For each of you - my friends for whom I am so proud

I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking. You may be aware
of a new drug on the market called Chantix. It is a wonderful drug
that helps you quit by blocking the pleasure receptors that nicotine
adheres to. It not only prevents the nicotine from performing its
mission it also makes the cigarette taste bad. I have been a nonsmoker
for 4 weeks now. If anyone is interested I can give you a more
scientific explanation and other information. But one of the side
effects is insomnia and very vivid dreams (across the spectrum - oh
yeah, some really vivid dreams where you wake up and know there's
someone not your husband in your bed) so I've taken an Ambien to help
me sleep and I want to finish this before I get goofy. There is a
website that offers support for various interests of people trying to
quit. One section is for exsmokers who are animal lovers. They posted
the following poem and I wanted to share it with all of you, because
this little poem showcases each of you so much better than I can ever
explain to someone who is not a member of this group. I mention "a
cat friend" to someone and they think "Oh how sweet" but you are more
than sweet you are dedicated and I love you all and the Ambien is
kicking in and I'm getting goofy, what a totally cool feeling this is.
Too bad I have to fall asleep really soon. SHUT UP JULIE!! SHARE THE
POEM AND SAY GOODNIGHT!! IF YOU DON'T I'M GOING DIGGING FOR A CERTAIN
ELEPHANT POST THAT IS ARCHIVED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS AND MAKE YOU READ
IT FOUR TIMES BEFORE BED. THEN YOU'LL REALLY BE GOOFY! deep breath
OK, I'm under control again. - Enjoy -

A Taker-in of Stray Cats

God sends some of us a special mission
To take in stray kitty-cats in any condition,
To feed them and give them a permanent home,
To love them and make them our very own.

They chase through the house; their potty box smells;
They seem to have secrets they're unwilling to tell.
They play till exhausted, then curl in your lap,
And settle themselves for a long comfy nap.

Some people are called to great wealth and power,
To run corporations and make big bucks per hour.
But others of us are only asked,
To take in little stray kitty-cats.

I asked God for things of importance to do,
Other than loving a good man and a bunch of kitties too.
He said, "Don't be self-righteous; learn from your mistakes,
And be glad I send kitty-cats and not My stray snakes."

I dreamed when I died I heard St. Peter say,
"What important things did you do each day?"
I felt Heaven for me was an impossibility
And that I should have lived my life much differently.

Then God said, "Come in and have food and some drink,
And sit here in Heaven by your little cat Tink;
For I gave you one of My most important tasks
When I asked you to be a taker-in of stray kitty cats."

- In Loving Memory of "Tinkerbelle," by Darlene Goff

"GaDragonfly" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking. You may be aware
of a new drug on the market called Chantix. It is a wonderful drug
that helps you quit by blocking the pleasure receptors that nicotine
adheres to. It not only prevents the nicotine from performing its
mission it also makes the cigarette taste bad. I have been a nonsmoker
for 4 weeks now. If anyone is interested I can give you a more
scientific explanation and other information. But one of the side
effects is insomnia and very vivid dreams (across the spectrum - oh
yeah, some really vivid dreams where you wake up and know there's
someone not your husband in your bed) so I've taken an Ambien to help
me sleep and I want to finish this before I get goofy. There is a
website that offers support for various interests of people trying to
quit. One section is for exsmokers who are animal lovers. They posted
the following poem and I wanted to share it with all of you, because
this little poem showcases each of you so much better than I can ever
explain to someone who is not a member of this group. I mention "a
cat friend" to someone and they think "Oh how sweet" but you are more
than sweet you are dedicated and I love you all and the Ambien is
kicking in and I'm getting goofy, what a totally cool feeling this is.
Too bad I have to fall asleep really soon. SHUT UP JULIE!! SHARE THE
POEM AND SAY GOODNIGHT!! IF YOU DON'T I'M GOING DIGGING FOR A CERTAIN
ELEPHANT POST THAT IS ARCHIVED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS AND MAKE YOU READ
IT FOUR TIMES BEFORE BED. THEN YOU'LL REALLY BE GOOFY! deep breath
OK, I'm under control again. - Enjoy -

A Taker-in of Stray Cats

God sends some of us a special mission
To take in stray kitty-cats in any condition,
To feed them and give them a permanent home,
To love them and make them our very own.

They chase through the house; their potty box smells;
They seem to have secrets they're unwilling to tell.
They play till exhausted, then curl in your lap,
And settle themselves for a long comfy nap.

Some people are called to great wealth and power,
To run corporations and make big bucks per hour.
But others of us are only asked,
To take in little stray kitty-cats.

