Tom S early 2019 Addictions delight in chaos. 

Hello Fellow Warriors, back to "the world" from my weekend silent retreat. I wouldn't dare use this forum for religious preaching, and wouldn't be qualified to do that even if I wanted to, but I wanted to say that I prayed and reflected a lot on my Quit, and my fellow Quit Warriors. What occurred to me, probably quite obvious to most already, is that our addictions delight in chaos, in noise, in frantic distraction (think smokers endlessly scrolling their phones on smoke breaks). Our addictions can influence us most when we listen to our inner voices the least. So, if you're feeling overwhelmed by anything in your life, and you feel your addiction trying to use that to take control, maybe try total silence for a brief period. Set the timer on your phone for 3 minutes (it's amazing how long that can feel), and get to a spot, use headphones, go to your car, and just sit in as much silence as you can. Ask yourself if you should continue your Quit, or if you should smoke. I found this weekend that my inner voice is loudest when all other noises are quietest. And my addiction doesn't have the strength or courage to talk when it's just me, and it. Who knows, maybe I'm full of post-retreat gobbledeegook, but it sure feels real and hey, it sure can't hurt in this day and age of noise and frantic distraction. Peace and love, fellow Warriors, NOPE it is and NOPE is must stay. That's something we can all live with if we try.