Discussion about hot topics trending today

[Womble]

It's hard for some to understand religion rewires your brain and train of thoughts. I'm still waiting for alcohol or weed vendors to knock at my door.

That is true. When I was a kid, adults always warned me that bad people will approach me offering alcohol, drugs and sex. Well, I'm in my 40-s now, and WHERE OR WHERE ARE THOSE PEOPLE?!?

[Womble]

I don't think you did (overestimate), but props to you for quitting after 24 years, that takes a lot of courage. A buddy of mine quit with Champix, these pills that suppress your cravings, but there's some nasty side effects (nausea, nose bleeds, etc.).

As for the difficulty, I guess it all depends of your lifestyle. I've been smoking for about 10 years now and I'm planning to quit soon, probably this winter (I know everybody says that)... Last time I did quit for a year; I bought a vape with nicotine free tobacco flavor, which works great. My problem is that I fail every time I take a few drinks with friends, so I need to quit drinking for a few weeks too. I swear, there must be an ingredient in beer that makes you want to smoke -_-

My dad quit at the age of 55, after at least 35 years of smoking. It was around the time that he learned Excel (not for work; dad likes to learn stuff and he just bought his first Android tablet, so he was exploring things that could be done with it). He made a budget calculator and was horrified of how much money he spent on smoking. He switched to buying bulk tobacco and rolling his own cigarettes, then realized that it was still wasted money, and quit. Ice-cold turkey. No patches, no e-cigs, just pure willpower. He hasn't relapsed once since then, not even when he had neighbors who constantly smoked on their balcony and the smoke was getting blown into his windows.

Me, I was never even tempted to try smoking.

[Ian-S]

I tried champix and they worked for a while, my wife was successful with them too, but I eventually fell off the wagon because the side effects were awful, nose bleeds, suicidal thoughts, very very strange and realistic dreams, for me it was electronic cigarettes that got me off, once you get past the 'ecig only gives you nicotine not all the other nasty stuff' and you work through the withdrawal of that, you can then work on bringing down the nicotine mg intake slowly until it's zero, then it's just a case of getting out the habit.

Do I suffer cravings? Sure all the time, but I have a good incentive, since I've given up I've saved enough to buy a few planes (radio control) and all the equipment that goes with that, my wife says I can spend as much as I want on toys, so long as **** are not involved, I haven't relapsed yet either even though the neighbour below smokes and does so directly below our balcony, and half the guys down the flying club do too.

It's a good incentive lol.

[Annoyed]

That's. just. epic.



The damn fake media again? You really can't help yourself can you

I don't think you did (overestimate), but props to you for quitting after 24 years, that takes a lot of courage. A buddy of mine quit with Champix, these pills that suppress your cravings, but there's some nasty side effects (nausea, nose bleeds, etc.).

As for the difficulty, I guess it all depends of your lifestyle. I've been smoking for about 10 years now and I'm planning to quit soon, probably this winter (I know everybody says that)... Last time I did quit for a year; I bought a vape with nicotine free tobacco flavor, which works great. My problem is that I fail every time I take a few drinks with friends, so I need to quit drinking for a few weeks too. I swear, there must be an ingredient in beer that makes you want to smoke -_-

My dad quit at the age of 55, after at least 35 years of smoking. It was around the time that he learned Excel (not for work; dad likes to learn stuff and he just bought his first Android tablet, so he was exploring things that could be done with it). He made a budget calculator and was horrified of how much money he spent on smoking. He switched to buying bulk tobacco and rolling his own cigarettes, then realized that it was still wasted money, and quit. Ice-cold turkey. No patches, no e-cigs, just pure willpower. He hasn't relapsed once since then, not even when he had neighbors who constantly smoked on their balcony and the smoke was getting blown into his windows.

Me, I was never even tempted to try smoking.

I tried champix and they worked for a while, my wife was successful with them too, but I eventually fell off the wagon because the side effects were awful, nose bleeds, suicidal thoughts, very very strange and realistic dreams, for me it was electronic cigarettes that got me off, once you get past the 'ecig only gives you nicotine not all the other nasty stuff' and you work through the withdrawal of that, you can then work on bringing down the nicotine mg intake slowly until it's zero, then it's just a case of getting out the habit.

Do I suffer cravings? Sure all the time, but I have a good incentive, since I've given up I've saved enough to buy a few planes (radio control) and all the equipment that goes with that, my wife says I can spend as much as I want on toys, so long as **** are not involved, I haven't relapsed yet either even though the neighbour below smokes and does so directly below our balcony, and half the guys down the flying club do too.

It's a good incentive lol.

That's what it's about. Getting inside your own head and figuring out what will motivate you and use that.

[Annoyed]

Australia's ruling coalition forced into minority government

Cool, we get to trash politics down under for a change!

