Quit Smoking

Hi...
Greetings from India.
This is a long mail but even if one soul is blessed..PRAISE GOD!! the effort is not in vain....I am really burdened to see so many men & women struggling to give up smoking. Pray this will help somebody out there. 
Remember:
Nicotine is A Powerful Addiction & Quitting takes hard work and a lot of effort, but you can quit smoking.If you have tried to quit smoking, you know how hard it can be. It is hard because nicotine is a very addictive drug. For some people, it can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine.
Quitting is hard but not impossible. Usually people make 2 or 3 tries, or more, before finally being able to quit. Each time you try to quit, you can learn about what helps and what hurts.

Smoking affects ones health. The manufacture themselves have to carry that warning on every pack..' smoking is injurious to health.'

A friend wrote this following:

'Healing belongs to you'

"What many of us do not realise is that the same blood that washes away our sins also brings about healing from sickness, disease and every oppression of the enemy. Consider it a complete package. The following teachings on healing are divided into short 'capsule size' articles. 

Take one each day. Read them, study them and meditate on the them daily and you will soon see the life of Christ establishing healing in your body. "

Let's see what the Bible says...that may help you in breaking this habit.

1 Cor 6:19-20,1"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

3 John 2, .."I pray that you may enjoy good health..."

 1 COR 7:23,"You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men."(or slaves to anything!)

We were washed with the Blood of Jesus!

 1 PETER 1:19,"but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

 ROMANS 6:16,"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"

 ROMANS 8:9-11," You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."

ROMANS 8:14,"Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."

You see God's so..concerned about out physical health. Would it please HIM if you defiled HIS temple by inhaling something the doctors themselves say "Injurious to health."?
Think about it...

Today renew your pledge to quit smoking. If you have tried to quit smoking and failed before, take comfort in the fact that most smokers fail several times before quitting successfully.
Your past failures are not a lesson that you are unable to quit. Instead, view them as part of the normal journey toward becoming a nonsmoker.

Here are 12 techniques that will help you quit the habit.

These techniques compiled from the net..:)

Remember - you can do it!

 PRAYER: The Single Most Powerful And Important Technique.

Pray & ask God to help you.

But He'll only help when we accept you have a problem with this addiction & come before Him. He will set you free when your heart is willing to let go. He will give you the self control to say 'No' & resist the temptation!

Jesus is always gracious to help those who look up to Him in total surrender.

For God wants us to be holy in our body, soul & spirit at His coming.

So is working hard in cleansing us & He is faithful to help us...

1 Thessalonians 5:21-24," Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²² Avoid every kind of evil. ²³May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."

12 techniques  

1.Then..Get ready to start'

Set a quit date.

Change your environment.

1. Get rid of ALL cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and place of work.

Don't let people smoke in your home.

Review your past attempts to quit. Think about what worked and what did not.

2. Deep Breathing.

This has helped many is a positive way. 

 Every time you want a cigarette, do the following. Do it three times.

Inhale the deepest lung-full of air you can, and then, very slowly, exhale. Purse your lips so that the air must come out slowly. As you exhale, close your eyes, and let your chin gradually sink over onto your chest.

3. Taking In Fluids: The first few days, drink LOTS of water and fluids to help flush out the nicotine and other poisons from your body.

4.  Stay Away From Alcohol, Sugar And Coffee: Do your very best to stay away from alcohol. Also avoid sugar and coffee the first week or longer, as these tend to stimulate the desire for a cigarette. Avoid fatty foods, as your metabolism will slow down a bit without the nicotine, and you may gain weight even if you eat the same amount as before quitting. So discipline about diet is extra important now. No one ever said acquiring new habits would be easy! 

Nibble on low calorie foods like celery, apples and carrots. Chew gum or suck on cinnamon sticks.
Stretch out your meals; eat slowly and wait a bit between bites.
After dinner, instead of a cigarette, treat yourself to a cup of mint tea or a peppermint candy.

When you first try to quit, change your routine. Use a different route to work. Drink tea instead of coffee. Eat breakfast in a different place.

Do something to reduce your stress. Take a hot bath, exercise, or read a book.

Plan something enjoyable to do every day.

Remember that the urge to smoke only lasts a few minutes, and will then pass. The urges gradually become farther and farther apart as the days go by. 

5. Taking An Oral Substitute One can use cinnamon sticks, chewing gum or artificial cigarettes as a substitute. You will mostly find that after the first week of being a non smoker, you wouldn’t even need these.

6. Get to Exercising & do something that will take your mind off cigarettes.Go to a gym, sit in the steam, exercise.

Change your normal routine – take time to walk or even jog around the block or in the local park.

Learn New Skills and Behaviors

• Try to distract yourself from urges to smoke. Talk to someone, go for a walk, or get busy with a task. 

7. Ask For Support Ask for support from your pastor, church, co-workers, friends and family members. Ask for their tolerance. Let them know you're quitting, and that you might be edgy or grumpy for a few days. If you don't ask for support, you certainly won't get any. If you do, you'll be surprised how much it can help. Take a chance - try it and see!
Ask friends not to smoke in your presence. Don't be afraid to ask. This is more important than you may realize.
8. Destroy All Your Cigarettes
On your quit day, hide all ashtrays and destroy all your cigarettes, preferably with water, so no part of them is smokeable. 

9. Affirm Yourself 
10. Holding Out Here is perhaps the most valuable information among these points. In Phase 2, the period which begins a few weeks after quitting, the urges to smoke will subside considerably. However, it's vital to understand that from time to time, you will still be suddenly overwhelmed with a desire for "just one cigarette." This will happen unexpectedly, during moments of stress, whether negative stress or positive (at a party, or on vacation). If you are unprepared to resist, succumbing to that "one cigarette" will lead you directly back to smoking.
Remember the following secret: 

in these surprise attacks during Phase 2 - and they will definitely come - Pray, seek God's help & do your deep breathing, for five minutes, and the urge will pass.

Several times a day, quietly repeat to yourself the affirmation, "I am a nonsmoker." Many quitters see themselves as smokers who are just not smoking for the moment. They have a self-image as smokers who still want a cigarette. 

Silently repeating the affirmation "I am a nonsmoker" will help you change your view of yourself, and, even if it may seem silly to you, this is actually useful. 

Use it! 

May be you don't smoke but know of a loved one or friend that does...
You can start praying for that person!

 Isaiah 62:6-7."  ⁶ I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;  they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD,  give yourselves no rest,     ⁷ and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

And don't stop praying till you see God move. You don't quit praying & they'll quit smoking!!Isn't that comforting??
It's sad to see men & women struggle in this area. There are some fellow brothers & sisters you know who are trying hard to overcome this habit. 
I am going to pray for a dear friend & I know God will move.
Have you struggled long?? Tell JESUS, He will set you free.

Ephesians 5:1, 8-10, 15"¹Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.   ⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,"So yield to the Spirit & walk in the Spirit & not yield to the flesh...God will Help you. Jesus Himself is your help and soon victory will be yours!

Be Blessed,

Julie