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Health Posted by Filadog 7 years, 6 months ago

I didn't know what topic to list this under. Vices? Health? I even considered entertainment.

In one of the recent 'Mint podcasts, there were two questions submitted that got me to thinking. One was (in general), "what do you think are 'manly' traits?" and the other was (again, in general) "is it ok to be weak?"

How about: Is it manly to admit you have a weakness?
I am currently on attempt number 256 (ish) at quitting smoking. According to my "Quit It" app, I have been successful at this latest attempt for 7 days, 23 hours and 15 minutes.

Anyone else been down this road?

12 replies

  • Razorback

    Yes, it is "manly" to admit you have a weakness. That is the first step in doing something about it.

    Congratulations on you success thus far! I smoked for 25 years and it took numerous attempts over several years before I finally kicked the habit (Chantix was the key for me). That was almost 10 years ago and to this day, I claim it as one of my greatest achievements. I can unequivocally guarantee that you will feel the same way when all is said and done. Keep up the good work and fight through it.

    "Those who gave thee a body, furnished it with weakness; but he who gave thee soul, armed thee with resolution. Employ it, and thou art wise; be wise and thou art happy." ~Akhenaton

    Reply

  • glen

    Wow, Razorback's answer was 10x better than mine could have ever been. That said, here are my thoughts:

    I personally believe that there isn't much of a greater trait of manliness than being able to admit your faults, weaknesses and mistakes. Not to toot my own horn, but I have many shortcomings. Not only that, I discover more each day!

    In all seriousness, I think a person who can admit that they're not perfect is a person that I respect. I've been around many people who pretend like they have it all together and everything in their life is perfect, and it never is. Everybody has something that they wish they did or didn't do.

    I admire your persistence and openness. You're going to do it.

    Reply

  • rsktkr

    I think the manliest thing is not caring if something appears to be a weakness. Kind of a flippant answer but for me, that sums it up.

    Addictions are not weaknesses they are addictions. Strong or weak, people get addicted to things. It's just how our bodies work.

    I FINALLY quit smoking after someone pointed out that the cravings to smoke are isolated and actually pass. I didn't believe it but when I started to pay attention it was true. Cravings are not one big long event, they last just a few minutes before they die down. Another craving can and often does start up pretty quickly but they are separate. The same friend quit himself by simply counting down from 20 and trying to beat the craving individually. If 20 is not long enough just start over. The key is surviving the individual craving and not viewing the cravings as one big, non-stop event. I quit smoking using this method. Slowly, as I beat each craving the gap between new cravings got bigger and bigger and before you know it I had quit completely. Helped me a lot......only method that worked for me after trying many others.

    Good on ya for taking this on.....I wish you all the luck in the world. It will be the best thing you have ever done for yourslef.

    Reply

    • glen

      The same friend quit himself by simply counting down from 20 and trying to beat the craving individually. If 20 is not long enough just start over. The key is surviving the individual craving and not viewing the cravings as one big, non-stop event.

      This is actually good advice for many different types of cravings. Most big things that we're trying to change aren't often long events, but tiny cravings built on each other.

      Great points.

      Reply

      • rsktkr

        Thank you Glen. You are right, most of the toughest changes to make can be easier to manage when we realize what's actually going on instead of letting our minds fabricate monumental hurdles.

        Reply