sgt.barney

It is as difficult or as easy as you choose to make it. Your current ... situation ... (whatever it may be) ... is 100٪ self inflicted. You are in control of the outcome here. Time to start making the right choices ... right? EZPZ

Sarge is a child born of the late 1960s. Grew up in the 1970s and early 80's. Back in those days it hovered around 40% of the adult population here in These United States. Just about half of folks smoked. Currently, the CDC lists cigarette usage at about 13% of the US Population. It's down. Considerably. A. Lot. These are legit stats published by the CDC. If you google, you will find them (Sarge is too damned lazy to do it for you) EZPZ

Would you have gone to see The Doc for these symptoms had you not quit? There's your answer. EZPZ.

Why? A horrible Doc visit (after 10+ years of avoiding same). Stage II Hypertension (ridiculously high blood pressure (regularly clocked at 170/110 (YIKES!!!)) Pre-Diabetes (ridiculously high blood glucose levels) Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Syndrome Hypercholesterolemia (ridiculously high cholesterol levels (triglycerides off the motherfucking charts). Quitting smoking was just one of a multi-pronged, life-changing series of events (weight loss (60+ lbs), physical training (became a marathon runner), changed diet (mostly plant-based, healthy diet (used to live on Taco Bell, Do

Tip of the hat to my friend, Jon. EZPZ.

It is time to leave The Temple, young Grasshopper ... EZPZ

> Still smoking!!!! Sarge is here to inform you that, well, ... That's just farking stupid. Stop that shit. Now. EZPZ

There is only one "OK" way. Put the cigarettes down and never smoke another so long as you live. Anything else is unnecessarily irrelevant detail. None of that other crap matters. There is one-and-only-one step: Never. Smoke. Again. ALL successful quitters are stuck at this step and will never move past it. ALL failed quits fail when this step fails. Nothing. Else. Matters. EZPZ

It is never too late AND it is always too late. It is too late to avoid the damage that has already been done. Much of it will be reversable. Not at all ALL of it. Permanent damage is permanent, after all. We all have to live with that. The good news: You can avoid doing ADDITIONAL damage. Quit now, and you will do no more damage. What can be healed will start to heal. What can't ... won't. Saying "It's too late" is nothing more than a bullshit excuse. Don't make excuses. Stop. The. Insanity. EZPZ

Sarge cautions you to amend your thinking: You have not had success before. You have not quit before. Had you, we would not be having this conversation. Other than that: go on with your efforts. Have success this time. Actually QUIT this time. EZPZ.

Sarge just wants to add a data point here: You don't have to avoid smokers. Just decide that you are not one of 'em. Mrs. Sarge smoked for the first 3 years of Sarge's quit. (She's been quit 6+ years now) For 3-ish years there were Smokes ... Lighters ... Ashtrays ... Packs ... Cartons ... <EveryDamnedWhere> In the house. Every room. In the garage. In the cars. In the barn. Smoking paraphernalia everywhere. None of it matters. When you're done, you're done and it doesn't matter what's around you. When you decide you're done, when you're ready

You have not Quit yet. You've merely abstained for irrelevantly short periods of time. Quitting is forever. You ... y'know ... Quit. Never to have another again. 7 (so-called) "quits" in a year is not A-Thing™, no matter how long or short you happened to abstain. A Quit is ... y'know ... QUIT. Forever. Not a Pause. Not a temporary "I'm not smoking now" ... But a ... Quit. ALSO: Quit fuckin' around. Shit or get of the pot, right? EZPZ

Instead of smoking you will ... ... <AnythingButNOTSmoke>. It doesn't particularly matter what - just that it's not smoking. That leaves pretty much a literal infinitude of choices. EZPZ

Learn to Embrace The Suck and ... well ... as weird as it sounds: Enjoy TheSuck™. 'Cause there's quite a lot of Suckage in your future, right? Do this and it's all Easy Peasy Lemon Breezy. EZPZ

PFFFT. A cigarette in hand is not a problem, right? Sarge ... for some weird reason ... still has his last cigarette. It's in a little case ... and all dried out and nasty ... and the paper's turning yellow, even. It's a few months shy of a decade old right now. Smoking will always be there. There will always be folks smoking around you. Hell Mrs. Sarge kept smoking for damned near 3 years after TheQuit™ before she, too, quit. There were always packs o' smokes and ashtrays and lighters and all the paraphernalia layin' around. You've gotta learn to say "no" regardle