I have posted this response to a couple of blogs in the last two days and feel there is a message here for all! So I am posting a slightly edited version here today! It is in regards to rewards for milestones, and that idea that we can have just one cigarette!
To my way of thinking we are conditioned to expect rewards when we reach milestones! For my early ones, I told myself that I had done very well, and I should be able to have one cigarette for a reward! I realized eventually that the junkie in me was looking for anyway that he could find to get a toehold, and climb back into the drivers seat of my life! A cigarette is not a reward! It is a gang member that comes after you! And they come in packs of twenty! Once you burn one, the rest will come after you! And they will never stop. Pack after pack! They just keep coming! They take your time, your money, your dignity, and your self esteem. And when there is nothing left, they take your life!
That is why I believe we should give ourselve tangible rewards as we reach milestones! Treat yourself well! Respect what you have done, and protect it with your very life!
