Yikes!

Where did March go? I cannot believe Holy Week and Easter are soon upon us...this has been a particularly beautiful Lent; almost wishing it could go on. Our 13 Hours Devotion was an incredible experience all around. There were 3 visiting priests hearing confessions an hour before the closing Mass. The processional, then, saw six priests and our permanent deacon enter the sanctuary...what a sight! I can't remember the last time there were six priests around the altar during the consecration, or Communion being distributed ONLY by priests...it was a memory I'll treasure. Oh, and to top it off, the Mass was offered for the intention of my sil, +Lilia! How great was that?? So I've been coming down all week from that high!

My friend with bronchitis on the 11th was diagnosed with pneumonia on the 23rd...no hospitalization, tho...seems folks get sent home with antibiotics & told to rest. In the meantime I've learned of at least 3 others with pneumonia who've not been hospitalized...scares the life out of me...we've had warm/cool/cold weather, which fakes people out thinking spring is here...it's NOT, folks! Dress warmly, get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, eat healthy & take a daily vitamin. Common sense, for heaven's sake.

On the phone Wed. I gave my friend a double-whammy...sympathy & a dutch uncle talk: "QUIT SMOKING!!!!!" She tried to switch the conversation to another topic & I called her on it...talk about stubborn...just like I was. lol

"Oh, but I've cut way back," she says (mmm...perhaps...but the reality is, you're still smoking, Deb). "But I'm not ready," she says (When will you be, Deb?)(sigh).

So, Deb, you were planning to go to a conference this weekend...you won't now, will you, since you have pneumonia?? "Oh, yes I AM! I'll be all better by then." (WHAT??? In three days??? Come on...I can't wait to hear what that already deep watery cough sounds like, come Monday.) The woman needs our prayers...lots of our prayers, please.

Gratitude continues for my quit...it is only by God's grace working through the people in my life that I can say today that I am a quitter. There is such freedom in recovery from the addiction to nicotine--words cannot describe.

Do WITS (Whatever It TakeS), WIN (Whatever Is Necessary)...just don't smoke...feel free to reply to this post with your own thoughts/tips/inspiration for nic addicts. That's what this blog is for.

Have a great TGISF (Thank God It's Smokefree Friday)!

BTW, I'm no longer posting on the WebMD Smoking Cessation Support Group Message Board. Losing messages before they were posted became too frustrating...it was not a happy decision on my part, but I needed to maintain my sanity. :o)

Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Smoked 44+yrs.; 7+yrs. smokefree (by God's grace & The Land O'Smokeless, one day/hr/min/sec at a time); 86721 not smoked; $15,610+ saved; 43W 2h 50m added to the end of my life, God willing!

Hello...

Has been a few days since my last post...gears are meshing toward observance of 13 Hours Devotion for our six parishes, to be held at my parish, Saint James, in a few weeks...praying volunteers rise up & affix their signatures to the many vacant spots on the signup sheets! Please, Lord...

Received a good report at 6-mo. eye exam this morning...don't have to return for a year unless I notice any change in my eyesight.

A smoking friend is currently dealing with a bad cold...prayers it won't turn into another bout with bronchitis...there've been too many of them this winter.

To all quitters: Keep kickin' nic where it hurts: Right in his bony, bony BUTT!!

He deserves nothing but our contempt!

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Here's an Oldie for you...

Look what I found in my archives:

Ode to All Quitters

When I was young and in my prime
All rosy-cheecked & dewy,
I set upon a crooked path
which turned my life all screwy.

"Pray, tell us please," you plainly ask,
"What was the heinous crime?"
Why, nothing more and nothing less
Than buying nic's pure slime.

The lies he sold were of the kind
To turn one's head and flatter.
He said, "If you will join with me
Your body won't grow fatter."

He further said, "I'll soothe your nerves,
I'll ease your freak-out stress.
Just take one puff. It's quite enough
To lift you from that mess."

Ah, through the years it added up,
The price I really paid.
The good news, tho, is that today
My life I would not trade.

"Why?" you ask. I'll tell you why:
5 years I am smokefree!!
A sweet, sweet gift contingent on
My WITS, my WIN, you see.

The stressors come, the stressors go,
But I don't plan on cavin'.
As long as there's TLOS
To be my smokefree haven.
***********************

Yes, I wrote that nearly 3 years ago! Oh, and here's what those acronyms stand for: Whatever It TakeS (WITS), Whatever Is Necessary (WIN), The Land Of Smokeless (TLOS, which is what a group of us quitters back in '01 named the smoking cessation support group message board on WebMD).

