1 day, 10 hours until my last butt
Hello, someone in another group suggested this group. I love the
website. I’m a 42 year old female who has smoked for 15+ years. I’m
getting very anxious (could be the Zyban — makes me hyper). My
husband it going to quit as well. Any advice so he and I don’t kill
eachother would be helpful.
August 15th, 2003 at 12:26 pm
I am new to the cognitive part of quitting but I know getting
through the first week the things that helped me were:
Reading about cigarettes, the tobacco co’s., the changes that
come when quiting…any information on cigarettes.
Drinking plenty of water to flush out the toxins, busy stuff like
needlepoint, things to chew on like straws or gum.
Write letters to others on-line for support.
I think it will actually be a great time for you to learn about what
makes you tick, find out some of your activating events. Just keep
reading!!
Maybe make an agreement with your husband that when you yell
or get crabby at each other you will try to realize that you are both
going through drug withdrawls and need to try to be kind to each
other. Smile a half hearted smile if you can, maybe rent some
comedies, chew licorice, eat sunflower seeds and discuss the
ABC’s.
You can do this!!
Choloe
August 19th, 2003 at 2:35 am
In a message dated 01/01/02 15:40:58 GMT Standard Time, todora@…
writes:
Cat is a private detective in her spare time - didn’t you know that - Hee hee
Indi
August 20th, 2003 at 1:17 am
Your email address, From: “gailjmt” <todora@…
www.cognitivequitting.com
August 20th, 2003 at 8:32 am
Without an understanding of how you connect normal events (stress is
normal) to a cigarette, urges won’t stop. They may leave for awhile, but
they seem to return. At least that’s my experience and what I’ve observed
of the experience of other quitters.
We need to breath in such a way as to keep our bodies supplied with
oxygen. Too often we find ourselves in postures that aren’t conducive to
proper breathing. When our bodies recognize that they are becoming oxygen
deficient, we take a deep breath. The feeling of needing to breath deeply
and the feeling of inhaling a cig deeply are identical. When an urge hits,
deep breathing will work as an alternative response only if the
urge(association) was triggered by oxygen deficiency. Otherwise, the deep
breathing is rarely effective. Same with drinking water, it works great if
you need water. Any response that doesn’t address the source/reason for an
urge, isn’t likely to be an effective response.
However, with your recognition of emotions as the serious traps,
you’ve hit the nail on the head …. emotions are the real problem. More
specifically, the sensations that are part and parcel of all emotions or
conditions. As smokers, how did we know it was time to light up? How did we
know it had been too long since our last cigarette? Did you ever set a
timer so you’d know when to smoke? You, like me and every other smoker in
history, probably knew it was time to smoke because of some physical
sensation. Those sensations were/are identical to the sensations felt when
we quit and start withdrawal. Irritability, loss of concentration, general
antsiness … these are our first clues. Most of us got very good at
recognizing those cues. Most of us responded to them even before we were
consciously aware that we were experiencing them. Stress at higher levels
or for extended periods of time will generate very similar symptoms as
those of a sagging nic level. You might want to check a book called
“Stress Without Distress” by Hans Selye. It’s not a recent book so it’ll
likely be in your local library. Note particularly the nature of the
physical manifestations of stress. They’re surprisingly similar to those of
a fluctuating nicotine level.
energy - but it leaves.
Distracting ourselves is a no win activity. We might escape the moment,
but it’s not something ‘out there’ that we’re trying to get away from, it’s
ourselves. It’s our own response to the physical sensations of our moment
by moment lives. We can’t avoid ourselves. At least not forever or ‘long
enough’ to become quit. The entire concept that we can ‘become quit’ if we
don’t smoke for a long enough period of time is complete garbage. Being
‘quit’ is NOT a state of being that can be maintained comfortably and for
the rest of our lives unless we learn how to recreate the mindset where we
actively and willingly choose not to smoke. Otherwise, even if we manage to
be quit for a significant period, we don’t gain any sort of security in our
quit and we’re at constant risk of some crisis or event triggering strong
connections to a cig.
Most quitters spend a tremendous amount of energy and time just trying
to find new, more, better ways to ‘hang on’. Are you prepared to spend the
same amout of time and energy to get to know that part of you that had/has
a smoking habit?
www.cognitivequitting.com
August 20th, 2003 at 10:54 pm
Well duh! I’m dumb today… too much thinking about…. I will quit
smoking in 7 hours, 16 minutes and 0 seconds.
Bye now. Gail
August 21st, 2003 at 5:20 am
Hi Gail
I took zyban (and I’m just ahead of Cat in quit time) - I’m in the UK so our
instructions for taking it are a bit different to yours (thats if you are in
US).
This is 2nd time I have taken it - took it for 3 months last year and smoked
occasional ones but then started again.
This time I was lucky and found cogquit so the zyban helped until I got into
the cog thinking mode.
I had to take 1 a day for 7 days then take 2 a day quitting on the 11th day.
I didn’t like taking it so stopped taking it two weeks into my quit.
By that time I’d found cogquit and was really pleased cos it made me able to
stop the zyban earlier than I would have done.
I certainly think it helped me and am not sure I would have done it without
zyban to get me over the first couple of weeks cos what it did was to help me
with my mood but having said that I got some really bad cravings for a week
after I stopped zyban.
Now I guess a lot of that was in my head cos it couldn’t possibly have been a
nic craving after 2 weeks but as we all know thats where most of the problems
lie.
So I would suggest that you know you best so do what feels right for you.
Regards
Indi
August 21st, 2003 at 1:24 pm
— In CognitiveQuitSmoking@y…, Jacknindi@a… wrote:
Thanks Indi:
It’s nice to know someone else’s story. I’ve been on it for 11 days
so I should be ready. Actually look forward to tomorrow… to be on
the other side of this habit. Gail
August 24th, 2003 at 11:38 pm
Type wherever you like. Unless I’m making a general comment I like to just
type after the text on which I’m commenting.
I’m assuming your doctor prescribed the zyban for yourself and your
husband. I hope that he either knows you or at least glanced at your
records to be sure you’re not at risk. Drinking alcohol increases the risk
of seizure so please avoid drinking while on the zyban.
I quit smoking on October 14. I believe I stopped the zyban around the
first week in December. My doctor gave me a prescription for at least three
months but he’d told me that whatever it takes to get me to stop smoking
short of another addiction that’s illegal, then he’d support it.
I shouldn’t have said that I quit the zyban too early. I meant that I still
had some time left on my prescription and that the recommended program is a
bit longer than the length of time I was on it. It just suited me to stop,
that’s all. I think Indi stopped taking zyban about 2 weeks after quitting.
Overall, I think that being on the zyban helped me. It helped take off the
edge for the first few weeks. Also helped with the depression that follows
a quit. I still had to handle the depression later on, but I was stronger
in my quit and better able to get through it (and besides, some of this
cogquit crew got to listen to me whine and cry and that helped).
Well, you’re close now. I’m pulling for you, Gail. Where are you located
(please forgive me if you’ve already answered this question)?
- Cat