OT: Quit Smoking Club.

[Bluesape]

Slightly OT, but do they still serve the McLobster down east at McDonald's?

[Guitar Geezer]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Slightly OT, but do they still serve the McLobster down east at McDonald's?

Now that's just WRONG!!!!!!

[Bluesape]

Originally posted by Guitar Geezer:

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Slightly OT, but do they still serve the McLobster down east at McDonald's?

Now that's just WRONG!!!!!!

Could be wrong, but in the Canadian maritmes, lobster rules, and McDonald's did have a McLobster sandwhich last time I was there. The McRib is only sold in certain markets also.

[Bluesape]

They haven't been brazen enough to offer the McSeal or McWhale, but in certain markets they too would sell.

[Guitar Geezer]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/geezer123/mclobster.jpg

 

[Bluesape]

Originally posted by Guitar Geezer:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/geezer123/mclobster.jpg

 

Ummm... perhaps some inland folks don't know, but the shell comes off, and it's a whole lot less crunchy!!!

[Guitar Geezer]

Whadda want for a Quickie Photoshop joke.

 

 

Kind like George Bush Sr (or was it Reagan) eating a tamale in San Antonio a few years ago..

 

Corn Husk and All

[Bluesape]

[Guitarzan]

yeah, McLobster available in the summer for a short time.

sorry i haven't been here to add to the Tims experience.

any of you other canucks familiar with Ron James?

last weekend the wife and i was in Halifax to see Ron. we pretty well laughed non stop for 90 mins!!

he does a little comparison between Starbucks and Tim Hortons. funny stuff.

[Bluesape]

There you are!

[Guitarzan]

i am definately looking at quitting. i am thinking heavily on trying to aquire a salary postion at work and it may involve a drop in pay. but it has flexible hours, less physical and more mental requirements ( i am surely mental). i could balance the lower pay by quitting smoking. that is not my main reason but it is definately a benefit.

so i am in. 2006 is fresh air for me.

[Bluesape]

Yay 'Zan

 

That's great to hear.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

Too watery? Why...because it didn't dissolve your spoon?

No... "too watery" because the spoon doesn't stand up in the middle of the cup! Admittedly, I don't drink the stuff every five minutes.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Originally posted by Guitarzan:

i am definately looking at quitting. i am thinking heavily on trying to aquire a salary postion at work and it may involve a drop in pay. but it has flexible hours, less physical and more mental requirements ( i am surely mental). i could balance the lower pay by quitting smoking. that is not my main reason but it is definately a benefit.

so i am in. 2006 is fresh air for me.

Yeah, when you figure the savings from stopping smoking, you can't just consider the cost of the cigarettes. You also save on doctor bills (you'll have less respiratory problems...fewer coughs, fewer sinus problems...fewer doctor visits). You'll save on disposable lighters (or whatever you use). I was buying at least one or two a week because I would lose them and people would "swipe" them. You'll save on clothes...I'm sure you've burned holes in your shirts and pants....more than once.... I burned a hole in the carpet of my Corvette when it was about a month old (and still kept on smoking in it).

 

PLUS.....you'll smell better. I hate to say it to you, but right now you stink. Everyone that smokes stinks. The more they smoke, the worse they stink. You don't realize it when you smoke, but other people do. Now, when people come in from a smoke break I can smell them when they get within 5 feet of me. I used to smell that way. (Now I just fart a lot ) There is a down side, though. Now when I'm in a bar or club where people are smoking (still legal in Georgia in certain barrooms) my clothes smell like an ashtray when I get home.

 

One thing I hated when I was smoking was ex-smokers.....they preach. I don't do that to people. If they want to smoke, that's their thing....this is America. Since this is a thread trying to encourage people to stop smoking, I'll preach a little...

 

Incidentally, I just got a phone call from a friend in Chattanooga, Tennessee a few days ago. His wife (47 years old) was just diagnosed with stage 3a small-cell lung cancer. This type of cancer is caused exclusively by smoking and is the most common form of lung cancer among smokers. It is quite deadly. She was diagnosed about a month ago and has started chemo and had the lower lobe of her right lung removed. Her hair is already falling out. She starts radiation next month (just in time for Christmas). They just scanned her head to see if the cancer had metastasised that far yet (it's in her lymph nodes). They are "trying" to quit smoking now. That's how addictive this shit is. You'd think that after news like that quitting would be a non-issue.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

You'd think that after news like that quitting would be a non-issue.