Hope you enjoyed an awesomely smokefree weekend. If you're still smoking? Well, bottom line, friend...you need to quit. Scroll through my blog, read the posts, and do the deal for yourself, your own WITS, WIN. Become a participant in your own miracle of smokefreedom. You can watch it happen one day/hr/min/sec at a time...there is nothing like it in the world! And there is nothing more beautiful than the courage to change.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Heidy-ho...

good neighbor! Dang, the only time I can see Wilson is on Home Improvement reruns...I miss that dude.

The 69 pilgrims from our six-parish linkage are nearly four days into their trip to Roma...how well I remember our trek in 1996. Is the trip of a lifetime (thank you, Uncle Bill and Aunt Mabel) and one I shall never forget

How I wish I'd had a laptop back then...(still don't have one, actually). One of the parishioners is blogging whilst on the trip...it feels like she took all of us along with her! You can read (and travel) too...http://www.hejlikwoman.blogspot.com/

I was still smoking in 1996. If it hadn't been for someone (most likely my guardian angel) leaving the section of the New York Times containing the crossword puzzle and having a big bag of mints to suck on I might've croaked from a nicotine fit! That is a lonnnnnnggg flight, lemme tell ya.

That NYTimes crossword took me from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany to complete, but complete it, I did....and I kept it, too! Did I mention it was my first ever NYTimes crossword? They are tough.

Smoking in Rome...well, I'm surprised I didn't get lost, trying to sneak off to grab a smoke, excusing myself from the table to go outside to smoke, trying to hide the hand holding my cig kind of behind me, so no one would see. Good grief! I smelled like a chimney & didn't do the Spanish Steps cause I couldn't.

Still, I wouldn't have missed the trip for anything. The cradle of my faith...singing Gregorian chant at Mass in St. Peter's, being part of the group received in private audience by Pope John Paul II, and him shaking hands individually with the 200+ pilgrims encircling the room (the Sala Clementina) so that we could each have our pictures taken with His Holiness...and when he died (may he RIP), realizing that the room where he lay in state was the same room in which our audience was held...well, I cried my eyes out.

It took another 5 years for me to finally cooperate with God's will and kick nic(otine). On a daily basis I do my WITS, WIN to stay smokefree & leave the rest up to God. He hasn't failed me yet & I want it to stay that way.

If you're reading this and still puffing away I hope you'll take a serious look at yourself in the mirror. Lent is coming...a perfect time for turning over a new leaf and beginning a new life.

Lent is about conversion, so converting yourself from a smoker to a person who is smokefree fits right in. The smoking cessation support group message board over at WebMD is the place I found early in my quit...and it is there this wimp found HOPE. I realized that for me to stay smokefree over the long haul would mean serious nic maintenance on a daily basis.

Well, I'm grateful to say it's working! It has been 7 yrs., 9 mos. (one day/hr/min/sec at a time) since I smoked, thanks be to God, family, and friends.

You can do it...I did. If I can anybody can. Guaranteed. Pray for the willingness to be willing.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

"I'd rather be a quitter with an occasional urge to smoke than a smoker with the constant desire to quit." --From Junkie Thinkin'

Isn't Quitting Smoking for Myself Selfish???

IMHO, no. Here's what I believe:

I must quit for myself *first*, rather than quit *for* someone else because, if I quit for someone else, I run a huge risk of setting myself up for a bigtime resentment. If I should happen to slip or relapse it is a quick hop to then blame someone else for my slip or relapse, rather than take responsibility for my action.

I tell myself (falsely, yes, but remember, as a nic addict I suffer from Junkie Thinkin'): "If so and so hadn't done such and such I wouldn't have slipped/relapsed. It's all their fault!"

When demon nic hears me say that he's as happy as a pig in slop!! He's hooked me right back into his clutches, onto one super slippery slope back to smoking. Have I been there?? Yes, I've been there, absolutely!

Here's one example: I direct our church choir. One Easter a female choir member missed the rehearsal where I apologized to everyone for any out-of-the-ordinary curtness/impatience they might witness on my part, urging them not to take it personally, merely to rest assured I would return to my sweet charming self before very long.

Anyway, at the end of the Easter Vigil service, one in which the choir executed their role beautifully, I was taking deep breaths, "coming down," as it were, thanking God for his goodness, basking in the awesome afterglow of a job well done. Said choir member approached me with, "You know, we were pretty worried about you for awhile there (what? what? I'm frantically trying to follow her train of thought, trying to pay attention to her)...that maybe you were heading for a nervous breakdown (what? what? what in heaven's name is she talking about?), cause you get so wigged out every year." I still wasn't able to focus on what the heck she was talking about, and, frankly, mentally dismissed her, as I didn't want to interrupt that awesome afterglow basking.

