Post by judyb on Apr 4, 2018 12:40:53 GMT -5
Day 11
Chances are that you still feel a berserk craving for a cigarette from time to time. Even nonbelievers
may take recourse in prayer at such moments. Saying "God help me" (white breathing deeply) comes
as naturally to quitters as it does to drowning sailors. Both are, after all, fighting for their lives.
Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace, felt that people smoke, or took other intoxicants, to drown the
conscience. He gives as an example the cook who cut his lady's throat but could not finish her off
until he smoked a cigarette. Thieves, gamblers, and prostitutes nearly all smoke--and so do people
in lawful professions, says Tolstoy, if their behavior requires them to quiet their consciences.
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DAY 12
Most smokers cling to the odd idea that cigarettes reduce stress. In fact, the effect of smoking is
quite the opposite. On lighting a cigarette, the pulse speeds up, blood pressure increases, and the
heart pumps faster. The smoker may enjoy a moments tranquillity when the nicotine hits the brain,
but
that is quickly followed by the agitation of withdrawal. So the next cigarette quickly follows, sending a
further valley of toxins into the body and to the nervous system. The upshot is that smoking is the
world's worst way to cope with stress.
Rx for stress: Take three deep breaths, and hold the last one as long as you can. Have a hot bath.
Run around the block. Do some stretches. Envision snowcapped mountains. Find someone pleasant
to talk to. Pour out your soul into a notebook. Go to bed early.
From: www.amazon.com/Meditations-Surviving-Without-Cigarettes-Wanning/dp/0380769166
Chances are that you still feel a berserk craving for a cigarette from time to time. Even nonbelievers
may take recourse in prayer at such moments. Saying "God help me" (white breathing deeply) comes
as naturally to quitters as it does to drowning sailors. Both are, after all, fighting for their lives.
Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace, felt that people smoke, or took other intoxicants, to drown the
conscience. He gives as an example the cook who cut his lady's throat but could not finish her off
until he smoked a cigarette. Thieves, gamblers, and prostitutes nearly all smoke--and so do people
in lawful professions, says Tolstoy, if their behavior requires them to quiet their consciences.
----------------------------------------------------
DAY 12
Most smokers cling to the odd idea that cigarettes reduce stress. In fact, the effect of smoking is
quite the opposite. On lighting a cigarette, the pulse speeds up, blood pressure increases, and the
heart pumps faster. The smoker may enjoy a moments tranquillity when the nicotine hits the brain,
but
that is quickly followed by the agitation of withdrawal. So the next cigarette quickly follows, sending a
further valley of toxins into the body and to the nervous system. The upshot is that smoking is the
world's worst way to cope with stress.
Rx for stress: Take three deep breaths, and hold the last one as long as you can. Have a hot bath.
Run around the block. Do some stretches. Envision snowcapped mountains. Find someone pleasant
to talk to. Pour out your soul into a notebook. Go to bed early.
From: www.amazon.com/Meditations-Surviving-Without-Cigarettes-Wanning/dp/0380769166