Heelychat, the forum for heelys, the shoes with wheels - View topic

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

I have recently been thinking about these, and how most people have something they like which people say you shouldn't have too much of, even if it's just something like coffee or chocolate. I mean we all know too much chocolate is not good, but man, some days I feel I could eat it all day long. Very Happy

Note to kids: If at any point you feel this topic may be something your parents might not be happy with you reading about, please don't read any further. I don't want to cause any trouble, just to have a frank, adult conversation.

Note to mods: I did my best to make sure this post wasn't saying anything harmful that kids couldn't learn in a dozen other places. Hope it's ok. My theory (based on past experience) is most kids won't have the attention span to read it anyway, so there's probably no harm in it LOL.

OK:

One of my addictions is buying Heelys. You may think this is harmless, but as someone like Heelynut will probably tell you, this can be more harmful than other things that are considered bad things to be addicted to. The reason it's harmful to me is that it's harmful to my bank balance. In the past I'd always liked (and managed) to keep some money spare in the bank in case of emergency: you never know when some unexpected bill might crop up like a car breakdown (without which you may not be able to get to work) or a relative dying (funerals are expensive) and I never liked to be caught unprepared, so I always kept money spare for such things, but lately my bank balance has been so low I couldn't afford to pay for similar vital things. And I can't deny it: it IS because I love buying (and wearing) more heelys than I need. I know it's unnecessary and expensive, and yet I do it anyway. So it is (or was) a problem of sorts. I know that's stupid but for some reason if I see a nice new pair I haven't got, I find it very hard not to buy it.

I suppose my only success story in this regard is the Pro Series: I've been eyeing them up on the european stores for months, but so far I've forced myself NOT to buy them yet. I mean I certainly don't NEED another pair, but my they look nice to me. Very Happy

I just have to keep telling myself that eventually they should be a dime a dozen (like the new torches I've occasionally snagged for $10).

So, that addiction has caused me a fair bit of trouble (financially). Although I'm slowly getting a handle on it. Got the bank balance back into positive numbers, at least for now. Very Happy

Strangely enough, my other "addiction", which is probably considered a lot worse by most people, has so far not caused me any trouble. That addiciton is one that everyone's probably guessed: that I like to drink (in my case, spirits or mixers). I don't do it to the point that I get sick or anything, or even to the point that I cause any trouble to anyone else but I do now drink slightly more than medical sorts say is wise. Personally I think they're being too careful, just like when Engineers build a structure if they know it's got to hold 1000kg, they build it to handle 3000kg. I think the medical types are probably just being over protective, because as I said, the amount I drink never makes me even feel bad. But because other people worry about it, I suppose I worry a little, but then I enjoy it so much that I tell myself "why not?"

I guess the answer is that in the long run I could do some damage to my health, which is why occasionally (like tonight) I have a night or two off where I don't drink anything. Sometimes that makes no difference to me, but sometimes I feel (or think that I feel) that I get a bit of a headache if I don't drink for a couple of days. So that to me is like a warning sign: that I do have an addiciton, although maybe it's just a minor one. So I probably SHOULD cut down or something. But the problem is:

I don't want to. Even though I might perhaps be increasing my risk of some illnesses in later life, I know this and just still don't want to stop. I mean I just enjoy it too much. If I sit and watch (for example) some comedy, without having a drink, often it just bores me, my brain is just too scientific to enjoy it, but with a couple of drinks I'll love it. I know that's the sort of thing an addict always says about their addiction, but personally it's true for me and alcohol. That's where the first part of my forum name comes from, it's part of who I am and I like it that way. Smile

So, I guess my question is: since I can still hold down a job, and do all the things people are expected to do in life to be a functional member of society, if I'm willing to accept the risks of drinking, why shouldn't I be allowed to do so without getting hassle from society about it? I mean there's always someone preaching that we should do more of this or less of that, and they're probably right. Meh, I'm not even sure if this post is going anywhere or if it has a point, I guess I just wanted to talk about it. Ah well, I guess all that's left to say is thanks for listening. Smile

EDIT:
Maybe the point is that I SHOULD drink because it stops me writing essays like this Laughing

With the various corporate mayhem, I consider buying an excess of Heelys to be more of a hedge against the future than anything else.

You're an Englishman; you're expected to be drunk.

Besides, you didn't mention your real addiction: Making long posts.

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 191 Location: Texas

Well, the Heely addiction is awesome until it comes to spending a lot of money lol. Cool

As for the drinking, as long as you don't harm anybody or yourself, I guess it's not that bad. I mean atleast you don't drink a whole lot then go out and drive and wreck. Now that would be too much, lol. But yeah, that's my 2 cents Very Happy

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

Let me take you into the world of addiction

If you clicked on the above link you will know only a small percentage of my old life. I know a thing or two about addictions. Everyone has them, even if they don't care to admit it.

When I was growing up my dad was in the military and I moved around... a lot. Actually, my junior high school was the only school I walked in and out of the doors from, and a few of the lower grades I was moved in between the semesters (even quarters)

So making friends were REALLY hard for me. As everyone knows, the schools have cliques. Some of which are hard as HELL to get into (like the preps or the jocks). So I befriended the "experimental" groups. They were so gone they would allow ANYONE to be their friend if they shared the same habits.

