Just a few thoughts about a few issues (probably random, like this title)

Tiny Rant #1
A news story this morning said that bribing people to quit smoking might be the best way to get a person to quit forever. This was a finding by a study in the UK. I'm not sure, really, how I feel about this. I mean, no one ever offered to give me a penny to quit smoking. Instead, I had to dig down deep and make it happen. The financial reward came when I realized the amount of money I was saving by not buying cigarettes every week. That savings, though, is HUGE! Also, my concern is that once the financial incentive is gone, will the person decide it's no longer worth the effort to quit?

Tiny Rant #2
Supporting people who are quitting smoking sucks. People who don't smoke don't understand, and people who DO smoke are way too deep in their own addiction to be supportive. Pretty much, it feels like the only people who truly GET quitters are those who are quitting themselves. I will admit, however, that a few weeks ago, I'd had enough of beginning quitters. I couldn't understand why they couldn't just buck up and quit; after all, that's how I quit.

Then I went back and re-read some of my early posts to the Livestrong Community. I said very, very similar things to what these newbies were saying. I had very nearly forgotten already, after 9 months, what those first few days were like. For that, I apologize. We need to work together and help each other with our quits, no matter if we are 1 day or 12 years quit. We need support, but we also need to provide support when we're strong enough to stand up again.

Tiny Rant #3
I hate e-cigs. Yep. I hate them. I hate the way they look. I hate what they stand for. I hate that they make people believe they aren't strong enough to quit on their own. I hate them. I keep getting asked about e-cigs, and because I'm a firm believer in the philosophy "your quit, your rules," I tell people that they should quit how they feel most comfortable. If they want an e-cig and it's going to help them quit pumping the vile concoction that is a cigarette, by all means, use it!

Inside, though, I hate them. I want people to understand the only thing holding them back from quitting is fear. Quitting is a scary thing but is completely manageable. You do not have to be a slave to nicotine just because you're afraid. Honestly, I quit smoke out of fear of cancer, fear of amputation, fear of stroke, fear of smothering myself to my sleep because I couldn't catch my breath. That's scary.

How do we conquer fear? Sometimes, we just have to face it head on and look at it from every direction. Becoming educated about nicotine addiction is the first step to truly quitting forever. Education is critical. That's why I keep mentioning whyquit.com.

So, those are my tiny rants of the day. Whew! Feels good to get that out of my system!