~~The past does not have to be your prison. You have a voice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take.~~ max Lucado
I think that sometimes we forget that. And other times it's easier to blame the world for our stress and our anxiety and our depression. Going back to smoking, we believe, is the only option to 'feeling better'.
Underneath those awful layers of feeling bad about ourselves, our world, our lives, and our behaviors lies the horrible truths about addiction. And the truth is that addiction can kill us. So surface stuff says "I need this to relax" when the truth is "One more puff could lead to emphysema...or cancer...or heart disease...or gum disease...."
One of the best tools I used to quit smoking was something my never smoking son said to me. "Mom, you don't need a cigarette. You just want one." A small word change but with a huge impact for me. Every time I smoked after that, I would own it. "I want a cigarette" or "This may kill me but I choose to smoke". By taking addiction's lies away from what I was doing, my mind was able to more fully embrace the idea that I was doing something that would ultimately kill me.
You have a voice in your destiny. You truly do. But you have to get past the lies of addiction. You have to own your smoking like you tried to own your quit. Be honest about it. See it for what it is. And in doing so, you will be moving past all the lies addiction tells you into the truth of what smoking really is. A killer.
You can only chose when you truly see. Addiction covers up what is really happening so it's up to you to peel back the lies and make choices about what is truly going on.
I hope this makes sense 
Sometimes I have thoughts in my head that don't come across in actual words, especially when I need to get to work so I rush just a bit. My hope is that you get something positive out of my posts, no matter if you understand my intent or not.
Make today your best day ever!!
Sheri
