Lent Day 2

Today's positive action: Make sure you get a good night's sleep - every night.  H.A.L.T. is widely known by addicts as Hunger, Anger, Lonely (or Alone) & Tired.  All four things can accelerate stress and increase the risk of falling back on addiction.  Control your rest before being tired controls you.

Today's Focus: Tobacco has has waged huge destruction on society.  Cancer and other diseases caused by tobacco alone has had devastating impact taking life of many loved ones.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) does a lot of studies on the impact smoking has on our lives - these studies are called Smoking Attributable Mortality, Morbidity an Economic Cost (SAMMEC).  These studies show that smoking was attributable to nearly 400,000 deaths per year for the five year period from 2000 to 2004.  That's roughly 2 Million people (somewhere near 1,963,405) in that 5 year period.  Only these aren't just numbers, these are people who loved and were loved, they are fathers, mothers, sisters, brother, and friends.

Dear Lord, with smoking many people have been taken away from us because of the evil of addiction and the evil of tobacco.  They succumbed to the addiction of nicotine and tobacco.  They got themselves into a hole they didn't know how to get out of.  Be with those people who they left behind.  Give them support and comfort - and most of all don't let them fall into the same trap of addiction.  We know all too often alcoholics raise alcoholics and smokers raise smokers.  Be there for those who find smoking is an answer, an answer to stress, an answer to fitting in, or an answer to dealing with pain.  Give them hope and show them that there are alternatives.  For those who want to quit smoking but struggle, give them other people who have quit and can show them the way.  Give them the light of Your love to beat their addiction.  Lastly, keep giving us signs of Your love, Your light, and Your presence in our lives.  Amen.

Thanks for letting me share.