Well, no matter...nic(otine) was willing to wait. At least he waited til I started driving home...then he began sending niggling thoughts into my head..."how dare C. rain on my parade? What a nerve! I'm really ticked!" Oh, my friends, I bought into nic hook, line, and sinker...how insensitive of her to damage my sensitive ego...sheesh...I worked up such a froth I couldn't get to the mini-mart fast enough, where I threw my money on the counter & lit up faster than who laid the rail.

Now, think about it...I sure the heck didn't hurt C. by relapsing, did I? No. The only person I hurt was myself...she was out there doing life's happy dance while I wallowed in my own miserable self-pity.

What's really sad is that it took me another 9 years of smoking to figure that out. I'm a slooowwwwww learner. (groan)

So if anybody out there is reading this...quit for YOU...please, first and foremost. Queen Mum believed this, too. Your family, friends, co-workers, PETS (!) will reap the side benefits...but you must do it for YOU. Taking care of ourselves first keeps us stronger and healthier so that we can care for others. Many of us were never taught this, but it's merely common sense. We can't give what we don't have.

Feel free to post comments or share similar experiences.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

A Visit to the Queen...

For a few days I'll have this photo of Queen Mum n'me posted on my profile page in addition to here. What a twinkle in her eye...and what a peach...a twinkly peach! lol Oh, and catch the notebook on the sofa...it contained board posts, messages from TLOS inhabitants, poetry, our songs, Junkie Thinkin', etc. Our gift to her for the momentous occasion. You folks were all right there with me that day.

On his WebMD entry Mike noted her sense of humor...right on, Mike! A number of times over the years she & I had phone conversations...the first half of each spent bemoaning our current particular fates (too hot/too cold/construction workers & jackhammers right outside my window/griping about the new board format/politics/politicians/kids/etc., etc., etc)(or read, "waaah, waaah, waaah!"). The last half of those conversations lightened up considerably, aka , "Didja hear the one about the.....???" Along with smart-ass comments on anything/everything, and pshaw-ing our current particular fates we'd finally say good-bye teary-eyed from laughing our heads off.

Sure beats the alternative, right? Right, Arleen!! LOL

Have a great smokefree Saturday, everyone...our Queen would've wanted it so.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

To Arleen...

Folks are stopping in to share memories over on the WebMD board:

http://boards.webmd.com/webx/topics/hd/General-Health/Smoking-Cessation-Support-Group/

Be sure to check them out...under "In Memoriam" thread.

I'm tracking down Arleen's obituary (hoping it's a fruitful quest) & will keep you informed.

I am most grateful to know she is now with Sherrie...she missed her daughter something fierce. Her younger daughter, Linda, still lives in the CA area, but have no other knowledge of her.

Am not feeling any urges to smoke (thank you, God)...just sadness, emptiness, loss...like I imagine most all of us are feeling.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Requiescat in pace...

As I posted earlier this morning on the WebMD smoking cessation support group message board: Word has been received that our friend and "quit-mentor," Queen Mum (aka Arleen, smokeless in CA, etc.), died January 14, 2009, after suffering a massive stroke two weeks earlier. Arleen lived in Mountain View, CA. My husband & I had the privilege of a short visit with her in 2006.

I will write more about that later. Right now I'm just trying to deal with the reality of her death. I feel very sad we have lost someone so passionate about doing WITS, WIN to hang onto her quit. She had her struggles, yes, and it took her more than one attempt. I remember many times her saying she handled her quit like a work project: Did the research, devised a plan & did the deal. Arleen was BIG on support and encouragement. One of her fave tag lines was "Alone *I* can't; together WE can."

So together let us mourn our friend and co-quitter, our mentor and Queen, Arleen. May she forever ride her purple Harley & brandish her Royal Scepter at the evil Dr. Schmoke.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--We Love You, Arleen--Mary Ann

Sad news...

My ex-husband's Mother died on Monday...an exceptional lady, reaching 98 years of age last summer, a lady always kind to me over the years. She loved her God and her family, was very accepting of others, and lived a life of unconditional love. We pray for the repose of her soul and God's healing and consolation for her family.

Stay warm and smokefree, everybody.

Spring is one day closer.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Breaking the Nicotine Addiction
by Noel E. Neff (written in 2006)

Until five years ago, Rhonda Rosburg was a heavy smoker—a habit she started as a teenager but one that left her literally breathless at 30,000 feet during an airplane flight home in 1998. As her husband watched helplessly, she began gasping for air and later landed in the emergency room in Rochester, Minn.

