Another day to be WON or maybe it's your day ONE or maybe you're on the fence keep looking for the light at the end of the tunnel maybe it's just a flicker right now BUT it will keep getting brighter and brighter as you keep moving forward!
Good reminders this morning. Smokes are sold everywhere, all around us, but that doesn't mean we get to smoke. It's safe to say, "I am a nicotine addict", but I don't feed my addiction either. NOPE, can't feed it. Just glad it has been long enough now to where I can see and reap the benefits of quitting nicotine.
Started raining yesterday evening and he temps dropped alot, since yesterday. Gonna need a jacket to go outside today. Interesting weather, to say the least. Have a blessed Sunday everyone.
That addict in me is a real stinker, but I am so grateful that I learned, and am still learning, new ways to cope with triggers and stressors that in the past would have led me to light up immediately. I am blown away by the power of my mantra, which I used constantly in the early days and still keep in my mind--" Smoking is simply not an option anymore." Yay for all.of us addicts wherever we are on the Road to Freedom--we don't have to feed the monster, we have a choice-- WE CHOOSE LIFE!!
“A common misperception is that addiction is a choice or moral problem, and all you have to do is stop. But nothing could be further from the truth,” says Dr. George Koob, director of NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “The brain actually changes with addiction, and it takes a good deal of work to get it back to its normal state. The more drugs or alcohol you’ve taken, the more disruptive it is to the brain.”
While the initial decision to use drugs was most likely a choice, the consequence of addiction as a result of continued usage was not a choice. This is because drugs literally alter the frontal cortex, that is, the region of the brain used for self-control, logical thinking, goal setting, organizing and planning. “Numerous MRI studies have documented that addictive drugs cause volume and tissue composition changes in this region and that these changes are likely associated with abusers’ cognitive and decision making problems.”
"What this means is one of the most important parts of the brain used for self-control is compromised – physically altered – by the drugs. Undoubtedly, this is not a choice on the part of the individual, and many would prefer this not occur. Because of this alteration, the individual has little say over the drug’s influences, which is why those struggling with addiction experience immense difficulty in stopping on their own and will continue to use even when they know it’s putting their life in danger. '
@Barbscloud I understand that addictive substances alter brain structure and chemistry, but if we say "choice" is not an important part in stopping the use of the substance then how do we do it, how do we stop using the substance? If choice is not partly what is active in quitting, what then is the mechanism of a successful quit? I use the words, I choose not to smoke, because those words empower me-- I am not fully at the mercy of tobacco, I don't have to remain active in my addiction. I can choose to say, Not today nicotine. I don't use the notion of my having a choice in using the substance, or not, to negate the seriousness of addiction and the sad fact that tons of smokers aren't successful in quitting. I don't use those words to shame anyone. I can't say why people don't stay quit, tons of reasons are given, but I can say, I choose each day, and early on in my quit, each minute, not to smoke. I need to know, feel and acknowledge that it is within my power to maintain my quit. I do that in part by saying, I choose life.
A very good morning to Raissa @ReallyReal and everyone that stops by to read this, I'm so proud of you Raissa and for all of uson this precious quit journey. I believe 100% that we have the choice to do whatever is needed when it comes to our lives and our quits! Addiction sucks there's no doubt about it! I'm a recovering alcoholic as well as a recovering nicotine addict Barb @Barbscloud I made the choice to take back my life from both those horrid addictions! I'd had enough of them neither was easy to conquer but was necessary to be Free! 13 years of sobriety and heading for 10 years of smobriety as long as we're willing determined and totally committed to succeed then we will because we've got a choice! It's definitely NOT easy by any stretch of the imagination but thankfully it's absolutely doable! Hugs to each of you.....
@ReallyReal@MarilynH Not meant to be a debate, so nothing to be offended about. I think we're learning more about addiction in recent years. I didn't choose to become addicted because when I started smoking the addictive component of nicotine was still kept a secret.
For example:
I know people who smoke casually and we're only beginning to learn why. "A person's genetic risk profile did not predict whether he or she would try cigarettes. But for those who did try cigarettes, having a high-risk genetic profile predicted increased likelihood of heavy smoking and nicotine dependence."
Of course we make choices every day that impact our lives.
@Barbscloud I wasn't offended at all but rather, was responding to your response to my earlier comment. And I was also just curious. You brought up the topic that maybe we should "revisit choice" and I simply responded as "we" revisit it. I was curious and asked a question-if it isn't about choice, choosing not to use at some point, how then do we quit? And then I gave my take on choice for me and why I use that word. What led you to feel I was debating? That word carries a certain meaning that is rather unpleasant in this context. I was simply "revisiting choice" as a member of this shared community.
I should not send this comment. Texting without talking can lead to so much distress. Let me pause and think whether or not I will choose to send this.
@ReallyReal When people start tossing around "Take what you want and leave the rest" on this site it usually means they don't want to hear what you have to say if it's a different perspective. Just been my experience in the past.
I was just presenting data on the topic. That's not always well accepted.
Sorry I used the word debate. Again, just my experience with different perspectives here. Nothing personal.
Hugs,
Barb
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I'm a proud Gram of 2 grandsons and a granddaughter and I consider myself a jack of all trades and a master of none, plus I enjoy reading and being outside and since quitting smoking breathing is so much easier because I'm not coughing half of my time sucking on a cancer stick....
