When I joined the Air Force in 85 you could buy a carton of cigarettes, GPCs, for $2 and there was a $1 coupon on it. GPC stood for General Purpose Cigarette. At ten cent a pack I was smoking about 3 packs a day. Years later they found a spot on my lung so I quit…tough quitting. Later the biopsy found nothing, but I couldn’t see going back to smoking again. I still want a smoke though, literally my mouth has been watering while I type this and its been over 30 yrs since I had one.
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Good for you. I am not sure what you have regret over. Feeling regret is a waste of mental energy. Why dwell in the past or negative? You did what you did for what ever reason, you have evolved, you have conquered the addiction and are now better for it. You can live in regret or celebrate your good respiratory health and kicking the habit!
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I’ve been using something a bit different and honestly, I like it. It’s smooth and gives me a nice, mellow vibe without feeling too intense. It’s been perfect for winding down after a long day.
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Very much in line with Stoic philosophy. Nice.
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QUADZILLA…
I was the very proud holder of the very first Medical Marijuana card issued by the state of Arizona after the law passed (by less than 2,000 votes out of 1.5 million). I have Crohn’s Disease and found cannabis helpful in dealing with it. Not legal here in France, so I’m doing without. And I’m doing OK. I’m much more relaxed living here, so my lifestyle is making up for the loss of access to legal weed.
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Not exactly smoking, but the edibles (gummies) help me quite a bit with insomnia.
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agreed they do indeed. i have always had horrible sleep issues and something i have been using for the past few months with great suceess is CBD, specifically the Lazarus Naturals sleep tincture — i think it kind of hits the same places THC does but without being stoned. very very very very much worth a try. i like the tincture vs a gummy (they sell both) as it hits in about 30 minutes vs 90mins to 2 hours for a gummy:
note if you do want to buy there are always 20% off coupons easilly found with a quick google search.
@TheMaartian You could Immigrate to Canada. Easy to get a prescription and it is legal. I am happy for you that you are doing better in France.
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Small amounts are legal in Germany now! Who would have guessed that the Germans would beat the French to it. 
I considered emigrating to Canada when The Donald was elected the first time, but the Canadian immigration website kept crashing. WAY too many others like me thinking the same thing. I’m safely in France now. Just 1.5 years to go until I can get a 10-year visa, so I won’t have to renew every year.
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I’m guessing this week is no picnic for them either lol
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As things are getting slowly worse here, we are also making a “quality of life” list of countries to emigrate to, based on human rights, democracy index (I cannot imagine living in anything other than a “FULL democracy”), happiness index, (lack of) poverty, education, health care & insurance, (no) access to arms, sustainable energy strategy and the general weather.
Also, we should be able to work there, and the job of my gf is very much based on language.
The Scandinavian countries are very high on our list, but the weather spoils it. I need the sun!
Canada is on our list, but our preference goes to New Zealand.
France was my favourite country for a long time. I speak the language, I love the “savoir vivre” there!
Also I enjoy the Cevennes, the Provence and Haute Savoie. It’s great for biking, hiking, kayaking … and just generally spending your time in a nice café, chatting to the locals.
But it’s not high enough on our decision matrix, based on current developments (pretty much the same as in Germany and even worse: Holland).
In terms of smoking Marijuana : it became legal in Germany long after I stopped. Now you cannot walk the streets without smelling it.
In Holland, EVERYBODY does it, maybe even the King (but definitely Maxima!).
Criminalisation really makes no sense, neither from a health nor a economical perspective. I don’t get why France has not seen the light yet!
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I wonder about this. Marijuana makes it easier for me to fall asleep, but I feel like it upsets my quality of sleep. I wonder about just CBD without the THC.
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i think its relatively inexpensive and very available so its worth a try.
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Unless you’re in a job that MJ isn’t allowed. I think most of those, CBD is also not allowed. My wife works in healthcare and that’s the case, I’m a federal civilian and is also the case.
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I’m a brewer at an independent craft brewery. I don’t have tattoos or piercings, so I need to do something to live up to the stereotypes.
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I also have “horrible sleep issues” and try to solve that with Melatonine. Sometimes successful, often not.
Is CBD better than Melatonine? Can you say something about dosage and what products to take?
i can only speak personally but i find melatonin to be not good for me - it ‘knocks me out’ but then i awake a few hours later in a very abrupt and unpleasant way.
not sure what is available in the EU but i take Lazarus Naturals “Sleep” CBD which is a mix of a couple of types of CBD that works for me. i weigh around 230lb so i take about 1.5 to 2ml per evening (1.5 to 2 droppers full - a “normal” dose is 1ml) and that works for me - it goes under my tounge for 1 minute and then swallowed. usually “hits” in 30-45 mins.
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I have excactly the same issue. 5 out of 7 times I wake up at 4:00. in the morning.
Exactly at 4.00! I am wide awake, but drowsy - so being awake is lost time, as I can’t do anything, really.
Very frustrating!
Thank’s for the description - I will try to find something similar. There’s nothing worse than not being able to sleep enough!
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CBD is totally different from melatonin.
Melatonin is a natural hormone that your body produces to tell itself that it is time for sleep.
CBD is… tough for me to describe. It’s sort of a general relaxant. It feels a bit like a muscle relaxant, just sort of slightly unwinding general tension level.
I currently use Melatonin (3mg) and Hydroxyzine to help fall asleep. Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine and causes the general drowsy effects like diphenhydramine (Benadryl), but uniquely has an anti-anxiety effect that helps calm rapid thoughts.
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