Re: Please read: What would you say...?

I'd share my experience, first and foremost. I'd let them know that, no
matter what they might think, they can do this. That all they have to do is
persevere in finding the right combination of mindset and method that works
for them. That they need to keep working on that until it all comes
together and the quit clicks for them.

But mainly, I think the testimony of someone who has been where they are and
who is where they want to be is the most powerful thing you can give them.
That, and maybe the advice to seek support wherever it can be found and to
stay with that support for as long as it takes that may have made the
biggest difference for all of us.

Hope this helps someone. Go get 'em!

hugs,

elle

"Jef." <jefo715@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:y8idnVALVZ2it7_anZ2dnUVZ_qqgnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What would you say to a roomful of people who were entertaining the idea
of quitting smoking?
What would you tell a bunch of folks looking for information, advice,
encouragement and assistance in giving up cigarettes?

My wife works at a large hospital in Washington, D.C., as an Occupational
Therapist. Their Director of Therapy mentioned to her recently that
they're about to establish a smoking cessation group, and Marsha mentioned
that I'm a former smoker, have been active here, created a support
website, and that I know --in real life and online-- lots of quitters, and
so forth and so on...

The Director asked if I would come and speak to the group, and despite my
aversion to addressing rooms full of uptight, jittery strangers with way
too much nervous energy, I'm seriously considering it. I'm not yet
entirely clear whether the attendees will be hospital employees (one would
think the ranks of smokers working in health care would be pretty thin...
but who knows?) or just interested community/neighborhood people. (I'll
probably get a free lunch out of the deal... woohoo!)

Hey-- it isn't often that we get a chance to really lay out all the stuff
we've learned during this strange adventure we're all on, or that we're
asked to spend some of the hard-won knowledge we've saved up on our
journey toward smobriety. Sometimes we tend to get carried away in our
zeal to tell everyone the great news about how we've managed to turn our
lives around. Our attempts to share this information may cross the line
into proselytizing or preaching, and wind up turning the listener off,
instead of serving as helpful motivation.

Godnose I'm no expert on the subject, but I'm almost 8 years clean, now,
and I fancy that I've learned a few solid things along the way-- largely
with the help of this community. I was in awe of the quitters I saw when I
first came here-- the ones with A WHOLE YEAR OR MORE clean...! My God! How
do people manage to DO that...?
Well, I found out, the hard way. Didn't we all? I certainly know what
worked *for me*, and what was helpful and what wasn't. Don't we all? I've
always found JUNKIE THINKING to be amazingly clear and effective at
stripping away a lot of delusional rationalization, and will certainly
share that, as well as my own story.

There is so much accumulated wisdom here that AS3 is an absolutely
staggering resource. I'd like to refer a bunch of soon-to-be trembling
newbies here, in the hope that some of them will find the same beneficial
resources available to them that have helped me. We have a WORLD of
experience here. It'd be nice to be able to say to these folks:
"So, that's a bunch of good advice from people in California, New
Hampshire, Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Illinois and Minnesota-- and
then there's this, from some of our *foreign* members..." They'll be
dazzled, eh?

So: If you had thirty minutes of time, a roomful of shaky, about-to-be
quitters, and the chance to offer them some help, what would you say? Got
a sentence or two of pithy advice? I'll gladly quote you, and credit any
helpful bon mots, illuminating, anecdotal info or other examples of
inspirational prose to whoever provides it. Whaddaya say? A whole roomful
of wanna-be quitters... think of the possibilities!

Thanks--

Jef.



.

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