Although the episode was scary enough to make her husband stop smoking, Rosburg resumed her pack-a-day habit within months. Only when she started panting while climbing stairs at age 42 did she finally get the message. "I didn't want to be 80 years old with an oxygen tank,” says Rosburg, who overcame her nicotine addiction in 2001.

Almost every longtime smoker has attempted to kick the habit. But, in their initial enthusiasm, they discover quickly that changing behavior is only part of a complex transformation that also requires overcoming an addiction to nicotine. When inhaled by smoking tobacco products, this potent chemical sends the body conflicting signals, including physical and mood-altering effects in the brain that are temporarily pleasing. It is this satisfying "rush” that reinforces further tobacco use, says Dr. J. Taylor Hays of the Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center in Rochester. "Nicotine in tobacco smoke is delivered to the brain faster than intravenous medications,” Hays says. "It's powerfully addictive.”

To confront her addiction, Rosburg entered a residential treatment program at the Mayo Clinic, where she learned to change her smoking behaviors. She used nicotine-replacement products to gradually offset nicotine cravings as her body went through withdrawal. Rosburg took her last cigarette puff on June 8, 2001, and today at 47, she loathes cigarettes and has even enjoyed a health bonus: "I've lost 12 pounds because my lungs can finally handle jogging and running,” she says.

Joel Spitzer, a smoking prevention and cessation consultant based in Evanston, Ill., delivers a no-nonsense message to "smoke-a-holics”: Quit cold turkey! He says it's the easiest and most effective way to stop smoking for good.

"It's an addiction, like a recovering alcoholic taking a sip of a drink and suffering a relapse,” says Spitzer, author of the online guide Never Take Another Puff (at www.whyquit.com). "One drag on a cigarette can undo everything.”

Spitzer was a child when he convinced his mother to stop smoking and, for three decades, has led clinics and courses urging smokers never to take another puff. "You have a great chance of success if you recognize smoking as a drug addiction and not as just a bad habit,” he says.

Here are 10 strategies for breaking the nicotine addiction.

Set a date. Mark your calendar with an "I quit!” day, and get rid of all cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters and other items related to smoking.

Be prepared. Expect to experience withdrawal symptoms such as mood swings, headaches, hunger, anxiety and a lack of focus. Understand that these symptoms, while uncomfortable, are only temporary.

Trigger points. Recognize daily routines that trigger smoking, such as coffee breaks or watching television, and avoid or adapt them to discourage old behaviors.

Cut down on caffeine. Caffeine can make you feel edgy. Drink more water and juice to reduce cravings.

Exercise can help. Take a brisk walk or engage in another physical activity.

Practice deep breathing. It can help you relax and cope until cravings pass. Visualize your lungs filling with fresh, clean air.

Seek support. Join a support group such as Nicotine Anonymous (www.nicotine-anonymous.org), or attend a stop-smoking class.

Nicotine-replacement therapy. Over-the-counter products such as nicotine patches, gum and lozenges can help ease discomfort during withdrawal. Consult your physician about prescribed alternatives.

Positive reinforcement. Remind yourself of the health, social and financial benefits of not smoking.

Don't give up. If you try to quit and relapse, determine what went wrong and try again. Quitting smoking is a process. More than 46 million Americans have done it successfully, and you can, too.

Visit www.mayoclinic.org/stop-smoking for more information.

Noel E. Neff is a freelance writer in Fairfield County, Conn.
******************************************

Nothing like some good old-fashioned motivation to kick off a new week. Everything there to answer most all new quitters' questions, along with links to two awesome sites.

Make it a super smokefree Super Bowl Sunday!

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Hey, MTCL...

Thanks for posting your picture! It's much neater when we have an idea who we're "talking" to. Hope you had a good (smokefree) weekend. Are you still singing in the group you've occasionally spoken about?

Keep the Quit, Mary!

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Happy Smokefree Monday!

A smoker might ask: "Just what am I inhaling/ingesting when I smoke?"

Weeelllllll, are you ready for this???

