bigc wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 2:29 pm After typing it out and reading it back, I feel like I have a bigger problem than I'd realized.

After reading your post I feel the same about me.

I was drinking 2-3 glasses of wine a night, rarely more, for the past 10 years, roughly. I rarely drank before that, like hardly at all. I decided to get into the restaurant and alcohol business in 2013, literally made a conscious choice to start drinking. Now all of my relationships revolve around alcohol, naturally.

I recently went a couple of weeks without drinking and didn't feel any different, and started drinking again, much less though, not even every day; maybe a glass of wine a night, or an ounce of Cognac or amaro later in the evening. Lately none of it sounds good.

I think maybe being in wine sales has diminished my enjoyment of something I used to love.

I tried to quit cigarettes a half dozen times but then I'd go downtown and have a few drinks and start puffing away again (this is back when smoking was allowed in bars). One night I was about three beers in and bummed a cig after not touching them for over a week. It tasted like shit and I immediately stubbed it out. That's when I knew I was really done.

tonyballzee wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 11:49 am I tried to quit cigarettes a half dozen times but then I'd go downtown and have a few drinks and start puffing away again (this is back when smoking was allowed in bars). One night I was about three beers in and bummed a cig after not touching them for over a week. It tasted like shit and I immediately stubbed it out. That's when I knew I was really done.

Congratulations, man. I need to get there again.

Monday was 13 years no cigs

Nice, congrats! Been about 6 years here, I don't miss them at all. I loved to smoke, I had many memorable moments when I was outside smoking somewhere, it was a great excuse to get out of noisy crowded rock clubs for a bit back when I spent time in noisy crowded rock clubs, but....it was clearly ruining me and I had to stop.

For anyone trying to quit, I gotta say, switching to vaping helped me a lot. Trying to quit cigs was impossible, I could never get it to stick. Vaping was much easier on the lungs and much much easier to gradually taper down the nicotine without getting the horrible withdrawals. At some point it was like why am I even doing this? And just threw all my vape crap away, never thought about it again.

Quitting smoking sucks and it's really hard, but you will feel SO MUCH BETTER.

(Happy to be 6+ years free.)

these mf'ers underestimating the joy of nicotine.

dontfeartheringo wrote: Mon Feb 13, 2023 12:19 pm these mf'ers underestimating the joy of nicotine.

Seriously. Especially during band practice breaks.

I quit smoking when covid started, so I guess it’s been 3 years now. I do have a cigar from time to time, but it’s pretty rare.

Dave N. wrote: Mon Feb 13, 2023 12:33 pm

dontfeartheringo wrote: Mon Feb 13, 2023 12:19 pm these mf'ers underestimating the joy of nicotine.

Seriously. Especially during band practice breaks.

Sometimes I will eat just for the pleasure of the post-gnosh smoke.

dontfeartheringo wrote: Mon Feb 13, 2023 12:19 pm these mf'ers underestimating the joy of nicotine.

for real.

Oh man, I cannot believe that today's 4 years since I quit drinking. Nothing,not a drop, no THC no CBD either. No cigarettes for a year and a half(?). (still sucking on a few nicotine lozenges a day, so that's next).
What a world