Can fear help?
By Toni
@toniganzon (72281)
Philippines
April 10, 2012 11:40am CST
My uncle quit smoking for the fear of getting lung cancer. He bought an ashtray that speaks every time he would put smoke on it just as a reminder that he should quit. Well he successfully did it. One friend wen't on a diet for fear of getting diabetes.
Can fear help us overcome some bad habits? Is it really that effective?
As of the moment i don't have any habits that i think i should stop. The only thing i could think of is to cut down my rice intake as my tummy is getting bigger.
3 people like this
19 responses
@yanzalong (18988)
• Indonesia
11 Apr 12
Yes, and often times it is too late. A friend of mine was a chain smoker. He would not stop until a doctor told him that he had to get heart operation. And that was the only way to help his life. He feared but he was too worse in his health condition.
1 person likes this
@yanzalong (18988)
• Indonesia
12 Apr 12
Does your uncle drink coffee? Coffee is antioxidant-rich. It figts cancer and improves immunity.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
12 Apr 12
Yeah he does but coffee has caffeine too which isn't good for him. He's diabetic as well.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
12 Apr 12
Yeah some people just came to realize it too late. My uncle is very conscious of his health right now. And he has been like that since he quit smoking. We have a lot of disease in our family that is genetic so we have to watch out for our health.
@dpk262006 (58676)
• Delhi, India
11 Apr 12
Hi toni!
Fear of deadly results could work as a deterrent for many. However, to quit smoking and drinking etc., one requires strong will power, without which it is not possible to give up these kind of habits.
You could reduce the intake of rice gradually, if you wish to and substitute it with something healthy.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
12 Apr 12
Right. I know i can do that, but some say i'm still thin so there's no need to stop.
@atprudente6 (673)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
yes. Fear can really help us in overcoming the bad habits that we have. But I think there is one fear that we should all have. It is fear of God. It doesn't meant the having fear of God, we are afraid (literally) of the existence of God. This only means that knowing what God doesn't want will give us fear that we might hurt Him. Thus, we could avoid those things.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
12 Apr 12
You're right! That's the most important fear for those who believe in Him.
@butterscotsh (1012)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
That's good if fear is what makes them stop their bad
habits. But I have loved ones seems like they don't
fear of such diseases, they don't stop smoking
or stop their bad habits. I wish more and more people
would be feared so that they stop too.
1 person likes this
@kai0224liu (321)
• United States
11 Apr 12
Fear might help to prevent you some bad habits. My dad quit smoking about twenty years ago. he was afraid he might have cancer so he decided to quit. That works for him, but he went through a long and painful quitting period. He gained lots of weights after he quits, after quitting smoking, he needs to go on diet in order to keep healthy life. That was painful but that's worth it.
1 person likes this
@potter77 (7)
•
11 Apr 12
fear is good and its bad at the same time, let me explain a bit:
The kind of fear that makes us do positive things in our life is good [ like your uncle], but that fear brought about by danger, that fear that that makes us act without thinking.
This fear is not good at all it only lands us on more trouble than we are running away from.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
12 Apr 12
You are referring to phobia, the kind of fear that can ruin people.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
Yeah i will try to do that. I'm hoping longboarding could help my tummy too.
@celticeagle (166760)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Apr 12
Oh ya, I think fear can help us do alot of things. I think it really depends on the person and how much love they have for family, for themselves and so forth. How we think and feel. I don't really think rice can make you fat. Its the stuff you put on it or in it.
@celticeagle (166760)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Apr 12
What about the japanese? THey eat alot of rice and I have never seen a heavy one.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
7 Aug 12
Oh you're wrong, Japanese don't eat a lot of rice. In fact they consume more raw food than rice. The maximum one could eat in one meal is just a cup. Unlike Filipinos, we have unlimited rice restaurants and we eat more than that and the variety of rice in Japan and Korea are different.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
12 Apr 12
Rice can make one fat. It's carbohydrates mostly and sugar. In fact when you are diabetic you should cut out on rice.
