mightyboosh

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I've said this elsewhere but this is to reiterate for any wannabee quitter that may be reading. I was quite well read on the dangers of smoking but it took a nurse to say that the circulation in my leg was worsening for me to finally take notice and quit. The problem started about four years ago whilst on holiday when my calf muscle started to ache after a few hundred yards of walking. I sort of shrugged it off for a while but I eventually went for circulation tests. I had narrowing of the artery in my right leg and it's efficiency was 80%. Did I give up smoking then? No, I didn't because I thought that being an ostrich may be the best way to deal with it. I went yearly with the same results with the same resultant head burying approach. However, I went again on the 22/8/19 to hear that the efficiency in the leg was now 70%. The nurse gave me a talking to and more or less said that I will eventually lose my leg at that rate. Well, that was it folks, the penny finally dropped so I quit on the 23/8/19. That advice from the nurse was a very good motivator I must admit.

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Has it not occurred to anyone that he might have gone to Mars for a break. The internet connection there is crap.

Hi Viv, I've had depression for most of my adult life and it's a bitch. It feels like it's not the real me but that side can be a bully and kick away the real me from time to time. I know where you're coming from. I like to think that only intelligent people get depression so I comfort myself with that sometimes. In the smoking context, we both know cigs do jack shit to help anything or are a medication for any condition. My level of depression is not changed one iota with or without cigs so I may as well be depressed without smoking than be depressed with COPD or cancer. I've been on and off anti-depressants for years and it's about time we removed the stigma from such maladies and openly say, "Yeah, I've got depression. I've a job and family and it's managed. It's a physical illness, what's the big deal with you knowing?" Of course other folks may not be able to be employed with the condition but the above is just my example. There are many levels of depression and I'm mostly OK but when I'm not, my world seems to have a grey coating on it where nothing seems interesting or worth the effort and there's a lot of pessimism about big and even small matters eg. I'm not even going to watch England play, I know they'll lose. That was a 'small matter' example by the way. So there it is for all the World to read - I've got managed depression and if anyone thinks less of me for that, they can f**k off! Comon Viv, we can whinge and moan together but never with a cigarette in hand, that's the only stipulation.