If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never
take any chances. Julia Sorel 1926-
I. Thomas, pledge that I will not smoke even one little puff under any circumstances whatever it takes! I will respect myself enough to honor this promise NO MATTER WHAT!
Why am I still taking this pledge a year and 3 months after I decided to quit? Because I am an addict - just like you and I will always be an addict! It is my obligation to myself and to my Creator to remain vigilant and to pay forward to others what was given to me - the support it takes to bring a smoker out of the smoke cloud of addiction and learn to live smoke FREE! Even today, I am a puff away from a pack a day! I can choose any time to throw away my hard earned FREEDOM! But I won't! I RESPECT myself! I RESPECT my LIFE! I choose to live Addiction FREE! I was scared, embarrassed, and very hurt when I was diagnosed with a DEADLY smoke-related illness! I actually had friends who avoided me as if my illness might be contagious, I still have people look at me with pity! YUCK![b] But I will not let them who do not live in my skin effect me! I affirm the Quality of my life every single day! I live life to the fullest! I laugh with JOY because I choose to live smoke FREE! I work full time even though the "experts" tell me to quit and go on disability! I give it my ALL! And that means I come here every day to extend my hand to YOU because if I can live FREE and HAPPY Addiction FREE then you can too! It has nothing to do with this patch or that pill - it's what's inside that counts! LOVE YOURSELF enough to live one single day smoke FREE! ONE DAY! TODAY! Don't pay attention to the folks who say stupid things! Don't pay attention to the stress that comes up that day! How stressful do you suppose it is to have a chronic, terminal illness? Just live as best you can for YOU Smoke FREE for one single day! Find the YOU that's hiding under that Smoke Cloud of ADDICTION! It will change your life - profoundly - ALL for the better!
