Man Calls 911 Reports a False Murder Blames Nicotine

The face of withdrawal!

For Alex Lee Baker, the reality of nicotine addiction and cigarette withdrawals will prove to result in a night that he will never forget.  On the evening of November 28th the 911 line in Clarksville, TN erupted with 3 calls.  The first claiming to have witnessed a murder, the second call claimed he, the victim now, was in the woods after being stabbed and pushed from a car.  Call number three said he was in the woods dying and that he had killed his girlfriend and buried her out near Woodlawn.

All three calls originated from the cell phone of Mr. Baker and spawned a search involving several officers from Clarksville PD, two Deputy Sheriffs and their K-9 unit, a couple Highway Patrol men and one helicopter.

During the search Detective Eric Ewing was able to establish that all three calls were place by Baker and that clearly Baker had lied.  Baker then claimed that he lost his phone.  Eventually he came clean and admitted that...  wait for it...  wait for it...

Baker had placed the calls because he was board, anxious AND had not had a cigarette in two days.

He was charged with 3 counts of false reporting and is being held on a $15,000 bond.

Clearly, there are lots of adjectives that may come to mind here.  Obviously, he didn't read my book, How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone.  This is a silly story that is not only true but shows the magnitude and effect of nicotine addiction.  Fortunately, he didn't actually murder his girlfriend and no one was hurt, but what kind of state was this poor guy in that he called in 3 fake 911 calls.  For him the emergency of not having a smokey treat was all too real. 

Board, he had nothing to do with his hands.  Anxious, his brain chemistry was all out of whack.  Nicotine fit in full bloom and having been in this position before, I completely empathize with Alex Baker and understand how he must have felt.

Where did he go wrong?  Well, aside from calling 911 and claiming to have been stabbed and killed his girlfriend; where did he go wrong?  A nic-fit comes on like a wave and is not permanent.  It will not last forever.  You need to ride it out.  While in the pains of it, it's necessary to find something to do to keep yourself from climbing the walls or stabbing yourself and your girlfriend.  This kid needs an Xbox and a copy of my book!

Rehab yourself with QiGong Recharge by John DuCane

Qi Gong has become for me a form of active meditation.  For someone looking to rehab from the effects of smoking, Qi Gong may be a good way to patch up so to speak.  Me?  I decided to stop smoking almost 10 years ago and have recently published a book on how I did it.  It's called, How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone .  For me the first week or two was brutal.  So since then I have looked for natural methods to ease one through the withdrawal phase.  QiGong Recharge is one perfect example of "if I knew then what I knew now."

John DuCane is a practitioner and teacher of Qi Gong.  He is also the man behind Dragon Door publications.  He has been practicing QiGong since 1975. 

Mr. DuCane has published several works on Thi Chi and QiGong.  For this blog I'm going to show you the one I've been using for a few years now and the one that has added to my overall peace of mind, serenity and well being.  Not to mention the added benefits of more fluid motion and flexibility!

The Subtitle to QiGong ReCharge is A Daily practice to Release, Relax and Rejuvenate.  And that is exactly what will happen for you when you begin to practice the techniques taught in this DVD.

For you, the recent or soon to be non-smoker, this DVD will come in handy on a few levels.  Let's look at some of the benefits and see how they will aid you in getting through this tough time.

As the cover points out, you have inherited a body.  It's the only one you got.  Whether or not you're a spiritual person is irrelevant.  What is important to recognize is that sooner or later you're body will return to the universe.  As the days draw to a close, what kind of condition do you want your body to be in?  Clearly, you've decided to upgrade your body and repair the damage done by smoking.  Congratulations!  That is without a doubt a brave, powerful and honorable decision that will pay many dividends over the coming years. 

By incorporating the practice of QiGong ReCharge into your daily life you will immediately reap the follow benefits:

• Increased Energy.  Getting off the smoking bandwagon can drain you.  Your body is all out of whack.  So is your brain chemistry for that matter.  This can result in a feeling of sluggish depression.  How would like to alleviate that sensation?
• Greater Sense of Well Being.  QiGong will allow you to slow down and move with relaxed purpose.  Since you are going through some big changes you will be able to center yourself for the day ahead and re-center yourself through out the day.
• Reduce Stress.  Let's face it.  When you decide to stop smoking, it's stressful.  There's no denying that.  By adding the practice of ReCharge do your daily routine you can remove the stress that builds up in your body.
• Release Tension.  Speaking of stress!  Where do you carry yours?  In your neck?  Shoulders?  Lower Back?  Stomach?  How about all of the above?  How would like to let that all go?  Especially now that you're not smoking.  How will you release your stress?
• Replace the Ritual.  Smoking as a habit for most of us was a ritual.  We did it in the morning to wake up, we smoked after a good meal, it was good for the road trip, it made a nice night cap, and so on and so forth.  What will you do now?
• Fire Up Your Lymph System.  QiGong will aid, assist and stimulate your body's natural cleansing system. 
• Relax Your Nervous System.  What do you think is getting over worked now that you've stopped smoking?  Are your nerves fried? 
• Improved Breathing.  QiGong will help you to being using your lungs again for their intended purpose.  

For me QiGong ReCharge became a way to recover and...  well recharge after a heavy day of Kettlebell training.  I was looking for something to do that would not only aid in active recovery but also aid in releasing tension.  Physical and emotional.   QiGong Recharge quickly became the status quo for me.  I would and still do use it to warm up before exercise and sometimes as a way to cool down after training as well.  As a stand alone system I have used it to recover form surgery and have also used it to reduce stress and anxiety.

