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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Mar 12, 2007 - 02:33pm PT
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Good luck, John. I want to pipe in with support, not pratical advice.
Like most of us, I smoked a pack a day in the Valley—unfiltered Camels. I had this idea that I would quit sometime, and finally woke up to the fact that sometime and now were on the same side of the history divide--if not now, then when?
So I quit every month for a year or so. Just about the time I would think I had my habit broken, I would decide to take a drag or bum a smoke—usually in a bar, late at night, sometimes just bored. Within 2 or 3 seconds, I'd be back to a pack a day of my unfiltered Camels.
So I decided to focus on the trickery of my own mind working against me. The last time I quit, I didn't tell anyone. I carried an open pack in my shirt pocket. Folks would bum smokes from me and sometimes ask if I was quitting. I would say I was just cutting back. I maintained that fiction in varying degrees for a year—those Camels in my shirt pocket got very stale. In about a year, I stopped thinking about smoking and my urges to take a drag were gone.
Stick with it.
Best, Roger
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L
climber
The City of Lost Angels
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Mar 12, 2007 - 02:41pm PT
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Hey John,
Congrats on making the decision to quit.
Walking in circles like a dog getting ready to bed down is one of the most creative tactics for beating the addiction I've ever heard of! Too funny.
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Jefe'
Boulder climber
Bishop
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Mar 12, 2007 - 02:51pm PT
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About time Largo. Harrison was a bad influence on you.
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BadInfluence
Mountain climber
Dak side
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Mar 12, 2007 - 03:15pm PT
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No one likes a quiter ;)
yup up in Montana my ex's Father chewed skol straight. never spit once swallowed everything. one time after dinner ex's father said "if you're a real man you'll take a dip and swallow everything like i do". never took the dip and he almost shot me the next day when we were bird hunting.
Cowboys are a breed of thier own.
it' all in the mind after 3 days so they say
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 12, 2007 - 03:24pm PT
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I think the biggest surprise here is that I can't concentrate for sh#t. I've been staring at the same paragraph for like two hours. Normally I'd have a gigantic plug of Skoal in my gob and be firing away at the trashcan and typing like a madman. It's ain't happening righ now, that's for sure.
JL
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Mar 12, 2007 - 03:28pm PT
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Juan said, "I must not have some gene or have a different brain. I could smoke and smoke cigarettes and never get addicted. But Opiates, that warm fuzzy feeling. "
Was it your intention to give LEB a chance to slip in here with all the medical stuff she learned about addiction in a textbook but never experienced? Thanks Juan.
John, i hear you on the concentratoin stuff. I been there. Oh wait, I am still there. Plus I do believe that there have been studies showing nicotime helps your concentration. I think we just need to train our brains to do without....
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Mar 12, 2007 - 03:31pm PT
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Any of us who have been around the block a few times have picked up bad habits of varying degrees and can vouch for the extreme difficulty in breaking them.
Hang tough John.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 12, 2007 - 03:51pm PT
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I never seemed to get addicted to the stuff back in the day, so I could always take it or leave it, blessed I guess.
My wife Debbie took a long time quit cigerettes, getting down to one a day that she just couldn't kick for the longest time, but did.
Part of your problem is the habit of your work, which you just tried do change one bit of... probably pretty hard thing to do... maybe you should think about changing more so that that "something is missing" feeling is more like, "holy sh#t, what am I doing."
Use your understanding on the mind to suggest ways to help you... it's not just the nicotine.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Mar 12, 2007 - 03:55pm PT
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Sheeesh.
Now I feel really bad. LEB nah nahed me...Time for a pinch here!
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Mar 12, 2007 - 04:11pm PT
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Sorry LEB, it was meant all in good fun.
I realize you probably have med training in this area. However, and unfortunately, some of us have first hand experience in this area.
Some of that experience are times we would just as soon forget and experiences that the finest Dr's wont ever learn unless they have been there.
Kind of like climbing.
nah nah....(just kidding) :)
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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Mar 12, 2007 - 04:22pm PT
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Largo reports:
" I can't concentrate for sh#t."
is that the only symptom Largo?
Give it time.
Both my parents quit age 39.
The old man reported freakouts and looking for packs he'd thrown in the ditch for years.
The old lady said it was nuthin, no withdrawl and I quote
"that's all bullsh't" she said.
Maybe that's the right attitude?
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L
climber
The City of Lost Angels
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Mar 12, 2007 - 04:24pm PT
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golsen--Getting nah-nahed by LEB is an HONOR! Don't feel "bad", feel "brief and to the point".
John--You're going through withdrawals. Concentration will suck for a while, but once the toxins are out of your system, you'll be back to your good ol' key-scorchin' self. There's a homeopathic Quit Smoking formula in healthfood stores that really helps with withdrawals, I'm told.
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Mar 12, 2007 - 05:19pm PT
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Sheeit, I can help you quit in 1 minute.
Stuff a whole can in your lip. Get lots of saliva going and....
swallow the whole goddamn thing. After blowing chunks, you'll never want that crap in your craw again.
Seriously, good luck.
Cravings always seems to come in waves for me, distract yourself and in a few minutes it shouldn't be quite so bad.
Luckily I never got addicted to anything much, but I love food and drink. I just lost 12 pounds towards my goal of dropping 20. What helped me was fasting for a day; I realized that the hunger didn't get worse after a while, it just stays the same. For me I'd rather power through something tough. e.g. if I have a long descent hike, I'd rather push and get it over with, than stop and take breaks and prolong it. It's probably the same way for lot's of folks, hence the success of cold turkey.
