Well Autumn and October are here again where has the year gone folks? Remember the Olympics in London that happened what feels like ten minutes ago? Two more years have flowed under the bridge and away into the distance and I cannot believe it. Where does the time go? If you know can you funnel some it back in my direction please? Cheers.
I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about Stoptober and well as I’ve been struggling with quitting smoking since May I’m going to give it a good go this month. Over the past few months I have fallen off and on the smoking wagon but have found that vapour cigarettes have helped. I’m using E-Lites at the moment, regular and menthol, which ever they have in the shop really and it really does work. In fact it works so well and seems so harmless that I’m sure it will only be a matter of months, weeks or even days before the news is full of hysterical news reports that vaping is actually harmful, but at the moment it seems like such a simple and easy way to reduce the harm caused by smoking. I can tell anyone reading this who wants to quit: give them a try. You’ll find after you’ve used them for a while going back to a normal cigarette is a very disgusting feeling indeed. You really can feel the harm and dirt that cigarettes do and contain after satisfying your cravings with water vapour and nicotine instead of carbon monoxide and tar.
With smoking as good as in check my main demon is alcohol. Its something I don’t do by half which some of you may know if you’ve read this blog much or have followed me on twitter. During October I’d like to drastically reduce the amount that I drink to as close to nothing as I can. I’d like to say that I’m going to drink nothing but as a man who probably sinks his own body weight in lager each month it’s probably asking too much, I know I will drink. I’ve often asked myself if I’m an alcoholic and technically yes I am but I don’t drink every day but 3 or 4 nights a week I do. Weekends I drink more when I know I don’t have to drive but I do drink in the week too. It’s something that I could moan about but it’s my problem and I have to do something about it myself and I am. I have no reason to drink really; my life is pretty damned good. It’s basic and boring to many outsiders looking in but I’m happy with it. So I have to try if not for myself for my loved ones, I’m not getting any younger and my heart and liver aren’t made of steel, so its something that I have to do. But give up altogether, I don’t think I could. Alcohol is sadly a thing that my circle of family and friends use to celebrate anything and everything. Rarely do any of us come together and sit and drink Ribena and if I suggested such a thing I’d probably be banished to the naughty step to think about what I’d said.
I suppose it all comes down to a simple choice. Do you want to smoke or do you want to drink? Smoking offers you nothing at all, at least a drink can bring you out of yourself in a social setting or make you feel a little better after a bad day, but then you can still have too much of a good thing. I dunno, I’ve been here before, making grand claims that I’m going to change my lifestyle for the better but you have to keep trying and each time it gets easier to try and more likely to succeed. It’s like that Mark Twain quote says, “Quitting smoking is easy, I’ve done it hundreds of times!”
Best to keep at it. I won’t bore you with endless smoking and drinking posts, but I may stumble and fall a few more times before I get to where I want to be and I’m sure I’ll make it apparent to you all with silliness, self loathing and utter craziness here.
Take care people.
Peace.