RE: 5 years of being a Pot-Head + First Steemmonsters GIVEAWAY... GOLD FOIL CENTAUR!!!
First of all, nice giveaway.... a gold foil.
But... (can I have some 'buts'?) ... asking for a 50% upvote is quite heavy. Normally I skip contests or giveaways that ask for a 50% or 100% upvote - even if it's for a gold foil - but I promised to support you, so I do. Unfortunately for you, my support comes with advice attached ;0)
As everyone only has a limited number of votes avalable every day (as you want to keep your VP above 80%), a 50% vote for a giveaway is a lot, especially for the people who have just a little SP. Since the price of Steem is so low, their votes ain't worth a lot, so they've got to be even more thoughtful about what they upvote.
But then again, you've got a good prize you give away, so maybe I should just shut up and take my advice with me. Just keep it in mind whenever hou do your next giveaway, will ya?
Now, since I voted, I can just as well enter... (Just kidding, I want that card just as much as anyone else, lol)
I started smoking when I was like 16 or so. It took me a couple of years to find the balance you mentioned. It got so far that I got addicted to uppers, because I needed them if I wanted to function properly.
I once got caught smuggling weed across the border. It was and still is forbidden here in Belgium, but it was a 30 minutes drive to a coffeeshop in The Netherlands, so we took a roadtrip every week. They caught me, I had to give them my stash, and I assume the police smoked it themselves, because I never heard anything about it afterwards. No paperwork, no fine ... nothing.
When I was in my early 30s, they started to be really strict about driving under influence. Since I was a daily smoker, I would be in big trouble if they would test me. Since I'm a teacher by profession, I just couldn't risk it. I tried quitting, without success. Until I got pneumonia when I was like 35. For 2 entire weeks, I couldn't smoke without coughing my longs out. So I didn't.
Once I got better, for once I was smart enough to realize that starting again would be a stupid thing to do. So I didn't.
I'm not even an occasional smoker anymore. When people offer me, I almost always say no. I don't like the feeling - it makes me socially handicapped and I start to get lost in my own mind... So, no more, and I don't regret it. :0)
My username: @simplymike
Tagging: @doomsdaychassis (I'm curious about your reply) and @anouk.nox (you have been exposed to it for so long. I wonder if there are Dutch people who never at least tried, lol)
Hey @simplymike, thank you for the comment :D
I understand now what you mean about the upvote being too high I will definitely take that into consideration the next time. At the time I didn't even think about that, thank you for the support and all the advice... I really appreciate it :D
It sounds like you had quite a rough time. With being addicted to the uppers, to getting caught with the weed and getting pneumonia. Being a daily smoker does take a toll on your tolerance, hence the reason we search for uppers and higher grade weed... It's not nice when you crave for stronger strains.
At least you got away with no fines or paperwork, that would have been a headache. The pneumonia sounds rough, this must have been that life changing moment for you. I'm actually planning on stopping next year to focus solely on my studies and have no worries about my health and mental state. Hearing your story is making think more on how serious I want that idea to be... I want to have a good New Years though, so that's why next year will be a good time :D
It does affect a lot of people like that and the best thing to do is to stop for a while or outright... Whenever I feel like I am smoking too much or if my tolerance is too high, I stop smoking for about 2 months. So I do stop at least twice a year to allow my body a good detox :D