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Dec 31 03 7:52 PM
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Dec 31 03 8:21 PM
Dec 31 03 9:17 PM
To the new arrival our relapse policy may seem harsh but please know that we do work behind the boards with a number of relapsed members, that each of them are still just as free as you to read, learn and grow from all happening here at Freedom, and that each and everyone of them now fully understands the law of addiction and what it takes to remain free today. Yes we take recovery by every member very seriously but if you think that we play hardball then you need to stop and think about just how hard smoking plays. If it takes depriving a nicotine addict of posting privileges to help briefly focus them on smoking's potential to deprive them of life itself then that's a pretty solid trade. With expectations conditioning playing such an important part of recovery we can not allow this forum to serve as a revolving door to relapse. The next few minutes are entirely doable and there is only one rule, no nicotine today! John
To the new arrival our relapse policy may seem harsh but please know that we do work behind the boards with a number of relapsed members, that each of them are still just as free as you to read, learn and grow from all happening here at Freedom, and that each and everyone of them now fully understands the law of addiction and what it takes to remain free today.
Yes we take recovery by every member very seriously but if you think that we play hardball then you need to stop and think about just how hard smoking plays. If it takes depriving a nicotine addict of posting privileges to help briefly focus them on smoking's potential to deprive them of life itself then that's a pretty solid trade. With expectations conditioning playing such an important part of recovery we can not allow this forum to serve as a revolving door to relapse.
The next few minutes are entirely doable and there is only one rule, no nicotine today! John
Jan 6 04 4:19 AM
Jan 8 04 3:02 AM
We've had a flood of new members over the past few days. I know from an email I got from one member that the person relapsed and was hoping that he or she could become a member again in the future when he or she was ready to quit. As you can see from our policy membership at Freedom needs to be viewed as a chance of a lifetime.
Just for the record I am going to reiterate the closing comments of this post here:
This policy offers up two big advantages. The first is to the group as a whole. Every person coming here is now guaranteed that the board is always going to be focused on people who are successfully off smoking. There will be no need to spend time consoling relapses or trying to help a person rationalize a relapse. Again we had the advantages of that principle already covered in our There is no legitimate reason to relapse thread. But the primary benefactor of this policy is each and every member himself or herself. We have made it very easy for each and every member to have a clearly defined spelled out battle line. No longer does a person have the luxury of thinking, "Well if I relapse, I'll go to Freedom and quit again." We have in effect destroyed what to some people can be a very persuasive argument supporting a kind of junkie thinking. Again, for the majority of people here this policy poses no threat and makes the each and every members mission here that much more clearly defined. It was what their intent was the day they first signed up to Freedom. To stay a member of Freedom, and more important, to keep the health and life saving benefits of staying a successful ex-smoker is as simple now as just remembering to stay totally committed to never take another puff!
This policy offers up two big advantages. The first is to the group as a whole. Every person coming here is now guaranteed that the board is always going to be focused on people who are successfully off smoking. There will be no need to spend time consoling relapses or trying to help a person rationalize a relapse. Again we had the advantages of that principle already covered in our There is no legitimate reason to relapse thread.
But the primary benefactor of this policy is each and every member himself or herself. We have made it very easy for each and every member to have a clearly defined spelled out battle line. No longer does a person have the luxury of thinking, "Well if I relapse, I'll go to Freedom and quit again." We have in effect destroyed what to some people can be a very persuasive argument supporting a kind of junkie thinking.
Again, for the majority of people here this policy poses no threat and makes the each and every members mission here that much more clearly defined. It was what their intent was the day they first signed up to Freedom. To stay a member of Freedom, and more important, to keep the health and life saving benefits of staying a successful ex-smoker is as simple now as just remembering to stay totally committed to never take another puff!
One other point I want to make. The person had written to a number of other new members making the offer to support them in succeeding at keeping their quits. This kind of overture is an attempt at making a classic kind of buddy system. Hopefully all will realize the limitation of this system for if any member's quit was in any way contingent on this member's success, those people would be in real trouble now. Hopefully this is not the case and all of our newer members here know not to lock in their quits with other newer members. Because of the importance of this concept I am going to copy the whole text from our Buddy Systems thread:
Buddy Systems
You often hear about buddy systems in substance abuse programs. AA and NA and CA heavily utilize this highly effective and supportive technique. But it is important to understand something about the term "buddy system" These programs are generally "buddying" the newbie with a sponsor more than a buddy.
