A week quit
I’m a whole week quit! And it’s a good feeling -
although…..well, my email to Steve explains a bit more what was
in my mind and what else I’m feeling right now.
Steve - hope you don’t mind me posting your reply to me, as I think
it’ll be a great help to new quitters in the group.
We’re visiting relatives this holiday weekend, but I crept on a
computer here to read the posts and mail, and do this reply (my new
addiction)
( My email to Steve ) Yes - almost a week quit - thanks for
remembering that. It’s calming down a bit now - I’m getting to bed
at a saner time and trying to get some routine back. Those late
night chats at the start of the week really helped me such a lot -
and I hope to chat with you again soon. We’re having a couple of
days away visiting family ..I’m doing ok - feel like I’m coming
back to earth again and, if I’m honest, feel a bit ‘flat’. So, I’m
thinking of things to do that’ll give me some feel good feelings
again instead of the old reaching-for-the-packet. I get mad that
smoking thoughts still pop up - but I am choosing other responses
that meet the need of the moment.
( Steve’s reply to me ) At 02:11 PM 8/24/2002 +0100, you wrote:
” It’s calming down a bit now - I’m getting to bed at a saner time
and trying to get some routine back.”
Good, a routine helps keep us on an even keel and reduces the stress
associated with erratic schedules.
“I’m doing ok - feel like I’m coming back to earth again and, if I’m
honest, feel a bit ‘flat’.”
That ‘flat’ is a fairly normal experience. After the intensity of
the first week, anything will appear flat by contrast. It’s
something you’ll run into again at different stages of the quit.
Flat also brings it’s own stresses that demand response.
“So, I’m thinking of things to do that’ll give me some feel good
feelings again instead of the old reaching-for-the-packet.”
Great! Working toward taking responsability for how we feel removes
us from the ‘victim’ posture. Even if we don’t feel as good as we’d
like, we’re still miles ahead.
“I get mad that smoking thoughts still pop up - but I am choosing
other responses that meet the need of the moment.”
Don’t get angry. The thoughts aren’t a failure or a nuisance.
Smoking was a habit of association. Being aware does not, in and of
itself, change those associations, it only makes us aware of the
process by which we made the associations. Use the instances
of ’smoking thoughts’ to examine what’s happening and why the
association was made. Use that info to create ABCs for future
similar situations. That’s the nature of the work we do. Persistant
obvervation, examination, and rerouting of ’smoking thoughts’ is how
we get to be comfortably quit. And don’t be thinking “there’s soooo
much to do”. While we have the capacity, and tendancy, to worry
about the rest of our lives, we can only actually live one moment at
a time. By extention, we only have to deal with one smoking thought
at a time. One at a time is not so hard. 
Hope everyone’s doing ok, and see you soon
Anita