News Stories

Having just returned from the Emerald Isle myself it is wonderful to know that the cigarette ban has had very positive effects in such a short time. I must admit that when I first heard of the ban I laughed to myself thinking that this would start another civil war of which Ireland has seen quite a few. But the stick was put firmly in the sand and if you wanted to smoke you had to go outside, no ifs, ands and definitely no butts.

In the past two weeks it was a joy to be able to sit in a restaurant and not smell a trace of tobacco smoke. It was wonderful not to have my clothes reeking of stale smoke. Looking around me I noticed that the Irish had taken it pretty much in stride. Many I met had used it as the reason to quit entirely while others simply took to the outdoors to smoke.

In the same way as the US, the price of cigarettes was astronomical in Ireland, but that rarely succeeds in getting folks to quit. The only bad part of the evening out was having to make your way through the smokers congregating outside each establishment. In the future I hope they will adopt the same smoking method shown in the movie "Total Recall" People simply had a glass bowl over their heads and could smoke all they wanted within the bowl. Ah well perhaps next year.

Check out this link for the full story.

I just finished reading an excellent article on MSN regarding the true cost of a DUI. As recovering addicts this should not even apply to us but more and more I hear of folks who were once very Gung Ho about CR and their recovery now returning to "controlled drinking" Even as non recovering Christians we should never allow ourselves to overdo our drinking when we are out, but the fact remains that for many of us, we cannot control our drinking but we will never admit that we have a real problem.

That is OK because with all things God will make it clear to us that a problem exists if we continue to refuse to listen. One of the ways he may use is to hit us in the wallet or pocket book. Ask your self how many times have you driven home when you know you have had too much to drink. You may have gotten away with it so far but rest assured, you day is approaching.

I heard a story once about a man stopped by police for speeding and he complained that he was going as fast as everyone else and why did he not catch them as well. The officer calmly told the man that when a fisherman throws his net into the water, he does not catch ALL the fish, just some. Take a look at the article below and heed the lesson well. You may someday find yourself in that same net.

Read the article here.

Women have yet another reason to stop smoking while pregnant. In the largest study of its kind, plastic surgeons say they found smoking during pregnancy significantly elevates the risk of having a child with excess, webbed or missing fingers and toes.

In fact, the study, published in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, found that smoking just half a pack per day increases the risk of having a child born with a toe or finger defect by 29 percent.

"Reconstructive surgery to repair limb, toe and finger abnormalities in children represents a large portion of my practice - it is the most common issue I treat," said Benjamin Chang, MD, ASPS member and study author.

Since becoming a Christian, I am busier than I ever thought possible. Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. If I wasn't a Christian, I would be busy doing all sorts of things that I had no business doing. In fact, when I look back at my past and the damage I was doing, it is more likely that by now I would be dead or at least dying due to substance abuse.

As it is i am very much alive and it is thanks only to Jesus and the Godly men around me that persevered with me and helped me when I was too prideful or stupid to help myself. And of course my wife of almost 15 years come January 12th, 2006. She had her work cut out for her - of that there is little doubt.