1 person likes this
@jazel_juan (15746)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
I did that, dieting as i have high sugar level and i do not want to be diabetic, i controlled what i ate, i watched how many portions of rice i take..and how much sugar i am taking.. ( which is very hard as i love sweets)
I believe is we see "fear" in a different way then it can help us.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
Yeah fear can motivate us to quit doing things that can harm us.
@shylade (3132)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
good job for your uncle! well i think sometimes fear really helps us especially when quitting a bad habbit. but it will not help us when it develops into a phobia or something like a disorder. i think fear is a negative thing to think so it is better to turn it out into something positive. like instead of i don't want to eat because i fear of getting fat, why not make it i will eat the right foods because i want to be fit and healthy. positivity will helps us have the right motivation.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
12 Apr 12
Yeah but with vices i think fear is considered as a great motivation to quit.
@asliah (11137)
• Philippines
4 Oct 12
hi,
for me,i think it still depend to the person if he/she had a fear just to let it go her/his bad habit,but there are still who keeps stay on their bad habit even they know someday they will sick,but for me that fear surely help me to avoid my bad habits.
@chicksdigscars (5483)
•
10 Apr 12
i think fear can make us quit.. fear would be the only thing that would make me quit smoking. well that and the cost of them.. they have gone up in price over the last week and are almost unaffordable.. so i may quit yet.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
And i thought you are someone with no fear!
You know in your mind when's the right time to quit. And you can do it! 
You know in your mind when's the right time to quit. And you can do it! @chicksdigscars (5483)
•
11 Apr 12
lol!! i have no fear! that's why i have not quit yet! because i am not afraid.. i should get afraid though. i think it would make me quit lol!
that's what I was thinking.
@almond24 (1248)
• Hungary
10 Apr 12
Congrats to him. It's great that he was able to quit smoking!
I think fear can be strong enough to stop us from doing something, and maybe even give up a bad habit. I guess that's the reason for some people who change their diet too. I hope your uncle doesn't live in fear of lung cancer now, he has done a great effort to avoid it.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
He quit more than 20 years ago. He was a smoker when he was in his youth but as he started aging he became conscious of his health. He doesn't have fears anymore but he's very conscious of everything.
@rizzaspeaks (391)
• Philippines
7 Aug 12
It's not fear that helps, it's the awareness and discipline one applies on his habit/routine. Being aware of the bad effects of vices and having the will to live a healthy life always lead to positive results.
Good for your uncle, he realized the value of healthy living.
As for your tummy, just limit your carbs :)
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
17 Oct 12
Discipline, yes. Awareness, not sure. A lot of people are aware of the consequence of smoking and yet they still do it.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
7 Aug 12
It's not the ashtray i believe that really made him stop. It's because he values his life and don't want to end it yet. I hope you will find the willingness to quit someday.
@neildc (17239)
• Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
20 Jul 12
i don't know how they successfully quit their bad habits. and i really want to learn about it. i also have one bad habit, so far, the last bad habit that i really want to quit with.
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
7 Aug 12
I think the key is self-determination. If you are really that determined and have a strong will power then i don't think you would be able to succeed.
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
29 Oct 12
toni
Yes fear at times helps to achieve some goal as you have said in case of your uncle's quitting smoking, but usually we should try to overcome fear as i have said in my discussion.
Prof.Dr. Bhuwan Saraf. PhD
Yes fear at times helps to achieve some goal as you have said in case of your uncle's quitting smoking, but usually we should try to overcome fear as i have said in my discussion.
Prof.Dr. Bhuwan Saraf. PhD 
@bjc66bjc (6730)
• United States
10 Apr 12
hi toniganzon, first let me say how wonderful for your uncle
for making that health mive to stop smoking....
I am nit afraid of help, but I am a little petculiar..and rare
as far the way I thinking...But I think is the fear of the change
or the fear of the unknown..
Its a wonderful feeling to not have any bad habits...good for you..
Kudos!!!!!
