Post by judyb on Jun 27, 2004 8:59:56 GMT -5
It is timeless, and applies today just as much as when it was
first written.
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Originally posted by Mary 07/21/96 (either as3 or quitnet)
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Could it be that some of us make this harder on ourselves than
it has to be?
You need to remember that quitting smoking is REALLY,
REALLY HARD. There is probably no easy way to do it. It can be
addictive to a similar degree as something like cocaine. It is
INSIDE your body. The body is where we are at home. Somehow
an addiction has already crossed a line that we feel naturally
protects us. The cigarette on the outside of your body is not the
real enemy. There are chemical processes that go on
INSIDE--they are silent and we cannot see them with our eyes.
We can't get up and move away from them. They exist as part of
what we consider to be "me." There are strong subconscious
processes going on even if we are as CONSCIOUS as we
possibly can be. The subconscious never sleeps. It keeps
working on it's own while we are thinking of and involved in
other things. Our brains are like huge tape recorders, whenever
they recognize something familiar, they throw out all the
recordings from the past connected to what it is they see now.
That's how we can remember to walk each time we stand, but it
is also why I still think, "Where are my cigarettes?," every time I
pick up the phone in my kitchen. The only way to get through
this is to ALWAYS wait out the urges, thereby replacing the
recordings. They go away. They ALL go away. Each time you
want a cigarette, you must decide that you will NOT have a
cigarette. Each time you must make that choice over again. You
must ALWAYS say no. That's why we are here. Because it hurts
to say no to something you feel you LOVE so much. It hurts over
and over again. We are here to love you because we know how
much it hurts. We are here to remind you how much you are
cared for while you feel your grief. We are here to listen to
whatever you need to express to help you heal the wound. We
are here to help you celebrate the joy of your newfound
freedom. We will wait until you can feel the joy. It might not
happen right away. When you finally know what a joy it is to be
unbound by the chains of addiction, we will all join hands and
dance and sing, laughing all the way up to the top of the
mountain… The sacred celebration of Life and Love. Tell us
what you need. Tell us over and over again. Love, Mary
first written.
---------------------------------------
Originally posted by Mary 07/21/96 (either as3 or quitnet)
---------------------------------------------------
Could it be that some of us make this harder on ourselves than
it has to be?
You need to remember that quitting smoking is REALLY,
REALLY HARD. There is probably no easy way to do it. It can be
addictive to a similar degree as something like cocaine. It is
INSIDE your body. The body is where we are at home. Somehow
an addiction has already crossed a line that we feel naturally
protects us. The cigarette on the outside of your body is not the
real enemy. There are chemical processes that go on
INSIDE--they are silent and we cannot see them with our eyes.
We can't get up and move away from them. They exist as part of
what we consider to be "me." There are strong subconscious
processes going on even if we are as CONSCIOUS as we
possibly can be. The subconscious never sleeps. It keeps
working on it's own while we are thinking of and involved in
other things. Our brains are like huge tape recorders, whenever
they recognize something familiar, they throw out all the
recordings from the past connected to what it is they see now.
That's how we can remember to walk each time we stand, but it
is also why I still think, "Where are my cigarettes?," every time I
pick up the phone in my kitchen. The only way to get through
this is to ALWAYS wait out the urges, thereby replacing the
recordings. They go away. They ALL go away. Each time you
want a cigarette, you must decide that you will NOT have a
cigarette. Each time you must make that choice over again. You
must ALWAYS say no. That's why we are here. Because it hurts
to say no to something you feel you LOVE so much. It hurts over
and over again. We are here to love you because we know how
much it hurts. We are here to remind you how much you are
cared for while you feel your grief. We are here to listen to
whatever you need to express to help you heal the wound. We
are here to help you celebrate the joy of your newfound
freedom. We will wait until you can feel the joy. It might not
happen right away. When you finally know what a joy it is to be
unbound by the chains of addiction, we will all join hands and
dance and sing, laughing all the way up to the top of the
mountain… The sacred celebration of Life and Love. Tell us
what you need. Tell us over and over again. Love, Mary