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bobmarley
Trad climber
auburn, california
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Mar 12, 2007 - 06:38pm PT
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hey largo, i saw this thread and can relate for sure. i started dipping when i was 15, along with the other soccer players. went to europe at 18 and started smoking but quit that pretty easy a few years later. but it took me years to ween off the chew. coppenhagen was my preferred. i could go without and then have a couple beers and get a gnarly urge! i weened off real real slow. that worked for me and now i don't even crave it. when i see dudes with a big ol dip it looks disgusting, but i laugh because i used to do the same goddamn thing.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 12, 2007 - 07:58pm PT
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I don't get how spicy stuff will tone down addiction, Lois, maybe a substitution?
I love dried, hot, wasabi-ed soy beans. Any wasabi event is never complete until you feel it in the back of your head, then coursing all the way through, to, your eyeballs, which at that point can't focus. One of wasabi's advantages is that it doesn't leave your mouth damaged like after; harrar((?) (that ethiopian pepper)), habanero, serious thai, etc. kind ot like coke, it rushes through and leaves you craving more, isn't that sorta like a definitive, addictive dealio?
though, if it gets you away from nicotine, who cares?
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 12, 2007 - 08:24pm PT
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Do I like spicey food because it distracts me from addictions I do not yet recognize?
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Mar 12, 2007 - 09:10pm PT
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Here's another cheer for Largo! Everyone here's rooting for you.
I have always known how lucky I am, nicotine-wise. I have a big brother who I looked up to like he was God, when i was a kid. he started smoking cigs at 12 years old(real smoking; he probably tried them before that).
When my dad caught him, he made him EAT a pack of cigs. Or a cigar. Or something like that. Thinking it would do the trick.
Not a dent.
But!
When I was 12, and the kids my age were beginning to play with cigs, he took me aside and said "Don't do it. Look at me. I smoke a pack a day(at 15 years old) and I can't stop. I stink. I spend my money on smoking. Smoking isn't cool; it's stupid. if you want to really be cool, be the one who doesn't smoke."
I listened to him. Have had less than 2 cigarrettes my entire life, and those were had before he gave me those words.
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....Now pot, on the other hand.... I was stoned at all waking momens, unless there was none to be had, which was rare, from 14 to 21 years old.
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Finally put it down, only to see(in hindsight) my drinking escalate.
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Sober now for 10 years, 5 months.
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Still drink coffee, but it is a fairly low amount and I can go without it(when I choose too, like on a weekend out climbing). Give it up???? Not ready for that one yet.
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And sugar..... I seriously could feel my intelligence dropping in the last year - my ability to focus, stay awake for more than 6 hours without a nap or, in an emergency where sleep wasn't possible, a coffee fix. And the worst - specific words were escaping me. I couldn't call them to mind, like a person in senility. It was actually a little frightening. And I was making TONS of spelling mistakes.
Anyway, a month ago, I took a serious and intentional cut in sugar and processed foods in general. Was also hoping to lose weight with the change(I lost 2 pounds, but think it's back). But at least I can think again.
And yet, I'm still not willing to cut the sugar out completely. Even though I know what it was doing to me.
Oh! Interesting - The circumstance that led me to acknowledge my sugar addiction was....well, it's a little embarrassing....
One of my clients has a dog, and I boarded the dog last fall, and noticed she was drinking too much water. I knew she was ill, and even called them on vacation to tell them, even knowing(or at least I thought I knew..) that they were very worrying sorts of people and I might be ruing their trip.
Anyway - they got back and neglected to deal with it. i thought they had taken here for a check up, and they didn't.
So sad.... The dog went for a hiarcut, and when she came back - she was SO thin, everyone knew something was wrong. But the dog people must have been in denial, and didn't take her to the vet! The neighbors were asking me about the dog, and I said I was sure they must have taken her in...
Then, a few weeks later, the lady emailed me on a Saturday and said she was very worried because the dog seemed to be having vision loss, as she was bumping into things.
I knew it was bad, and said "Animal Medical center, 62nd and 2nd, open 24 hours." And the mom came back saying they were going to wiat to see the regular vet on Monday!
I felt awful, and couldn't believe they could wiat. I suggested they think about that decision, but the good news is that the 24 hour vet is...24 hours available, si they can go at any time.
By Monday, her vsion had worsened. She had diabetes, and the vet said "Why did you wait so long?"
Now she also got Glaucoma, and within 2 months, the poor dog is completely blind.
This is a whole, long story....because I have gotten a huge increase in caretaking for this dog. They couldn't deal with it at first; they felt so guilty, and the dog was so F'ed up - running head on into things, freaking out and going buts on the street, and such. I have learned to become her "Seeing Eye Person"(honestly), and we have beautiful sessions where I learn to guide her, and she learns to trust my guidanace.
Anyway...seeing that happen to this dog, I also remembered some of the people throughout my life who've had dianbetes. And, realizing my mind was being affected by my nutriotonal imbalance...that's why I made the cut on sugar/processed foods.
Chemicals - whether they are illegal, over the counter, accepted as 'food"...whatever. So many of us are so bent out of shape because of them.
(sorry for the long ramble)
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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Mar 12, 2007 - 09:22pm PT
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I think Largo is going to crack or do the best writing of his life. Its really a crap shoot at this point?
??????????????????????????????//
JDF
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BadInfluence
Mountain climber
Dak side
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Mar 12, 2007 - 09:26pm PT
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Dude being this is physcosomatic there are 2 things you can do to fight urge of your normal routine.
1. find the largest flat head screwdriver you have. heat it up cherry red and place on your forarm for 5 seconds. this surely will take your mind off on having a dip.
2. grab a new fresh can of your normal chew. eat the whole can. after you get done puking you will never want another dip.
let us know which one you choose
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