Cognitive Quit Smoking

,
this last hour I’ve been working over my “anxiety”. I drank tea, I’m chewing
gum, I just came back of walking…and still…I feel “anxiety”. Of course my
first response is “it’s because i don’t smoke”. Afterwards I think: “perhaps
even smoking I would feel this awful feeling”.
When I read your messages it seems to me that everyone can think about, or go
for a walk , or “do something” and that “right away” feel better.
I wanted to ask you if your experience is that with time, this moments are more
tolerable . If afterwards, you don’t think “directly” about smoking. I suppose
(and read in the messages) that this is easier for you, because I found that
cogquit is very , very useful ; but I’m suffering a lot.
Perhaps I’m suffering a lot because I ‘m doing it harder for me : I don’t smoke
a few days…I buy cigs. I smoke two in a day…I throw them. I pass some more
few days…I ask for one. I think this is the worst !!!!
I need ,please, your help for changing this “stupid” way of quitting. Or
(more…)

I’m nearly at one whole week smoke free - me! Throughout the course
of the past week week, Pam and Steve have been coaching me in the
art of the quit, and it’s been a week of learning about breaking old
associations, recognising what it is I want when I think I want to
smoke, and learning how to put new behaviours in place.
Now, this really is Ms hang-on-by-her-fingernails in previous quits
speaking: before this quit I hadn’t a clue about the process, and
just struggled my way through, getting swamped by the sheer misery
of it all.
The main thing I’ve learned this past week has been how to become
more aware and in touch with what I’m feeling physically. But more
than that, I’ve been learning the value of being a bit more
proactive - looking at the day ahead and working out in advance what
I can do at known trigger points.
Step 1, I learned, was to take more care of me: proper food, enough
(more…)

Lots of new quitters have joined over the past few weeks, so I
thought I’d post about why I quit, how I came to quit using
cognitive quitting, how it’s worked for me, and what my non smoking
life is like now. Its part of a something I posted at a smoking
cessation forum at around 13 months quit - and I’d like those of you
who might be struggling with the emotional rollercoasters and
quitfog etc to see that this quit is do-able, and that life really
does take on a new and special quality when we get off the smoking
merry-go-round….
About.com Smoking Cessation forum Message 6812.1 March 18th 2001
“Quitting was always something everyone else seemed to be able to
do, never me. Sure, I used to try using gum or patches mainly, but
even had a go with acupuncture and hypnosis. I really used to think
that if I got enough `tools’ together I’d sail through it. I really
did used to think quitting was just about weaning myself off
(more…)

Well, we made it so far today. Glenn and I started our habbit when
we were about 14 yrs old and since he is now 46 and I am 34 that has
been a long time smoking. Our problem has been that since we have
had the habbit for so long of a time , we have forgotten or maybe we
have never known life without a smoke. So we are kinda like living
life for the first time. Reaily starting life over and best of all we
are starting it over together. Glenn & Debra

Hello all… I am hoping you don’t mind a bit of rambling. I would like to
share some of my thoughts with you.
I have read where some of you are experiencing extreme emotions early in
your quit. It sounds like you are confused about the tears and high
emotion. I hear you. A part of it is the place where you are at,
time-wise, in your quit. There is a long explanation for this but
basically there is a chemical imbalance going on and it takes a while for
your body to right itself. During this healing period, it can feel like
you are on slippery ice, unable to get and keep your feet underneath you.
It won’t always be this way.
When I was having such a difficult time with this ‘roller coaster ride’, I
found hope when someone I knew and trusted told me I would survive it. It
would just take time. (It also required patience on my part which I had
none. But then that’s another post. Smile.) Then he told me that there
are things that I could do to help myself get past these places. What?
(more…)

…on 5 months quit today. Well done to you! Another excuse - as if
we needed one - for a Spinchat party this weekend.
take care
Pam

Hi all,
Well tomarrow is the dreaded fifth day. We tried to quit a couple of
weeks ago and had a big problem trying to think…know what i
mean.well anyway you see Glenn tried to mow the whole dam 5 acres
here including the pond bank and the inside of the pond..lol….and
that did it…. we had to do something before we killed ourselves.
Besides that we had no clean clothes or dishes because of my
scattered brain. We had to till the garden and we both figured we
would never get it done without killing something or someone so we
gave in. We found out about triggers on the first quit and for some
reason we thought that after the first 3 days we should be cured.
WRONG anyway , we have tried patches and gum and zyban and now we are
going cold turkey. We are doing fine. lol Glenn & Debra

Hi guys and gals
sorry I haven’t been around but not been too well, also had puter
probs so haven’t been online but was managing to read messages at
work no for some reason all my membership to egroups of any
description has been deleted.
Its taken me hours to actually find the group again, go through the
registration process and now I’m falling alseep.
So anyway I’m still here, still smoke/nicotine free and ready to
catch up with the oldies and get to know the newbies.
Missed you all so hope all you oldies are still around or at least if
not that you have moved on to bigger and better things as non smokers.
Namaste
Indi

Okay, maybe I deserved some harsh words, but ouch! I can’t say I
disagree with you, but this is a learning process. It took me 20
years to learn to be a smoker and I’ve only been studying and working
towards gaining cognitive skills for one month. I have not slipped
since that evening, the cognitive skills I had learned have kept it
from becoming a relapse. This method has also kept me quit longer and
more comfortably than anything else I have ever tried.
I was at the chiropractor yesterday and he was elated to hear that I
had quit smoking. He asked me, “Aren’t the cravings unbearable?” And
it got me thinking. I don’t perceive most of what I experience
as “cravings” at all. I have so solidly put the word “need” in place
that my state of mind has changed from “I want a cigarette!” to “What
can I do to stop this flutter of anxiety or I’m hungry - I think I’ll
get something to eat before I finish this task so I can concentrate”.
I have feelings of being uncomfortable, but I am learning to identify
(more…)

Hi, this is Glenn and Debra and we are on our fourth day now and it’s
not easy. This is our second quit this month and we have a hard time
getting through the fifth day for some reason. We have tried to quit
several times in the last few months and have found out alot of
things about our nasty habbit that we did not realise before.