wheelsrob wrote:
Thanks John

This is incredible. Every single time I ever tried to quit before failed simply because I gave in to cravings and "cheated" the odd puff, then the odd smoke, then the odd pack... Next thing you know I was back to smoking like a fiend! Back to a 45 minute coughing fit every morning. Back to my car and my house stinking. I never knew or understood the law of addiction, and I had a myriad of excuses as to why I should take a puff. I do recall though, each and every attempt I made at quitting, a little voice in the back of my mind telling me.. "if I wasn't going to smoke any more, then why take that puff." I guess that was a small sane part of my mind trying to get me to see my smoking for what it was, and what it is... an addiction.

The sanity voice before prior relapses was actually probably coming from the front of our mind, Rob, the rational thinking pre-frontal cortex.  And I think at times I may have heard those pre-relapse sanity whispers too.  Them, together with the failure was about to occur should have self-taught us the Law of Addiction.   But for some reason I wasn't a very quick learner, at least when it came to choosing to believe my rational thinking mind over the wanting flowing from my captive impulsive regions.  I'm just so thankful that Joel entered my life as he substituted luck with knowledge and uncertainty with sureness.  It may not be easy for all but it certainly is simple.  There was always only one rule ... no nicotine today!

Breathe deep, hug hard, live long,

John (Gold x11)