MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION
Posted by: foxy9 - Apr 22, 1999
BUTTERFLY STORY
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force it's body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.
So the man decided to help the butterfly, he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved it's freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.
So have a nice day and struggle a little.
posted on as3 by "Tarzan"
Posted by: foxy9 - Apr 22, 1999
THE SMOKER'S VOW
To be said just before taking your first puff after having quit for any appreciable period of time
With this puff I enslave myself
to a lifetime of addiction.
While I can't promise to always love you,
I do promise to obey every craving and
support my addiction to you
no matter how expensive you become
.
I will let no husband or wife,
no family member or friend,
no doctor or any other health professional,
no employer or government policy,
no burns or no stench,
no cough or raspy voice,
no cancer or emphysema,
no heart attack or stroke,
no threat of loss of life or limbs,
come between us.
I will smoke you forever
from this day forth,
for better or worse,
whether richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health,
till death do us part!
"You may now light the cigarette."
"I now pronounce you a full-fledged smoker."
Postscript: While 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce, the addiction to smoking will last a lifetime—albeit a shorter lifetime. Once a smoker, annulment of the addiction is impossible. One puff can result in a permanent relapse. Don't take the chance of relapsing to this marriage of inconvenience.
Never Take Another Puff!
Posted by: foxy9 - Apr 22, 1999
ODE TO THE NICODEMON
I have taken over you,
Growing slowly throughout the years.
I gave you visions of ecstasy
While I fed upon your fears;
I made you feel inadequate,
I crept into your soul;
I was growing, ever stronger
As your heart was growing cold.
I let you see only hopelessness,
the hurting pain and strife.
I pushed until your will collapsed
so I could own your very life.
Now, I am feeling some resistance,
I can feel your spirit grow.
I sense somewhere in the distance
You are searching for your soul.
My life is slowly ebbing,
Into darkness I must go;
But as I lie here sleeping
I will never cease to grow.
For I am always in you,
I will never truly end.
So you must keep a constant vigil
Or I will own you once again.
I will lie here always
Creating voices in your mind.
So you must keep a constant vigil
For I am always keeping mine.
QuitNet
Posted by: foxy9 - Apr 22, 1999
Tackling Cravings and Relapse
Recognizing a Relapse Crisis
Relapse is a two-step process -- a tobacco risk situation combined with an inadequate coping response. A slip or two on the way to success does not make you a failure. The only real failure occurs when you completely give up your efforts to stop your tobacco use. If you find yourself slipping, stop the process as early as possible and regain control of your tobacco use.
Keep a careful lookout for tobacco craving triggers. Cravings are often triggered by pleasurable memories connected to using tobacco or being with tobacco users, places or situations in which you habitually used tobacco, or excessive stress.
A relapse crisis is often first marked by increasing feelings of self-pity, irritability, depression or anxiety. Or, you just think a lot about using tobacco again. It is often characterized by a sudden change in your mood, bodily complaints, emotional confusion, and/or anxiety, which (if not controlled) will result in a relapse episode.
Your behavior can be irrational, emotional, forgetful or out of control. Although different individuals will display different sets of relapse symptoms, the users and their loved ones can learn to identify them and intervene in the early phases of the process. This is very helpful in reducing the frequency and intensity of relapse cycles.
The duration of a relapse cycle is unpredictable, but it can last from a few minutes, to a half hour, to several hours, to several days. The cravings are a manifestation of your need for tobacco and a sign of how much it was integrated into your lifestyle. Therefore, relapse is a phenomenon that can reappear periodically your life.
Certain times have been identified as being "high relapse periods" in the recovery process. The good news is that the frequency and intensity of cravings rapidly decrease over time. From the moment of abstinence, peaks in relapse commonly occur:
After the first 24 hours
After seven days After 14 days
After 30 days
After 90 days
After six months
After one year
After two years
After five years, and
After 11 years.
Very few relapses (only two to nine percent) occur because of physical withdrawal symptoms. Most occur when you are anxious, angry, frustrated or depressed -- and especially if you are offered tobacco at such times.
Avoid getting too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired (remember H.A.L.T.); these are common relapse times. Take care of these needs first by eating, talking to a friend, exercise or getting some rest.
Stopping your tobacco habit will not eliminate other problems in your life, such as family problems, health problems, school and studying difficulties, work problems, and financial or legal problems.
Full recovery from tobacco dependency is much more than just stopping your tobacco habit. It is a life-long process of learning to cope with life stressors and personal relationships in a way that enhances personal wellness, while remaining free from your old tobacco habit.
It is normal for you to expect satisfaction from your efforts to stop your tobacco use, but during difficult times, it may not feel very satisfying. At such times, you are at risk for turning to tobacco to cope.
It is hard to estimate how much satisfaction is realistic for a situation or for an individual, but often tobacco-dependent people exaggerate the severity of the stress or expect more satisfaction than is truly realistic. If you find yourself feeling frequently dissatisfied, examine your assessments and expectations of your problems and goals.
Your dissatisfaction can be a barometer pointing to an area of your life that needs your attention, now that you are not preoccupied with tobacco. It can lead you to very powerful and positive changes in your life. .............posted by jojomama/Robyn 3M1W2D
If you have words of Inspiration and Motivation you would like placed here,
just drop an email to me, FoxyOne.
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