Flywithjohn,

"Addiction can be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity despite the negative consequences associated with it". From Wilkipedia

I quit smoking over 20 years ago but am still occasionally hit with the urge to light up. The sense of loss will never fully go away. The same goes for aviation. It too will most likely be an eternal curse.

The results of quitting though are definitely worth it. My life is much better now. My family is happy and prosperous. My days are spent in the manner of my choosing. However I must admit that I quit smoking completely on my own but I could not quit flying without help.

It is not easy to leave even a crummy job for the unknown. As a family we were miserable when I was a pilot. Pay was low and we were stuck in a city that we hated far away from friends, family and the life that we loved. I had no other obvious skills or profession. Flying was the only thing that I focussed on since high school. To quit without a solid plan was not easy.

A motivation technique that I found to be helpful was to study the lives of those who were twenty years further down the road than I. Most were burned out, broke and alienated from a life of friends and family. I knew that I was on the same path and wanted desperately to get off of it.

My personal limitation was the age of 35. I figured that if I had not made it to a major airline by 35 I was going to pull the plug. Beyond that age starting over seemed to be too hard and the odds of making it to my dream fading rapidly. I was 37 by the time fate finally stepped in and pushed me out. However I still have not quit in the classical sense. I am perpetually searching for jobs and have done so since I was laid off. Yet nothing has presented itself that comes even close to matching the income and situation that is needed to support a family.

Many years have passed since then though I still think about flying everyday and most likely always will. There are no easy answers. Stay and watch your personal life go up in flames or quit to face the unknown.

Skyhigh