I just did a huge post and about 6-7 replies and now they’re all gone
so this is a test. If this doesn’t go through, then I’m giving up
(been fight with this for the past few hours) and going to go have a
beer or five.
I would really like to be a part of your group. I stopped smoking
last year for 15 weeks until my smoking dream. I tried for two weeks
to get over the dream but then went back to my habit. I realized
going through this site today that when I wasn’t smoking I also
wasn’t learning how to change my beliefs/behaviors. It was sheer
willpower. I believe that is why I felt like such a failure going
back. Since then I’ve made three or four half-hearted attempts to
stop. I can’t get rid of the feeling that it was a one time
willpower thing and the end result of failing is very heavy on my
mind.
I have been doing my homework printing up everything I could find
from smoking cessation sites and the cognitive quitting site. I
heard of this board from my sister and Sue and I can see why they are
excited about the logic that is found here.
Thanks.
Okay, I did my ABCs and plan to have a very successful evening. Tonight I’ll be
playing my first volleyball game with a team I’ve never met. So, there are a
few issues I know I needed to think about prior to going: 1) nerves from not
knowing my team; 2) nerves of realizing I haven’t played in 6 months; 3)
apprehension re: long drive to game site amd snowly hwy; 4) saying ‘no’ to the
bar time after games; 5) lonely ride home passing many stores.
There we go, now that I’ve told you all about my ‘fears’ I know I’ll be just
fine. Bye now.
Gail
One week, five days, 17 hours, 38 minutes and 41 seconds. 318 cigarettes not
smoked, saving $52.53. Life saved: 1 day, 2 hours, 30 minutes.
Hiya Cat
You’ve managed to hit the three month mark - not by the skin of your teeth
but by systematic careful planning, learning and thinking.
WELL DONE!!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JUBILATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad to have met you on this wonderful journey Cat and real glad that we
are buddies.
(((((((((((((((((((Miaow))))))))))))))))))
It’s 1.45am and finally I got a quick go on the computer - the joys
of teenagers. And all these posts to read - that’ll have to wait
until tomorrow.
Anyone else having disturbed sleep patterns since quitting? I went
to bed early, slept a couple of hours, then couldn’t get back to
sleep - so here I am. Any tips? I’m going to have a skin like a
walrus if I take any more scented baths 
I wondered about any
natural/herbal sleep remedies? Other than that it’s all going well.
see you later
Katie.
Some here have posted their ICQ etc numbers and ID’s - I’m trying to
find them all in the archives.
Any chance of posting them again - or maybe emailing them to me so
that the number of posts here doesn’t go through the roof I can
then put them all together in one file so we can easily look them up.
I reinstalled icq today after a couple of troublesome days with it.
Same number 142898919. Have you sorted yours out yet Indi - or is
it more an AOL problem?
bye for now
Pam
Day 12 of the quit, and tonight was the first time I’ve been in a
pub since I’ve quit. What if the smell of the cigarettes sets off a
craving? That was what faced me, and I thought I’d better prepare
for it.
.here goes (I planned this one out while I was getting ready)
Activating event as I see it is being in a pub enjoying a glass of
wine and good conversation with friends. My belief has been that
the only way I’ll really enjoy myself is if I can have a cig to go
with these, resulting (C) in me lighting up - and probably getting
through about 10 cigs in the evening.
OK. New beliefs: I can enjoy the conversation just as much without
smoking - I don’t need lungs full of carbon monoxide to take part in
it. The glass of wine tastes just as good without having to stop to
take drags of a cig. If I’m not smoking all those cigs tonight I’m
not going to have the usual bad headache in the morning so I’ll
(more…)
Hows come some of the emails that I get are fancy font and pretty
colors, and the others are just plain? Sorry for the ignorance, LOL,
I have always wondered about this….
Tiko**
**I have not smoked a cigarette in one week, four days, 16 hours, 58
minutes and 51 seconds.
That is 468 cigarettes not smoked, saving $58.53.
My Life restored so far: 1 day, 15 hours, 0 minutes.**
OK, OK, I’m taking a break. The football hasn’t started yet, got a few more
hours to go but I did get about 4 loads of laundry done and a few other boring
chores out of the way. And, yes, I mean football as in American football, not
soccer (even though, as you know, that I love soccer too).
In the back of my mind, I’ve kind of equated to being happy when more
good/positive things are going on in my life than bad/negative things. Once
when I was feeling bad, it was suggested by you-know-who that people have a
tendency to look upon the very recent past for the events that influence our
mood. For example, I have a tendency to get unhappy when something negative
happens between my youngest daughter and I. I want to focus on that event for
days, bringing myself and everyone around me into my funk. It was suggested
that maybe I should look back further/earlier, then most probably the positives
would outweigh the negatives in my life once more. Simple, but it works, and
it’s a way of looking at the whole picture of life, rather than having tunnel
(more…)
Sorry that got sent inadvertantly… here it is with the last line or
two…
I think that what we “push to the back of the brain and don’t think about”
is in fact the stuff that pulls the most strings. And it’s precisely
because we ‘believe’ that we’re not thinking about it, that it can create
such chaos. Even though there are no clearly defined images, there are
physical sensations consequent to the event that continue to effect us.
Steve
www.cognitivequitting.com