sgt.barney

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, Doritos, Pepsi, and Pop-Tarts), quit a high-stress job/career, started sleeping (CPAP) ... Quittin smoking (along with the rest) erased all that. It's a decade later and they're still gone. Almost all disappeared within the first year. The blood pressure took almost 6 years, but it's quite normal now. Sarge will enter his 60s with zero meds (other than a Vitamin D defiency (easily correctable with a simple supplement)) and healthier than he was in his 20s and 30s ... and with a bit of luck, no complications from almost 3 decades of suckin' the Death Sticks. EZPZ.

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

Sarge says again: a pledge is useless. Millions upon millions upon millions of failures demonstrate this beyond any doubt. Beyond. Any. Doubt. The fact that it (LOL) "works for some" is a testament to The Some ... and not to The Pledge. The Pledge is useless without the conviction of the individual behind it. Do not think, my friends, that because you ... (LOL) ... "pledge" ... something ... that you will be successful. You won't. If you will be successful ... you will be successfull WITH OR WITHOUT ... empty words. 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

Meh. The Sarge is into his 10th year quit and has never taken the NOPE pledge. He doesn't believe in it. It doesn't work. Literally MILLIONS of folks do it. NEVER AGAIN! NOPE! NOT ME!!! I pledge ... yadda yadda yadda ... blah blah blah ... and are smoking before the day/week/month is out. HINT: It's not at all necessary and doesn't buy you anything at all. Just be done with the whole shebang once and for all and you don't need a NOPE Pledge. The pledge itself is useless. Worth less than nothing. It's the intent behind the pledge that is EVEYTHING, and it stands on its own. No. Pledge. Required. 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 to actually Quit ... none of it matters. You'll have to learn to live with people who smoke, anyway, right? They're everywhere. Learn to say "No" and *mean it* and you'll be just fine. Sarge promises. All you need do is decide you're done. EZPZ

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" regardless of what's layin' around or onhand/close-by. You have to handle cigarettes and tobacco being around you and just bein' able to say: "Nope ... not for me ..." and move on with life. ** On another note: You need to fix your thinking. You did not "slip". A slip is unintentional. You damned well meant to smoke and knew what you were doin' when you did it. Be honest with yourself. It wasn't a "slip". It was ******* ON PURPOSE, with full knowledge, intent, and awareness of the repurcussions. If you can't admit this ... you can't quit. Take some ******* responsibility, right?

Sarge says it again: There is nothing any of us here can do for you that you can't and won't do for yourself. What kind of "help" are you looking for? Again: We can't help. Only you can. You know what you need to do. Do it, and quit fuckin' around ... or die early. It's that simple. EZPZ.

You can't quit if you aren't 100% BRUTALLY honest with yourself. (1) There is no "slip". A slip is accidental. When you smoke, you JUMPED right in knowing full well what you were doing and the consequences. (2) Doreen is absolutely correct. You are either quit, or you are not. If you can not accept these facts ... you WILL NOT be successful. EZPZ

What, exactly, do you think it is that we can help with? HINT: Nothing. We can't help. You must do this yourself. Nothing we can say to you here will "help" you beyond what you are willing to do for yourself. What are you willing to do? Are you willing to quit? Sarge doesn't think so ... EZPZ

Sarge has always said: It is as easy as you want it to be. Indeed: " Choose easy ..." EZPZ

Where's the option for "BOTH" ?!?? It ain't 50/50, neither. It ain't half this, half that. Full on *both*. Sarge has had an Umbilical Hernia (tear in the abdominals underneath the belly-button) since he was a toddler. He can switch from inny to outy on demand. It's a fun Party Skill and Conversation Starter ! EZPZ

Sarge went through a whole series of major life-style change at quit time near a decade ago because of health issues. Lost 64 pounds. Quit eatin' like shit - changed to a mostly plant-based grow-your-own diet. Started running full marathons. Quit a high stress job. Quit smoking. Started sleeping regularly instead of stayin' up all night ... All in an effort to get AllTheThings™ back to some semblance of Normal again. High Cholesterol - went away in the first year. Bad cholesterol down into range, Good cholesterol up into normal range. Pre-Diabetes - gone. Fasting Glucose back in proper limits within the first year. Acid Reflux - Gone. Daily consumption of Tums/Rolaids is now ... maybe 3 times a year. Fatty Liver - Gone. Full function and normal ranges on all liver numbers. Periodontal disease - up and disappeared. No sign of active disease in near a decade (although permanent bone-loss and receeded gum line will never go away) The blood pressure, though. God. Damn. The Blood Pressure. The Mother F'ing Blood Pressure! It took 7+ years after all the above life-changes for the BP to get back down into normal range and come off the meds. Give it time. It's not gonna happen over night. It might not happen at all. The Sarge is under no illusions here. Most of that shit will be back ... but it'll be back when he's 70 and not when he's 40. Age related deterioration is normal. All that shit at 40 was not.

The Sarge concurs. (1) Smoking is, indeed, TheStupid™ AND (2) You will be successful. EZPZ

Sarge had only one excuse: "I don't *want* to quit", he lied ... to everyone (including himself) EZPZ

Be weak or be strong. It is a choice. Sarge sees you choosing wrong. Stop. That. Shit. Right? EZPZ