Make ciggysinkers, not disease
KeithHandy posted in Featured Posts, Your body on April 24th, 2008
Awesome quote alert:
We only pretend to be addicted…
Until we become addicted to pretending.
What brought this on? I mean, in all total seriousness, I was one of the lightweights. A couple of these things a day. Maybe a couple more than a couple sometimes… and every so often a couple more than that. I’ve never been physically addicted, and never actually jonesed for the nicotine. In fact, I don’t even like the feeling from the nicotine. The only thing I liked was the way the activity divides time into smaller (and smaller) chunks. And the way it gives you an excuse to watch strangers walk by without looking creepy.
Being diagnosed with high blood pressure today was a swift kick from reality. In a way, I’m glad to have a tangible thing to work on. I could never get into “doing things for my health” without there being a specific problem. I don’t even really know what the main cause is, or if it’s partly genetic or whatever. Maybe I would be just fine as long as I take the meds and avoid salt, but I’m not comfortable with “maybe” these days.
I had just bought a fresh pack the day before, and I think in a way, the ceremonious act of destroying the vast majority of a pack in full public view (and documenting it videographically) might seal the deal better than saying “I’ll just finish this pack”. The trouble with the latter is that a pack of cigarettes is a “circular” experience, with the end of one pack being psychologically linked to the beginning of the next. You have to find a more vulnerable point at which to upset the pattern and break the chain.
Of course, as not everyone’s mind responds equally to the same motivators, you might resonate more with the ancient wisdom of the masters:
…or maybe I should say “the ancient wisdom of an array of ethnic stereotypes”.
I promise I’ll get back to the music stuff soon here. I’ve had a lot of interesting and inspired thoughts and ideas in that department, and hopefully I can stick around long enough to follow through with them.
Good health to us all!
April 24th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
W00t!! Good for you!!!
April 25th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I quit in January. I quit for 8 month before until I was foiled by a 4 days bachelor party in Vegas. But I think I am going to make this time. I really jonesed when I first quit. But losing the ritual is hardest now. It what I did when I had five minutes to kill or need to take a break from what ever I was doing. Like you it how i divided up the day. And now…
What helps me is remembering how unfun it was at the start and not wanting to waste that or do it again.
Good luck it is worth it.
April 25th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Kubton! It’s interesting how many “moments” go by in a day where I habitually think “this would be a good time for one”.
I’m lucky to not crave them physically, or maybe to not know that I’m craving them because I never figured out what the craving felt like… so it would be stupid of me not to take advantage of that.
~
Sassy: thanks! Of course I’m sure that, as a wind player, you’ve consistently gone out of your way to not go anywhere near these stupid things.