Seriously, I don't live there, so I'm not foolish enough to pretend I know what's going on there, but it sounds to me like the voters there are rather pissed and want changes.

[Coco Pops]

Australia's ruling coalition forced into minority government

Cool, we get to trash politics down under for a change!

Seriously, I don't live there, so I'm not foolish enough to pretend I know what's going on there, but it sounds to me like the voters there are rather pissed and want changes.

Pretty much.

We had a sitting government that was full if in-fighting and disunity. They ditched the current PM for another guy because someone wanted to mount a coup for the leadership. Lots of disunity.

[Gatefan1976]

Australia's ruling coalition forced into minority government

Cool, we get to trash politics down under for a change!

Seriously, I don't live there, so I'm not foolish enough to pretend I know what's going on there, but it sounds to me like the voters there are rather pissed and want changes.

trash it all you want, it's been a joke here for a good many years. In -this- particular case, I'm not sure people want outright change as they are pissed with the seemingly neverending leadership issues. Unlike you folks, we don't vote president based on party, we vote party and PM might or might not help with that. The party is free to choose a new leader internally if their is enough "no confidence" in the given leader, and given this latest defeat, we might just well get another leadership spill (change), the second this year.
On the whole the majority are happy with a liberal (read Republican for you) leadership in terms of fiscal management, they are a bit more leery of their social policy, but as in any country, you vote for what you deem your "most important issue" is.

Our politics are pretty pedestrian and boring to be honest, because our footprint on the world stage is pretty small, except in diplomatic relations and resources, which gives us an over-inflated boot.

[Gatefan1976]

I really wasn't paying attention to MG's post.

I'm speaking more to the whole "The horror of a door knock" I hear from one too many people. You know what I do when I don't feel like talking to a JW or whatever? I say, "thank you, goodbye" and then close the door and go about my business. It takes about a minute, maybe 2 minutes. And when I am outside I put down my phone (a crime in most countries this day) and communicate with another human being face to face (another crime) and say "No thank you" and move about my life.

I was talking about drug addiction Tood, the door-knockers were no more than a metaphor.
I really don't care how you deal with door knockers, you and MG seem to tell them to Go Away, good for you. You seem willing to give them some time however.
The "horror" for me, if anything is the need to go out and preach randomly to people and being able to "convert" people to your RELIGIOUS POV in order to satisfy some goal, and it being LEGAL.
Let's face it, 10% of your earnings paid for drugs is no different to 10% of your earnings being paid for spiritual salvation, and converting people to try drugs is what pushers do, create a customer base.
They are no more than religious pimps, hawking faith as a drug, but as faith is not seen as a drug, it's OK.

[aretood2]

I was talking about drug addiction Tood, the door-knockers were no more than a metaphor.
I really don't care how you deal with door knockers, you and MG seem to tell them to Go Away, good for you. You seem willing to give them some time however.
The "horror" for me, if anything is the need to go out and preach randomly to people and being able to "convert" people to your RELIGIOUS POV in order to satisfy some goal, and it being LEGAL.
Let's face it, 10% of your earnings paid for drugs is no different to 10% of your earnings being paid for spiritual salvation, and converting people to try drugs is what pushers do, create a customer base.
They are no more than religious pimps, hawking faith as a drug, but as faith is not seen as a drug, it's OK.

A metaphor that compares taking crystal meth to getting baptized? And why should preaching be illegal? That concept is so ridiculous that even my browser's spell check thinks I wrote the wrong word in that sentence (It currently has a blue underline wanting me to change it to "poaching").

This is where your "Ebil Christianity" starts showing.

And as for earnings, I have yet to hear how converting to a religion leads to homelessness and selling your kids for "drug money". I don't even know where to begin with that...it's even worse than some of the most idiotic things others have said around here.

[Gatefan1976]

[QUOTE=aretood2;14640525]A metaphor that compares taking crystal meth to getting baptized? And why should preaching be illegal? That concept is so ridiculous that even my browser's spell check thinks I wrote the wrong word in that sentence (It currently has a blue underline wanting me to change it to "poaching").

[quote]
Who said meth?
I didn't.
Who said baptized?
I didn't.

This is where your "Ebil Christianity" starts showing.

I don't think Christianity is evil, or ebil, I think that some of the tactics employed by Christians are evil, there is a difference.

And as for earnings, I have yet to hear how converting to a religion leads to homelessness and selling your kids for "drug money". I don't even know where to begin with that...it's even worse than some of the most idiotic things others have said around here.

As I did not say that, I'm not surprised.
Tell me though, how may kids have been raped by priests and parents ignoring it based on wanting the social "drug" of the church community, because if they bring it up, they will be ostrasized?
Not so funny now, are they?
Or, I guess you can ignore historical abuse, because it's not happening "now" apparently.

[aretood2]

Who said meth?
I didn't.
Who said baptized?
I didn't.

