I am a criminal

[RunningDeer]

Without warning, lifelong habits end on a dime. This has happened for the last couple of years. The most recent was coffee and sugar this past December, 2013.

I stopped a 40+ year, 8-10 cups coffee a day habit. Twice, in the past, I’d gone to the hospital for dermoral shots because of migraines from caffeine withdrawals. What was different this time was I had an inner knowing that said, “it’s time”. So, I poured a freshly brewed pot of coffee down the drain.

I donated my “when the grid goes down and the supermarkets are boarded up” stash; five big tubs of coffee, the two back-up electric coffee pots, the non-electric coffee pots, one cups makers, and the other paraphernalia.

Some other surprise bonuses...it created a lot of new space. And restful sleep, and cool dreams. The sugar habit just happen to go along with no caffeine. I didn’t use it in my coffee. I decided not to question it.

Along with continued steps to raise my frequency, it’s an example of how the energy has changed for us to ramp up our discovery of who and how powerful we really are. That and I got sick and tired of it controlling me.

I say...hitch a ride on that wave!


How I kicked the Ben & Jerry ice cream habit:

If I had one Ben & Jerry's, it triggered a three day binge. It’s been 14 months since I had Ben & Jerry’s. (With the exception of one pint a month ago.)

These are the article(s) that helped me say, “Enough!”:

Is ice cream really as addictive as cocaine?:

“(NaturalNews) In March 2012, the British news source, Daily Mail, ran a story that stated ice cream was as addicting as cocaine. The article quoted the well-respected American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which had published a study performed at the Oregon Research Institute just days before.

The clinical study reported that people build up a tolerance to ice cream in the same way they build up a tolerance to addictive drugs such as cocaine. The high fat and sugar content in ice cream causes chemical changes in the brain. When a person overeats fatty and sugary foods, there is a downgrade in the brain's pleasure center.

This tolerance for the food is very similar to what happens to drug addicts. Just as it takes more of the drug to achieve the previous satisfaction level, it also takes more food for the junk food lover to feel satisfied.”

Ben & Jerry's 'natural' ice cream filled with unnatural ingredients:

(NaturalNews) Consumer watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is calling out popular ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's for using artificial and chemically-altered ingredients in its "All Natural" premium ice creams. According to CSPI at least 90 percent of the flavors used in "All Natural" Ben & Jerry's ice cream are not actually natural.

Some of these ingredients include corn syrup, alkalized cocoa, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, vanillin, maltodextrin and dextrose, all of which involve some type of chemical processing or are simply artificial. Alkalized cocoa, for instance, involves a chemical process that changes cocoa's natural flavor, texture and chemical structure, as well as eliminates some of its acidity and healthy antioxidant content. And vanillin is just an artificial version of vanilla.

"Ben & Jerry's sylvan labels notwithstanding, these ingredients come from the factory, not the farm. And slapping an 'all natural' label on the products certainly implies that the products are top quality and deserve to fetch a higher price," said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of CSPI. "It's a stretch to call any of [these ingredients] 'natural'."

RunningDeer <3

[giovonni]

i confess ...




sorry folks ~ life's to short ... besides its gluten free ...

more favors for my fellow criminal minded ones ...



PS ~ available at all fine grocery stores

[rgray222]

Well, I must admit that your post is a new twist on an old problem. Normally people are ready to blame evil corporations, TBTB or anyone but themselves for their addictions and their problems. It does appear that you are being a bit harsh on yourself but you are probably being fairly accurate.

Also, I would wager that you are getting very close to quitting (either consciously or subconsciously), the fact that you chose to start a thread about smoking tells me this is something that has been bothering you for sometime and you might be ready to take some action.

If you are these two videos will give you something to think about. If your not .....don't bother watching them.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=z16vhtjWKL0

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=CO0qwl5k9R4

[Cardillac]

@Ray

"I am a smoker"- LOL!- welcome to the club, baby- so am I and I'm an opera singer by profession; so someone should SUE us, right? :-)

most people just don't realize how many opera singers are/were smokers (like start with legendary Enrico Caruso)- but all that aside...

I had a very dear, non-smoking aunt who worked for over 20 yrs. in a non-ventilated office where almost all of the other occupants were smokers; she didn't die of lung cancer (other cause) despite inhaling so much 'passive smoke'-

what gets my goat: how many people thoughtlessly eat/ingest poisonous white sugar, Aspartame (the poisonous alternative to poisonous white sugar), junk food, MARGARINE, McDonald's/Wendy's/Burger King/Taco Bell (list is endless), use microwave ovens heating their food in plastic containers (real smart) but yet when someone 10 ft. away from them lights up a cigarette and they get a slight whiff of it go absolutely ballistic and vehemently/vociferously accuse the smoker of...

endangering their health...

be well!

