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On Being of More than Tender Years

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 653

Peteg-- very wise words, as always!

About that couple- they live close to my hometown, in Nova Scotia, so therefore I've taken an interest in the story- as have many Canadians, I'm sure! They are elderly and the woman has fought and won a cancer battle, so they decided that they had all they needed! They have kept enough for themselves to be comfortable, and shared the rest with family and charity. Truly an inspiration to us all! And a bit of reality of what is important in life.

Keep up the quit, y'all!!

Tiana, Health Educator

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14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 206

I have not gotten around to finding the article yet (besides, if they didn't give it to me, then who the heck cares!), but it seriously made me remember all of the horror stories I have read about people who suddenly came into gobs and gobs of money. One poor guy inWest Virginia some years ago, did everything right; built a new church, gave tons to his town and to charity, but it still got away from him eventually and even killed his granddaughter!

And yet, how many of us still occasionally sit around dreaming of how wonderful it would be if we won the lottery?? (This is actually going somewhere, I promise.) We all think we'd be different, we'd be protected, we'd never succumb to the greed and sycophants who have suddenly become a thousand or so of our new best friends.

Me, I'm scared to death of money. I know what it does to people... I see it all the time in families I know.

So I don't crave riches; when it comes right down to it, don't we want riches because they will buy us freedom?

And yet here we are, pursuing the richest kind of freedom there is -- freedom from addiction -- and saving money at the same time! It's not always a walk in the park, but it sure is the best of both worlds, no??

peteg

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 880

Break Through:

Thank you for that story. There are a couple of people who know who they are. Talk about focus...They have it in spades...I hope that your quit is going well.

stay well

nonic

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14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11

I read this article yesterday about an older couple that won the lotto and how they are responding to such an event. It makes you really think.

Google: couple gives away 11M

Thanks

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 880

Collina

I do hope that the headaches go away soon...Yes I agree, the road to cessation is not a passive activity. We are changing our lives in a very fundamental way. The old way of doing things must in some way be modified so that we allow ourselves to accept cessation.

Hang in there, the journey is well worth the price of the ticket...

stay well

nonic

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14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 17

I've been revisiting this post, because I know I'm close to the physical poison leaving my body, but why the headaches and cravings? I don't want to smoke, the poison is purged, but I'm craving it.

The psychological journey in front of me is a little daunting, but like I've been telling myself "if I can't control everything, at least I can control this." This isn't my first attempt, but I think this will be the first time I travel this journey with the mindset of "journey" and "discovery", rather than ticking off days and milestones.

Let the self discovery journey begin... well as soon as this headache goes away

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 880

Peteg:

That's funny...All except the last bit. I know its hard. There is nothing funny about the attachment we have made to cigarettes. I used it to get myself over those terrible feelings of anxiety and fear and all of the stuff that goes round in humans. And when we decide not to smoke any more, we have to realize that we are going to have to "clean up" the other stuff in new and different ways. That can be difficult, but certainly not impossible. What we have to do is find our way out of the darkness, without the glow of a cigarette. That glow only makes the darkness "seem" tolerable. And that is intolerable.

You are correct I am not in any way shape or form qualified to deal with any of this. However, I do not think that it is honest to sweep it under the rug either. So anyone who feels that they have been using this particular drug as an antidepressant should seek medical support. There is a great deal of sadness in this world, but there is also happiness to be found. Each of us in our own way must find our own method of finding the balance that is necessary to live in this world. All things are neither as good as they seem or as bad as they appear. For me it is all about (and me alone) measuring the sum total of who I am and then taking on those external forces that often make my math a bit hazy.

Peteg, I know you struggle with this greatly. I do too. But we must in some way accept that the thing we believe will make the world a sunny day, is in the end killing us. It is and that is really intolerable...

stay well

nonic

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14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 206

My Dear Nonic, I find that I am becoming your shadow on these boards. You can maybe call me Grasshopper and tell me when I am getting close.

Being your little Grasshopper prevents me from saying things like "You are so right" or "I agree," because good Grasshoppers always do those things.

So all I can say is confronting the physical addiction is, as you have said, merely a prelude to the real work of looking at the emotional/spiritual/psychological need that seems only to be met by nicotene. Once we hit that physical barrier of Day 3 or 4 or 5 and get the poison out of our physical system, the real work begins, does it not? Is not the more crucial question, "Why do I insist on poisoning myself?"

Neither you nor I would ever dare to claim to be authoritative on such a question, but I suspect we have both wrestled with it and can share nothing more than our own play-by-play tapes with whomever might wonder if our experience might help them.

In short: After Day 7 (or whenever), we womped the physical demon. The psychological/emotional/spiritual battle is now in full force. We will not relent, will we? Not One Puff, Ever. (I miss it so, even to this day; God have mercy on me!)

peteg

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 880

Tiana:

Thank you so much for being here. There are many folks who need your assistance. It is truly a blessing that this site exists. I doubt very much that I would have come this far had it not been for the opportunity to share my experiences with others going through the same things...

stay well

nonic

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14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 880

Peteg:

It is so good to see you here again. You always bring a great deal of energy to this forum. It is a pleasure to read your posts. I know how difficult this can be and my heart goes out to all who are seeing it through. We really must use all of our powers to focus on the root causes of the addiction. It is difficult enough to overcome the physical side of the addiction. It almost seems unfair to learn that there is an emotional element to it as well. But that is the nature of beast and we must find a way to conquer it.

Keep posting, you may not know it, but many people benefit from your input...

stay well

nonic

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On Being of More than Tender Years