You'd be surprised.

 

Faced with imminent death from smoking related diseases, there ARE people who say "it's too late to quit" and keep on smoking right up until they die.

 

A friend of mine's mother has been told that she risks losing a foot due to the damage smoking has caused to her veins and yet she keeps on smoking. Even if it means she will hobble around for the rest of her life.

 

The doctor that diagnosed my mother as having cancer was a smoker too. He asked us to wait outside for a few minutes before seeing us and when we went in to his office, the window was wide open but you could still smell the smoke. He looked kinda guilty as well. And that's a guy that tells people that they are going to die from cancer. Several times a day, day in and day out.

 

What the hell, we used to go out on the balcony to smoke even as she was dying.

 

That's something that's weird about smoking. A lot of people say they don't have the willpower to quit and yet, it takes a lot more willpower to keep smoking even when they cut one of your feet off.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

You'd think that after news like that quitting would be a non-issue.

You'd be surprised.

 

Faced with imminent death from smoking related diseases, there ARE people who say "it's too late to quit" and keep on smoking right up until they die.

 

A friend of mine's mother has been told that she risks losing a foot due to the damage smoking has caused to her veins and yet she keeps on smoking. Even if it means she will hobble around for the rest of her life.

 

The doctor that diagnosed my mother as having cancer was a smoker too. He asked us to wait outside for a few minutes before seeing us and when we went in to his office, the window was wide open but you could still smell the smoke. He looked kinda guilty as well. And that's a guy that tells people that they are going to die from cancer. Several times a day, day in and day out.

 

What the hell, we used to go out on the balcony to smoke even as she was dying.

 

That's something that's weird about smoking. A lot of people say they don't have the willpower to quit and yet, it takes a lot more willpower to keep smoking even when they cut one of your feet off.

With everything I've seen in my 50-some years, nothing really surprises me anymore...especially regarding human behavior. I've seen people justify things like smoking, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, compulsive gambling....in ways that can be pretty convincing as well as some pretty lame ways. I've done it myself. Here's the key (at least to my way of thinking): If you have to justify it at all, or if you feel the need to hide it from anyone, it's something that you probably shouldn't be doing.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

Here's the key (at least to my way of thinking): If you have to justify it at all, or if you feel the need to hide it from anyone, it's something that you probably shouldn't be doing.

That's a bit like my father's litmus test for gauging if situation is weird or not: if you couldn't explain it to a policeman, then it's getting out of hand.

[A String]

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

You'd think that after news like that quitting would be a non-issue.

You'd be surprised.

 

Faced with imminent death from smoking related diseases, there ARE people who say "it's too late to quit" and keep on smoking right up until they die.

My Grandmother did this many years ago. She eventually drowned in her own blood because her lungs had deteriorated so badly. She smoked right up till the end.

 

My Father had a heart attack two years ago. He quit smoking for about two weeks and is back at it again.

 

Addiction is a strange thing. It will try to make you continue and help you come up with all sorts of excuses.

 

Oh, and yes, smokers stink. I never realized until I quit. A guy will walk past me and I'll think he's smoking, but when I turn around, he isn't. He just stinks of smoke. It's a VERY strong smell. You'd be shocked.

[A String]

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

if you couldn't explain it to a policeman, then it's getting out of hand.

That's hilarious!

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Originally posted by A String:

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

You'd think that after news like that quitting would be a non-issue.

You'd be surprised.

 

Faced with imminent death from smoking related diseases, there ARE people who say "it's too late to quit" and keep on smoking right up until they die.

My Grandmother did this many years ago. She eventually drowned in her own blood because her lungs had deteriorated so badly. She smoked right up till the end.

 

My Father had a heart attack two years ago. He quit smoking for about two weeks and is back at it again.

 

Addiction is a strange thing. It will try to make you continue and help you come up with all sorts of excuses.

