter is, that for the truly addicted smoker, the success rate of any method is horribly low.
In fact, quitting means deciding to quit, then remaking that decision several times a day for 60 days or so, then once a day for 4 months more, then once every few days... etc etc.
The decision, however, MUST be final. If it's not... if you're just "trying" to quit... then you're not, it's as simple as that. You'll smoke again, and you know it. So... starting quitting? yeah... nonsense... a sales pitch for a product with no reason to exist: at 24 weeks, cold turkey quitters have an 11.5% success rate, patch and gum users have 6.7% and 9.5% respectively. When using something is less effective than using nothing... what does that tell you?
Daniel, this somewhat relates to the problem with obesity. People have no self-responsibility that either the government must take care of these people or these people blame the fast-food industry.
Last week I was in a small eastern Oregon town, eating at a Subway restaurant. There was nobody there but myself.
Next door to the Subway is a McDonald's restaurant. As I sat, eating my sandwich, I gazed out the window at the McDonald's double-lane drive-thru packed with a steady stream of cars, pick-ups, and sports-utility vehicles.
"Man, it looks like everyones at McD's tonight," I said to the young female clerk at Subway as she sweeps the floor.
"You're smart," the clerk from Subway said. "Look at all those people clogging their arteries."
"And contributing to the obesity problem," I replied.
I've eaten at McDonald's before. Every time I've came out of that restaurant, I felt like crap. I guess that "what you eat is what you are" theory holds true. Crap, of course.
I cannot justify food saturated in grease and loaded with more sodium than the Pacific Ocean.
I'm boycotting most fast-food restaurants. I'm also reducing portions, meaning no super-sized or full-sized sandwiches. It's been one month now without that greasy crap, I've ridden over 400 miles on my bicycle. Since it was 220 pounds that I was, now I'm at 201 pounds.
By the way, I never smoked anything or obsessively consume alcohol.
It's all a matter of control and willpower. I have enough self control and discipline to quit smoking cold turkey after having smoked 1-2 packs per day for twelve years.
I took responsibility for choosing to smoke, therefore doing severe damage to my health....and I again took full responsibility when making the decision to quit. I took the half-pack of smokes that I had in my pocket....threw them in the trash and said "I'm done".
Everyone has the willpower and resolve to do the exact same thing. It's all a matter of having the COURAGE to summon that willpower. There are those in this society who aren't couragous, and have to have help. That's fine too, I've helped a few of my friends quit smoking and they learned how to be courageous and stay smoke free.
Whether charging a foxhole in battle, or making the decision to quit doing whatever it is that you're doing to harm yourself, it all takes courage and willpower. Some have it, some don't. Those who don't have it are weak, and need the help of the strong. For those of us out there who are strong, our society as a whole will be much better off if we help the weak find thier courage. Not through handouts, welfare programs, and such...but by helping those around you learn to do things for themselves instead of relying on someone else to be courageous for them.
To anyone who conquers any addiction......may God bless you, and please pass it on.
I agree with Daniel (big Surprise) Being an ex-smoker, it is a choice. Drinking, smoking, drugs, being fat... Everytime you have a McDonalds, smoke, drink, etc... you make the choice to put it in you. I am fat and it is a choice. Every time I eat a burger or pizza or what ever, I know what it will do. Body by fast food. When I do not go to the gym or go for a walk, a choice. Enough with the victim mentality! Get off your ass, quit smoking, drinking and doing drugs and make the choices in life to get ahead! This is America and your life style is your choice. You have the assistance to get out of gangs, get help with an addiction or what ever! But then, your life is your choice. Just don't make us pay for your choices. Do it on your own dime.
Okay, so we are on the FAT topic now - I agree with the principle that Daniel originally stated regarding smoking, no problems there - regarding being FAT - unlike addiction there are factors that lead to being overweight that are outside of a person's control.
Case in point - myself. I can't say I am one of those people who eats only health food, and excercises for hours every day - but I eat relatively healthy meals and get my excercise by walking/jogging, playing with the kids, working around the house (inside & out) - Before my thyroid stopped my weight was fairly stable between 165 and 175 (Still slightly high according to the government, but I digress) - Since then, I have gained a lot of weight but my diet and routine hasn't changed. I still eat about the same, the same kinds of things, and get about the same level of excercise.
Am I contributing to the nation's "obesity epidemic" - not intentionally, and if I had my choice I wouldn't be. Do I expect the "Nation" to help me out - no, although bigger seats and more room on the airplane would be nice.
Or don't quit:
http://sepdx.wordpress.com/2007/05/08/the-virtues-of-smoking/
You are 100% correct Jim. There are medical reasons for some people’s weight. But for people like me (no medical excuse) it is a choice of what we put in our mouth and not getting the exercise we need. I put myself in this category because I know what I need to do but do not force myself to do it. I too am doing what I did 10 years ago but the body changes and so must the life style. Is it the fault of McDonalds, BK, KFC? Nope, I go there by choice.
Good luck with the thyroid, it can be a tricky thing finding the correct dosage and correct design of medication. Don't assume it is just dosage that needs altering. If the meds aren't working, consider a more natural product that is easier to digest and absorb. Synthetic is not the only option but is the most commonly known. If you aren’t feeling like you did when the thyroid was healthy, research medication designed from swine or bovine.
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