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Continuation from page 6
Dangers of Smoking Page 1 
My Quit Smoking Page, Profile and Links
The TillieToiler Page 
Here at the 'puter I sit at demand..
The keyboard just waiting the touch of my hand
The power so strong to return to the Q
to the hugs and support I long for from you.
My quit's a disaster because I am weak
My future as a smoker is ever so bleak
I dream of tomorrow...I know it's the day
I am so sure of it I throw smokes away...
It's morning again and I awoke with desire
my busy list ready, My patch as required.
My heart is a pounding, my breath comming fast
the fear of the demons of quits in the past.
1 hour passed and breakfast is done
The thought keeps hitting me, maybe just one..
The coffee smells good the breakfast inviting
Hubby comes home and a smoke he is lighting...
I turn from the view of the demons demand
not one-even one is more than I can stand
I think of a prayer but I'm too ashamed to ask
The guilt overwhelming of quits from the past.
135 days my last quit..My head held up high
no craving, no worry, oh my what a lie!!
Just one won't hurt nothing, I'm free, I can fly
Just one can addict you so don't even try...
My victory defeated in one tiny hour
Tomorrow's a new day , I hope with more power.
135 days what a fool I have been..
so tomorrow I start day one all over again..
for those who have even a few days....
keep it....sometimes when you fall off the horse
you have to run really fast to catch the damn thing again....
but when I do...I will not let go again!!!!!
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YOUR FRIEND, THE CIGARETTE
How do you feel about a friend that must go everywhere with you, is so offensive to others that you become unwelcome when with him?
His peculiar odor sticks to you wherever you go so both of you stink; and when he says "JUMP," you jump.
He makes you go to the store to pick him up whenever he wants.
He burns holes in your clothes and has even been known to burn down a house.
He makes you stand out in the lobby so you miss the big play. He is expensive to support and will never give you a penny in return.
He doesn't like physical activity, so he makes it hard for you to breathe.
He carries an arsenal of poisons with him, and every chance he gets,he makes you sick.
He has been plotting your death since the first time you met!
He overworks your heart and lungs, clogs the arteries to your heart and brain, and exposes you to cancer-causing agents.
Some friend, your cigarette! Do you really need a friend like this?
Get rid of him NOW, while you still can!
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Key Points For Success
Excerpt from: Hooked But Not Helpless, By: Patricia Allison with Jack Host
Find A Stop Smoking Program: A stop smoking class will give you a specific day to stop and the support of a group. Keeping in mind what you've learned in this book, use only the information in the program that seems logical, ignore the rest.
Do Not Try To Get Rid Of Desires To Smoke: The discomfort of wanting to smoke is temporary and will get rid of itself. When you have a desire to smoke work through the five steps (listed below).
Do Not Substitute Food: If you "smoke" food whenever you have a desire for a cigarette, you will not only gain weight, you will never break your addiction. Desires to smoke will continue to nag you until you finally break down and give in.
Stay Clear Of Feelings Of Deprivation: Telling yourself you can't smoke is a lie and will make you feel so miserable you will run back to smoking. Remember that you can smoke. You just can't do it the way you'd like to: now and then or without damaging your health.
Give Up The Illusion Of Having "Just One": One puff or one cigarette has never been enough for you and never will be enough. It will inevitably take you back to smoking your normal amount. The crux of beating a drug addiction is knowing this: it is the first one that does you in.
Choose Between Real Options: The only real options you have are these: going back to smoking with all the terrible consequences or staying off smoking with the many benefits. You don't have to like this reality, but you better accept it.
Focus On Benefits - Continually: Keep in mind the specific benefits you are gaining from being free from your addiction. Counter your compulsion to smoke by remembering what you want more: your breathing, your freedom, and your peace of mind.
Get Smart About Junkie Thinking: Every time you have a junkie thought, identify it and talk back to it. If you do, these irrational thoughts and plans will eventually lose their power over you.
Take Time Out When You Have A Desire To Smoke: During withdrawal or in any high risk situation, get away by yourself for a few minutes to review the five steps (listed below) and get your thinking back on track.
Be Uncomfortable - Graciously, And On Purpose: The discomfort caused by wanting to smoke is temporary and harmless, and it's your means to escape from slavery. The desire to smoke will gradually become less intense and less frequent until most of the time you will feel like a non-smoker.
Prepare For High-risk Situations: Most people who relapse do so within the first three months because they are not prepared for such things as traveling or emotional upsets. Stay
alert and beware of overconfidence.
You Don't Have To Change Your Life: Drinking coffee, having a glass of wine or eating spicy foods will not make you smoke. They can make you want to smoke. So your job is to treat the desires to smoke rather than avoid them. Change your thinking, not your daily activities.
