Cognitive Quit Smoking

Hello Jeff and Leslie,
I think most of us have done the “just one more” or “I might as well
finish this pack since I already slipped”. We’ve got two problems
initially: 1- chemical addiction and no clear idea what stepping off that
entails or how we’ll deal with it as it happens and 2- a habit whereby
we’ve established reaching for a cigarette at the first sign of any sort of
discomfort as the one and only response. I don’t know of too many processes
that have more attendant stress than quitting. The slightest drop in our
nic ‘comfort’ level and we begin to feel stressed which triggers our one
and only response, an urge to smoke.
There is no ‘good’ day to quit, everyday is as good as the next, and it
makes no difference what day we quit. I think it all starts with “Do I want
to quit?” and if so, am I prepared to be uncomfortable while I learn to
interact with my life without reaching for a smoke, and most important, am
I prepared to continue to develop and choose to use effective quit tools…
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Hi All!
This is the first email group that I have belonged to in 4 years! WOW!
I had my last cigarette last monday. I smoked every day for 44years
and really never wanted to stop! I love it!….I miss it like crazy
sometimes! I am using Nicoderm patches and trying to shift the
longterm old habits…like i’m eating licorice, instead of smoking,
with am coffee, etc….any suggestions, or feedback would be
wonderful!…it’s amazing when the desire for a smoke shows up out of
the blue, isn’t it?
Redsilvr

One month, 21 hours, 20 minutes and 32 seconds. 617 cigarettes not smoked, =
saving 105,02 ëâ. Life saved: 2 days, 3 hours, 25 minutes.

Hi
My name’s Julia, I’m 30 and live in the UK with my non-smoking
partner Dean.
At 10.30 tonight I will have quit for a week. After having problems
with the patch (I chucked up) I am now using the gum.
I’ve read a lot of the stuff in the files area, but have some
questions if anyone could help.
These ABCs are all about the thought that you want a cig. But I’m not
thinking that. I don’t smoke anymore so when an occasional thought
about smoking pops up I just remind myself I don’t smoke and move on.
So whats the problem? Well I feel tense all the time and I can’t
sleep. Not sleeping has always made me emotional. I had one good
nights sleep this week and was OK next day. But when I get up mostly
I’m teary and exhausted. I’m worried I won’t be able to break my new
pattern of not sleeping.
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nice site Pam. Thank you

the more I think about it, the more I believe that the
whole ‘healing’ process for quitting the smokes takes pretty much a
year. Although some of us feel pretty comfortable a few months into
our quit, there’s still that nagging urge that hits so many months
and months after we’ve laid down the smokes. I think it’s because we
have to go through all those “Firsts” as a Person Who Doesn’t Smoke.
For example, even though I’ve been pretty comfortable with my quit
the last few (or more) months, I found myself thinking of smoking a
bit more this past week. I think this was due to the fact that there
were a lot of “firsts” - the annual trip to visit the in-laws (Shit-
fire, that’s a good one!!) over the July 4th holiday. This was the
first time I’ve made this trip without smoking like a forest fire
gone awry! BUT, I did prepare myself ahead of time and made it
through the experience without any serious repercussions. My
alternatives? Ensuring that I wouldn’t place myself in the
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Hi Jean,
I wanted to tell you that I think that you did (and are doing) an incredible job
!!! When I ‘m tired and when Warren shouts, I tell him about you and the
others…and this is beginning to be useful (for both of us: Warren and me That’s all for now.
Regards.
Silvia

Here it is, independence day and i miss those things! Errrrr! It’s
been almost 8 months and things have been been super
stressful recently and I know that is it but I am just so darned
angry that I still miss them…not fair.
So what do I do?

Hi Phil,
That dazed and confused that you’re experiencing is likely part of the
recovery of receptors that got used to nicotine and now must recovery their
ability to interact with naturally produced neurotransmitters. Bottom
line, that process is probably pretty much out of our hands. However, there
is a great deal we can do to improve the general ‘operating conditions’
within which we function while we’re in recovery, specifically, sleep and
food.
First, food…. too many of us eat supper somewhere in the early
evening, maybe a snack or two of something nutritionally useless sometime
before bed, and then to sleep. Anywhere from 5-8 hrs later, we’re up and
out the door with a coffee (or tea) and something like a bagel. Breakfast
is basically a skipped meal. Midmorning may see a donut or such and more
coffee. Lunch is iffy since we’re buried in work and the phone hasn’t
stopped. We’re now at about 14-16 hrs since we’ve eaten a balanced meal. If
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I’ve made it six whole days without a cigarette. I’m actually
civil. I’m using a zyban generic whic I’m sure is helping. The
habits seem to be more of a challenge than the actually cravings.
I’m used to smoking every time I get in the car or leave a “non-
smoking” building which means that there are a lot of triggers.
There was one funny time when I was only two days into it. My
response so so automatic it was funny. I was leaving a non-smoking
building to get something out of my car and my adreneline started as
I quickly thought “Great, I can grab a cigarette.” I did catch
myself real fast but I hadn’t realized how my thinking was connected
to my smoking.
I’ve only been smoking for the past 10 months. Prior to that, I was
smoke free for 7 years. I know I can do this again. And I am!
Sharon