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Post by SaraLee on Mar 2, 2004 14:54:02 GMT -5
Here's a poem I found on the web. I changed a few lines and added to it.
One Day at a Time
Whatever the goal your pursuing,
no matter what the climb,
you will certainly get there
by taking One Day at a Time.
"Forever" is hard to imagine,
"the future" may seem far away,
Each 24 hours begins
another time frame called Today
To be successful with your goal
and keep focused on your plan.
You only need to peruse it
in the day that is at hand.
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Post by SunnyGirl on Mar 2, 2004 16:06:04 GMT -5
I like the words you have added.....
Thanks for sharing ((((( SaraLee ))))))
Hugs, SG
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Post by SunnyGirl on Mar 2, 2004 16:17:43 GMT -5
12 Steps of Nicotine Anonymous
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly
followed our path. Those who do not recover are people
who cannot or will not completely give themselves to
this simple program, usually men and women who are
constitutionally incapable of being honest with
themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not
at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They
are naturally incapable of developing a manner of living
which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are
less than average. There are those two who suffer from
grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of
them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to
be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If
you have decided you want what we have and are
willing to go to any length to get it--then you are ready
to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked. We thought we could find
an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the
earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be
fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us
have tried to hold on to our old ideas, and the result
was nil until we let go absolutely.
Remember that we deal with nicotine – cunning, baffling,
powerful. Without Help it is too much for us. But there is
one who has all power--that one is God. May you find
Him now!
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the
turning point. We asked His protection and care with
complete abandon.
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a
program of recovery:- 1. We admitted we were powerless over nicotine--that
our lives had become unmanageable.
- 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves
could restore us to sanity.
- 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to
the care of God, as we understood Him.
- 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of
ourselves.
- 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human
being, the exact nature of our wrongs.
- 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these
defects of character.
- 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and
became willing to make amends to them all.
- 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible,
except when to do so would injure them or others.
- 10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when
we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve
our conscious contact with God as we understood Him,
praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and the
power to carry that out.
- 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of
these steps, we tried to carry this message to nicotine
users, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! i can't go through
with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has
been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence
to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that
we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles
we have set down are guides to progress. we claim spiritual
progress rather than spiritual perfection.
Our description of the nicotine user, and our personal
adventures before and after make clear three pertinent
ideas:- (a) That we were addicted to nicotine and could not
manage our lives.
- (b) That probably no human power could have
relieved our addiction.
- (c) That God could and would if He were sought.
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Post by SunnyGirl on Mar 2, 2004 16:46:34 GMT -5
Tips for Gaining Freedom from Nicotine Addiction
This brochure contains practical suggestions for people
new to not smoking and new to Nicotine Anonymous.
Used in conjunction with regular attendance at meetings
and with practice of the Twelve Steps, they can help you
live happily, free of nicotine. - 1. It's not as hard as you think. Once you begin to be
honest with yourself and to look at the facts about
smoking, it will become a pleasure to remove this
addiction from your life.
- 2. Square off with your smoking habit. Look at it and
size it up. Ask yourself exactly what it is doing for you;
then ask yourself what it is not doing for you. You can
begin with your hair and work your way down to the
tips of your toes. It is a medical fact that smoking
affects every organ in the human body in a harmful way.
- 3. Look at quitting cigarettes as giving yourself a gift-a
very big gift. You are giving yourself a better quality of
life and, very possibly, a longer life. You are giving
yourself a healthier body. You are giving yourself more
self-esteem. Wrap all this in a package and took at it for
the gift it really is, then "Go for it!"
- 4. Set a date. Make a commitment. Give it a try. Remember,
it is alright if you don't succeed at first. Just keep trying.
The only way you can lose is by ceasing to try.
- 5. Don't look at it as if you are giving up something. This
makes it seem too much like a loss. What you are really
doing is tossing something out of your life that has done
you harm and doesn't belong here anymore. You are
throwing away pure garbage. No longer are you going
to allow your lungs to be a resting place for nicotine and
tars.
