Yeah, I guess I tend to map my own experience onto others when it comes to smoking, but I just see so many people (mainly my friends) that won't admit they have a problem with smoking and that they need to do something other than say 'I will deal with it next week'. I just don't want to see my buddies lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to the tubes... I don't want to see the look in their eye when the doctor tells them to get their affairs in order. Sounds like you have a balance you can live with. I don't underestimate the effects of stress on health either, and if your cigar/coffee/chocolate routines provides you with relaxation and reduces stress, it may well be a net benefit. I still stick to my belief that for someone who is having problems quitting, a smoker who has smoked Big Tobacco product for 15+ years, abstinence is the ideal, in order to avoid relapse. acronym, if I sound preachy, I'm sorry. I just really want to hear that you quit smoking cigarettes. For good. The time is now, as cigarette manufacturers ratchet up the toxins in their product in order to keep people hooked. If you've been trying and it's not working, all I am saying is - try something radical and different.
I've quit more than once, the last time i quit (over 2 years ago), I tried gum for the first time. I *highly* reccomend it. I think I used nicorette. I bought the stuff, didnt intend to use it right away, but one time I was out of cigs, I didnt feel like buying a pack, even though I really needed them, I took a piece of gum, the craving backed down. I just kept going. Quitting the cigs, using gum was far easier than it had been in the past without gum. 6 weeks, later, it was almost harder to quit the gum than it had been to quit the cigs. But still much easier than quitting cigs cold, and most importantly, I did it. And as always, about a month out from use of any nicotine, it lets go of you. I dont think I've thought about having a cig even once in the last year. Using gum allows you to attack the habit in 2 parts: 1) the rituals, taste and action of smoking 2) the actual nicotine itself item one is far less powerfull of you dont have nicotine deprivation tugging on you and no, you cant have just 1 after you've succeeded - you'll most likely be right back to where you were in no time. you've heard that before, maybe you've experienced it, or maybe you need to experience it for yourself. But it's true. What I've just described, for me has been far easier than cold turkey, and produced the same results. Do I wish I had been smoking the last 2 years, moving myself further towards cancer? No. I quit because I worried about the consequences. I quit smoking, and I quit worrying, because now I've at least done everything I can, rather than continue to do something that's risky What I've suggested will still take effort for you, but it's one of the most 'no-brainer' ways to improve your life (if only by reducing health risk alone). One hell of a lot easier than trying to improve trading. (by the way, the last time I resumed smoking, after a looooong absitnance was right after trying a Cuban cigar - I really dont think I would have gone back without having smoked that cigar) ps Although not essential for what I described above to work, it's not a bad idea to up your exercise, because unfortunately, you DO put one weight. It will also help you with the stress and sluggishness. Even a 30 minute walk every day will help