More Silliness?

This was written over a month ago and posted in a now defunct blog I had at that time but I decided to copy it over here.

Saturday Morning Silliness
It's a rainy Saturday morning. I just finished reading numerous postings on a relatively local discussion board and thinking silly thoughts about some of those post - just figured to title this blog Saturday Morning Silliness was then appropriate.

Maybe some of these thoughts are actually silly, maybe not. I don't know so if anyone else ever reads this, you be the judge.

Reading the discussion boards and the "take" of many about banning smoking in pubic, how harmful cigarrete smoke is, comparing smoking and its evils to riding a motorcycle (or bicycle) without a helmet, people overspraying themselves with hairspray, colognes and you name it, to people allowing kids to run amuk or wild in shopping centers, malls etc., much of this had valid content in my opinion.

But, if we're going to allow government to legislate each and every little thing that is harmful to us, maybe we should post warning signs at McDonald's, other fast-food establishments, bakeries, delis -restaurants, in general, grocery stores too - informing the general public that ingesting too much of this, that or another product can/will lead to obesity!

Hmmm. Wonder how something like that would affect me - my lifestyle.

Well, let's start with the nicotine. I admit to being addicted to the substance. I admit that all my doctors (and I have several I deal with on a regular basis since having a bout with colo-rectal cancer three years ago) have recommended that I cease and desist smoking. Only one has given me a really strong lecture about the evils of nicotine and told me unequivocally that I MUST quit! The others have simply stated it probably would be a good thing for me to do. I agree with that.

But, my cigarettes, along with my morning cup(s) of coffee are faithful friends of mine. And, just like any human friend I've had or still have a relationship with, all have from time to time caused other issues in my life, maybe created a problem or two (or three or more on occasion) as well. Those who have never indulged in any addictive behavior have no concept of the difficulty in giving up what ever substance it is that one may have become addicted to!

My chemo doctor is the only one who understood what I meant when I explained to him my nicotine usage is like an old friend to me - one who once in a while might be a tad toxic but who has been with me through the good times as well as the bad times and never failed to bring me some small amount of comfort.


There have been numerous occasions in my life when I also leaned on a few bottles of brew as a little crutch - kind of along the same lines as my nicotine, you know - but the brews, if I drank a few too many, also left me not feeling exactly up-to-snuff the next day as I would try to muddle through with a hangover, some of a variety that were high magnitude too! Ever get up so hungover that you didn't know if you should drink milk to calm the fire or pepsi to cut the fog? Been there, done that! In retrospect, I don't think the brews qualified there as a "good friend."

Ok, nicotine isn't exactly a "good friend" either because it does create its own set of issues within one's system too. Cuts down on your ability to breathe easily - obviously not a good thing. It can and often does change the quality of your voice too - something if you once had a good or pleasing voice, able to sing and the like, gives that a different timbre. Maybe something to think about as one makes the choices life offers. Yeah, it will give your body, your breath, an odor too. Discolors you teeth; contributes greatly to gum disease and tooth decay as well.

None of the above are necessarily wise choices. I am not advocating others pick up a smoke and follow my lead here. Just saying I realize all all these drawbacks to the choice I make each time I light up another cigarette, but darn it anyway, I need some soothing thing in my life, to my nerves, to calm the wild ramblings a bit in my pea brain.

Because I have pain issues with a pinched nerve (lovely sciatic) which causes a lot of problems to me with respect to my mobility, cigarettes do give me a means to ease those problems somewhat too - something my chemo doctor understood quite readily too. It actually beats the heck out of another alternative - taking strong pain killers which in turn automatically gum up my intestinal workings and create another set of problems and if I have to try and figure what I am going to choose as the lesser of the evils, having endured a myriad of problems from severe constipation, etc. from the pain killers, I'll opt for the nicotine any day of the week!

But that's just my take or as others would say, my excuse.

Well, you try getting your bowels to work properly after using heavy duty pain killers that have your innards so constricted that it has contributed to issues with your back, herniated discs, the necessity of physical therapy for several months to get your back some what back on track, horrible cramping - the whole spiel and then decide which choice you would make too before casting judgement on my addiction.

Remember I stated at the onset of this blog that it could be termed "silliness" and I guess I just proved my point there, didn't I?