Giving Up Vices

[CathyCA]

Which of these is the hardest to give up?

Smoking, drinking, or obesity

Discuss.

[cl15876]

Which of these is the hardest to give up?

Smoking, drinking, or obesity

Discuss.

Does it have to be in that order?

I'm not sure that any or all (well maybe one) of these are vices for me, but was just wondering? if one depends on another?

[devil84]

Obesity, hands down.

You don't need to smoke to live. I've never smoked, so I can't speak to nicotine addiction -- but if you make the choice, you can put yourself in a position to not be near smoking products ever again in your life.

You don't need to drink to live. I've never been an alcoholic, but like smoking, you can place yourself such that you don't need to be around alcohol.

But food...you kinda need that every day. No ability to make a clean break from food. Sure, one doesn't have to purchase the cakes, cookies, etc., but then some of us wind up eating three times as much of the "good" stuff waiting for it to taste good and become satisfying. Then we eat the cake anyway. Yep, I'm going with obesity.

[cl15876]

Obesity, hands down.

You don't need to smoke to live. I've never smoked, so I can't speak to nicotine addiction -- but if you make the choice, you can put yourself in a position to not be near smoking products ever again in your life.

You don't need to drink to live. I've never been an alcoholic, but like smoking, you can place yourself such that you don't need to be around alcohol.

But food...you kinda need that every day. No ability to make a clean break from food. Sure, one doesn't have to purchase the cakes, cookies, etc., but then some of us wind up eating three times as much of the "good" stuff waiting for it to taste good and become satisfying. Then we eat the cake anyway. Yep, I'm going with obesity.

I was thinking a nice dinner, drink and then..... followed by a smoke!

[EarlJam]

A three-part trick question for me, EarlJam.

I wish I could change my answer to obesity. While I am slim (well, sort of), I have a friend who is very obese. He says people just don't understand and after years of growing older I now totally believe him. I fight with alcohol, but have gone months without it regularly easily, replacing the need with exercise. I've never drank on the job and that would be difficult and saddening to do anyway. As for smoking, I've actually TRIED to get into the habit but just can't stand it. Never say never but I don't think I'll ever get addicted to smoking and, this is my point, like drinking it is prohibited in many areas.

But eating? We are an eating culture. It's everywhere. Office birthday? Free CAKE! Church? DONUTS! You can easily bring a heaping plate of food to your desk at work without criticism. Not so easy with a smooth, buttery bottle of La Crema or a cheap but affective bottle of Papio!


My two cents.

EarlJam - Who sends out Duke Vibes (they work) out to anyone fighting addictions. Most people don't understand how tough it is to really break the cycle. Very few embrace self-destructive behavior with loving arms, and often, it's flat out desperation.

[cl15876]

Obesity, hands down.

You don't need to smoke to live. I've never smoked, so I can't speak to nicotine addiction -- but if you make the choice, you can put yourself in a position to not be near smoking products ever again in your life.

You don't need to drink to live. I've never been an alcoholic, but like smoking, you can place yourself such that you don't need to be around alcohol.

But food...you kinda need that every day. No ability to make a clean break from food. Sure, one doesn't have to purchase the cakes, cookies, etc., but then some of us wind up eating three times as much of the "good" stuff waiting for it to taste good and become satisfying. Then we eat the cake anyway. Yep, I'm going with obesity.

I was thinking a nice dinner, drink and then..... followed by a smoke!

Devil84 - I was just kidding and apology for making light of your comment! In all seriousness, understand your points and agree entirely! I go thru various roller coaster rides throughout the day due to various stresses and challenges... and sometimes each of the above are vices for me so I can relate. I think the hardest for me though is the smoking.... although I can go for hours at a time, I should have never started as a young pup and then I wouldn't have had to answer to it!

I do understand the issues that EJ has presented and have worked with many folks that have issues with both Alcohol and drugs.... it can be very sad at times to see them stop and then start, stop and then start again...... but it is evident to me that each of these carry there own weights and take control of us differently!

Vibes and prayers for all those that suffer from these and other vices!

[devil84]

Oh...I took no offense at all!! In fact, your answer is the reason why these are all related vices! Fine meal, fine wine, fine....well, not into the smoking thing here.

I've had family with addictions to alcohol, cigarettes, and eating. One relative kicked both alcohol and cigarettes -- pretty amazing, and I'm so proud of this relative! My dad never kicked his addiction to food, though. Fine meals with fine spirits...yummm. Too hard to say "no" to! And like EJ says, we're a food culture -- with an ample supply of food to celebrate anything. Like my son's graduation last week -- I've eaten waaaaaayyyy too much cake, snacks, finger foods, and Mrs. Bui's egg rolls (she is legendary among students and parents for these egg rolls!). And of course the parents had adult beverages at these parties, too...adding the extra calories for me, and a temptation for any alcoholics if there were any. (Oddly, not ONE high school student tried to sneak a beer!). Now to spend a week trying to find solace in carrots...

Anyway...no offense taken. I thought it was a cute commentary on how these vices were related!

