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Post Info TOPIC: Pick Up the Pennies!!!


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Pick Up the Pennies!!!
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I'm a smoker and it may sound hypocritical for me to post this... But, here goes:

the products may contain ingredients that are known to be toxic to humans
because clinical studies about the safety and efficacy of these products for their intended use have not been submitted to FDA, consumers currently have no way of knowing 1) whether e-cigarettes are safe for their intended use, or 2) about what types or concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals or what dose of nicotine they are inhaling when they use these products.


http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm173401.htm


(please just don't start believing they are any safer than real cigarettes, even if they actually do post the mg of nicotine in each cartidge)

-- Edited by Neophyte on Wednesday 25th of July 2012 10:54:41 PM

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TigressErica wrote:

Neophyte wrote:

I just hope you didn't think I was taking you to task.


 Nah, I was just continuing the conversation, no offense taken and you ARE right... I know that tobacco isn't exactly safe no matter how it's consumed.

 

Neophyte wrote:

I was a cutter before I started drugs and my adderal addiction fed into my annorexia. Your not alone in your stuggles and I hope you can overcome your other self destructive coping mechanisms.


 I used adderall and street speed for a while to aid in my 5-6 hour gym marathons... thankfully never got addicted to them... or any of the other various illegal drugs I've experimented with.


thank god you never did get any severe consequences. I just started recieving benefits at work. Thank god they include dental. Because of my bouts with speed and annorexia, I have to get four teeth pulled... The last tooth in each row. Really, this stuff is NO GOOD. can you imagine... I have to get teeth pulled because I thought I was "controling my life" by eliminating food and putting stuff up my nose. I'm one messed up chick. (along with random tiny circular scars... On speed I would pick at my skin alot... Once I even cut six freckles because my teacher said they were "benign tumors" and I thought it'd be cool to see what my tumor cells would look like under a microscope)

-- Edited by Neophyte on Wednesday 25th of July 2012 11:45:31 PM

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Neophyte wrote:
thank god you never did get any severe consequences. I just started recieving benefits at work. Thank god they include dental. Because of my bouts with speed and annorexia, I have to get four teeth pulled... The last tooth in each row. Really, this stuff is NO GOOD. can you imagine... I have to get teeth pulled because I thought I was "controling my life" by eliminating food and putting stuff up my nose. I'm one messed up chick. (along with random tiny circular scars... On speed I would pick at my skin alot... Once I even cut six freckles because my teacher said they were "benign tumors" and I thought it'd be cool to see what my tumor cells would look like under a microscope)

 In some situations, like that, it seems like I've been very fortunate and lucky. I never injected, only swallowed it, let it soak into my gums, and snorted... I was too scared to inject anything.

 

Although in other situations my life seems shitty as hell... I'm still anorexic, still suffer bad anxiety and depression, still addicted to alcohol, still have to go to court tomorrow and again next month for 2 different klepto incidents; still cut and have scar lines on my arms, thighs, and the word "HELP" scarred on my leg as well...

 

:( I really hope all this experience with some of the worst conditions/diseases/addictions will be put to good use somke day... helping others recover... that would probably be a good place for me... to be of service to others like that.



-- Edited by TigressErica on Wednesday 25th of July 2012 11:55:43 PM

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I'm new to this whole thing, but I think that since some of our issues match up, I'll find great hope in your continuing to post. Just knowing that someone else seems to have as many other addictive behaviors as I had/have gives me a sense of hope and courage to follow the steps. Keep going. Be fearless. My inbox is always open. Welcome to the family. Your in my prayers. Ps. I used to take erasers to my skin, and dug some serious holes. It's been 6 years that I'm free of cutting. Many of the scars are hardly noticable. I can wear a bathing suit now. It's a freeing experience. The ones that stay noticable, if a suffering cutter sees them, could open a line of communication. When you stop, you can help other cutters stop. That's how I stopped cutting. I saw scars on my friend. And I asked her how she stopped. Can you believe it? Six years I've been cut free. My inbox is forever open.

-- Edited by Neophyte on Thursday 26th of July 2012 12:21:21 AM

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Always Pick up the Pennies

 
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc.
This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about..... 

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's
 employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy,
with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. 

The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the
very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest
restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance
again, so was enjoying herself immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking
 slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.

Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened
penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did
this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer.. She casually mentioned
that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile
crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see.. She had seen
 many pennies before! What was the point of this? 'Look at it,' he said. 'Read what it says.' She read the words '
United States of America ..' 'No, not that; read further.'  'One cent?' 'No, keep reading.'
'In God we Trust?' 'Yes!' 'And... ?'
 


He explained, 'And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription.
It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling
me to trust Him. Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick
the coin up as my response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is
God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful! '

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been
worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh.
Yes, God, I get the message.

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient...




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It's funny you post this... someone in a phone AA meeting recently read a poem about pennies being dropped from Heaven by angels and I really want her to read it to me again more slowly so I can copy it down. It was the first time I'd heard any such thing about pennies... Ever since then... I spot pennies at significant moments... when I'm going into depression. When something happened that would have driven me to drink and I was literally thinking "and people wonder why I drink..." when I turned my head and spotted a penny in a pretty unusual spot for there to BE a penny.

Later, I was in a parking lot and spotted 2 pennies. Just something about their presence, and the both of them being about 3 inches from each other right in the path I was taking. I bent down to pick up the 2 (TWO) pennies... and the action of bending over made my 2 (TWO) e-cigarettes fall out of my work shirt's breast pocket. WTF is my higher power trying to tell me to stop smoking now too??? *whines*

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LOL ... ... ... Very well could be a sign from above ...

Pappy



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Oh, ... ... ... I don't know your sobriety date off-hand, but I wouldn't try to stop smoking during the first year of sobriety ... One thing at a time... Ha! ... I just stopped the cigs 3 months ago today, and wow, I'd almost kill to have a smoke right now ... (I think it's as tough as not drinking was, to start with ...)



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They say cigarettes are about as hard to quit as heroin... So when you think of it that way, your accomplishment of quitting seems that much larger. Ps, can completely see your mind is all about that cigarette in the past few posts. What was your method of quitting?gum? Patch? Dare I say... Cold turkey? (I only mention this cause a few old timers said they quit cold turkey cause they didn't drink beer to get off whiskey, so why use gum to get off cigarettes type of mind set)

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Pythonpappy wrote:

Oh, ... ... ... I don't know your sobriety date off-hand, but I wouldn't try to stop smoking during the first year of sobriety ... One thing at a time... Ha! ... I just stopped the cigs 3 months ago today, and wow, I'd almost kill to have a smoke right now ... (I think it's as tough as not drinking was, to start with ...)


 Sobriety date?? lol... I have none. I didn't drink TODAY... so if I keep it up... today will be that date. The funny thing is... I KNOW my body. I can detect when there are slight changes in my mood, especially if it's due to the change of a medication or something. I KNEW myself that I was becoming addicted to alcohol and that it was becoming a problem. (All this ability to FEEL differences in my mood and whatnot due to substances doesn't make me more able to DO anything about it, however).

 

But anyway... I only recently started smoking these disposable e-cigs. I've never smoked a "real" cig in my life. I started smoking the e-cigs because I was like "F*** it!" and started whatever I could think of to relax me, to help me escape from reality and to numb myself to stress because I feared if I didn't, that I'd have killed myself (then a recovering alcoholic pointed out that by drinking and becoming addicted to alcohol as quickly as I was... that I was still killing myself... just more slowly)

 

ANYWAY (I keep getting sidetracked... I do that) I'm not addicted to tobacco. It helps relax me a great deal and it tastes good (I swear... it tastes like caramel or something and my friends say it smells like caramel or something when I'm "smoking" it around them).... Sooo... I'd rather NOT stop...  but maybe it was a message to quit before I DO become addicted. BLAH!!!



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Neophyte wrote:

(please just don't start believing they are any safer than real cigarettes, even if they actually do post the mg of nicotine in each cartidge)


 I never believed they were SAFE. I was hoping they were safer than real cigarettes... but I wasn't concerned since at the time I really was contemplating drastic actions. Plus... it's safer than some of my other coping mechanisms... alcohol and box-cutter blades...

I started writing a list of my coping mechanisms the other day trying to think of and keep in mind the positive and safe ones... I got distracted by customers (was at work) after writing blades so I never continued it... perhaps I should...