Just taking the comparison to its logical conclusion. Because somehow a tithe is as socially destructive as a heroin addiction.

I don't think Christianity is evil, or ebil, I think that some of the tactics employed by Christians are evil, there is a difference.

This looks a lot like "I can't be racist, I have a black friend" or saying that Trump doesn't dislike brown people, he just wants them to come here legally while eliminating/demonizing any legal way for them to come here. If you dislike things that are such a basic aspect of Christianity on such a fundamental level, then you dislike Christianity. Unless of course you truly see a tithe as equal to financing a crack addiction....

As I did not say that, I'm not surprised.
Tell me though, how may kids have been raped by priests and parents ignoring it based on wanting the social "drug" of the church community, because if they bring it up, they will be ostrasized?
Not so funny now, are they?
Or, I guess you can ignore historical abuse, because it's not happening "now" apparently.

So we moved from tithes being no different than financing addictions to child molestation?

[Gatefan1976]

Just taking the comparison to its logical conclusion. Because somehow a tithe is as socially destructive as a heroin addiction.

No, it's financially the same, sorry, but it is.
[quote]
This looks a lot like "I can't be racist, I have a black friend" or saying that Trump doesn't dislike brown people, he just wants them to come here legally while eliminating/demonizing any legal way for them to come here. If you dislike things that are such a basic aspect of Christianity on such a fundamental level, then you dislike Christianity. Unless of course you truly see a tithe as equal to financing a crack addiction....

/quote]
The latter, and I have never changed my position, whether it helps or hurts me.

So we moved from tithes being no different than financing addictions to child molestation?

If tithing protects child molesters. it is no different. If addiction protects drug pushers, it is no different.

[Chaka-Z0]

My dad quit at the age of 55, after at least 35 years of smoking. It was around the time that he learned Excel (not for work; dad likes to learn stuff and he just bought his first Android tablet, so he was exploring things that could be done with it). He made a budget calculator and was horrified of how much money he spent on smoking. He switched to buying bulk tobacco and rolling his own cigarettes, then realized that it was still wasted money, and quit. Ice-cold turkey. No patches, no e-cigs, just pure willpower. He hasn't relapsed once since then, not even when he had neighbors who constantly smoked on their balcony and the smoke was getting blown into his windows.

Me, I was never even tempted to try smoking.

You are absolutely right and your dad has a strong will, that's for sure. All of you are right, what you need is just to get your **** together and do it.

I tried champix and they worked for a while, my wife was successful with them too, but I eventually fell off the wagon because the side effects were awful, nose bleeds, suicidal thoughts, very very strange and realistic dreams, for me it was electronic cigarettes that got me off, once you get past the 'ecig only gives you nicotine not all the other nasty stuff' and you work through the withdrawal of that, you can then work on bringing down the nicotine mg intake slowly until it's zero, then it's just a case of getting out the habit.

That is my plan as well, my previous error was switching directly to 0 nicotine which didn't work well.

so long as **** are not involved

*Record scratch* Hmm... what? Not sure we have the same definition of ****.

[Chaka-Z0]

How polite.
My std response to door-to-door is "Go Away". If that isn't sufficient, I add 'Now" and pretend to reach for something he doesn't see.

You could also yell ' BILLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY ' and have your stay-at-home boy of 35 years of age come down in its overalls and cowboy hat, naked and hairy chest, with a loaded sawed-off in his hands.

[Chaka-Z0]

Tood, I think the metaphor was pushed a bit far, but from what I gather, what GF means is that religion changes your brain wiring, and that's a fact. It changes your perspective of the world, your beliefs, your actions, etc. It is, somehow, strikingly similar to any addiction. You need to go to church, and probably get joy from it. You get joy from helping others, which gives you a good feeling. You become ''addicted'' to it. Addiction doesn't have to be good or bad, most Christians enjoy doing good, that is not the point. It is still a sort of propaganda that is spread from door to door. I understand this is at the core of your religion, to spread the ''good news'.

Does that make it bad? No. Hell some people are addicted to cleaning their homes, doesn't make it bad. But some other people, such as GF, do not enjoy people trying to convert them by knocking on their private dwelling's door. The only reason this is allowed is because it's always been so, just like the reason why Alcohol is legal and weed is not (in most countries).

I am convinced that you are disgusted at Replicant politicians that keep spewing their christian bullsh*t trying to get more votes, when their actions contradict their words, such as hunting down immigrants which isn't really a value of your faith, am I right?

Philosophically or rationally speaking, there is no difference between selling booze door-to-door and trying to convert people into your faith. Both are addictions, as to what's good or bad, that's a personal decision. On one hand you have alcoholics that destroy families, on the other you have politicians that use your faith as a conduit to election or use their position of authority to molest kids, just like a drug pimp would use his to brutalize or kill his enemies.