Use Dreams Constructively: Dreams about smoking are very common and do not mean you are doomed to relapse. The anxiety you feel in a dream when you realize you're smoking will teach you that, although you can smoke, you will never be happy with it.
Remember, There's No Cure For Addiction: You will never be a non-smoker. A non-smoker is someone who has never had a problem with smoking, has never struggled to take control of that problem, and never has worry about losing control. You're an ex-smoker, and although you can be a confident and relaxed ex-smoker, you are always susceptible to relapse.
Expect To Have A Three-month Flare Up: Many ex-smokers relapse toward the end of the third month because their health has improved and the side effects of smoking have disappeared. Don't imagine that time has cured your addiction. One puff and you will be back to smoking compulsively.
Do Not Nag Or Preach At Other Smokers: You're only one puff away from a pack a day yourself. Take care of your own recovery and watch out for the influence of other smokers around you. Don't glamorize smoking: remember what it was really like to have to smoke all day every day.
Get Extra Help If You Need It: Attend a self-help group or see a counselor to worth through feelings you've been drugging away all these years. Letting go of these feelings from the past and learning new ways to cope with the present will help you become a happier, more comfortable ex-smoker.
Confronting Your Addiction (Five Steps)
I Am Having A Desire To Smoke Right Now: Every time you have a desire to smoke, face it. The desire is going to come over you whether you like it or not. It's normal. That's what makes you a smoker. But you don't have to be afraid of the desire. It's not bigger than you. It can't hurt you. You don't have to get rid of it, hide from it, or pretend it isn't there. Let it run its course. It will fade away. You may worry that you'll never feel normal again. However, you can be certain that as long as you don't give in to the addiction, your desire to smoke will inevitable diminish, becoming less frequent and less intense until most of the time you feel like a non-smoker. And although you want a cigarette, remember what you don't want. You don't want to get sick from smoking or to have to go on smoking for the rest of your life.
I Can Smoke. I Am Not Deprived: Nobody's taking your cigarettes away from you. You don't have to give up smoking, and even if you do stop, you can go back to smoking any time you choose. What you can't be, however, is a happy comfortable smoker.
One Puff And I'll Go Back To Smoking 30 To 40 Cigarettes A Day, Every Day: Don't trick yourself into believing you can have just one puff when the going gets difficult. Using your drug to get through withdrawal from your drug doesn't make sense. One puff will always call for another puff, and sooner or later you'll be back to smoking them all.
Right Now I Have A Choice To Make For Myself: Either give in to this temporary discomfort and go back to the constant misery of smoking, or accept this temporary discomfort and walk through it for these benefits ... Now ... list your own five benefits here.
For Example: better breathing
no more chest pains
healthier heart
peace of mind
more self-respect
Name the five most important benefits for YOU, beginning with your top priority. One way to make sure these are your
reasons for stopping is to ask yourself whether you're willingly accepting the discomfort of going through withdrawal.
You only have the above two options ... so now make your choice ...
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At this moment I choose to willingly accept this temporary discomfort because I want ________(fill in this blank with your
reasons to quit)________!!
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Always end your thinking process by naming at least three major benefits. When you have a craving to smoke, don't let it make a fool of you. Use these five steps, along with your list of benefits, every time the desire to smoke comes up. Recognize what's happening: you're having a desire to smoke. And you can smoke; you're not deprived. Then, remind yourself that one puff will take you straight back to the slavery of smoking. Finally, make your choice. Don't whine and complain because you can't have it your way - smoking without consequences. You have to pay a price; you can't have cigarettes and your health, too. Remember that you are choosing between temporary discomfort and ongoing misery. You can succumb to your desire and give in to your addiction for relief from temporary stress OR you can resist the urge for the sake of long-term happiness and health.
By using these steps to face your addiction, you will train your mind to respond to the desire to smoke in a new you. Instead of automatically giving in to your desires, like a robot, you will confront the desire and make a choice.
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Just a little something I like to throw in called:
"Friends without Faces"
We sit and we type and we stare at our screens.
We all have to wonder, what this possibly means.
We chat with each other, we share all our woes,
Small groups we do form and gang up on our foes.
We wait for somebody to type out our name,
We want recognition and offer the same.
We give kisses and hugs and sometimes we flirt,
In rooms we chat deeply and reveal why we hurt.
We form friendships but why is a thing we don't know,
Though most of them flounder some flourish and grow.
Why is it that on screen, we can all be so bold,
Telling our secrets that have never been told?
Why is it we share those deep thoughts in our mind
With those we can't see, as though we were blind?
The answer is simple, it's as clear as a bell.
We all have our problems and need someone to tell.
We can't tell "real" people, but tell someone we must
So we turn to the 'puter, and to those we can trust.
Even though it is crazy, the truth still remains,
They are friends without faces, with odd little names.