Larry

[RunningDeer]

Posted by giovonni (here)
i confess ...




sorry folks ~ life's to short ... besides its gluten free ...

more favors for my fellow criminal minded ones ...

PS ~ available at all fine grocery stores

I have to admit, Gio, that ascetically pleasing to the eye advertisement made my mouth water. I even checked out your link. Alas, I’m boycotting soybeans until I know McMonsanto has flowers growing up from it’s grave(s).

The “Sea Salt Caramel” ingredient piqued my interest… But now that I save money from the closed Ben & Jerry’s account, I lovingly sprinkle Himalayan salt in my ice cold filtered water with fresh organic lemons.

As an added “two fer" bonus, Himalayan salt makes the body alkaline, so…no more sugar cravings. But wait! There’s more! Less calories AND A+ dental check-ups. Ka-ching!

RunningDeer <3

[DNA]

Posted by Ray (here)
Perhaps this public confession will help us all toward a path of health and true happiness. I haven't broken any laws - so all you NSA grad students can just calm down right now. My crime is of the same nature as yours - perfectly legal and of the most insidious nature - for I am a smoker.

Before the rest of you jump to conclusions, relax - you won't hear me lament about second hand smoke 'cause I use a commercial air filter to completely remove it. Nor will I whine about the health of the body which writes these words. My concern is for the waste, the heart breaking astronomical waste of potential good that I have contributed to.

Ten US dollars a day. Three thousand five hundred something per year...or whatever... can you imagine the human benefit that money could have provided to anyone anywhere in the world?

But no... I had to smoke it. I know cigarettes are full of dangerous chemicals and produced by an evil, megalithic corporation controlled by sociopathic elite families, but yet I still CHOOSE to give them my ten dollars every single day. What is wrong with me?

If a homeless person asks me for one I won't even consider it, they're so expensive. Were I to find myself without these 'neat little soldiers of death' I would consider myself to be suffering. Is this what being insane is?

I am so pathetically self centered that I suffer, indeed I invite illness and pain ( I pay dearly for it!) with my hard earned money rather than help any fellow with it! I would literally be better off (more healthy) burning a ten dollar bill every day! Of course I would never do THAT! THAT would be insane!

And of course I would NEVER consider giving YOU ten dollars every day! Nor you!Nor you! THAT too would be insane! No, I must exchange the money with McSatanCorp for twenty little white sticks, set them aflame and suck the smoke out of them one at a time. After all, it's MY money, right?

If that's not criminal, I don't know what is.

peace

First off, switch to organic tobacco. A lot of what is doing damage to folks who smoke isn't the actual tobacco, it's the preservatives and chemicals used in curing. And in so supporting organic tobacco farmers, a lot of which are far from evil my friend, you will have your money going to a better place.

Second, we all have our vices.
Tobacco has the wonderful quality of filling a need when often the predisposition to addiction could have taken a far more destructive route.
Smoking is very satiating on a physical and emotional level.

Don't be so hard on yourself. Have a good day and if your going to smoke, then try and do it guilt free.
The added guilt isn't going to do you any good.

[donk]

Rationalize it any way you want, if you do not choose to not be slave to it anymore, quitting is going to be a battle. To successfully and healthily remove yourself from the slavery, you have to make the decision you are no longer going let it have power over you. Until and unless you can do that, "quitting" will be an activity, something in your life (just like smoking is now).

There's a dude named Carr (I forget his first name) who has a book that kinda hypnotically beats that idea into you through repeating over and over a million different ways--I thought it was the best I have seen strategy for success...it is that shove or reinforcement some people need to get to the only necessary tool toward freedom: a change in mindset.

Of course, your starting mindset has to be one of hating being a slave and realizing your addiction is more fear of not getting the next cig than actual enjoyment of smoking. If you like to smoke, stop torturing yourself--you will have a near impossible time giving up doing what you like

[RunningDeer]

Posted by donk (here)
There's a dude named Carr (I forget his first name) who has a book that kinda hypnotically beats that idea into you through repeating over and over a million different ways--I thought it was the best I have seen strategy for success...it is that shove or reinforcement some people need to get to the only necessary tool toward freedom: a change in mindset.

Third party review of the book, “Allen Carr’s Easy way”.

Ellen DeGeneres stops smoking with Allen Carr's Easyway

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y9S4ojJRP2I

[Octavusprime]

Reading this thread was enough to trigger my nicotine urge... The vape technology has really come around. Cheaper and takes out the cancer causing smoke. There are many flavors out there not to mention a huge DIY oil making scene. People are coming up with some really crazy flavors, teaberry champagne anyone?

Anywho, going to puff on mine and enjoy the morning sun by the garden.

Cheers!

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

Many of these stories are super heart-touching etc...

but I found Lifebringer's story to be rather close to my own.
I am not a good accountant or budgeter but my husband DID wreck our finances.

