So... back in March, I kinda had a near death experience. Caught a cold/flu, some sort of awful bug that put me semi-comatose for about a week. Coughing, congested, cough some more to where I couldn't breathe and nearly passing out. Lost 15 pounds, OK!!! I'll stop with all the gory details. Needless to say, I can't remember being that sick since 1981.
Took some NyQuil and other cold remedies and a week or so later came back to join the living. This meant I was just "NormallySick", like the flu/Winter cold I might get every 2 or 3 years. During this event, I was completely unable to enjoy my favorite of all chemical addictions. ...CIGARETTES...
Unable to say how long it actually was, but purdy sure somewhere's about a week to 10 days I had gone with out smoking a cigarette.
I thought to meself; Hmmmm. I've gone well past the accepted detox time for most chemical addictions and to have had ample time for all addictive substances to have evacuated my system. Only hurdle yet to overcome now is the urge to torch up a ***. Purely a mental thing. I should be able to do this because anyone who knows me will agree... I'm MENTAL!
Update, roll calendar forward 100 or so days. I think I may have done it. YAY!
One of the things I realized early on in this life altering decision is that for this to be successful, I would have to not drink. WHAT??? I can't drink???!!! Crimeny Crickets! My last divorce cost me $968,000 clams. This event literally drove me to drink. Heavily. Very Heavily I might add. Grrrrr... now I gots ta give up TWO perfectly joyful passtimes.
Well all the lack of O2 and shortness of breath led me think perhaps this could be a move for the better.
So I broke out pencil and pad and started crunching numbers.
1 pack of Marlboros per day X 46 years = a Ferrari
1 gallon of Crown Royal per week X 12 years = a Porsche
1 Porsche + 1 Ferrari = 1 Lamborghini
Well, there's no way I'm going to recapture all those missing funds/cars.
I have however found a healthy substitute for my 2 former addictions by consolidating into one.
The Gun a Month Club.
Month #1) Browning T-Bolt 22 magnum rifle with maple stock.
Month #2) PMR 30 (a sexy little .22 mag pistol that has 30 rounds capacity in a Colt Commander sized package)
Month #3) ???? decisions, decisions....
Moral to the Story.
1) An addict is never cured and will substitute.
2) I sure do feel a lot better.
Downside to the Story.
I feel the need to quote Rodney Dangerfield.
"Hey, At my age all I gotta look forward to is ta get sick and die"....
A Final Note is I gained 25 pounds last winter in NODak.
Since quitting smoking, I've managed to lose a pound every 2 weeks.
I'll join your support club: Congrats on the victories. And I assume (I know, don't go there) you consider them victories and actually decided you liked this life changing direction.
Keep it up. Your new addiction is much healthier and could even contribute to saving your life or the life of another.
Brent
Congrats on kicking the habit.
Congratulations!!!
I like the "one gun a month idea". I quit smoking 39 years ago so I guess Ill have to find something else to give up to start my own gun a month substitution.
Griff
The whole "Gun-a-Month" Club started when I was in Afghanistan.
I set up a fund for the gun-a-month for each month I was deployed in country. For six months after coming home, gun salesmen rushed over each other to me upon entering the store. They knew it was not only the heater, but a case, scope, ammo, reloading dies... on and on.
We are never satisfied!
Griff
Good luck with the no smoking, it's an addiction I quit several years ago in similar circumstances. Never looked back. 60 habit a day down to nil. Drinking is another addiction, not quite beat that yet but trying lol. Good luck!
Decisions, decisions.
Gun of the month dilemma.
Fella at work builds custom ARs.
Can't decide if whether to have him assemble an AR pistol (stainless barrel, 3# trigger and Sig Brace) to my exacting specs or... S&W Combat Magnum .44 magnum. I kinda need the 44 due to a grizzly infestation at home.
The Yellowstone ecosystem was estimated to support about 400 Yogi and BooBoos. Last I heard there was over 1200. Summer of 2015 G&F euthanised 2 of them within 2 miles of my house. One upstream and one downstream of the creek that runs 25 feet off my back deck. The beauty of living in Paradise is that everything else WANTS to live there also! Down side is that I'm no longer at the apex of the food chain.
Bah!
Tooth and Nail Armory upgraded MKA1919 with reflex sight (Magpul pop up sights for backup) and 25 round mag loaded with 12 ga flechette rounds.
Good for everything from Zombies to riots.
Congratulations! I loved to smoke, but hated the nagging of the wife. SO I took my last puff on the eleventh minute of the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month of the 3rd year of the 3rd millenium. Strange, I still get an urge every once in a while. But I too put my butt savings into a firearm acquisition fund, a move I have not regretted.
Quitting smoking is the best and least appreciated venture one can undertake. It's the most important thing you'll accomplish this year yet it's so unsatisfying. Truly it is like replacing a transmission. You're simply back to where you were before you started. I quit smoking, finally, by buying an expensive electric guitar. My cigarette money depleted, I had no choice but to put my hands to work on something else. Am I worth listening to? No. I'm a musical hack. But I quit cigarettes and that's something to hang my hat on. Congratulations on taking charge of your life.