I Could not have successfully Quit "Without You
& The Quitnet!"
Thank You All For Being Here :)
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The Bare Facts About Relapse
Nicotine Users Are Drug Addicts, And Therefore Are Subject To All Of The Rules Of Drug Addiction
The very first cigarette you smoked started you down the road to addiction. You arrived without knowing where you were going. Now you know. You have joined the millions of nicotine users who are and will always be drug addicts. There is no changing this fact, and the only thing you can do now is to learn to control your response to your addictive impulses. Luckily learning to be a quitter can be done, as attested to by the millions of people that have gained their Independence from smoking. This rule is absolute, and there are no exceptions.
Relapse Won't Happen Unless You Put Nicotine Into Your Body
Once you have become a quitter you begin to condition yourself to being an ex-smoker. Each hour and day brings you closer
to total comfort. But first you must learn to function in situations that would have formerly called for smoking.
After getting through the initial few days, and getting the nicotine out of your system, you may begin to worry that after
all of this effort you might end up relapsing. There is only one way that you can possibly relapse, and you have complete
control over it. As long as you keep in mind that you are a nicotine addict, subject to the laws of addiction, and that
you can never put nicotine into your system again, and therefore do not take a puff, you will not relapse. This rule is
absolute, and there are no exceptions.
Relapse is the result of awakening your addiction
While you are learning to be an ex-smoker you may find yourself thinking that you must have a cigarette to cope with x, y,
or z. When you find yourself thinking this way you are having a bad case of Junkie Thinking. If you act on thoughts like
this and start puffing, you have stepped onto the slippery slope of relapse. If you don't act on your junkie thoughts, but
instead turn your focus to other things, notably your reasons for quitting, then you won't relapse. This rule is absolute,
and there are no exceptions
Relapse Will Happen If You Don't Acknowledge and Respect Your Addiction
You must come to terms with the fact that you are a drug (nicotine) addict, and therefore as subject to the rules of
addiction as any other type of drug addict. One puff is all it will take to put you back into the control of Ole Nic.
The only way that you can keep your Independence is by admitting to the certainty that one puff will result in total
relapse . This rule is absolute, and there are no exceptions.
Relapse Means Having To Start Over From The Beginning
Once you awaken your addiction you loose all of the ground that you gained. You must begin again, that is if you are even
able to bring yourself to do so. Most quitters that relapse spend months or years trying to get themselves to quit again.
Some quitters that relapse are never able to try again, and die as smokers, plus frequently they die early because of
their inability to break away from smoking. This rule is absolute, and there are no exceptions.
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THE DANGERS OF TOBACCO
Addictiveness -- The addictive potential of nicotine is similar to that of Heroin.
Back Pain -- Smoking is a major risk factor in recovery from back pain, because poor
oxygen levels of those who smoke prevent lumbar disks from being adequately oxygenated.
Bladder Cancer -- Smoking causes 40% of all cases of bladder cancer.
Breast Cancer -- Women smokers are 75% more likely to develop breast cancer than are
non-smoking women.
Cervical Cancer -- Women who smoke are 4 times more likely to develop cancer of the
cervix than are non-smoking women.
Childhood Respiratory Ailments -- Kids exposed to their parents' tobacco smoke have 6
times more respiratory problems (such as colds, ear infections, tonsillitis, bronchitis, asthma,
and pneumonia) than children of non-smoking parents.
Diabetes -- Smoking decreases the body's absorption of insulin.
Drug Interactions -- Smokers need higher than normal dosages of certain drugs.
Ear Infections -- Children of smokers face an increased risk of otitis media.
Emphysema -- About 85% of all deaths from emphysema are caused by smoking.
Esophageal Cancer -- About 80% of all throat cancer is caused by smoking and many cases
are caused by snuff or chewing tobacco.
Fires -- Smoking is the leading cause of fire in homes, hotels, and hospitals.
Gastrointestinal Cancer -- Smoking doubles the risk of cancer of the stomach and
duodenum.
Heart Disease -- If you smoke, you are about 4 times more likely to develop cardiovascular
disease than those who don't smoke.
Infertility -- Couples in which at least one member smokes are more than 3 times more likely
to have trouble getting pregnant than non-smoking couples.
Kidney Cancer -- Of all cases of cancer of the kidney, 40% are caused by smoking.
Laryngeal Cancer -- If you smoke more than 25 cigarettes daily, you are almost 30 times
more likely to develop cancer of the voice box than those who are non-smokers. Also, many
cases of cancer of the larynx are caused by snuff or chewing tobacco.
Leukemia -- Tobacco smoke contains several cancer-causing chemicals, some of which are
known to cause leukemia.