[DevilAlumna]

I take a little issue with the way the quiz is phrased - "obesity" is not a vice, like smoking or drinking. Obesity is a noun, the other two are verbs. A comparable verb might be "overeating," or "underexercising."

[CathyCA]

I take a little issue with the way the quiz is phrased - "obesity" is not a vice, like smoking or drinking. Obesity is a noun, the other two are verbs. A comparable verb might be "overeating," or "underexercising."

Okay, then pretend that I phrased it correctly.

(I wish I had never posted this pole. You can't imagine the grief it has caused me.)

I can't do anything right today.

[bjornolf]

As far as vices go, I believe that smoking has to be up there. My wife's cousin was badly addicted to some REALLY bad drugs. Through rehab and faith and hitting rock bottom and the love of his family, he was able to kick these habits. However, he's never been able to kick the cigarettes.

As far as MY vices go, the overeating is definitely the tops for me. We are an eating society and food is readily available to everyone, but also, unlike drinking or smoking, we HAVE to eat to survive, and it's SO easy to go from eating to overeating. It's a very fine line, and many emotional eaters don't even realize just how much they're eating. It's insidious. It's like we KNOW we're eating poison, but the poison is REALLY good, and we have to eat some of it to survive. A lot of obese people that try to lose weight TOO fast can actually die of heart failure from the strain the weight loss puts on their bodies. You CAN stop buying alcohol and cigarettes. You CAN buy non-alcoholic beer and e-cigarettes (just got one for our father in law). You CAN'T stop buying food. It's an unfortunate fact of life for us fat guys. And not everyone has the time or resources to eat healthy 100% of the time. We don't have personal trainers or nutritionists. And some of us have genetics working against us on top of that. I'm not saying that being an alcoholic or a smoker and quitting is easy. I'm just saying that for me personally, I gave up cigarettes and I rarely drink since college, but I have yet to figure out a way to give up eating. And I DO exercise five times a week plus I chase three very active kids around 24/7, before someone says under-exercising is my problem.

[Shammrog]

I should point out that from a chemical standpoint, nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs there is. It has actually been found to be more addictive than heroin.

[captmojo]

I'm surprised "sex" would not be on the list, especially in place of obesity (food).
Another favorite quotation would have then fit the bill...
"Ya can't smoke. Ya can't drink. Now ya can't...do that either. Damn! That's three of the four food groups." Bob Powers (deceased friend)

Another...
"I wouldn't swear to it, but I'm sure the Lord smokes a fine cigar." Eula Goodnight (Rooster Cogburn)

I voted the smoking one.

[captmojo]

Oh, BTW, who said I was giving up anything?

[colchar]

Obesity, hands down.

You don't need to smoke to live. I've never smoked, so I can't speak to nicotine addiction -- but if you make the choice, you can put yourself in a position to not be near smoking products ever again in your life.

You don't need to drink to live. I've never been an alcoholic, but like smoking, you can place yourself such that you don't need to be around alcohol.

But food...you kinda need that every day. No ability to make a clean break from food. Sure, one doesn't have to purchase the cakes, cookies, etc., but then some of us wind up eating three times as much of the "good" stuff waiting for it to taste good and become satisfying. Then we eat the cake anyway. Yep, I'm going with obesity.

While you do need food to live, it could be argued that it is easy to give up eating crap - at least as easy as giving up the other two - and to eat less at each meal. That might not cure obesity as eating less will not necessarily cause you to shrink (losing weight/size are another story altogether), but it should be easy to eat better.

Personally, I find it easier to change my eating habits and to stop drinking for a while than it is to quit smoking (I am a dedicated pack-a-day man).

[Johnboy]

While you do need food to live, it could be argued that it is easy to give up eating crap - at least as easy as giving up the other two - and to eat less at each meal. That might not cure obesity as eating less will not necessarily cause you to shrink (losing weight/size are another story altogether), but it should be easy to eat better.

Personally, I find it easier to change my eating habits and to stop drinking for a while than it is to quit smoking (I am a dedicated pack-a-day man).

I voted giving up "obesity" (which I took to be overeating) and mostly for the same reason devil84 stated - you gotta eat. BUT I've never been addicted to tobacco or alcohol (not yet, anyway - I sure do love to drink). When I was young, I ate pretty much what I wanted and never had any problem with weight. In college I learned to drink and eat junk. I started gaining weight, but went from being a really skinny guy to being a normal size - I'd wear a size "L" but I'm 6' tall, so that's nothing to be alarmed about. 34"waist went to 38" over the next 20 years or so, and now I'm pretty overweight (215). I struggle to not eat junk, but break down, especially when I'm in a hurry. I find that, to lose weight, I must go around feeling hungry all the time. I can give up drinking, but it's so hard to give up eating badly considering my lifestyle. I don't smoke.

Anyway, I find it really hard to give up eating crap. BTW, here's an article about why that is.

I actually think it probably would be easier to give up overeating if I smoked, but as i understand it and as colchar said, that addiction would be really really hard to give up. So it goes.