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^ I hope that didn't upset anybody... I wasn't going for a shock reaction or anything... I was just being bluntly honest :/

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Funny thing about the pennies, I have too been picking them up when I see them, believing they are a message from the God of my understanding. Used to be I didn't notice them or I didn't bother to pick them up if I did. I find them frequently when I am cleaning our AA meeting hall, at times when I am at a crossroads, and at happy times too. I have a collection of them that I have found in sobriety, and keep them in a small pouch with my 24hr coin and my 1 year coin, all of which I carry with me always. All of them hold messages of hope and the promise of serenity if I continue to trust in my God. What a blessing. Peace

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Actually... I think it's a perfect example of other unhealthy coping mechanisms we may still indulge in after we stop alcohol. I liked how that post brought that issue up. I just hope you didn't think I was taking you to task.

I was a cutter before I started drugs and my adderal addiction fed into my annorexia. Your not alone in your stuggles and I hope you can overcome your other self destructive coping mechanisms.

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Neophyte wrote:

I just hope you didn't think I was taking you to task.


 Nah, I was just continuing the conversation, no offense taken and you ARE right... I know that tobacco isn't exactly safe no matter how it's consumed.

 

Neophyte wrote:

I was a cutter before I started drugs and my adderal addiction fed into my annorexia. Your not alone in your stuggles and I hope you can overcome your other self destructive coping mechanisms.


 I used adderall and street speed for a while to aid in my 5-6 hour gym marathons... thankfully never got addicted to them... or any of the other various illegal drugs I've experimented with.



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Believe me, ... total honesty here is the best way to go ... that way, responses can help ...

I didn't know why you were using the E-Cigs other than MOST people use them to help them quit the real thing ...

Neo asked:


They say cigarettes are about as hard to quit as heroin... So when you think of it that way, your accomplishment of quitting seems that much larger. Ps, can completely see your mind is all about that cigarette in the past few posts. What was your method of quitting?gum? Patch? Dare I say... Cold turkey? (I only mention this cause a few old timers said they quit cold turkey cause they didn't drink beer to get off whiskey, so why use gum to get off cigarettes type of mind set)   

 

I tried the nicotine gum, uck ... that was like eating a 'mud pie' from childhood, only the horrible taste stayed with you for a while ... that didn't work ... I tried the 'pills' they advertise, uh, uh, ... you have to have a prescription for them, uh, ...uh, ... crap, it's late and I can't bring it to mind ... anyway, the pills worked for a couple of months til I went on a drinking binge ... BUT the pills also caused me upset stomach side-effects ... (actually lost a little weight) ...

This last time I started coughing and could not catch my breath  ... stopped smoking ... five days later ... still had a very hard time catching my breath ... went to the hospital and they said I was having a mild 'heart attack' and was experiencing major 'congestive heart failure' ... DAMN ... they kept me four days ... I got regular chewing gum and plenty of candy(suckers, hard candy, tootsie-pops, and such) ... that was 3 months ago ... hadn't smoked since ... but Lord I want too ... I pray about it just like I did for the drinking problem, it helps ... A LOT ... 

Okay, ... I really just went 'brain dead' ... Senior moment and all that ... good nite ...

Pappy




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Chantix. I heard that stuff gives you funky dreams and some serious itching. Glad you survived your heart attack.

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Chantix ... ... ... THAT's It ... ... damn girls , ya'll type too fast ... ...



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America... Fastest thumbs, softest butts lol

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Great analogy Pappy, thanks.



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Pythonpappy wrote:

Believe me, ... total honesty here is the best way to go ... that way, responses can help ...

I didn't know why you were using the E-Cigs other than MOST people use them to help them quit the real thing ...


 I think SOME people use them that way... maybe mistakenly thinking they are meant to help stop smoking... but my understanding has always been that they are a "safer" (supposedly) and more convenient alternative to "real" cigarettes. And you can smoke them anywhere... indoors, in restaurants, on an airplane, etc. You can slip it in your pocket and pull it whenever you need a puff then slip it right back in your pocket without having to "put it out" wasting tobacco in the process... the list of benefits for convenience goes on and on. Plus... the kind I get have these red diamonds in the tip that are lit up (by a light behind the diamond) so when you take a puff, it glows red... and I've been saving the diamonds when I finish one of these e-cigs... as you can see by the very beaten up one on the left, I actually have to take a hammer to it to get the diamond out because it's not made to keep the diamonds as little bonus thingies, hehe.

