Hooked, trapped, desperate—Oh these words are so heart wringing. Are those that utter these soul-searing cries being tied up by their thumbs? Or have they fallen down an old mine shaft?
Well, umm, no, they have… well they have made a decision to become hooked, trapped and desperate.
See the news blog tumbling out… Scottish smokers, hooked on their smoking addiction have vowed to fight the smoking bans.
Read the Press Release from the pharmaceutical company announcing… Smokers trapped by their smoking addiction are offered a new drug.
Hear the media babbling… Britney Spears’ man is desperate to quit smoking for the sake of their children.
I bet if you are a smoker, you don’t really use these strong words… more like, “I’d really like to quit, but I enjoy smoking, or, I’ve tried to quit but it’s too hard, or, I want to quit, but I’m so addicted I don’t think I can, or, I’m too scared, what if…” and so on.
But are smokers totally at the mercy of their habit and spinelessly despairing of escaping its bonds? Would they describe their smoking addiction like that? Trapped? Trapped by a chemical and emotional fix? They’re not trapped by their decision, that’s for sure, because we all have the ability to make our own decisions, yes or no as we wish.
A person makes a decision to try smoking. For some that leads to more decisions to reach out and take more cigarettes maybe a week or so later. Then some more, then pretty soon as the nicotine gets its grips into the brain’s receptors, the person finds it becomes harder and harder not to go out of his or her way to acquire cigarettes to smoke… and hey presto, because of their decisions, they are now supposedly a hooked, trapped smoker, and if they want to quit, they are desperate.
But it still comes down to a decision to smoke. Every time a smoker lights up it is a decision they have made. A simple, personal decision, along with 1000’s of other decisions each day that make up that person’s character, lifestyle, mood, health and future.
A daily decision to get out of bed is made.
A decision not to have another helping of food is made.
You decide to clean the house, take the dog out in the rain, stack the dishes, and sort out your accounts for tax.
You don’t dwell on how you’ll miss lingering in your warm bed, or how you’ll suffer without more food, or how unpleasant it will be to walk the dog in the rain, do the dishes, tax etc.
No, with unpleasant decisions you simply do what needs to be done because the consequences not to would be worse.
Some people make daily major decisions, sacrificing a lot because of a goal worth aiming for, such as a champion swimmer rising at 5am to practice 2 hrs before breakfast. Thus it is with smoking, or exercise, or getting out of bed in the morning. It’s a matter of making the decision and focusing on the outcome.
You know it’s absolutely pointless to try to worm your way out of getting out of bed. Who would you worm to anyway! But the point is it’s automatic, although for some people an effort, to get up in the morning—but it has to be done. Has to… and your decision is made, because the day beckons and there’s a whole lot of living to do today.
You’re in charge of your decisions. You are not trapped; your brain and body are resisting, but no-one is tying you to your bed, so up you get… no-one is forcing you to have your smoking addiction, although your brain and body crave a smoke, so decide to get help to control it and focus on something better.
It’s your decision and the consequences are not that crash hot if you don’t make the right decisions.