Part of it was laziness, part was a need to have others take care of him, dependence on credit,
some of it was alcoholism and of course he smoked at least a pack a day on top.
He gambled, was rude at home in the evening, and drank too much.



I too found myself unable to say "I love you too" without lying.
I too felt like I was stuck with a caveman or gorilla.
And not in any sort of good way.

There was no hiking, jogging, biking or running for us -- just self-entitlement and addiction.

IT was PATHETIC and I gave him an ultimatum after he was unemployed for two years straight:
more ebay or hit the road.

And he chose to leave rather than work.
I feel better already although many of our problems are still unresolved.

The credit is destroyed, we have no savings,
stuck in Housing Authority tenement at present.
Son out of home, no MMJ grow, etc. etc. etc.

There was always an excuse for NOT doing what I wanted and for HIM doing what he wanted.

F that.

[Mercedes]

Hello Ray, I couldn't even begin to tell you how to feel about quitting, because I've never smoked, but I've been married to a smoker for thirty years, seen him quit for months cold turkey, chew gum, skin patches, all, and then when he seems like he's overcome the anxiety he will start to smoke again with no reason. He's tried many many times I can't say that he hasn't. I used to judge him and fight over his weakness, but it didn't help, more like the contrary. He''s had a heart attack already, and still he cannot quit. He knows the risks, he knows statistics he has educated himself very much about the subject but still cannot quit. I can only see him walk his path and be there for when he decides to quit or... assume the consequences. We are all heroes in our lives, enduring whatever we get thrown our way or changing our path for another. Much love.

[seeker/reader]

I was a smoker for 11 years. I smoked a pack a day until i started experiencing an aching pain in my upper back. I knew it was due to my habit and i quit cold turkey. I had to be vigilant for about 3 to 4 weeks but then after that the smell of cigarette smoke went from being enticing to being an extreme turn off. The smell has stayed unappealing to me ever since. My back pain went away shortly after i quit and i have been smoke free for the past 14 years.

So from my experience you gotta really have a good incentive/need to quit and for me it was physical pain. Once I got past that one month hump there was no looking back.

But as others have mentioned I too have heard that negative entities dislike the smell of tobacco smoke so I can see why it has been viewed as a sacred plant by native peoples and used in part of their ceremonies.

[Milneman]

LMAO

Ray? You don't want to quit because you get something out of it. Even though you know smoking is destructive to your body, you get something out of it. You won't quit unless you want to.

Does that make you a criminal?

Not really. But you get something out of calling yourself a criminal in the same way you get something out of smoking.

Welcome to Avalon again bud.

(Smoke free almost 10 years from 2+packs a day)

[joeecho]

A person saying they're a criminal is like stating the obvious. What about the full prison outfit we were born with?

Every 'individual' that has walked this planet is a criminal in the broad sense of the word.

In the USA, the government seems hell bent to make as many people a criminal in the narrower sense of the word.

The Prison Industry in the United States is BIG Business. Prisoners are treated like a commodity. (Now that could be a thread on this forum in it's own right. Coppertop battery anyone?)

Was that a tangent I just went on?

[Taurean]

Don't be so hard on yourself, there are hundreds of other things you could squander your money on.

Do your duty and just keep spending and carry on being a good little consumer

The aroma of tobacco I used to find quite pleasant, just like any other insence, until they messed with it and started to use smoking as weapon to F*** with peoples minds.

30 or 40 years ago we never had to listen to all the demonising that gets associated with smoking these days. Just look at the old movies, it was a good source of tax revenue.

At the end of the day it is my prefered, and legal narcotic.

Now how many of those self righteous, sanctimonious repeaters don't have some other form of indulgence that we could, if we were so inclined, criticise ?

When the media decides to launch a campaign to demonise something they can apply it to whatever they want.

[Daughter of Time]

Hello Ray,

As long as you keep referring to yourself as a criminal, you will be guilt-ridden.

While you're guilt-ridden you will feel much anxiety.

Anxiety has always been the trigger for me to pick up a package of cigarettes.

Although I've never been a heavy smoker, there were periods in my life when I was a light but regular smoker. I felt badly about it. The more badly I felt about it, the more I wanted to smoke.

When I finally stopped feeling badly about being a smoker and realized there are worse things a human being can do, I gave my imperfect human mind a break from feeling badly, and so I was able to quit.

I am an occasional smoker now. If I'm in the company of smokers during a cocktail party, I have a cigarette. If I go through extreme anxiety, I buy a pack and smoke it until it's gone or until the anxiety passes. It's not the end of the world. I'm human. And it's a treat now instead of being a habit. And while I realize I'd probably be better off never smoking again, a cigarette now and then relieves my anxiety and eases stress. If I were a heavier smoker, I'd definitely switch to organic tobacco.

Some ex smokers I know were able to quit by doing meditation regularly. Others did it with patches and gums. There are many ways to quit, but until you're ready to do so, don't condemn yourself.

With love,

Daughter of Time