Evening smoke
A is one event stated simply.
B is *all* our thoughts about the event, beliefs we have held, and
suggestions for alternative choices/responses
C is the one or two final choices we’ll employ
If you’re deciding now, before you’ve even gotten to the lunch that
you will suffer urges to smoke, you probably will.
This seems to touch on do you want to smoke or not (foundation
statements). Dayla, in past quits you would have wanted to bum a smoke
because you wouldn’t have been bringing prepared thinking to the lunch. I
know you recently went to a party and had no trouble regarding urges or
dealing with the situation. Granted, there was little ‘visible’ smoking,
but still, it was your choices that determined your actions and, to a large
extent, your desires re: your actions. However, if you really aren’t sure
about lunch with a smoker, either go to a nonsmoking restaurant, sit in the
nonsmoking section (You have every right to make that request - if your
smoking friend can’t get through a lunch without smoking, why should you be
obligated to have to inhale their, and others, second hand smoke? Because
you ‘used to smoke’ is not a valid reason. You’ve quit and that’s the new
reality.), or cancel the lunch.
Diet Coke isn’t ‘real’ Coke. Actually, an increased craving for
sweets is one of the things some people experience in the early part of a
quit (5 weeks is still early). However, both reg Coke and diet are loaded
with caffeine and I’d be willing to bet a few bucks that you’re getting off
on the caffeine as much or more than the sugar. When we use caffeine and/or
sugar we create some pretty drastic ups and downs that our bodies
experience simply as stress. Stress generates other physical sensations
that were similar to those of nic withdrawal tween cigs and all of a sudden
we’re experiencing an urge to smoke and can’t figure out where it came
from. You can do yourself a favor and reduce some of the additional stress,
or you can go for the sugar and caffeine rush and deal with the
consequences. This time of year there’s all sorts of really sweet fruit in
the stores. Give that a try for a while? If you use a lot of caffeine
through a day (coke, coffee, tea, chocolate), maybe take 2-3 days to wean
off it so as to avoid caffeine withdrawal in the form of severe headaches.
Sounds like a real breakfast of champions. These are the people who
brought us Twinkies? :)) As a general rule, I figure if I can’t pronouce
at least half the ingredients, it’s probably better if I don’t eat it.
A- lunch with a smoking friend (I’m picturing a ‘friend’ on fire …
sorry, must be my mood)
B- In the past we’d have sat, smoked, eaten, smoked, drank, and smoked some
more. I quit because I don’t want to be a smoker anymore. The smell and
sight of someone smoking may bother me so, … I can ask that we go to a
restaurant that has a nonsmoking section or I can request that my friend
not smoke during lunch. If I’m uncomfortable with either of those choices,
I can cancel lunch until later in my quit when I’m more secure.
C- Dayla, you decide which of these works for you or come up with some more
options.
Hope this helped a bit,
Steve