Strength or Weakness
Truck drivers are a self reliant bunch. We need to be. Many of us are on the road for months at a time. Almost 
all of us spend the majority of our time alone. It is the nature of our jobs. In the past we had daily communications with our dispatchers. These days with advanced communication devices human contact has been reduced. We can choose to only listen to radio stations that agree with us. We can choose to always be right, or be told that we are.
Seeking help for anything can be seen as a sign of weakness. It is not. It is a sign of maturity, and good judgment. Recently we all heard about the death by suicide of Robin Williams. Williams was a successful and loved person. By all accounts he was a good and generous man. Through his life he battled addictions. He suffered from depression. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Sadly, he chose to end his life.
Depression is a real disease. I used to be a “get over it” guy. Then I got a wake up call. I learned about the
disease. It can be treated. It should not be ignored. We should not shun people who suffer from depression. It is our responsibility to be compassionate. We should support those that seek help. It is time to escape our stone age mentality and recognize the problem.
It has been shown that smoking cessations programs work better than quitting cold turkey. If you can quit cold turkey, that is great. It is smart to increase your odds. Find someone with a program that can help. Educate them on trucking. Let them educate you on cessation programs. Some programs won't work with what we do. That is why you work with people.
This also applies to other addictions, including food. I remember Tommy Lasorda referring to alcohol and drug addictions as a weakness and not a disease. It isn't cancer. He has a point. But, is it merely semantics? What difference does it make what we call it? It is still real. Get help!
For years I have struggled with obesity. Everyone seems to have a suggestion. They are trying to be helpful. Some are just taking shots. Many use it to make personal attacks in unrelated arguments. I have read many books on food and diet. If you want to write a best seller write a diet/cook book. This may work for some people. It did not work for me.
My weakness was damaging my health. I decided to seek professional help. Many times when we see a professional we need to educate them as much as they need to educate us. Don't be afraid to educate the health professional about our profession. We all have our weaknesses. We also have our strengths. Good judgment is a strength. Seeking professional help is using our strength of good judgment. Use our strengths to overcome our weaknesses.