ADDICTION IS A TERRIBLE THING AND I SYMPATHIES WITH ANYONE WHO IS HAVING THAT PROBLEM. THE ONLY HELP I CAN GIVE YOU IS THAT YOU HAVE TO WANT TO STOP WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE DOING. AND, IF YOU ARE REALLY WANTING TO DO THIS, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THAT ENVIRONMENT. YOU CAN'T GO TO A POKER GAME JUST TO WATCH OR TO A BAR AND DRINK SODA. IT WON'T WORK.
I KNOW BECAUSE I WORKED IN A MARINA AND SOLD BEER. I WOULD QUIT FOR A FEW WEEKS AND THOUGHT I HAD IT WHIPPED BUT WHEN I DRANK THAT FIRST BEER, I WENT TO THE ABC LIQUOR STORE THAT EVENING FOR A QUART OF VODKA AND I WAS RIGHT BACK ON IT. YOU JUST CAN'T BE AROUND IT ANY MORE. THE POKER WAS NOT AS HARD BECAUSE I JUST STOPPED ASSOCIATING WITH THE POKER PLAYERS AND STOPPED GOING TO THE DOG TRACK WHERE YOU COULD PLAY POKER LEGALLY.
SMOKING WAS EASY TO KICK, WITH THE HELP OF THE LORD. TWENTY YEARS AGO, AS WE WERE ON OUR WAY HOME FROM CHURCH, I LIT UP A CIGARETTE AND MY SON, JOSHUA, ASKED ME WHY I SMOKED. I TOLD HIM BECAUSE I WANTED TO AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT I DO!! THE NEXT DAY I WAS COMING OUT OF OCALA ON A SALES CALL AND THE LORD ASK ME WHY I SMOKED. I WASN'T AS DIRECT WITH HIM. I HAD ONE CIGARETTE IN MY MOUTH AND ONE IN THE ASHTRAY. RIGHT THEN I DECIDED IT WAS TIME SO I PROMISED HIM THAT I WOULD NEVER SMOKE ANOTHER CIGARETTE OR CIGAR AGAIN. THAT HAS BEEN TWENTY YEARS AGO AND I HAVE KEPT MY PROMISE. HE HONORED MY PROMISE AND I NEVER HAD THE FIRST WITHDRAWAL AND HAVE NEVER WANTED ONE SINCE. THANK YOU JESUS!!
WITHOUT JESUS I COULD HAVE NEVER BEEN HEALED FROM THOSE ADDICTIONS AND YOU CAN BE HEALED, TOO. YOU FIRST HAVE TO WANT TO DO THIS AND THEN YOU NEED TO GET REAL PERSONAL WITH JESUS AND JUST TELL HIM YOU NEED HIS HELP. HE IS THERE FOR YOU AND CAN MAKE IT EASY FOR YOU. THE GOOD THING ABOUT HAVING HIM AS YOUR SPONSOR, HE SEES YOU ALL THE TIME AND YOU CANNOT LIE TO HIM. HE LOVES YOU THOUGH AND DOES NOT WANT YOU TO RUIN YOUR LIFE OR HURT YOUR BODY. THAT BODY IS HIS TEMPLE AND HE WANTS YOU TO TAKE CARE OF IT. TRUST HIM.
I SHARE ALL OF THIS IN HOPES IT WILL HELP SOMEONE WITH A PROBLEM. I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH AND I LOVE YOU AND WANT YOU HEALED. I WILL BE PRAYING FOR YOU.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.