- 6. Always keep a positive attitude. After all, this is one
of the most positive things you've ever done. Stay away
from negative people and worrisome situations.
- 7. Quit for yourself. Even though your family and loved
ones will benefit tremendously from your quitting, it is
you that will benefit most.
- 8. Treat giving up smoking with the respect it rightly
deserves. Become willing to go to any lengths to remove
it from your life. If you are not willing, try praying for the
willingness. This usually works.
- 9. Look up the word 'nicotine' in your dictionary and write
down the definition in big letters: "A poisonous alkaloid
used as an insecticide.' Put it where you can see it.
- 10. Don't say "I'll take my chances' and continue to smoke.
They are not ours to take. We didn't give ourselves life
and we don't have the right to "take our chances" on
iving it away. That is up to God.
- 11. Don't fool yourself by saying you have too many
pressures in your life right now to give up cigarettes. If
you are smoking, this in itself is a pressures very great
pressure. Every day is a gamble and your life is at stake.
By getting nicotine out of your life, other things will become
easier to handle. You will feel better about yourself and
you will have more energy. You will have accomplished
something more meaningful than all the money and
material objects you could ever acquire. You will have
given yourself what no one else could give you. You will
no longer have the pressure of being a smoker.
- 12. Don't use the excuse that you might gain weight to
justify your continuing to smoke. Even if you do gain a
little, the fact that you will be more active and will get
more exercise should counteract any weight gain.
Remember, overeating, not stopping smoking, causes
weight gain.
- 13. Plan to do things that will keep your mind off smoking.
Sometimes our minds can be our worst enemies. They
will tell us that we need a cigarette for just about any
reason that is handy at the time. By doing things like
going to the movies in the non-smoking section, munching
on corn or sucking on a lollipop, we can keep our minds
occupied and get a break. Go to museums and other places
where smoking isn't allowed. Swimming is a good idea,
too.
- 14. Quit smoking one day at a time and think only about
the part of the day you are in. "I am not going to smoke
before noon." "I am not going to smoke before three
o'clock." Sometimes just do it one hour at a time. This
is a lot easier than trying to quit forever.
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Post by SunnyGirl on Mar 2, 2004 16:48:38 GMT -5
Continued - 15. Don't subject yourself to smoky situations. If you do
come in contact with someone who is smoking, just say
to yourself "He is having the cigarette I might be having";
then, be grateful you don't have to have it.
- 16. While you are quitting. Look at it as an investment.
Once you have quit for one hour, you have invested this
hour in becoming a healthier person. Now, invest one
more hour Continue to add to your investment hour
by
hour. It will grow and become more valuable as the hours
go by. You will begin to see and feel the rewards from
this investment more and more. Protect and guard it
just as you would a treasure.
- 17. Start being kind to yourself, It is the beginning of a
new way of life for you and you are the most important
one there. Treat yourself with respect and love and,
remember, you are no longer filling your system with
poison every few minutes. Breathe the clean air and
breathe it deeply. Smell the different and wonderful
fragrances. Begin to spend time outdoors close to nature.
Many new sensations await you.
- 18. Don't get too angry. If we are angry, our minds tell
us we need a cigarette to cope. Until your mind learns
that it doesn't need a cigarette to cope, try to avoid
situations that might be setting you up. Avoid certain
people that may bother you. If there is a lot of tension
at work, try to get a few days off. If you can't get some
time off, quit smoking on a long weekend. Avoid, as best
you can, things like getting stuck in traffic. Use a lot of
caution. Anger can be very destructive.
- 19. Don't get too hungry. It is amazing how our minds
will tell us that everything's wrong when all we really
need to do is eat.
- 20. Don't get too tired. If we are tired, it is easy to
become irritated and when we get irritated our minds
will tell us that a cigarette will help. Our overall resistance
becomes weak and it is easy to say, "Oh well, I guess
I'll smoke."
- 21. Don't get too lonely. It is good to know some people
who are going through the same thing. By going to
Nicotine Anonymous meetings you can get phone
numbers of such people.
- 22. You can remember these four things by the word
"HALT." Hungry, angry, lonely, tired. If you feel you
need a cigarette, check. Make sure you are not experiencing
any of these.