599 Ingredients have been found in cigarettes. They include:

Acetanisole, Acetic Acid, Acetoin, Acetophenone, 6-Aetoxydihydrotheaspirane, 2-Acetyl-3-Ethylpyrazine, 2-Acetyl-5-Methylfuran, Acetylpyrazine, 2-Acetylpyridine, 3-Acetylpyridine, 2-Acetylthiazole, Aconitic Acid, dl-Alanine, Alfalfa Extract, Allspice Extract, Oleoresin and Oil, Allyl Hexanoate, Allyl Ionone, Almond Bitter Oil, Ambergris Tincture, Ammonia, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Ammonium Phosphate Dibasic, Ammonium Sulfide, Amyl Alcohol, Amyl Butyrate, Amyl Formate, Amyl Octanoate, alpha-Amylcinnamaldehyde, Amyris Oil, trans-Anethole, Angelica Root Extract, Oil and Seed Oil, Anise, Anise Star, Extract and Oils, Anisyl Acetate, Anisyl Alcohol, Anisyl Formate, Anisyl Phenylacetate, Apple Juice Concentrate Extract and Skins, Apricot Extract and Juice Concentrate, 1-Arginine, Asafetida Fluid Extract and Oil, Ascorbic Acid, 1-Asparagine Monohydrate 1-Aspartic Acid

And that's just the *A's*...only 554 ingredients to go so let's hit the *B's*:

Balsam Peru and Oil, Basil Oil, Bay Leaf and Sweet Oil, Beeswax White, Beet Juice Concentrate, Benzaldehyde, Benzaldehyde Glyceryl Acetal, Benzoic Acid, Benzoin, Benzoin Resin, Benzophenone, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Butyrate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Benzyl Propionate, Benzyl Salicylate, Bergamot Oil, Bisabolene, Black Currant Buds Absolute, Borneol, Bornyl Acetate, Buchu Leaf Oil, 1,3-Butanediol, 2,3-Butanedione, 1-Butanol, 2-Butanone, 4(2-Butenylidene)-3,5,5-Trimethyl-2-Cyclohexen-1-One, Butter, Butter Esters and Butter Oil, Butyl Acetate, Butyl Butyrate, Butyl Butyryl Lactate, Butyl Isovalerate, Butyl Phenylacetate, Butyl Undecylenate , 3-Butylidenephthalide Butyric Acid

Great! Only 517 to go...but we'll do some more of them tomorrow. Feel free to copy/paste your own list for future reference. I think Bard was the first to post them...back in the day.

Meditate on those chemicals my friends...internalize the fact we inhaled everyone of those 599 each time we puffed a cig. Makes me kinda nauseous...how about you? But it makes me feel even more grateful for the gift of being smokefree. Lord, let me use your awesome gift to do your will. Thank you for my family, friends, and the many folks on the WebMD smoking cessation board (who now are my friends, too) who walk with me on a daily basis. It is so freeing to know I don't have to do this alone!!!

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Here are a few health-related facts provided by the American Cancer Society that may help motivate you to quit:

• Almost half of all smokers who continue to smoke will end up dying from a smoking-related illness.

• Smoking is a risk factor for lung, mouth, laryngeal, pharyngeal, esophageal, bladder, kidney, pancreatic, cervical and stomach cancers.

• Smoking increases your risk of getting lung diseases like emphysema and COPD. • Smokers are twice as likely to die from a heart attack versus a non-smoker.

• Women who smoke are more likely to miscarry and deliver low birth weight babies.

• The CDC estimates that adult male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years from their lives, and female smokers 14.5 years, because of smoking.

Many of these adverse health effects of smoking can be greatly reduced or reversed through cessation. Immediate benefits include decrease in blood pressure, increased oxygen level and decreased carbon monoxide level in the blood, improved circulation, improved lung function and decreased shortness of breath. One year after quitting, the risk of developing coronary artery disease is reduced by nearly half compared to those who continue to smoke. The risk of smoking related cancers decreases after several years of abstinence. The sooner you quit smoking, the better chance you have of reversing these risks.

Smoking not only harms your health, but it affects the health of those around you. Secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths each year from lung cancer and heart disease in healthy non-smokers. Only you can make the decision to quit smoking. If you have decided to quit, you are taking the first steps on the smoking cessation path.
******************************

Food for thought on a smokefree Saturday. Please remember to pray for those still suffering from nicotine addiction and their families. (Secondhand smoke also kills.) Offer a hand up to anyone in need and take good care of yourself.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Welcome to

Deanie and Roger...you're both looking great! (And that scenery behind you looks awesome, too!) Hope you stop by now & then to post a comment, Deanie, just like I hope everyone will...this blog is for all us quitters.

Hang tuff--don't puff!

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Hi, Quitters!

Want to know what happens when you quit smoking? Here's the straight skinny from the American Lung Assn.:

When smokers quit, within 20 minutes of smoking that last cigarette the body begins a series of changes.

At 20 minutes after quitting: blood pressure decreases; pulse rate drops; body temperature of hands and feet increases.

At 8 hours: carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal; oxygen level in blood increases to normal.