The sponsor is not a person quitting the same day; it is a person who has likely been quit for a significant time period. Someone who is more stable in their own quit because they have a myriad of time and experiences already under their belt. They are not cured but they are more secure and probably have a deeper understanding of not only what quitting is like, but more important what it is like not to be using after an extended time period. This is the message that the person in the middle of a quit needs to hear. Not just what today is like, they know that already. Talking with people only in this stage of the game is just sharing misery. What is more important for the person in withdrawal is to understand the importance of overcoming this time period. To hang in to see what next week, next month or even next year will be like, if they just don't smoke for these time periods. Who better to deliver this message than people off these amounts of time?
Smokers who never quit smoking know what it is like to smoke. Smokers who are in the middle of their first week of quitting know what it is like to smoke and what it is like to be in withdrawal. But smokers who are off for longer time periods know what it is like to smoke, quit, and stay off. They know there is life after smoking, life after withdrawal. The people who even know more are those who have smoked, quit, went through withdrawal, stayed off months or maybe years, relapsed, quit again, and are now off a long time. They have more experience than anyone does and likely a deeper appreciation of the addiction and recognition of how precious and fragile their quit actually is. They still have to work at it, but it is among the most worthwhile work that they do any given day.
These people are here, and for you newbies. I am using "newbie" here as people in the first few days of their quit, even if they have been here in the past, this is a new quit for them. If you want real support, turn to the longer-term ex-smokers. They will help you in ways that you may not yet be able to help each other. But take heart here, this is not saying that you won't be able to help others too. But your primary focus needs to be on your own quit now.
Keep in mind, you will only be a smoker in the middle of a quit for a short time period. Pretty soon you will be the seasoned veteran. When this happens, remember how past seasoned veterans helped you and pass along the support. This community should only grow larger over time. Staying to help others will help secure your own quit too. Many programs use the phrase, "To keep it, you have to give it away." No where is this more true than dealing with addictions. And never lose sight that smoking is an addiction. Whether today is your first day, your hundredth day or your thousandth day, the trick to beating your addiction for today is the same, never take another puff!
Joel
Jan 24 04 7:53 AM
Feb 8 04 4:03 AM
Feb 8 04 4:08 AM
Feb 8 04 4:47 AM
Feb 8 04 4:59 AM
Feb 8 04 5:21 AM
Feb 8 04 6:06 AM
Geese, I hate to chime in here with bad news because I like Bill's memory better than the actual figures. Our last two six month reviews were in December 2002 and March 2003 and both generated almost identical six month rates of 38% and 39% respectively. We really need to find the time to do a new assessment. As for OTC NRT, I think that the experts are now pretty much in agreement that it's generating about 7% at six months. Six months is quickly becoming the standard for measuring cessation programs, unless of course you look at the UK's NHS programs which amazingly continues to declare success at 4 weeks when three-quarters of those declared to have successfully quit are still actively using nicotine weaning products. Go figure! Tonight I'll dream that you're right, Bill Thanks for the smile : )
Feb 8 04 6:31 AM
Feb 8 04 6:52 AM
Feb 8 04 6:55 AM
Feb 8 04 7:31 AM
Feb 8 04 7:44 AM
Feb 8 04 7:45 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1045229.stm Plover, relative to smoking nicotine alone is clearly far safer but science has already generated lung cancer by using the nicotine patch on rats. In fact the last study was by the U.S. government and for the first time we actually saw friction in our governement's NRT marriage with the pharmaceutical industry when the results were first published. I think they settled on wording stating that nicotine does not cause cancer but that NNK. NNK is one of the most potent carcinogens of all and it's one of the chemicals that nicotine breaks down into as it rides out it two-hour half-life inside the human body. http://www.cancerpage.com/cancernews/cancernews2000.htm Here are a few other recent concerns that your friend may want to read: Nicotine may promote cancer development Science Daily - January 2003 Nicotine destroys memory, recall and learning National Institute for Health and Medical Research, Paris - May 2002 Nicotine accelerates cancer tumor growth rates Stanford University School of Medicine - July 2001 Causes hardening of arteries - atherosclerosis Stanford University School of Medicine - July 2001 Nicotine patch may cause lung cancer University of Minnesota Cancer Center - November 2000 Causes brain damage & linked to chronic depression by Dr. Barry Bittman, M.D. - 2000
Feb 8 04 8:28 AM
Feb 8 04 1:30 PM
Very good links, John. I read them all and forwarded info to my friend who has been on those patches too long. She wears the patches at night; so, her body never gets a break from nicotine.
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