Here's the Friday installment of readings from Karen Casey's book, "If Only I Could Quit: Recovering From Nicotine Addiction". As always, "take what you like and leave the rest":
DAY 27
"I soon learned that no urge lasts more than 30 seconds."
"Urges to smoke are so powerful. They obsess us momentarily and we feel crazy with desire. It's helpful to know that urges are normal and fleeting. All we need to do is let them go. They will run their course in a matter of moments, and our attention will be captured by another thought or a fresh situation.
"Urges serve as strong reminders of the power of nicotine, but urges can be accepted as gifts that support our decision not to smoke. Our lives as smokers weren't our own. Tobacco was in control of our thoughts, our attitudes, and our behavior. Perhaps we'd forget the insidious control nicotine demands if it weren't for the reminders the urges offer us."
"When an urge tempts me today, I'll be grateful for the reminder that nicotine does not easily give up its prey."