So what started as a harmless cigarette here and there turned into going to a late night party with a little weed. Days blended to weeks, weeks into months, months into years. Before I even realized I would chief several times a day (before school, after school, and before bed). But that was only in high school.

Once getting out from high school, I only continued down a nasty spiral. The parties I went to became more and more harsh and soon I began seeing the worse side of life.

I was 18 and the same height I am now weighing just under 100 pounds. I was nothing but skin and bones, and even the skin was starting to die away. That's when I had an intervention from some of my real friends (not the people who befriended me because I did the same stuff they did) and I began to slowly come back up.

Now I can honestly look back and say "Damn, that sucked" and at the same time know what its like to have something hold onto your life that you would rather DIE then give up.

I just recently quit smoking cigarettes. Like the rest of the drugs I just stopped hanging out with people who smoked. I realized that I enjoy skating too much to let a smoker's lung grab hold of me and impact my potential.

So like any addiction, you have to look at the options you have:

- Do you have the WILL to quit
- Do you have the SUPPORT to quit
- Do you have something to replace your addiction

Now the last bit may sound a little weird, but hear me out.

If you have the first two, you can break any addiction. The reason why I continued to smoke after gaining back my health is because I enjoyed it WAY too much. I loved having the smoke in my lungs and with the variety of the cigarettes we have (Regular, Menthol, Cloves, Flavored Cigars, etc) why should I stop? Then with everyone else around me smoking, why should I freeze my ass off outside AND have absolutely no joy doing so. It kinda sucked, so I kept doing it. But finally I weighed my priorities and I have better things on my plate then just 5 minutes of "pleasure"

But now I am sitting here and I have nothing to do. So to keep myself from wanting to get back into the habit I started to build on my Star Wars collections (BIG Mistake)

Now I am sitting here spending more money then what I have in the bank on a 3 3/4" piece of plastic that is (no joke) collecting dust. And for what? My friends call me a nerd. But at least I still have my health... until I get sick and cannot pay for a doctor.

So its quid pro quo with any addiction, period. If you like it, do it. If you enjoy life where you're headed, then more power to you. I get so upset when I hear of people downing others who take drugs or spend their money unwisely. As man we were born with free will. If I want to have holes the size of golden dollars in my ears how will it effect YOU? It doesn't. Focus on your own damn life.

So yeah, drinking will probably kill you, and it won't be a happy death. Your liver will shut down, ruling that you will not have platelets to clot your blood. Eventually you will turn into a hemophiliac and the blood will thin your skin to the point it looks like you have leprosy. But who am I to tell you what you can and cannot do.

Like I said above, everyone has an addiction. No one can tell you to stop or start anything. If you feel like you should drink to enjoy life, more power to you. If you find collecting something tangible for shits and giggles then I support your every move (even if I take a month to help you, I still support Razz

). If you ever need help with anything though, you know where you can look. I'm pretty sure most of the people on this site will support any desicion to better yourself

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

Mate, I don't know what to say: at points your post made me: shocked, happy, sad, and truly fearful for what the future could hold if I don't take care.

I think what I am going to do is be sure to keep a handle on the amounts. The UK government says the safe limits for alcohol intake is 21 units a week (1 unit being 10ml of Alcohol, so a 25ml shot of spirits at 40% ABV is 1 unit, a beer is about 2-3 usually) or 3-4 units a day. I used to keep it below this safe limit, but have lately been up to about double their recommended weekly intake (average 6-7 units a day), although as I said with no noticeable side effects. I still look and feel healthy. But yeah you're absolutely right, in the long run, liver failure isn't something I want to experience. Pity we're not born with 2 livers so we could party hard and still have fun in later life, I mean we do have spare kidneys. Very Happy

But yeah, what I will do is make myself take regular nights off, and stop my intake from creeping up any further.

Not a problem buddy.

I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet. I kinda mislead you on the "support" factor. Its not only the people who will hear you shout when you haven't had a drink, but support is also limiting yourself from the people that expose you. You mentioned going to the pub. Well, instead of hanging with them Nightly, Bi-Nightly, whatever, try meeting them once a day. My best friend Andre is a smoker and a heavy boozer (take a handle of skoal vodka nightly and you got him). When I was trying to quit smoking I had to let him know that I couldn't hang with him much while I was doing it. It wasn't fair to him to request for him to stop all together why I was doing it, so I just stated that once I was recoverred we would kick it again.

Well, as I mentioned before, I have quit smoking, but we still have a cigar night where we go to eachother's house about once or twice a month and smoke a cigar and talk about life. I'll enjoy a nice Guiness or a nice MD 20/20 mixer, but I'm not going to die nor am I addicted again. I just have a good time with my friends. This may be something that if you want to cut back, you can do. You can arrange it with your buddies to have a drinking night at a pub or a house once a week or so. This way you can wash away the work week and just have a good time. This will also allow you to drink a little more (if you go by the weekly counters). Then, try to occupy your time with something else OTHER then the poison. Like on Tues instead of drinking a mixer or a spirit, try doing like a pizza night or whatever. And then on Thursday try just a make it yourself dinner. You can leave Mon, Weds, and Fri for drinking nights, and then Saturday and Sundays can be deticated skating days. And if your work schedule isn't the same as normal people, you are smart enough to get my point.

So yeah... I am going to get back to work now Razz