GEDC0217.JPG



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LMAO Erica, ... ... ...

Do you think you've got enough things plugged into one electrical circuit ??? ... ... ... I had a hard time reading what you wrote down cause I kept looking at all the things plugged into the power distribution strip ...

Are the 'red diamonds' significant ? ... other than to give the sensation of smoking a real cigarette ? ... they look like rubys ... and you don't reload the cigarettes ? ... how long do they last? ... expensive ? ... do they give off real nicotine? ... WAIT, this is crazy, I don't need to know this stuff ... it's like my brain suddenly wants to smoke again ... I'm better off leaving this stuff alone ... thanks



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Pythonpappy wrote:

LMAO Erica, ... ... ...

Do you think you've got enough things plugged into one electrical circuit ??? ... ... ... I had a hard time reading what you wrote down cause I kept looking at all the things plugged into the power distribution strip ...

Are the 'red diamonds' significant ? ... other than to give the sensation of smoking a real cigarette ? ... they look like rubys ... and you don't reload the cigarettes ? ... how long do they last? ... expensive ? ... do they give off real nicotine? ... WAIT, this is crazy, I don't need to know this stuff ... it's like my brain suddenly wants to smoke again ... I'm better off leaving this stuff alone ... thanks


 Uh, hehe... you're actually only seeing about one fourth of that power strip setup there... it controls my lights, fans, electric blankets (I have 2... I like to be extra warm when I'm sleeping... but I need the extra fans to make it cold enough in my room to have the blankets on... lol) and such.

The diamonds... no, they serve no purpose in the e-cig other than glowing red when you take a puff so it looks like it's lit... while also making people go "oooh shiny! I wanna get that brand of e-cigs too!" I highly doubt they're diamonds OR rubies actually... since these are meant to be disposable... I'm SURE it's just red colored glass cut like a diamond with all the facets and stuff. But I remove em cuz they're purdy :)

Each of those e-cigs supposedly lasts as long as 2 packs of cigarettes and costs about $10 each (which happens to be just about the price OF 2 packs of cigs here... so prices of these e-cigs may vary elsewhere).

It is real nicotine and all. The reason it's legal to use indoors is because it's not SMOKING... there's no fire and it's not smoke... it's vapor... kinda like when you exhale when it's real cold outside... same thing basically I guess.

But JUST SAY NO! You don't want these!!!! Smoking is baaaaaad (says the hipocrit).



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You stated ...: But I remove em cuz they're purdy :)

Anybody ever tell you, you're just plain nuts??? ... ... ... Oh, and your electrical outlet? ... you DO KNOW that you're pushing the 'danger' envelope here don't you ??? ... Can't believe you haven't already tripped some 'breakers' or blown some 'fuses' yet ... ... I'm a retired Electronics Eng. / Electrical man ... you do know, depending on the wire size, behind the wall, and the size breaker/fuse in the main power panel, you could be on the verge of starting a fire ... ... ... I've seen a lot of 'wiring' not up to code ... and it is very possible to turn the wire behind the wall into a glowing red hot wire, like the red hot burner on a stove, it's how a lot of house fires start ... So be very careful Sweetheart ... I am NOT kidding !!!

Love Ya and God Bless,
Pappy



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ONLY YOU CAN STOP CITY/SUBURBSN/FOREST FIRES!!

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Hi Smokey ... where's BooBoo??



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I got the person who read the poem to repeat it so I could copy it down...

 

Today I found a penny

just laying on the ground

But it's not just a penny

This little coin I found

Found pennies come from Heaven

My grandpa told me

He said angels toss them down

 

He said when an angel misses you

They toss a penny down

Sometimes just to cheer you up

Or to make a smile out of your frown

So don't pass by that penny

when you're feeling blue

it may be a penny from heaven

that an angels tossed to you.



-- Edited by TigressErica on Saturday 28th of July 2012 11:14:31 AM

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Thanks Erica, ... ... ... I loved this ... ... ...



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Erica that's beautiful. Pappy, youvwere thinkin about Yogi. Smokey has no sidekich, and if he did, he'd be dead. Why? Because smokey is only concerned about fire because fire killed his friends when he was young and it was traumatic for him.

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You are right Neo, ... ... I stand corrected ... LOL



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