Don't need the police to try to save them
Your voice will sink

—Snap, I’ve Got the Power, Written by ALIDES HIDDING, KEES POST

After traveling recently, it was brought to my attention (in a very big way) how many people smoke cigarettes. I knew quite a few people did, but being out and about through several states in the south (of North America), it became quite apparent that the numbers are much higher than I knew.

Every rest stop I stopped at, numerous people were smoking.

Walking along the beach, numerous people were smoking.

Driving in cars, numerous people were smoking.

Now, I’m not going to act like I’m Miss Perfect and say I never tried smoking. However, when I did, it was disgusting. My hair smelled. My fingers smelled. My breath smelled. My car smelled. My skin broke out. My throat hurt. It was all in all painful! I quickly pulled away from doing it. The quick little feeling of “relaxation” was far outweighed by all the grossness. I loved myself too much to continue. It was also very expensive.

I recently did the math for how much it costs someone in one year to smoke. It was over $2,000. Add that up over a few years and you’ve got a down payment for a house, a car and more. Think of all the money you could also save on healthcare, as millions of smokers every year suffer multitudes of health problems too.

If you are reading this and are a smoker or addicted to anything, consider pulling away from the habit. YOU DON’T NEED IT. You really don’t!

Quitting an addiction is hard. I know this. I was “addicted” to an eating disorder for many, many years (and wrote about it here) but I got the help I needed and stopped the behavior. I still think about it, as it still calls my name from time to time, but I know it’s not worth it. I’ve got an internal power that presides over me anytime I feel myself feeling weak.

Believe it or not, you’ve got that internal power too.

Seek out the help you need if you are addicted to anything. Maybe it’s smoking. Maybe it’s an eating disorder. Maybe it’s alcohol. Maybe it’s driving too fast. Maybe it’s buying numerous unnecessary “things”. Whatever your addiction, you can stop it from running your life. Because that’s what addictions do. They run your life. Be in charge of your life and say this mantra to yourself if needed: I’ve got the power!

And when you let go of the addiction, spread the word on how you did it to others.

Change your life, change the world!

There’s a van I’ve seen in my neighborhood recently that belongs to a person that has been traveling sober since 2014. His story is printed on the outside of the van. His purpose is to spread the word on how he became sober and how others can do it too. After researching this online, there are many others that have dedicated their life to telling others how they quit their addictions in the hopes to inspire them to quit too.

Here are some websites you may find helpful in quitting your addiction:

• https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/

• https://www.thesobertraveler.com/about.html

• https://smokefree.gov/

• https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

Sending my love and light to all that need it!

Here’s a little listening pleasure that may help motivate you. It’s one of my favorite songs by Snap! :

The Power