I asked God for things of importance to do,
Other than loving a good man and a bunch of kitties too.
He said, "Don't be self-righteous; learn from your mistakes,
And be glad I send kitty-cats and not My stray snakes."

I dreamed when I died I heard St. Peter say,
"What important things did you do each day?"
I felt Heaven for me was an impossibility
And that I should have lived my life much differently.

Then God said, "Come in and have food and some drink,
And sit here in Heaven by your little cat Tink;
For I gave you one of My most important tasks
When I asked you to be a taker-in of stray kitty cats."

- In Loving Memory of "Tinkerbelle," by Darlene Goff

That brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for posting it Julie,

I've been a non-smoker for about 4 years now (after having smoked for
30-some). I can tell you the one thing that helped me was that I thoroughly
brain-washed myself into being disgusted by the lease little whiff of
cigarette smoke. I think of dirty ashtrays in my mouth, the disgusting
taste of burned leaves in my throat and nose, the burning in my lungs and
the inability to take a deep cleansing breath, the bile boiling up in my
stomach in reaction to the tar and nicotine I take into my body - and
several other things even more disgusting. My DH smokes and I can't stand
the smell on him when he comes back inside. I had a friend over and she
smokes, but was polite enough to not smoke in my house - she had to go
inside for a second and asked me to hold a lit cigarette for her (the same
brand I used to smoke). I held it as far away from me as I could and
actually felt a bit nauseated by the smell drifting back to me. By doing
this brainwashing on yourself, it will keep you smoke free years down the
line if you ever get tempted to smoke again (I quit many times and, not
having done this, started smoking again in times of stress). Even with all
the stress I'm under right now, I still have *NO* desire to light up a
cigarette.

Some things that might help you while you're quitting...

1) Take deep, cleansing breaths every time you want a cigarette (some
smokers miss the deep breaths they take as they inhale and don't realize
that they're no longer doing that - it's a satisfying, calming feeling to
breathe deeply).

2) Take lots of brisk walks in the fresh air.

3) Try to avoid doing the things that you would normally have a cigarette
with (after dinner/after sex relaxing - take that walk instead; talking on
the phone - use your cell phone and take a walk while you talk; driving -
roll down the window and sing loudly to the radio; etc.)

4) Take lots of cold showers.

5) Drink lots and lots of water and fruit juices.

All of the above helps get the nicotine out of your body as quickly as
possible (I never could quit with the nicotine gum or patches - to me that
defeated the purpose and left me still craving the nicotine).

Anyway, good luck - you can email me offline (my addy isn't munged) and I
can give you support from a fellow quitter!

Hugs,

CatNipped

GaDragonfly wrote:
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking.
snip

Congratulations, Julie, I'm proud of you! I know how difficult it is to
stop, I had my last cigarette November 12th 2001 at 5pm, before that I was
smoking 80+ per day and had smoked since I was 11.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

On Aug 8, 11:45 pm, GaDragonfly wrote:
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking. snip,

Julie,

That was a lovely poem

Congratulations on your road to a smokeless life.

Annie

On 8 Aug, 21:45, GaDragonfly wrote:
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking. You may be aware
of a new drug on the market called Chantix. It is a wonderful drug
that helps you quit by blocking the pleasure receptors that nicotine
adheres to. It not only prevents the nicotine from performing its
mission it also makes the cigarette taste bad.

Congratulations!

And thanks for the information about Chantix- someone asked me at work
what the new anti-smoking drug was called and I couldn't remember

My problem is that mere thought of giving up has me reaching for the
packet

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

GaDragonfly wrote:
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking.

This is one of the rare times I can congratulate a person for being a quitter.
Yippee!!!

I've been smoke free 7 years now and while I have a jones for one every now
and then I've been on track. Keep it going!

And that poem is lovely, absolutele.

Blessed be,
Baha

--
Message posted via CatKB.com
http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...dotes/200708/1

GaDragonfly wrote:
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking.

Julie, I'm so proud of you. Keep up the good work!

--
Marina (13 years, 5 months, and 2 days), Miranda and Caliban. In loving
memory of Frank and Nikki.

