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Share your quitting journey

Get Real

SimplySheri
Member
2 6 67

~~Addiction is the only disease that tells you that you don't have a disease.~~ Jason Z W Powers, MD

~~Addiction means we cannot imagine living without a substance, an activity, or a person, despite it having a detrimental impact on our emotions and responsibilities.  Living convinced you cannot live without is not living.  You deserve freedom and happiness.  There is always another way.~~ Unknown

Sometimes hearing the word "addiction" brings about images of heroin, cocaine, alcohol.  Many nicotine addicts scoff at the thought that they are an addict.  Smoking is still legal even though only in certain places and you can buy as many packs or cartons as you want.  Nicotine doesn't turn you into a raving lunatic like 'those drugs'.  And you only smoke four or five a day so what's the big deal?

Isn't it ironic that your addiction is telling you that you're not addicted?  Smoking kills.  Everyone...everyone!!...knows that.  And if it doesn't kill you, it may be killing your children through second hand smoke.  It may be killing your pet, your friends, or perfect strangers as they walk past your daily cloud of smoke.  But make no mistake...smoking is killing you as well, little by little, bit by bit.  Depleting your oxygen, damaging your heart, weakening your lungs.

As far as it not turning you into a raving lunatic....what happens when you don't get that hit of nicotine?  How long can you last before your every thought is a cigarette?  Once you take that hit, your brain may calm down but what happens when you can't smoke?  It builds to a bigger and bigger crave until you feel like you're going to scream if you don't get one, right?

Addiction is addiction.  It doesn't matter if it's cigarettes, alcohol, sex, gambling, or drugs.  It doesn't matter if you are rich, poor, college educated, male, or female.  It doesn't matter if you are newly addicted or have been addicted for years.  Addiction is addiction.

You deserve freedom and happiness.  You may think that you have that with smoking but in reality, you don't.  You may think you can't live without it, but in reality you can.  You can.  And quitting is the best gift you will ever give yourself!  It means you care about your life.  It means you want what's best for you.  It means freedom forever.

So get real about addiction.  It's the only way to get real about recovery.  

Sheri

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