Cognitive Quit Smoking

I was asked this question on About.com’s Smoking Cessation Forum the
other day, and this is the reply I posted to Myawe (Ruth). Thought
it might be of interest to ppl here, especially the newer quitters
in the group:-
*********************************************************************
Hi Ruth - thanks again for your congrats.
You asked me about all the changes I’d made in my life since I quit
smoking. First and foremost, quitting has been a life changing
process for me. The vast majority of smokers reach for a cig when
experiencing extremes of emotions - anger, rage, joy, sadness etc -
to ‘help’ them cope. I was no different, stuffing those feelings
with a cig. As an exsmoker I have had to learn how to deal with all
these feelings - confront and understand them. I learned how to do
that over a period of time, and it wasn’t easy. Smokers make an
automatic association with a cig at these times, and re-learning
(more…)

….its awfully quiet around here! How’s everyone doing? How are
the quits and the stats? Lets here some news soon!
Thanks again to all of you for the one yr congrats - and for those
of you who couldn’t get there, you missed a great party in Spinchat
last night. But it’d be good to celebrate other peoples’ milestones
too :))
take care
Pam

Thankyou thankyou for the messages and congrats !! I’m home earlier
than planned - it was a great short weekend break, but poor old Pete
was hobbling around and I took pity on him, and we got an earlier
train home.
Marde - loved your ode! We’ve got a poet and we didn’t know it! Oh
and how true about Weight Watchers - I’ll be thrown out of the class
this next week for all I ate over the past couple of days.
This is just about the best day I ever remember in a long time. A
year quit is a dream come true for me, truly something I thought only
other people could do, not me. Believe me, I had tried to quit many,
many times over the yrs, and nothing had worked for longer than a few
days. I hadn’t reckoned on meeting Steve and learning cognitive
quitting just over a year ago - and I am so very grateful I did.
Steve, thankyou for everything this past yr, for keeping me on the
track to this great quit, and for your friendship.
(more…)

:))) well done Pam well done

…..this weekend! No, not for A smoke - to THE smoke, as we call
London this side of the pond. Leaving Friday evening, but I’ll be
back for that Spinchat party on Sunday evening around 10pm UK time -
hope some of us can meet up there. Ta Linda for working out those
time zones:-
SAMPLE:
United Kingdom - 6:00PM
Eastern - 1:00PM
Central -12:00PM
Mountain -11:00AM
Pacific -10:00AM
See you then, if not before !!
Pam

Just got home and DH told me while he was online a couple MS Messenger messages
came up. I need to look into that thing and show him how to turn it off.
Whoever you were sending me a note must think I’m rude for not responding. It
was my hubbie online. Just to let you know.
Gail

Just wondered…. as usual DH and I fell in love with Florida’s weather and
beaches. Realize some day we will leave MN (hate the winter) and are seriously
researching the best place for us to live in US. FL may be too warm in the
summer. Anyone from Florida, North or South Carolina?
Gail

Hi everyone. I got back yesterday and have been so busy readjusting after being
gone for 10 days. Had a great time and still smoke free (DH too).
I’m still in the ‘getting back to normal’ mode and do not have much time to
visit here as of yet. But I did want to share a few cigarette-related
thoughts/things. First the drive went well. 26 hours straight driving from MN
to FL. The van worked great… kids slept/watched TV in the bed in the back and
DH and I shared driving. Missed smoking while driving especially when everyone
was sleeping at 3 am, and it was me, the highway, and rock and roll. Instead,
sipped on my flavored coffee and felt my deep breaths and adrenaline rushes when
semi’s would pass me or going through mountain passes (wow). Had a major crave
after a Tennessee cop pulled us over for going 86 in a 75, but bought a coffee
instead of a smoke at the gas stop. Felt a huge physical sensation while
standing at a store watching a checkout girl empty a carton of my exbrand smokes
into the racks (I was actually frozen staring as if time had stopped –
bizarre). The beach was hard too. The carefree habit of kicking sand with a
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— In CognitiveQuitSmoking@y…, “Marde Tibbets”

I think this is a great idea. And since family will be at a nascar
race (can you believe my DH is taking my soon-to-be 17 yr. old
daughter to Rockingham for her birthday?). Those two, gotta love ‘em.
The times that Linda worked out below look good to me.
- Cat

I’d like to add a pat on the back too. That was a wonderful abc.
Thanks Cat.
www.cognitivequitting.com