At 24 hours: chance of a heart attack decreases.

At 48 hours: nerve endings start regrowing; ability to smell and taste is enhanced.

The first year after quitting:

At 2 weeks to 3 months: circulation improves; walking becomes easier; lung function increases.

1 to 9 months: coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease.

1 year: excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker.

Long-term Benefits of Quitting

At 5 years: from 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.

At 10 years: risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers; risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases; risk of ulcer decreases.

At 15 years: risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked; risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked

© 1999 American Lung Association
*************************************************

Smoking is no longer an option. One is too many; one hundred is not enough.

Remember: The craving will pass, whether or not you smoke. Soooooo...why smoke?

Want to reduce it down even further?

Okay.

"You see before you life and death. Choose life."

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Putting the Longjohns Back On Cause the Temps & Windchill Values are Tanking Tonight--Mary Ann

"I'd rather be a quitter with an occasional urge to smoke than a smoker with the constant desire to quit." --From Junkie Thinkin'

Sun's out...

a welcome sight, as are the moderating temps. I hope you are toasty where you are, enjoying yet one more day of smokefreedom. If you are a new quitter, maybe still in the throes of withdrawal, or at the point of realizing the fog is lifting (finally!), please know all quitters rejoice with you! You are reclaiming your life from demon nic(otine)!

The nic battle is won on a daily basis...and if you need to break it down even further, do it...WITS (Whatever It TakeS), WIN (Whatever Is Necessary). A successful nicotine recovery journey must include a healthy respect for nicotine. Why? Because it is an addictive drug, one not to be pooh-poohed. Nicotine is insidious, sneaky, brain-warping, and deadly. If I forget...or if I become complacent or lazy I'm opening my quit up to nicotine's slimy sabotage.

We've read the stories so often of folks who have years of smoberdom under their belts, who for all intents and purposes have their nic addiction under control. When you hear they slipped or relapsed you think, oh, no, not *them*! How could they let that happen?

Addicts are never cured of their addiction, no matter the substance (alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, nicotine, caffeine, etc.). Recovery is within the reach of all who are willing to do WITS, WIN, but a cure has not been discovered or manufactured.

And here's The Patience Prayer. It is a takeoff on The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr(sp) , reflecting our recovery from nicotine addiction.

Patience Prayer

God, grant me the Patience to let the smokefree process work. Help me keep in mind the length of time I smoked. Help me understand that I won't become smokefree overnight. Or even in a week, two weeks, three weeks.

Help me understand each of us is different and that becoming smokefree will take as long as it takes for me, just as it does for the next person.

Help me realize the futility of comparing myself to others in the process. It takes what it takes--for them, for me. Help me to a greater acceptance that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in the process, whether it is the first day, the 100th day, the 1,000th day.

Calm my spirit, allay my fears, remove the negativity and doubt from my life. Open my eyes and my heart as my smokefree process continues so that, with gratitude, I may be of service to others in their processes.

God bless us all on our smokefree journeys. Amen.
*****************

Remember, we need to learn to be kind to ourselves, because actually we're learning how to 'walk in this world' all over again, minus nicotine.

I'm looking over long-ago posts of mine & will be sharing them as time goes on...

Have yourselves a super smokefree Inauguration Day!

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Smoked 44+yrs.; 7+yrs. smokefree (by God's grace thru WebMD, my Land O'Smokeless friends and my family); 84,748 not smoked; $15,254+ saved; 42+weeks tacked onto my life's end, God willing! (Go to silkquit.org & download yourself a free quitmeter for even more motivation!)

Mea culpa, Pam, Mike, Bard, Debi, Mary...

for not acknowledging your visits and posts!!! How exciting!!! I'm gonna blame my forgetfulness on (ahem) CRS, a condition of age I've been told. Thank you for your support...I hope you come here often & let folks know how your smokefree life is going, or anything else you want to talk about. And pass the word, okay?

Have a wonderful smokefree Sunday!

Smoking is no longer an option.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Chicken Enchiladas...

We are celebrating my youngest son's 42nd birthday this weekend & the Silver Anniversary of making chicken enchiladas for his birthday dinner, with sauce hot enough to warm up anybody's innards, referred to (by those brave enough to eat them) as: "WHHH-AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" (enchilada-speak for "Ye gods, those are hot!!"). 2009's didn't disappoint, my friends. I watched sweat from my hubby's scalp run down his forehead & into his eyebrows...my criterion for successful enchilada-making.

