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Complete list of quit smoking articles "If I quit, I'll die!" Wow, this is an interesting place to be! Running this email list, I get some VERY interesting emails--some good, some bad. But it's always helpful and insightful. What happens many times, every day, is that a family member or friend will add to this email list the email address of a smoker they hope will quit smoking. The smoker receives my first "Welcome" email, and they either like it or hate it. They didn't sign up for the list. They weren't expecting the email because someone else signed them up, anonymously. So, what invariably happens is that a small percentage of the people who are added to the list everyday, are removed from the list. Most people simply send a "remove" email. Occasionally, someone sends a strongly worded "remove" email. Today, I received a remove email in the latter category. Actually, the person sent two separate emails. They provide great insight into what many of you probably feel right now. The first message reads "Remove me from this Horrible Listing, I take pride in smoking okay, and If I quit I'll Die." Do you take pride in your smoking? My guess is that if you really examine it, you take pride not in smoking, but in making your own decisions, and being your own person. Many people START smoking to prove their independence and control over their own lives. No one can tell you what to do, right? That's why the decision to quit and the motivation to quit MUST come from inside YOU, not someone else. If you are reading this message you've probably made the decision that smoking stinks and that getting help and advice from others is okay now. That's a huge step toward quitting. Congratulations! Once you get past the pride issue, quitting becomes a whole lot easier. The last part of the emails says, "If I quit I'll Die." What an ironic statement. Shouldn't it really be, "If I don't quit I'll Die"? We all know what he means though: "I can't face the thought of not having my friend, the cigarette. I need them to relax. I need them to cope. I need them to fit in. I just need them to live." That's the addiction talking. He's probably tried to quit before and felt the withdrawal--mentally, physically and emotionally. It can be painful, almost to the point that you DO feel like you're going to die. But, rest assured you won't. The next message reads "Remove me from this torture." I suppose this one can be interpreted in a couple different ways. Perhaps the guy just didn't like my writing. Ok, I can take the constructive criticism. But the other interpretation is the one I'd like to focus on. I think what he really meant was this: "Every time you talk to me about quitting smoking it drives me insane because I know I should quit. I've tried, believe me, I've tried. I want to quit, but I like to smoke. I need my cigarettes. I want to be my own person. I want to *smoke* on my own terms and I want to *quit* on my own terms. Leave me alone and just let me figure it out in my own way. I'm not ready to quit right now." Is that you? Does reading about this torture you? I've had other people ask to be taken off this list because it made them think about smoking too much, and made them want to smoke. Quitting can be torture, but most anything worth doing does involve some pain or discomfort. Some things worth doing require LOTS of pain and discomfort. I remember how painful football (American style) practice was when I was in high school. I banged my head against a bunch of other guys for two and a half hours each weekday afternoon, just to get ready for a two hour game on Saturday. Now that was torture! But it was worth it! Once the game started, I forgot about all the hard work I put in the week before. I bet all the women on this list who have had children can relate (but magnified 1,000 times). You suffer for nine months, feeling like you could explode any minute. You may even say that you wish you never got pregnant because it's so miserable. But when the big day comes and your baby is born you forget about the pain and anguish you suffered. It was worth it! Quitting is worth it! Remember, when you're feeling like you could "die", that one day soon, all the pain and misery of quitting will be forgotten, and you'll be a non-smoker for the rest of your life!
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