If it looks like a bargain.....

[doodude]

Tony, surely youre not saying that if you had opted out of the failing Social Security System & gone into what Federal employees ( including your struggling & suffering congress & senate) had gone into, namely personal accounts, that you, me & the rest of the country might be better off!?

[photos8484]

I, too smoked for 30-ish years & finally quit in march '93. The thing that worked for me this last time was the patch (I also wanted to stop, finally, after all these years [you NEED TO WANT TO STOP= remember that!], the kids were bugging me, the wife was also...). I've been clean over 12 years, now (yeah, it IS an addiction, every bit as bad as any hard drugs, legal or illegal), & I'm happy about that. I had tried other things, like the gum, but that didn't work- I'd chew AND smoke at the same time: wow, what a rush...
Anyway, I now have COPD, it's not fun, & I can only blame myself. I started at age 14 because it was 'cool' & sophisticated & all that other crap...
The scariest part of quitting was the 'drug dreams'... where I'd wake up in the middle of the night (5 years after I had my last cigarette), in a cold sweat thinking "OMG, I blew it, I blew it, I had a cigarette"... & suddenly realize it was only a dream, & I'm soaked in sweat & I can't get back to sleep again for the rest of the night. Those dreams went on for several years & I never want to go back to THAT. Also, in 12+ years, you come to realize that this is a LIFESTYLE change... ie, you realize don't need a cigarette after:
getting up
eating a meal
drinking a beer
having fun with your friends
having sex
going to the bar
getting married
getting divorced
using any other excuse throughout the day
& having one before you go to bed at night.

Best of luck!

[dattia]

After all these smoking posts yesterday, last night I had a dream that this was to be my last pack....now I'm down to my last cig...sorry folks, I'm heading to the WAWA to get another pack.............maybe in the next few months I will have better news to report.

[luckydog]

Dattia

I just bought a carton,

[doodude]

OMG, I really feel for you folks with the nightmares!
I must be very lucky as Ive never had any thing like that happen to me. I just quit & after a couple of weeks I never had a problem wanting another one.
But 12 years later & you still have problems with it?
I just cant comprehend it. Thats amazing!!!

[slotter]

I, too smoked for 30-ish years & finally quit in march '93. The thing that worked for me this last time was the patch (I also wanted to stop, finally, after all these years [you NEED TO WANT TO STOP= remember that!], the kids were bugging me, the wife was also...). I've been clean over 12 years, now (yeah, it IS an addiction, every bit as bad as any hard drugs, legal or illegal), & I'm happy about that. I had tried other things, like the gum, but that didn't work- I'd chew AND smoke at the same time: wow, what a rush...
Anyway, I now have COPD, it's not fun, & I can only blame myself. I started at age 14 because it was 'cool' & sophisticated & all that other crap...
The scariest part of quitting was the 'drug dreams'... where I'd wake up in the middle of the night (5 years after I had my last cigarette), in a cold sweat thinking "OMG, I blew it, I blew it, I had a cigarette"... & suddenly realize it was only a dream, & I'm soaked in sweat & I can't get back to sleep again for the rest of the night. Those dreams went on for several years & I never want to go back to THAT. Also, in 12+ years, you come to realize that this is a LIFESTYLE change... ie, you realize don't need a cigarette after:
getting up
eating a meal
drinking a beer
having fun with your friends
having sex
going to the bar
getting married
getting divorced
using any other excuse throughout the day
& having one before you go to bed at night.

Best of luck!

That's a darn good summary of what it's like for most heavy smokers to quit. I no longer get those dreams, but it took about 8 years for them to go away. I did use Nicorette for 6 months to help with the quitting, btw, and then it was really hard to stop that -- it is addicting, as well, just not as much.

[Tony Junior]

Doodude, I darn sure am suggesting that! Which is why I hope the President's plan goes into effect, for the young ones!

Yeah, the poor congresscritters will see to it that it doesn't though, too sensible!

Also, shortly after Galveston opted out of the SS plan, Congress discovered they would "lose" too much money, so they stopped it, buncha crooks. Bet it would change in a BIG hurry if THEY were in it!

[doodude]

Tony, that is the key! Take it away from them & theyll suddenly see the sense in it!
As it stands, Congress gets a massive retirement that carries over to their wives for life!
Where DO I sign up!?