Whether you smoke now, are trying to stop, or have stopped, this routine of movement and breathing will help you release, restore and of course, ReCharge.  Even if you're coming out of another addiction, this will help with inner peace.

Let me know if you decide to give it a try.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions. 

FDA to require graphic warnings on cigarette packages, ads

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-sci-1111-cigarette-packages-20101111,0,5986780.story   

Clearly, I gotta chime in here...  I've tried getting through the above article like five times.  The first time was right when it came out last week and since then I've looked at it and then had to look away out of frustration.  I finally was able to sift through half of it and then finished it this morning.

I'm going to commit to a general point of view here that as a non-smoking advocate may seem contradictory but honestly, I just don't get it.

Seriously, it's 2010.  If you legitimately do not know that smoking is bad for you in this day and age, I'm sorry, but you deserve whatever comes your way.  How can you not know smoking is bad for you?

Maybe because the people who make the decision to smoke are fully aware of the dangers, consequesces and the risk and for whatever reason, be it addiction, self-loathing, or a little bit of both, decide to do it anyway...

This article goes on to claim that daily 4000 young people try smoking and 1000 of them continue to smoke.  Here's the exact quote, "Every day, 4,000 young people try cigarettes for the first time and 1,000 continue to smoke."

One key word is left out of that equation.  Decide.  Smoking is a decision.   According to the article that means 365,000 "young people" take on the habit of smoking.  According to the CDC, smoking can be related to 1 in 5 deaths annually.  393,600 full time smokers die each year. Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States.  However, when you do the math there's 28,600 more people dying from it than starting it.  Darwinism will eventually solve this problem.  Cruel?  Maybe.  True?  Yes.

So yes, smoking is a bad thing.  But...  C'mon people.  Don't you already know this?  If you're still puffing away at this point, is a picture of a diseased lung or some cat smoking through his trachea really going to change your mind?  I say no.  I say the only person, place or thing that is going to change the mind of the smoker is the mind of the smoker.

Many an addict will not stop shooting smack simply because he/she see's the effects of the drug on someone else.  An addict is simply that, an addict and they are the only one who can actually stop.  Notice I don't say quit.  Quitting is an impossible act for the addict if you ask me.

The American Heart and Lung Association state that "Pharmacological and behavioral characteristics that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine."

So first off, if tobacco is that strong, why is it even legal?  Secondly, this mean that these 365,000 new smokers aren't just smokers, but addicts with a physical addiction as strong as junk and blow.  

So....  what's the plan?  As a government institution in the United States of America, let's tell an independent company how to package their product in a way that could drastically reduce sales and consequently close their business.  OK, so as Americans we can look the other way (for now) because smoking is bad.  But what happens when this logic gets plugged into video games, music, food?  Let's not set a precedent here.  Not to sound too paranoid (I'll go through an X-Ray at the airport and as long as they're gentle, I'm OK getting my junk brushed for the common good) but keep in mind, there are some civil liberties involved.  

Well so perhaps potential non addicts will get scared off so that's a good thing but what are we doing to address the root causes and issues of smoking addiction.  You can't communicate rationally with an addict.  They're addicted!  There's a chemical imbalance in their brain that is so strong they actually decide to over look the facts and do it anyway.


I know I did.  From 1991 to 2002 I looked the other way and enjoyed every single puff.  Why did I smoke?  Well for that you can read the book.  Same on how I stopped.  Excuse the shameless plug, but the bottom line here is that smoking is a choice.  Every time someone lights up it's a decision.  So how do we communicate to addicts?  

Parent's who smoke?  I say pass a law that puts smoking as a parent in the same category as abuse or neglect.  Sorry but if you smoke and have kids and then smoke in front of your kids, you're an asshole.  How can you do that?  I know how...  addiction!  Addiction is not logical and causes irrational behavior like putting known carcinogens in the direct path of your own flesh and blood!  What the *%$# is a picture of a black and brown lung sitting on the Camel's hump going to do to make that person quit?

Logic will not do the trick.  If you read my book you'll notice that I don't throw a bunch of facts and figures at the potential non-addict.  I show them how I did it and how they can too.  You decided to start smoking, now decide to stop smoking.  Here's How.  That's it.  Peanut Gallery's open...

How to Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone Test Drive

How to Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone is available for sale on Amazon.com.  In a previous blog, I answered the question, "But Dave, I don't smoke.  Why should I read your book?  Well, if that didn't get you off the fence and you still can't decide to add the book to your shopping cart, how would you like to go for a quick test drive?  When you visit StopDontQuit.com   and enter your name and email address I will send you for free a PDF of the Forward, written by my dad and Chapter 1, called "Stop Trying to Quit."

This book is a quick, easy read and yet it is an effective tool.  As one reader put it, "This book is a perfect combination of humor, guidance, passion and purpose. If you've ever wanted to change your life in regards to smoking, or really any addictive behavior, this book is a MUST!!"

Why not give it a try?

Stop Smoking with Oysters

Stop Smoking with Oysters

This is a Hub I wrote that goes with my book, How to Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone .  In it I'm going to take a look at handling the withdrawal phases and I'll also examine the value of growing pains.

 I found a CD set on Mantra's that I mention in the Hub and in this CD on Mantra's lies some very powerful and simple wisdom that became the chief inspiration and motivation for this Hub.

Take a look at it and let me know what you think...

Stop Smoking with Oysters