"GaDragonfly" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me.
You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking. You may be
aware
of a new drug on the market called Chantix. It is a wonderful
drug
that helps you quit by blocking the pleasure receptors that
nicotine
adheres to. It not only prevents the nicotine from performing
its
mission it also makes the cigarette taste bad. I have been a
nonsmoker
for 4 weeks now. If anyone is interested I can give you a more
scientific explanation and other information. But one of the
side
effects is insomnia and very vivid dreams (across the
spectrum - oh
yeah, some really vivid dreams where you wake up and know
there's
someone not your husband in your bed) so I've taken an Ambien
to help
me sleep and I want to finish this before I get goofy. There
is a
website that offers support for various interests of people
trying to
quit. One section is for exsmokers who are animal lovers. They
posted
the following poem and I wanted to share it with all of you,
because
this little poem showcases each of you so much better than I
can ever
explain to someone who is not a member of this group. I
mention "a
cat friend" to someone and they think "Oh how sweet" but you
are more
than sweet you are dedicated and I love you all and the Ambien
is
kicking in and I'm getting goofy, what a totally cool feeling
this is.


I'm willing to share you with the Ambien. It's a good cause. I
was grateful for the nicoderm patches when I quit. It's been
almost 11 years now. The only time I had a real craving for a
cig lately was when Rob was watching a how it's done program
about tobacco on National Geographic channel. The things they
put in smoke products are scary.

Pam S. rooting for you.

I quit 39 years ago. I had isolated where I smoked to my office. Never
smoked in my car or at home.

When Charlie was transferred from Washington DC to Alaska we took a three
week road trip. So for three weeks I didn't have a place to smoke.
Fortunately for both of us I didn't have too hard a time without.

Like a lot of former smokers, I quickly learned to dislike the smell of
stale smoke on anyone else.

Jo

"GaDragonfly" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking. You may be aware
of a new drug on the market called Chantix. It is a wonderful drug
that helps you quit by blocking the pleasure receptors that nicotine
adheres to. It not only prevents the nicotine from performing its
mission it also makes the cigarette taste bad. I have been a nonsmoker
for 4 weeks now. If anyone is interested I can give you a more
scientific explanation and other information. But one of the side
effects is insomnia and very vivid dreams (across the spectrum - oh
yeah, some really vivid dreams where you wake up and know there's
someone not your husband in your bed) so I've taken an Ambien to help
me sleep and I want to finish this before I get goofy. There is a
website that offers support for various interests of people trying to
quit. One section is for exsmokers who are animal lovers. They posted
the following poem and I wanted to share it with all of you, because
this little poem showcases each of you so much better than I can ever
explain to someone who is not a member of this group. I mention "a
cat friend" to someone and they think "Oh how sweet" but you are more
than sweet you are dedicated and I love you all and the Ambien is
kicking in and I'm getting goofy, what a totally cool feeling this is.
Too bad I have to fall asleep really soon. SHUT UP JULIE!! SHARE THE
POEM AND SAY GOODNIGHT!! IF YOU DON'T I'M GOING DIGGING FOR A CERTAIN
ELEPHANT POST THAT IS ARCHIVED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS AND MAKE YOU READ
IT FOUR TIMES BEFORE BED. THEN YOU'LL REALLY BE GOOFY! deep breath
OK, I'm under control again. - Enjoy -

A Taker-in of Stray Cats

God sends some of us a special mission
To take in stray kitty-cats in any condition,
To feed them and give them a permanent home,
To love them and make them our very own.

They chase through the house; their potty box smells;
They seem to have secrets they're unwilling to tell.
They play till exhausted, then curl in your lap,
And settle themselves for a long comfy nap.

Some people are called to great wealth and power,
To run corporations and make big bucks per hour.
But others of us are only asked,
To take in little stray kitty-cats.

I asked God for things of importance to do,
Other than loving a good man and a bunch of kitties too.
He said, "Don't be self-righteous; learn from your mistakes,
And be glad I send kitty-cats and not My stray snakes."

I dreamed when I died I heard St. Peter say,
"What important things did you do each day?"
I felt Heaven for me was an impossibility
And that I should have lived my life much differently.

Then God said, "Come in and have food and some drink,
And sit here in Heaven by your little cat Tink;
For I gave you one of My most important tasks
When I asked you to be a taker-in of stray kitty cats."

- In Loving Memory of "Tinkerbelle," by Darlene Goff

CatNipped wrote:
I've been cheating on you lately but I hope you'll forgive me. You see
I finally took the road that leads to not smoking. You may be aware
[quoted text clipped - 55 lines]
Some things that might help you while you're quitting...

As weird as this sounds, get a flavored lipgloss like a Bonne Bell Lipsmacker.
I oput that on all the time while I was jonesing and trying to keep up with
my quitting, and to this day it works, every time I get the urge for a smoke
I put it on. The hand-to-lip act and the strong flavor seem to help, even now.


Blessed be,
Baha

--
Message posted via CatKB.com
http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...dotes/200708/1