One o'these days we'll have to have an old fashioned cyber-par-tay for all our smokefree friends...everybody from TLOS (The Land O'Smokeless) is invited...potluck, so bring your fave dishes. I'll give the hunky firedudes and firedudettes a call; maybe somebody could get ahold of Tiny Tina, the elfette. Mike, hopefully you can sneak away without havin' to drag Mel with you. Whaddya think, folks??

I'm grateful to be smokefree today & able to enjoy my son's and my hubby's company without having to excuse myself to go smoke...how cool is that?! The smokefree life is lived one day/hr/min/sec at a time, WITS (Whatever It TakeS), WIN (Whatever Is Necessary)...and with a full and conscious acknowledgment that I don't do it alone. God's grace, working through family and friends, is responsible. I'm merely cooperating with his grace.

In the coming days I'll be posting "The Patience Prayer" (a take-off on "The Serenity Prayer") and other quit/nicotine/addiction links, tips, info gleaned from various sources.

Enjoy your smokefree Saturday!

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

"I'd rather be a quitter with an occasional urge to smoke than a smoker with the constant desire to quit." --Paraphrased from "Junkie Thinkin"

Smoked 44+yrs.; 7+yrs. 8+mos. smokefree; 84,662 not smoked; $15,239+ saved; 41+weeks saved, God willing!

Hello...

My name is Mary Ann. I'm in recovery from nicotine addiction. By God's grace I've not smoked a cigarette since 12:00 noon, April 27, 2001, and for that I'm grateful. I offer nothing except understanding, support and encouragement to those who are deciding to quit, those who've just made the leap of faith to quit (& may be struggling at the moment), and those who've got a fair chunk of smokefreedom under their belts.

As has been said many times before, we're (all of us, no matter our smoking/smokefree status) regular folks who want to help each other kick nic(otine)'s bony butt to the curb.

I hope this blog will be a productive endeavor for all who want to be smokefree. No specific method or means of quitting will be emphasized more than another. Everybody's different. What we'll share here (in a spirit of friendship, civility, support and encouragement) is simply our experience, strength, and hope...much like happens at Alcoholics Anonymous. This means we are not here to judge one another.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

Hello, all you fabulous quitters! Heeeere's Junkie Thinkin'...

Simply put, nicotine is a addictive drug...a drug harder to kick than heroin, according to the American Medical Association. I'm a recovering nicotine addict, my thought processes influenced by nicotine, as in Junkie Thinkin' (feel free to copy as an aid to your recovery from nicotine addiction):
JUNKIE THINKING: “One puff won’t hurt.” RESPONSE: “One puff will always hurt me, and it always will because I’m not a social smoker. One puff and I’ll be smoking compulsively again.”
JUNKIE THINKING: “I only want one.” RESPONSE: “I have never only wanted one. In fact, I want 20-30 a day, every day. I want them all.”
JUNKIE THINKING: “I’ll just be a social smoker.” RESPONSE: “I’m a chronic, compulsive smoker, and once I smoke one I’ll quickly be thinking about the next one. Social smokers can take or leave it. That’s not me.”
JUNKIE THINKING: “I’m doing so well, one won’t hurt me now.” RESPONSE: “The only reason I’m doing so well is because I haven’t taken the first one. Yet once I do, I won’t be doing well anymore. I’ll be smoking again.”
JUNKIE THINKING: “I’ll just stop again.” RESPONSE: “Sounds easy, but who am I trying to kid? Look how long it took me to stop this time. And once I start, how long will it take before I get sick enough to face withdrawal again? In fact, when I’m back in the grip of compulsion, what guarantee do I have that I’ll ever be able to stop again?”
JUNKIE THINKING: “If I slip, I’ll keep trying.” RESPONSE: “If I think I can get away with one little ‘slip’ now I’ll think I can get away with another little ‘slip’ later on.”
JUNKIE THINKING: “I need one to get me through this withdrawal.” RESPONSE: “Smoking will not get me through the discomfort of not smoking. It will only get me back to smoking. One puff stops the process of withdrawal and I’ll have to go through it all over again.”
JUNKIE THINKING: “I miss smoking right now.” RESPONSE: “Of course I miss something I’ve been doing every day for most of my life. But do I miss the chest pain right now? Do I miss the worry, the embarrassment? I’d rather be an ex-smoker with an occasional desire to smoke, than a smoker with a constant desire to stop doing it.”
JUNKIE THINKING: “I really need to smoke now, I’m so upset.” RESPONSE: “Smoking is not going to fix anything. I’ll still be upset, I’ll just be an upset smoker. I never have to have a cigarette. Smoking is not a need; it’s a want. Once the crisis is over, I’ll be relieved and grateful I’m still not smoking.”
JUNKIE THINKING: “I don’t care.” RESPONSE: “What is it exactly that I think that I don’t care about? Can I truthfully say I don’t care about chest pain? I don’t care about gagging in the morning? I don’t care about lung cancer? No, I care about these things very much. That’s why I stopped smoking in the first place.
JUNKIE THINKING: “What difference does it make, anyway?” RESPONSE: “It makes a difference in the way I breathe, the way my heart beats, the way I feel about myself. It makes a tremendous difference in every aspect of my physical and emotional health.”

