Cigarettes – False Friend
Why does tobacco have such a grip?
1. They are addictive as illict drugs are.
2. Inhaled nicotine may reach the brain in just 7 seconds.
3. Smoking is often woven into a person’s life by its association with eating, drinking, conversing, and so forth.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Motivation:
You will save a lot of money.
Your taste and smell will improve once you quit smoking, same with your energy and physical appearance.
Your health benefits are almost immediate.
Is tobacco your master or you?
Secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths each year from lung cancer and heart disease. (American Cancer Society, http://www.cancer.org/)
Romans 12:1
Seek out Help
Before you use medication ask yourself these questions:
What are the benefits?
What are the risks?
What alternatives exist?
Eccl 4:12
Tobacco is lethal in ALL forms and it includes the following types of smoking objects:
bidis – small hand-rolled cigarettes, they deliver several times more tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than ordinary cigarettes.
cigars – filler tobacco tightly wrapped in tobacco leaf or in paper made from tobacco. It allows nicotine to be absorbed through the mouth even when unlit.
kreteks or clove cigs – 60 percent tobacco and 40 percent cloves. More tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than ordinary cigarettes.
pipes – same outcome/result
smokeless tobacco – (includes chewing tobacco, snuff, flavored, gutkha) nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream through the mouth.
water pipes – (includes bongs, hookahs, narghiles, or shishas) Tobacco smoke passes through water before being inhaled. It doesn’t reduce the amount of toxins.
Rationalizations to avoid:
Just one puff can satisfy up to 50 percent of certain nicotine receptors in your brain for 3 hrs. In reality, a full relaspe will occur.
Smoking helps me deal with stress. The reality is that the nicotine actually increases levels of stress hormones.
I’m too far gone to quit when the truth is thinking negative makes you feel that way.
The withdrawl symptoms are too much for me. The symptoms are powerful but they will go away in just a few weeks. Just wait out your urge and it will gradually go away.
Be positive.
Be forgiving.
Be a true friend.
Proverbs 17:17
Discovered in Awake magazine dated May 2010. Interesting articles on this subject. Magazines can be found here: http://www.jw.org/
Prescription Abuse
(Discovered in Awake mag. dated May 2009.)
Drug addiction is characterized by compulsive use, use for non-medical purposes, and continued use despite harm or risk of harm says the Physicians Desk Reference, http://www.pdr.net/. Addiction is characterized by lack of control and an obsession with the drug.
Physical dependence is evident when patients develop withdrawl symptoms when they stop taking a certain prescribed drug. This is a normal reaction and is not the same as addiction.
Tolerance refers to the need for an increased dosage in order to obtain the same degree of pain relief.
Three mostly abused types of drugs:
Opioids – prescribed for pain relief
CNS (central nervous system) depressants – barbiturates and benzodiazepines prescribed for anxiety or sleep problems
Stimulants prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the sleep disorder narcolepsy or obesity
National Institute of Drug Abuse, http://www.nida.nih.gov
Recommendations by United States Food and Drug Administration, http://www.fda.gov/:
Follow directions carefully
Do not change doses without consulting with your doctor
Do not stop taking prescribed medication on your own
Do not crush or break pills unless specifically instructed to do so
Be aware of the effect the drug may have on your driving and other activities
Find out how the drug may interact with alcohol and with other medications – over-the-counter or prescribed
If you have a history of substance abuse, tell your doctor
Do not use drugs prescribed for someone else and do not share yours.
Revelation 21:3,4 Our problems will go away. This is a promise.
I guess not much has been said about coffee. Isn’t it addictive? Isn’t it the same as smoking or abusing prescription drugs? Wonder why the Mormons are against it but drink it behind closed doors? Chocolate? Heck, isn’t everything we eat addictive? Like McDonald’s.