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Post by Ann on Sept 20, 2004 12:15:30 GMT -5
FEELINGS
Many people who stop smoking are surprised by emotions they haven't felt in years. Without knowing it, they've been repressing their feelings with cigarettes. Now when sudden anger errupts, when resentment and depression sweep over them, they panic. They've never allowed themselves to feel this way. Not knowing how to cope, they treat these sensations the same way they treat a headache or an upset stomach. They reach for something to get rid of them.
Drugs numb emotions, and smoking really does "stunt" our emotional growth. Shooting up drugs all day neutralizes pain and discomfort, feelings that might otherwise prod us to change and find solutions to our problems. Instead we use cigarettes to make unhappiness and discomfort in our lives.
If we don't demand from life what we really want, it's certain we won't get it. And while drugs help us tolerate disappointment, they can't make us happy. Throught the years we become more and more dependent on cigarettes, unaware of the role they are playing in our emotional lives. They're a consolation for what we don't have and a solution for what we really want; respect and appreciation, love and affection, excitement and fun, rewarding work, peace of mind and a sense of meaning and purpose.
from "Hooked But Not Helpless" by Patricia Allison
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Post by Graciedonovan on Sept 21, 2004 5:19:23 GMT -5
Soooo true. Thanks Ann.
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