OTHER JUNKIE THINKING: Why bother quitting? We all have to die sometime. I deserve to smoke. Cigarettes are all I've got left. They get to smoke. It would taste so good. They're smoking and it's not hurting them. Smoking wasn't really so bad. This won't count because____. I know I can't smoke just one, but I hope I can. I’ll do it fast before I think about it. If no one can see me it doesn’t count.
More Junkie Thinking! by mindy112, on 7/5/2003 (Found these on another Junkie Thinking thread...I think it was About.com):
JUNKIE THINKING: "I'm bored" RESPONSE: Smoking is an "activity" or "something to do" only for smokers. I'm really not "doing" anything when I smoke except still sitting/standing there. The rest of the world survives occasional boredom quite well without inhaling life-challenging chemicals.
JUNKIE THINKING: "But they've been smoking on TV and in the movies for years! There are even magazines devoted to tobacco products!”
RESPONSE: That's right. They were on TV for years, I wasn't. I'm still alive; many of them aren't and they departed this vale of tears in prolonged and painful ways. And the smiling faces in the magazines now are risking painful and disfiguring surgery later, at which point they won't be smiling at all.
JUNKIE THINKING: "Its so nice to go out for a 'breath of fresh air' and a cigarette." RESPONSE: Fresh air? I've got to be kidding. And face it, sunny days are one thing, but how many days do I huddle out in the rain with the rain hitting the cigarette and turning the cigarette paper that disgusting yellow color? How many times is it windy and it takes forever to keep a match or lighter lit long enough to light the cigarette, and then how often does a gust of wind come up and blow the ashes into my eyes? And when it’s icy outside, freezing my face off is bad enough, but when it defrosts, there's this bizarre yellow condensation around my nostrils. Now THAT'S attractive.
JUNKIE THINKING: "Smoking makes work go faster." RESPONSE: Most jobs where you work indoors are with companies who ban smoking in the workplace. Some companies won't hire me if I smoke. And every time I stop for a smoke it actually prolongs my work, since I'm not busy accomplishing it.

Reprinting Junkie Thinkin' is a selfish effort on my part, folks, it reminds me I'm addicted to nicotine. While there is no cure for nicotine addiction we can recover from it (& even though nic would like us to believe all addicts are doomed to lives of deprivation and boredom it's just another nic lie!!).

Staying nic-free is an ongoing process for me, absolutely contingent on doing Whatever It TakeS (WITS), Whatever Is Necessary (WIN). My day begins with a prayer of gratitude that I am still smoke free, followed by conscious reminders during the day of my smoking life pre 4/27/01, and why, since then, smoking is no longer an option for me.

We all pay our "nic dues" one way or the other, folks. If you're out there lurking trying to decide whether or not to quit smoking get yourself in here & share your journey to smokefreedom. If folks hadn't been supportive and encouraging I'd either be deathly ill today...or dead. Support and encouragement made all the difference.

There is no single "right" way to quit. Each person is different. A method that didn't work for you in the past just MIGHT this time. The point is, keep trying. You deserve a better life, a longer life. Remember...no one is a failure as long as we continue to try!!!!!! The failure comes when we stop trying.

Sending prayers, ~~~P.V.'s~~~ (Positive Vibes), and ((((hugs)))) to all who need 'em today. Alone *I* can't. Together WE can. Stick around this place and watch your miracle happen. (Thanks, Arleen.) To all new quitters: Keep up the good work, one day/hr/min/sec at a time!!

Post, don't puff--posting's saved many a quit--mine included.

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann

"I'd rather be a quitter with an occasional urge to smoke than a smoker with the constant desire to quit." --Paraphrased from Junkie Thinkin'.
Smoked 44+yrs.; 7+yrs. smokefree by God's grace thru TLOS (The Land O'Smokeless, WebMD Smoking Cessation Message Board Support Group), one day/hr/min/sec at a time.

As of this date I am only aware of one possible source for Junkie Thinkin'..."Hooked But Not Helpless" by Patricia Allison and Jack Yost. If you use all or any part of Junkie Thinkin' please make proper attribution.