Boo

The alliance between big tobacco and the government ran deep for decades. My grandfather was in the United States Navy and served in World War II. He was issued cigarettes as it was stated that smoking "calmed the nerves and increased courage." He survived fierce battles against the Japanese in the Philippines, but eventually the cigarettes led to his demise. The more I think about it, the more I hate smoking.

3

Breathe deep and find your zen place...

3

Those few extra pounds some quitters put on during the early part of a quit are more than offset by the health benefits of quitting smoking. And as you pointed out, quitting smoking is a tipping point that leads many to taking full control of their health and fitness. We've seen several folks here on the Train really turn their life in a totally new direction after quitting. The process lives. Long live the process.

+1

Good work John.

And one more. Our friends at big tobacco would never encourage children to smoke, but if they were to buy a carton of Chesterfields for mom and dad that would be a great thing for junior.

A bit more of big tobacco's smoke and mirrors from a bygone era... You could "over-indulge" with the food. Or, you could smoke Lucky Strike cigarettes and become a world class hurdler. A full frontal lobotomy would help buy into the reasoning of these ads.

That's why I like to look up things on the tobacco companies from time-to-time. I take full responsibility for continuing to smoke all those years, however...a bit of righteous indignation keeps me on point and focused. Knowing the practices of big tobacco and how they view their consumers always leads to me shoring up my commitment to NOPE. If it's gonna be us versus them, I'm for us. Speaking of...tell your wife and my kids I said hi.

NOPE!

I can post pictures again. Testing...testing...

"Curative power." The legal department told them they couldn't claim that specifically, but it didn't stop them from throwing it against the wall to see if it would stick. Cigarettes as "an ounce of prevention"? One could write an entire dissertation on the logical fallacies and outright bullshit of that statement. Sometimes a little trip down memory lane helps remind us of why we should hold the tobacco companies in disdain.

Oh!

Good work TAC. Enjoy the lido deck.

Welcome aboard DeeDee. Those triggers and craves present the moments when you can flex your newly acquired strength and knowledge. Every smoking thought put aside changes you on a neurological and physical level. Congratulations. You've started a process that will reward you many times over.

NOPE!

3

"We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons." --Jim Rohn I came across that line in a book I was reading last night. When you weigh the discipline required to quit against the regret of potentially losing everything to smoking, the choice is an easy one. And the thing is, there is no actual pain involved in quitting. A few days of feeling a bit foggy mentally and some moments of agitation. Small price to pay for a life of freedom. As I look back on the process, I'm actually thankful for the times that were a pain in the ass in the moment. They forced me to expand my horizons and instilled the idea that discipline leads to freedom. This process will change you in ways you didn't foresee and will leave you with only one regret: that you didn't quit sooner.

NOPE!

Viva Tres Hombres!

+1 The holding pattern continues...

The brain doesn't really differentiate between feelings of thirst and hunger. Often times, when we feel "hungry" what we really need to do is drink water. Drinking more water is one simple thing that most people would benefit greatly from.

Increased productivity is one of those rewards of quitting that we don't really think about until we quit. My smoke breaks were turning into 15-minute excursions. Talking to the other nicotine addicts out on "smoker's island." Doing the whole "hey how's it going" circuit when I came back in. Then it took a couple of minutes to get back into the rhythm of doing the job I was working on. Time is finite, don't waste it on smoking.

NOPE!