Low Birth Weight -- Women who smoke as few as 5 cigarettes per day during pregnancy
have a significantly greater risk of giving birth to an unnaturally small, lightweight baby.
Mouth Cancer -- Tobacco (whether dipped, chewed, or smoked) causes nearly every case
of cancer of the mouth, lips, cheek, tongue, salivary glands, and tonsils.
Nutrition -- Smokers tend to have poorer nutrition than non-smokers. Smoking causes
lower levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol.
Osteoporosis -- Women smokers tend to have menopause 5 to 10 years earlier than
expected, causing increased bone thinning at an earlier age, which increases the later risk of
hip fracture and vertebral compression fractures.
Pharyngeal Cancer -- The majority of those who are killed by cancer of the pharynx are
smokers.
Premature Aging -- Constant exposure to tobacco smoke prematurely wrinkles facial skin
and yellows teeth and fingernails.
Recovery From Injury Or Surgery -- People who smoke have delayed healing of wounds
and bones. They are also at greater risk of complications from surgery and anesthesia.
Stroke -- Smoking doubles the risk of stroke.
Tooth Loss -- Use of snuff or chewing tobacco causes gum recession and tooth abrasion,
which contributes to tooth loss.
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In our own lives, our motivations and reasons for what we do are not always what they seem. At first glance, why we do things may seem simple. But upon closer examination, our motivations often have hidden purposes and agendas, driven by events and feelings in our lives. Often we are totally unaware of these forces that
shape our daily decisions.
The decision to quit smoking is propelled or impeded by two basic questions: "why smoke?" and "why quit?" Answer these questions honestly and you'll make great progress toward quitting. Let's examine each in turn.
WHY SMOKE?
Do you smoke today for the same reason you smoked five years ago, or when you first started smoking? Chances are good that you started smoking for totally different reasons than you smoke now. You started smoking to be cool, or to rebel or to fit in or just because you were curious. Now you would probably say that
you smoke to relax or to think clearly or because you are addicted and can't stop.
Take a long hard look at why you smoke NOW. You probably haven't even thought about this. Dig very deep. Think. Examine your emotions as you imagine yourself craving a cigarette and
lighting up. What "made you do it?"
Smoking is easier than quitting. Staying where we are is much easier and more comfortable than working on ourselves and moving to a different place. It's hard. It hurts. It takes work. It
requires admitting painful things to ourselves.
Quitting smoking means admitting that you have been wrong all the years that you smoked. Quitting means admitting that you harmed yourself. Quitting means that you aren't cool just because you smoke. Quitting means that your parents were right. Quitting means that your husband/wife/kids/co-workers/society
was right. Quitting means you wasted THOUSANDS of dollars on cigarettes and insurance. Quitting means that you'll have to learn how to relax naturally. Quitting means losing a "friend."
Quitting means giving up your security blanket.
These are some of the hidden meanings behind quitting. Many are painful. They force you to admit you are wrong or are not superman. Most people hate to admit they have weakness. But
admitting weakness might be called the first step in most any 12-step addiction recovery program.
Examine why you smoke and you may find that you smoke not to get something, but instead to avoid or flee from something. This type of fear-motivated action (or inaction) is almost always
detrimental to health and happiness. Begin to focus on desire-motivated action
This leads us to:
WHY QUIT?
The reasons for quitting are voluminous: save money, improve your health, cut your risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and numerous other diseases, smell better, look younger, clean
teeth, nice breath, live longer, etc., etc.
Make sure you know exactly what you want to get out of quitting. If cutting your risk of lung cancer is hard to visualize, then focus on something more concrete such as the money you can save. See the hundreds of dollars you'll save stacking up in a big bank vault. See bright clean teeth when you smile. These reasons for quitting should be YOUR reasons for quitting. They should pull you to them like a magnet. Find the magnets that motivate you the most.
One word of warning: Avoid the flipside of the question "why quit?" The flipside is not the question "why smoke?" Instead,
it is "why NOT quit?" This is a dangerous question because it leads you down the easy path. Ask yourself "why not quit"
and you'll likely answer, "because I can't do it," or "because withdrawal makes me crazy," or "because I can't relax
without it," or "because I'm still young," or "because smoking isn't that bad for me," or "because I can quit anytime
I want," or "because I only smoke a few," or "because I failed to quit before." These are dead-end answers that will never
lead you out of the habit. They are lazy, defeatist, powerless answers. They are answers that allow you to put off quitting
until the tomorrow that never comes.
To quit, you must take back control of your life from cigarettes. Take responsibility for your own health and happiness.
It is you who puts the cigarettes in your mouth, and it is you who can take them out.
Ask yourself "why quit" and "why smoke" so that you can truly understand why you do what you do. Then begin to pursue the
positive reasons that will help you to quit smoking, ON PURPOSE.
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