I say this with love to all my smoking friends and family. If you are saying, "I've tried to quit but I can't" I say please try again. I know it is not easy but if you keep on trying at some point you will win. My kids remind me of the time I was reading a book about quitting smoking. On the front of the cover there was a cigarette with a circle with a line through it and me with a cigarette with a big long ash hanging off it. It took many years after that for me to become successful.
About 15 years ago I was having terrible problems with a sore on my foot not healing. I was sent to the hyperbaric department at a local hospital. As I entered the examining room I knew I was in deep do do. On the wall was a sign which read "Don't Expect Me To Do What You Won't Do For Yourself". I read it not fully understanding its implication at this point.
After about 10 minutes, this wiry man who bore a great likeness to Richard Dreyfus came bouncing into the room. In a matter of moments, while he was simultaneously questioning me about my smoking and drinking habits, he attached electrodes to my leg which would measure blood flow and drew markings with a black pen on my leg. One of the markings was a circle around my knee. He was all friendly-like and light, bubbly and congenial and with no warning what-so-ever, he put his hand on my shoulder; looked me straight in the eye and proceeded with the following tirade: "Do you know what that line is for?" he said pointing at the circle he had drawn around my knee. "No" I replied. He said, "That is where your leg will be amputated if you don't stop smoking! So you are aware I am rich enough, I don't need your money so if you don't do as I tell you to, you don't need to see me. I can heal this but you will have to do your part. You will have to quit smoking. Now I know it is not easy. However, I have had excellent success with the patch. Your insurance won't cover them, but just so you know they will cover a lung resection if you don't quit smoking and you are more than welcome to suit yourself. If you choose to work with me you have to sign a release which allows me to require you to take a urine test if I suspect you are continuing to smoke and I will have the right to drop you from my practice if I find that you are." I felt like someone had sucked all the air out of the room. I signed the waiver, took the information about smoking cessation and went to my car and cried.
The next day at work I told my co-worker that I had to quit smoking, without knowing what happened at the doctor's office she proceeded to tell me how beneficial the patch was because her husband who had been a heavy smoker for many years and worked construction with many other smokers, quit cold-turkey using the patch. She had required him to do so when she found out she was pregnant. So, that planted a little seed in my brain .... buy the patch.
I went home that evening and without knowing what had transpired at the doctor's office my youngest son came over to visit and as he sat down on the couch he put a little stack of patches on the table and said..."I'm not ready to quit smoking mom, maybe you are and you can use these." That was just too freaky for words. I took them and used them and I haven't had a smoke since.
If my words are not enough encouragement perhaps this video which was posted by Raw For Beauty on Facebook will help:
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