Brain keeps throwing things at me, giving me reasons to cave. It's really annoying. I want to be able to justify cigars. It's not that I want a cigar right the fuck now. Don't get me wrong I do want a cigar right the fuck now. But I keep thinking if I stay quit if I am zero tolerance to myself I wont be able to smoke a cigar when my nephew is born, then that makes me think what about When I have a son. When that son kills his first buck, I wont be able to smoke a cigar with him for the first time. Wont be able to smoke with him when he graduates. at his wedding day. when he has a son.
I want those memories badly. Those are some great memories I have smoking a cigar with my dad, sitting around the campfire, talking about the hunt. My brain wants me to think I can't have those memories without cigars in them. Why can't it be whiskey? Why can't instead of breaking out a handful of 50$ cigars I dont just break out a bottle of high quality whiskey?
I dont know why I want those but I am worried about those days. I'm terrified of the cave, I'm terrified of waking up at day one in my 40's... when the desire for those memories are too strong on a drunken night of celebrating. It makes me sad to not be able to have those memories in my future, how I ruined the possibilities of those memories by putting that poison in my lip. If I could have just left it to a cigar here and there I wouldn't be where I sit today.
Weird head space today. Anyway...just wanted to type out the thoughts maybe I can leave them on paper. All these hypotheticals trying to get me to cave. If we wanna go hypotheticals lets say I have a son and I dont cave...lets say he gets married and I stay clean. Lets say he has a son...wouldn't it be better for me to see the memories he gets to make with his own son then make some romanticized unimportant memories that realistically are just mind games my nicotine obsessed brain is trying to mind fuck me with...better than laying under the dirt and him saying to his son "Well this is your grandpa, boy I remember all those fun nights sitting around a campfire smoking cigars...wasn't so fun at the hospital" Like I said weird head-space. Not caving, not even close to caving. Just...dunno...trapped in my own fucking head.
Oh dude... take a deep breath.
First things first... nicotine doesnÂ’t make memories with your dad. Or you future son. Dude I promise you that you know non cigar smoking sons and fathers that have great memories of times with each other. Nicotine doesnÂ’t make life easier. Or more fun. It doesnÂ’t make you smarter. Or happier. It gives you a quick buzz and then tricks you into thinking it makes you happy. How you feel right now is what nicotine really does to you. And one day soon you are gonnacread your post and think... whoa James, you sound like one mega fucked up junkie.
Second, we donÂ’t quit for tomorrow. Or for Grandna SallyÂ’s 100th Birthday. Or your future sons birth. We quit for today. And only for today. We canÂ’t change the past, so there is no point worrying about the past. We canÂ’t control the future, so why worry about that? But we can and do own and focus on our actions today - and today we fucking own our behavior and we celebrate our win!
You know what would make your dad happy? Imagine sitting around the fire and telling him, after a successful hunt, that you have fought your biggest opponent and won. That you are accomplishing something that only the strongest 20% of people accomplish. That you have quit nicotine. That is a moment of pride. That is winning.
Imagine looking at that future baby son and knowing that you own your decisions and choices, and you are making healthy choices that will allow you to be alive and with a jaw at his graduation and wedding. And you wonÂ’t have a big fucking lip of poison with drool running down your face while you feed him a bottle. Because James, that is what losing looks like. Losing.
Fuck nicotine. It does NOTHING for you. But it does a lot TO you. Think about that and stop romanticizing it. Exercise, sex, lots of water and healthy food, repeat. ThereÂ’s some romantic stuff there that is nicotine free. Put your passions to work and start enjoying the win.