Album Notes

Joseph Weaver at the age of ten became very interested in philosophy, spirituality and religion. At sixteen, he would visit different Ashrams in Upstate New York, where he practiced Yoga, reflexology, herbology and meditation. Joe Weaver studied Biology at the State University at Stony Brook, where he won achievement awards in biological research, focusing on the hippocampus and stroke. Joe then got an award to participate in a research assignment at Tulane University in New Orleans, which was published in the European Journal of Pharmacology in March 1993.

In 1994, Joe Weaver went to pursue a medical career at the University Tuebingen in Germany. After a year and a half, he had a change in heart and moved back to the States. After Germany, Joe noticed that he was losing his spirituality and did not like the "new Joe" that he saw-- He was smoking more than three packs of cigarettes a day and eighty pounds overweight. Joe smoked for over 18 years, smoking three packs a day and over 80 pounds overweight when he decided to quit and change his life. His life was falling apart and he decided to take a long vacation to Nepal and Tibet. After his long journey, Joe was finally a nonsmoker and lost over 90 pounds.

Joe had quit smoking over ten times in those years. As, most smokers know. Stressful situations can bring you back to being a slave to Nicotine. The real test was Joe's first stressful situation. His mother had two heart attacks and three strokes within one year. Unable to cope with all the new added stress, Joe began to write Nic-the Habit,while along the bedside of his mother, who could no longer speak.

Smoking a cigarette was the last thing in his mind. The Tibetan culture taught Joe to be strong and to find the strength within to combat feelings or desires that were destructive, such as smoking and over-eating.

A quote from his book " Human are separated from Animal, being that humans don't have to act on their Instinct.., Being trained in college as a biologist and research scientist, Joe never dreamed that he would write about spirituality and quitting smoking. Joe wrote medical journals, not books about spirituality. This is what makes Nic-the Habit special.

Joe Weaver's book has a combination of science, nature and spirituality all neatly written into one. Joe believes that this book was guided from a higher source. Joe learned in Nepal to cherish each day and live life and to focus on the present, being that the past is only to guide and the future only depends on the "here-and-now" (The Present.) Focusing on one day at a time, brings total success into the future.

Joseph P. Weaver is the winner of the 2002 American Cancer Society's Great American Smoke-out Award, for leadership in building a smoke-free environment in New York City. A former neuroscience researcher, Joe has studied yoga, reflexology, herbology, and meditation in Nepal and around the world, and has helped thousands of people quit smoking.

Pete Hawk is a producer / recording engineer and narrator who lives in Las Vegas with his wife. He produces music and audio books and he also enjoys flying.

Music: "Perpetual Motion" by Pete Hawk from the album "In the Flow."

Album Length: Approx 280 minutes