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The brave woman or man that you are
Have you ever realized how incredibly brave you are?
Have you heard of the game known as Russian roulette?
If you’ve ever watched the movie The Deer Hunter you must recall one of its most powerful scenes, where Christopher Walken plays this game as a hollowed shell of a man after the Vietnam War.
The suspense is awesome. A mob of bloodthirsty gamblers surrounds a few sweaty players in a backroom of some bar in Saigon. A pistol is loaded with one deadly bullet, leaving five empty slots in the barrel. The barrel is swiveled and the gun handed to one of the players, who has no idea where the bullet awaits. The player then places the loaded pistol against his temple and squeezes the trigger slowly. If he survives, the barrel is swiveled again and the gun is handed to the next player. A very powerful scene – if you’ve watched the movie you’ll never forget it.
Would you have the guts to play this game?
Now imagine that the rules of the game are changed and the barrel is now loaded with three deadly bullets instead of one. That would increase the probability of encountering death from 16.6 per cent to 50 per cent.
Imagine you are one of these players and it is your turn now. You hold the loaded pistol carrying three deadly bullets, you place the gun against your head and you squeeze that trigger. Would you survive or would you die?
Would you have the guts to play this game – and if you would, then why?
According to the rules of Russian roulette you have about an 83.4 per cent chance of surviving. You’d be a nervous wreck of course, but otherwise you could take the money you’ve earned from the game and leave without a scratch to your body.
But what’s in it for you in the other game? You’ve got a 50 per cent chance of encountering a bullet in your head, and if you happen to be lucky and survive, you would still be crippled in one way or another.
The name of this game is smoking roulette.
You are playing this game now.
It may not be fun to acknowledge them, but facts are facts.
One out of two smokers will die from smoking-related diseases.
Here are the three bullets that are most likely to kill you:
- First Bullet – Emphysema
- Second Bullet – Cancer (mainly lung cancer)
- Third Bullet – Cardiovascular Disease.
Here’s a brief description of the nature of these bullets.
The Emphysema Bullet slowly demolishes the lungs. Once you have the disease you will start breathing heavily, and a year down the road walking up a flight of stairs will take the air out of your lungs. You’ll be gasping for every breath of air like an exhausted drowning man. You’re pretty doomed with this bullet – once you’ve contracted the disease recovery rates are very low. And dying of emphysema is not a fun death at all.
Lung cancer – a direct effect of nicotine and tar – is the most common killer of smokers. It is a bullet that kills fast. Once diagnosed with the disease, it’s usually only about six months before you die. Recovery rates are very low. Dying of lung cancer is not a fun death at all.
Although lung cancer is the most common type of cancer that smokers inflict on themselves, other forms are also very prevalent. These include cancer of the bladder, cancer of the larynx, cancer of the throat, lip and mouth, etc. The recovery rates for these are pretty promising, but the consequences and lifestyle alterations are dramatic.
Cardiovascular diseases are now the number one assassins of males. Smokers have a much better chance of dying from this bullet, as inhalation of nicotine and carbon monoxide helps to block arteries and augments the pressure on the heart. After the first heart attack most smokers get the idea and never smoke again.
Be clear about the facts:
One out of two smokers will die from smoking-related diseases.
If someone told you that you had a 50 per cent chance of winning the big prize in next week’s Lotto draw, I bet you would bet on it. You wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away – oh no! The probability of winning the big prize is usually elusive and unattainable, but amazingly it still entices masses of gamblers. But for you, next week is a special draw where you have a 50 per cent chance of winning: that means one in two! If this could be arranged, you wouldn’t sleep for the entire week because the excitement would be too much to bear.
You would see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity and you would visualize yourself as a winner. You’d visualize what you would do with all the money, what would you buy, where would you go, the lush life, the many people you would spoil, your dreams come true. I imagine you would share the excitement with your spouse or partner, your children, your parents and siblings, your best friends. The thrill would be contagious. And I bet that everyone sharing this excitement with you would be visualizing as well, seeing vivid pictures and feeling clear sensations.
Wake up now to reality. Sorry, but please don’t get upset – you still have your 50 per cent chance of winning, but not the grand Lotto prize. Instead, your prize is one of the above-described diseases.
This is not a mind game – this is reality.
One out of two smokers will die from smoking-related diseases.
Now visualize that, and share that excitement with your loved ones if you can.
You may refuse to act upon this information for one reason or another. You may become irate and feel antagonistic towards the program.
It is well known from the past that many have killed the messenger who delivered a terrible notice.
Killing the messenger or not, the reality remains as it is.
And, for your information, here’s one more fact. Once diagnosed with cancer, emphysema or heart disease, the shock and the clear smell of approaching death will take away the pleasure of smoking quite abruptly. Anyway you look at it, you are about to quit smoking.
Quit now!
If you quit now, you will allow your faculties to quickly regenerate themselves. And you will have a very good chance of restoring your health and getting out of this crazy insane game you are playing.
One out of two smokers will die from smoking-related diseases.
Have your intelligence work for you now.
Stop all rationalizations, all excuses, all procrastination.
Act now!
Endure and you will be free.
It’s time to take right action.
Now! | 
