Managed to quit smoking?

Glad you were able to quit, Ms. Kay; so did I.

Some people find that it helps to cut down by moving down to a lower tar, as well as cutting the quantity. (Though maybe you already smoked low tar, and quit cold turkey anyway.)

Thanks for telling us about your experience.

I actually smoked menthol. My choice was not about tar, it was taste.
I could not cut down like some have. I will say I did the last time quit
for a week, but husband had health issue unexpectedly arise which was
a concern, and I went back to my 'crutch.' or habit. It simply was not
easy.
I don't know about others here in group has 'rules of the State' where
we are not allowed to smoke in buildings, so many feet away from outside
entrance of store. One Major Hospital won't permit people to go to their
car and smoke in the parking lot. Now, there is where I really feel it is
going to far where rules go. I heard on the news also, a law will be
passed in our State a parent cannot smoke with a child in car. If caught
they will be fined. Okay, you do know the next step will be against the
law in the home.

Have you heard the excuse " if God didn't want us to smoke He would
Not have produced tobacco? " Seriously. I know our body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit and we must take care of it.

The thing I don't miss about them is the nicotine smell on clothing.

To God be the glory for being so patient with us. Thank you Lord for
helping us grow in wisdom and for conviction of Holy Spirit. ~J~K~2

Ms. Kay, Yes, good to quit if we can. Interesting about Menthol.

I agree also, the anti-smoking thing can go too far, right?

Blessings.

...I was a heavy smoker for 12 yrs.
again. I came back to my senses 8 yrs later, but kept smoking and
drawing nigh unto the Lord. Seriously. He is merciful and gracious
and oh so forgiving. ...

PS: Ms. Kay: in your earlier post you mentioned that you were still in communion with the Lord while trying to quit. While people can be encouraged to quit, and it's really healthy to do so, I don't believe, either, in giving people a hard time over and above the hard time they already have in trying to quit. Sympathy, yes; guilt manipulating them over a taboo, no. (This does go on among some professing Christians.)

Blessings.

Oh, at one time I would have been so super spiritual and been one
of the first to judge a Christian for smoking. As you can see I was
a smoker when I got saved in 1969. Then about 4 years later I was
able to quit for the Lord.

And you also see after serving Him diligently with my whole heart for
many years, I slipped out from under His covering, and allowed myself
to start again. Honestly I could not go to Church. I tried, but as a
smoker and slipping away from my 'first love' I felt like a hypocrite.
( I would not advise anyone to leave Church just for that reason ).

I came to my senses like the Prodigal Son and my Father began to work
on me and I was tired of the ways of the world. Cigarettes are one
of the hardest things for me to let go of. But, I explained I did it while
studying the Word and I kept drawing closer to Him even with the
cigarette. I could not continue and have a clear conscience.

I want to make it clear. I learned a lot during my 8 years in the world.
I learned I was not the 'super spiritual' better than anyone else like I
thought I was. I discovered how some of my favorite Christian entertainers
and speakers, can fall. I now know it takes God to keep loving us and
causing us to make the choice whom will we serve ? He said we can't
serve two masters at the same time. He was patient and helped me be
set free.

I believe when a Christian falls away from the Lord, for whatever reason,
and He brings us back into the fold, it takes time to get our feet planted
on solid ground. I do believe leaders or lay person, should not be put
in place of leadership until they have had time to become healed and
repent.

I read Sandi Patty "Broken In the Back Pew" ( Something like that.)
I was so blessed by her willingness to give God time to help her become
healed. So many of us have learned not to point fingers by our own
admission we too have fallen and been picked back up.

God is wonderfully loving and merciful. I owe Jesus my entire life and
I will be so glad when I can kneel at His feet and worship face to face.
~J~K~2

When I was younger I tried it but I never really smoked. I was too cheap I had better plans for my money than just burning it up and I liked to go to the movies or travel instead.

For those trying to quit, here is what I learned at a quit smoking class. It was long after I was freed from it, but my husband was too ill to go, I went for him and took notes.

Nicotine is the perfect tranquilizer for some minutes, then it becomes a poison with the only antidote more nicotine. The results of the poison is that it creates nervousness and tension. The antidote then is more nicotine.

Nicotine masquerades as the best friend you could have, there any time you call. You only remember the feeling of contentment and pleasure from the first minutes, not realizing the tension that comes after the first few minutes are also directly from the nicotine. The few minutes of pleasure it gives is like someone giving you candy so you get close enough they can stab you. You should give yourself about three days to a week to say goodbye to them. Each day, smoke less and less, always remembering you are preparing for a final parting from them.

When the day of parting comes, get rid of all of them. Prepare for the worst that nicotine has done to your nerves. Prepare for the craving for more nicotine to give those few minutes of release and pleasure, but know it is not worth it because the price for those minutes is too high. Tell people around you that you will not be yourself for a week, or long enough to get the nicotine out of your system. Know that all the misery and negative reactions to all things is not you, it is the nicotine working in you, and be sure the people around you know that, too.

Any time you take nicotine in any form after this, you will need more nicotine to offset the need for it your body will have. It just means you will have to go through the process all over again.

Lois thank you for that insight I never knew that and do not smoke now and I do not know how long it has been quitting them as well, has been awhile though and am thankful to God for this quitting. And I always wondered that when I did smoke, I would start to relax from the tension that was built in me, I remember that draw and all along it was the Nicotene, makes sense

Glad you managed to quit.

I don't think Christians should treat it like a taboo, though, and give people already having a hard time trying to quit even more of a hard time.

I'm very glad I quit, anyway.

Blessings.

There is a saying Christians use for the smoker.

"There will not be a smoking and non-smoking section in Heaven."
That is really unkind thing to say. It only agitates the person one is
trying to win to Christ. I am prime example of how Christ took me
in as His own, even though I did smoke. Then He took care of the rest.

Glad you managed to quit.

I don't think Christians should treat it like a taboo, though, and give people already having a hard time trying to quit even more of a hard time.

I'm very glad I quit, anyway.

Blessings.

There is a saying Christians use for the smoker.

"There will not be a smoking and non-smoking section in Heaven."
That is really unkind thing to say. It only agitates the person one is
trying to win to Christ. I am prime example of how Christ took me
in as His own, even though I did smoke. Then He took care of the rest.

Repent , fasting and praying thats the way i did quit

Been smoking almost 18 years yes I was 7 when I started Nd now soingbwhat I can to stop

In Heaven there is no need to smoke, to drink, being too busy praising the Savior, wonder could that happen today, get preoccupied with praising the Savior that there is no time for anything else? Whistling while at work?
Singing my song, praising my Savior all day long in thanking Father for Son that took away the sin of the world so we can have new life in the Spirit of God here and today, by the resurrected Christ?