 

Oh, and yes, smokers stink. I never realized until I quit. A guy will walk past me and I'll think he's smoking, but when I turn around, he isn't. He just stinks of smoke. It's a VERY strong smell. You'd be shocked.

Yup. This may be the thing that surprised me the most when I quit. I thought "I smelled like THAT???" Now a smoker's breath makes me want to gag. It makes you wonder how you ever managed to get a date. I guess that's why smokers tend to date other smokers.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

Here's the key (at least to my way of thinking): If you have to justify it at all, or if you feel the need to hide it from anyone, it's something that you probably shouldn't be doing.

That's a bit like my father's litmus test for gauging if situation is weird or not: if you couldn't explain it to a policeman, then it's getting out of hand.

Damned good rule of thumb!

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by A String:

He just stinks of smoke. It's a VERY strong smell. You'd be shocked.

Yeah, it's an ODD smell isn't it? Reminds me of the smell of wet straw burning or something like that.

[Bluesape]

I'm severely athsmatic, and prone to lung infections, and it's actually painful at those times to be around smoke. Yet, smokers have still taken offense to being asked to butt out IN MY HOME! This total lack of consideration has forced me to recycle some so-called friends.

 

If you really wanna quit - you can't be around smoke the first while. If your band members insist on smoking during rehearsals, avoid them too. If they don't have the consideration for you to smoke outside, you need to rethink their worth as friends. Anyone who doesn't support you now IS against you, even family members, which I truly hope is not the case.

 

PLEASE PLEASE check in to this thread every day and let us know how the battle is going, even if you put off your quit date to New Years Day. You can still cut back starting now, and it will be that much easier to quit entirely when the date hits.

[Bluesape]

Bump - c'mon guys, the bell's ringin'!

[Warthog]

Good luck, fellas! I admire you all for quitting. I smoked on and off for about 9 years and don't miss it a bit. It's been about 5 years since I've lit-up. It's amazing how much better you'll feel.

[Mass Effect]

Not making much progress. Had to go back to reds. If I'm going to smoke, it's at least going to be the ones I like. Those lights are awful.

 

Still going to quit on Jan.1 Looking forward to getting it over with.

[Bluesape]

That's great Haga - meantime try to back off them, one at a time, pick up your axe when you get fidgety, and see if you can suppress the cravings that way. Soon, you'll be down to 2/3 or even 1/2 your current intake. It's gonna work, I promise. Keep checkin' in, bud.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Haga:

it's at least going to be the ones I like. Those lights are awful.

I think it was Phillip Morris got into trouble over the "lights" name at some stage.

 

What happens is that, because they are lighter, a lot of people drag harder and smoke more of them than they would the normal ones.

 

That's why some cigarette brands are abandoning the "light" term and selling cigs as "red" and "blue" and so on and avoiding the term "light" altogether.

[Bluesape]

I've heard that lights have more chemicals in them. All tobacco products are poison, and no amount of bullshit labelling is gonna change that. I also find it horrifying that North American tobacco companies actually seek to addict children in countries where their conduct is not restricted from it. They are inhuman!

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

I've heard that lights have more chemicals in them. All tobacco products are poison, and no amount of bullshit labelling is gonna change that. I also find it horrifying that North American tobacco companies actually seek to addict children in countries where their conduct is not restricted from it. They are inhuman!

Yeah, you know I'm not much on government controls and I'm generally quite in favor of free enterprise. However, to me the conduct of the tobacco companies since the 1950's has been abominable. They KNEW in the 1950's what their products were doing to people and how addictive they were, but they kept it under wraps. In the 1980's and 1990's people started catching on and quitting...then they come up with advertising campaigns to attract younger and younger markets...Joe Camel and the like. The end effect of making money (huge money) justifies the means (killing people).

 

It's really sort of a double-edged sword. If it weren't for tobacco, there would be no United States as we know it. In the beginning, tobacco was our biggest export product. That was the purpose for the original settlements in Virginia. Tobacco companies employ tens of thousands of people. The financial contribution of the tobacco companies to the economy is undeniable...the products are popular and heavily taxed. However, I have to wonder if that contribution isn't more than offset by the additional cost of healthcare due to smoking related illness.