Thanks, unhappyguy, you make good points, so good that I'll reply specifically to a lot of them as follows:
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Originally Posted by unhappyguy
hi, ygrec. well, i think it's curious how in this thread you are seeking information on how to live healthier and longer and in another thread are discussing how self-medicating oneself is an essential part of living. hmmm . . . am i sensing mixed emotions about living more healthfully?
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Why curious? They're intimately related. I do self-medicate and that self-medicating overlaps with other bad habits of mine. Tobacco I'd like to give up, but my alcohol intake is low enough not to need adjusting at this point. My crummy food intake is also limited by (a) finances, and (b) the fact that Mrs. Y hasn't ever permitted any processed or convenience foods in the house. So really, for me, changing habits is focussed on (1) tobacco, (2) exercise, and (3) minor dietary changes (less salt, etc.)
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some people live unhealthy lifestyles and still manage to live long lives. i guess it comes down to good genes and a little luck.
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Don't have good genes. As for luck, I'm not betting on it.
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you seem to want info that pertains only to seniors since your goal appears to be to give up the vices only if there is evidence that it will improve your health and life. you want guaranteed assurances in life? please! you should know better by now!!
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No, I don't agree. There's no need for guarantees, but, as the old saying goes, I AM doing this for my health. I KNOW that doing what I want to do will be good for my health. I'm just curious to see whether anyone has actually quantified the positive results of this kind of change of behavior. I'd be flabbergasted if no one has. Considering how much health care money is involved, I would imagine that somewhere there are lots and lots of stats about this. I just have to find them.
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so, it's like this - if you continue to smoke cigarettes you will increase of chances of cancer, emphysema and COPD. will you be happier if you give up cigarettes? probably not - you are a nicotine addict and you crave the self-medication it provides.
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No question. I love cigarettes, but I've only been smoking for four or five years. That doesn't make it any easier to quit, though. I've tried to do it at least seven times.
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so, what to do? frankly, i would give up smoking and go to the gym. but, you value "self-medication" (in the case of smoking, the actual correct term would be "self-harm") more than i do.
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No. Wrong. I have never been in favor of destructive self-medication. My position on that issue has always been that over-self-medication or destructive self-medication is not acceptable. How to change it is a different question. My own smoking and sedentary life are not acceptable to me. My question is how to do it since I have a lot of difficulty trying to change it.
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oddly, i am going to give you your own advice: TAKE CARE! which is to say, give up the cigs and start lifting weights and going for walks because real living involves doing healthy things and doing healthy things is true "self-medication."
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You're right! Take care.
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We must love one another or die.
W.H. Auden
We must love one another AND die.
Ygrec23