by BigTex » Thu 21 Feb 2008, 21:20:20
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gampy', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BigTex', ' ')At issue is whether you will die when you are 65 or when you are 85.
Actually, I don't think of it that way. Life or death. I am an atheist, so I don't much care if I die because of smoking, because it's literally lights out. Just black sleep. Pain over, nothing.
What really concerns me is the LIFE part of that statement. I think that's what convinced me to quit. I might live to 85 (doubtful, either way), but it's a given that I would be hooked up to an oxygen bottle, and struggling to breathe. Don't care to live as an invalid. Or trying in vain to get a decent breath. Years and years of this existence scares me more than death. I have seen these guys. It's pretty sad. Emphysema, and COPD. Imagine that walking up one flight of stairs is like running a 5 minute mile. Or worse...walking half a block, and you have to stop because you can't fucking breathe. Or you eventually die because it takes so much energy to breathe. After a very long, slow decline.
Fucking shitty way to live.
Nevermind, shitty way to die.
That's my main fear. What keeps me awake some nights.
Lung cancer doesn't really worry me as much as COPD, and emphysema. COPD is going to happen if I smoke. Not if, but when.
Worry about lung cancer every bit as much as the others. Lung cancer is almost always fatal, but you get to suffer for about two years while your body gradually wastes away. It's very ugly. You want to avoid that as much for the people who care about you as for yourself.
Sorry to preach a little. Good luck! It's definitely worthwhile. You will be so happy when you put a little time between you and the smokes.