- 23. Don't get too bored. It is hard to just sit and not
smoke. Keep busy. Find things to do that you enjoy.
Bike riding, hiking, swimming, exploring new places,
trying new restaurants. This is the time to indulge
yourself.
- 24. Have something to fidget with. We are accustomed
to holding a cigarette; being without one might leave
our hands at a loss. Get a small rubber ball or a yo-yo.
Play dough is good also, or a piece of clay.
- 25. Have something handy to put in your mouth. Life
Savers are good, or any slowly dissolving candy. Beef
jerky and lollipops help, too. Avoid fattening foods like
cookies. They don't last long and they fill you up.
Experiment while you are still smoking to see what will
relieve the craving. If Life Savers work, then stock up.
Just a note of caution: don't use this type of substitute
on a long-term basis.
- 26. If you always have a cigarette with a cup of coffee,
stop drinking coffee before you quit smoking.
- 27. Don't drink alcohol while you are quitting. Once alcohol
is in your system your defenses will diminish greatly.
- 28. Remember that the discomfort you experience in the
first 2 weeks will definitely come to an end and you will
never have to go through it again.
- 29. Frequently give yourself a pat on the back. What you
are doing isn't easy by any means. It takes a lot of guts
to try to quit smoking.
- 30. If you are feeling pain from withdrawal, let it become
a lasting memory to serve as a reminder of exactly how
strong the drug nicotine is and how hooked you really are.
- 31. Remember, every minute you were sucking on cigarettes
they were sucking on you. They were sucking the very
life out of you. Don't let them have anymore.
- 32. Avoid the self-pity trap. If we begin to feel sorry for
ourselves, our minds will tell us that we deserve a
cigarette to make us feel better.
- 33. Remember, if you just keep trying, you will win. It is
good against evil and the odds are stacked in your
favor.
- 34. Before quitting plan your activities for the first few
days after you quit. This way you won't have to make
too many decisions while you are withdrawing. At first,
making decisions may be hard without a cigarette.
- 35. If you are not going to quit right away, then start
cutting down. If you smoke 2 packs a day and you cut
back 1 cigarette a day for a month, you will be down to
just 10 cigarettes a day. Some people, however, have
found cutting back to be almost as hard as quitting.
- 36. Drink lots of liquids to help flush the poison out of
your system. Orange juice is good because smoking
depletes the vitamin C content in our bodies.
- 37. Remember, it is the first cigarette that gets you
started. It takes only one. This is the one you don't
have. You can always put off lighting that first one for a
little while. Don't fool yourself and think you can start
and stop at will. You can't. Many people have tried this
and gone on to live the rest of their lives never to
experience freedom from nicotine again.
- 38. Frequently remind yourself about the differences you
have noticed in yourself. Things like: Your breath no
longer smells like a dirty ashtray. Your teeth are beginning
to lose their yellow color and look bright and clean. Your
fingers aren't stained from tobacco. That sickly sounding
smoker's cough is disappearing. Your senses of smell
and taste are returning. Your complexion is beginning to
Improve. Your general attitude about yourself is better
because you are beginning to really care about
yourself.
- 39. Give it away. Whenever you have a chance to give
your experience, strength and hope to another smoker,
use it. This act of giving will insure your chances for
staying off nicotine and give strength to your program.
There is much reward in helping someone else to gain
freedom from this harmful substance.
- 40. Have a follow-up program. Don't assume it is over
because you have made it through a couple of weeks.
Nicotine is very cunning. Continue to attend Nicotine
Anonymous meetings. If there are no meetings in your
area, help to get one started. It is very simple. All you
need are a place to meet and a few interested people.
- 41. When you want to smoke, read this list of tips.
- 42. Go to meetings, go to meetings, go to meetings and
don't smoke in between!
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Post by caressa222 on Mar 14, 2021 3:50:19 GMT -5
Sadly, we can't go to meetings like we use to, but you can go to Zoom and pick up the phone and talk to someone in recovery.
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. I will be back looking for Lin and others.