We Quit Cigarettes

[Wickedchicken6]

Everybody's different and it is harder for some people to give up certain things. Some people have to quit cold turkey.

My father has been gaining weight consistently for 30 years. This year the doctor told him he needed to lose weight or he was at risk of dying. That scared him enough that he immediately gave up all carbs and sugar; it's been three months and he's lost about 40 lbs. For him, eating a single non-diet food would be the same as giving up. He can't do things half-way, or he won't do them at all.

I'm sort of like that too. Once I fall off the wagon it's easy to lose momentum. When I used to smoke, I never let myself have more than one per day. That worked for me because I knew I had something to look forward to. Attempting the same thing with alcohol failed. I kept drinking too much, and then NEEDING to drink. My brain was programmed to start drinking after work; I had to make myself start later and later, until I was only drinking right before bed, and drinking less. Eventually I switched to weed and herbal tea, which was surprisingly effective. I still have to be careful around alcohol, but I don't need it like I did before. My new ritual involves reading and too much tea .

I don't know if any of that helps. Solidarity forever! No one can tell you what will work for you, but know that people are rooting for you. The important thing is that you recognize a problem and want to stop it!

Have you ever done shrooms? They are not addictive and can be excellent meditation-assistants. I heard someone describe it as: Your thoughts and patterns form pathways in your brain like a well-worn trail or a river. It's hard to get off those trails after you've gone down them so often. Psychedelics are a way to get off the beaten path and help you change your habits.

So your father has gone low carb? How does he like it?

 

[Rooapalooza]

No judgment.
I'd really like to hear about your experience though.

Oh good, because I love to talk about it! Since this is your thread, I won't feel guilty for taking it a bit off topic .

This was quite a few years ago. There are a lot of varieties of mushrooms, which are not equal to each other. My variety was psilocybe tampanensis, nicknamed the philosopher's stone, which is a strain that does not have any visual or hallucinogenic effects, but does increase introspection. I took them in a controlled, comfortable environment, with someone else (my sister) as a guide. Because I ate them, and they taste like rotten walnuts, I did experience nausea at first, but that went away pretty quickly.

Mostly while I was on my trip I thought about a recent relationship that had ended, and how that failure affected the way that I related to other people, as well as how I thought about myself. It helped me work through some of my insecurities and recognize that often, when people treat me poorly, it is because of their own insecurities.

Physically, I sat on the couch or stood at the window or on the porch almost the duration of the trip, which was about four hours.

Mentally, I spent almost the whole time remembering why I love the people I love, and how I sometimes forget that I love them when I interact with them. The whole time I kept thinking about how all people, including me, need love. It helped me work through some of the bitterness I felt towards my ex and other people in my life. That was most of my experience; there were other experiences and emotions, but they are a bit heavy for here. Mostly it was just a tour of the inside of my mind and the things I don't usually consciously think about.

It was powerful emotionally. There was no paranoia, and for me, mostly happy thoughts, some bittersweet. There was an out of body feeling, but in a positive way. Coming down, it was smooth. I felt it less and less until I was totally sober, and just thinking, wow. There were no bad feelings afterwards. My sister and I went and made dinner and that was it. Because I scheduled the afternoon for the trip, it didn't even affect my sleep that night. I can't say that the trip totally cured me of any of my bad habits or thoughts, but it was still one of the better experiences of my life. I haven't done mushrooms since then, and maybe never will again, but I hate the thought that other people will miss out on this type of experience because of fear mongering and misunderstanding. I think in this case, dumb kids abuse things that should be beautiful, but can be dangerous, and that's how they get bad reputations. I have heard that people with a risk of schizophrenia should not try psychedelics, and that seems true.

I also would not recommend mushrooms for anyone that feels uncomfortable using them. I get the feeling that the anxiety people feel when taking them would have a very negative affect on the quality of the trip. That's the bulk of my thoughts on them; I'm not an expert.

PS Some of my relatives are on antidepressants and other prescription meds that make them a lot more out of it than I was even at the peak of my trip, for what it's worth.

 

[Rooapalooza]

So your father has gone low carb? How does he like it?

I don't think he LIKES it, but it is working . He works with a lot of older ladies who love to bake for him, so giving up cake and cookies has been basically giving up half of what he ate before. I keep telling him to eat some green leafy vegetables, but that seems to be a bit too much change at this point, lol.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I don't think he LIKES it, but it is working . He works with a lot of older ladies who love to bake for him, so giving up cake and cookies has been basically giving up half of what he ate before. I keep telling him to eat some green leafy vegetables, but that seems to be a bit too much change at this point, lol.

That would make it hard with all those temptations...oh my. I've gone carnivore. So when you mentioned your father...that stood out to me.

 

[Kiki]

I told the Mexican and then cried.

 

[casportpony]

I told the Mexican and then cried.

How sweet!

 

[FortCluck]

I told the Mexican and then cried.

What did he say?

 

[featherhead007]

KiKi, you wanna borrow Rocks-Ann my comfort chicken?

 

[Kiki]

What did he say?

He's excited.
I think he wanted to cry too.

 

[Kiki]

KiKi, you wanna borrow Rocks-Ann my comfort chicken?

No...I practice biosecurity to the max.