Cognitive Quit Smoking

Hi Steve,
when you have some time could you please check those two ABC’s. I made one for
before and one for after.
Before the test:
A — I am waking up, I am all thight up and nervous, run around like a jojo and
don’t know what to do first, my stomach feels like butterflies
B — lets have a smoke a smoke allways helped to prepare me for the test and
calm me down
C — I smoke a ciggarette
B1 - no no no this is only calming me down for a few minutes and then I will
need another one, I probably need something to eat, have something light to eat
and take a nice hot shower, this will be relaxing
C1 - go in the kitchen and make breakfest, pack lunch for work, than take a
shower and get ready if there is time left check E-mails
After the test:
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Hi everyone… its day 11 of my quit now. Last week was chaotic to
say the least - the brain fog and mood swings meant I didn’t cope too
well at work and had to take some time off. I learned the value of
getting some structure back in my life after a couple of days dossing
round and getting urges to smoke - Steve got me on a very structured
plan and I’m thankful he did.
Tomorrow I go back to a hectic job as a Ward clerk at the hospital -
liasing with hospital depts, medical staff, patients and their
relatives, ambulance personnel…. on and on. I have to be ‘on the
ball’. So, here’s what *could* happen if I don’t plan it out….
A - Back to work and there’s a sea of paper and messages waiting for
me.
B - I haven’t got a clue whats been going on round here. I’m the only
one who can keep this ward running smoothly. (I know, I know…. not
true, but thats my view ) No doubt there’ll be all kinds of
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Hi All,
Yesterday I had such a great day and had a great non smoking experience so I
thought share it with you.
I had training and it was mainly an outdoor activity. Waking up in the morning
was not easy as it would have been my day off, so it was cold and dark and I was
all cranky, luckily I had my ABC in place and started the day with breakfest.
Then I had all morning class room time how tierening. During breaks I would go
out to breath some fresh air (not to smoke like everyone else). In the
afternoon we had outside training, walking on snow shoes and building tents and
oh boy I can tell you it was freezing cold plus the wind. While being outside
all that times I didn’t feel once like smoking, I actually was so happy that I
didn’t have any cravings at all, I could watch all the smokers trying to light
up their ciggarettes cursing and shivering cause the wind blow out the fire and
made their hands feeling cold. I don’t even think they enjoyed the smoking. I
was standing there breathing the cold fresh air and smelling the snow around me
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It seems to me that it takes an inordinate amount of time to get back
to `normal’ after being a regular smoker. I seem to oscillate
between the euphoria of a better life and the hangover of unresolved
problems. Sometimes I feel so stupid. The initial preoccupation
with the perennial smoking habit dominates the consciousness and you
retrain yourself to feel the feelings before they hit the beliefs so
that you can have better responses. The main drift of this is not
smoking, because smoking doesn’t help much. A cigarette is a good
response to a nicotine low and nothing else at all
I have had reliable successes with ABCing events that are not
everyday. Big party maybe, or maybe having a tooth drilled. These
things have worked admirably and I have experienced no smoking
association. Steve has been helping me this week with `everyday’
problems, like being stressed out at work, and has drawn my attention
to the fact that I am dealing with the big things adequately but
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…Take the next step and pick out some events you expect to encounter
tomorrow, events that were always connected to smoking. We’ll start
to but together some ABCs…
Hi Steve:
I’m pregnant, remember…so alcohol and coffee is also out, which is
helpful with reducing triggers … but I’m aware of the absences
several times each day. I’m afraid of when I am no longer under
control of the little one inside me… If I don’t get control of
these urges and thoughts now, ‘m afraid I’ll just fail later.
Tonight: I will get together with a girlfriend (who smokes) at a
bar/lounge for a girls’ night out…
(I still associate talking with my friends and catching up with
having a cigarette as some sort of bonding thing…)
At work: Having to get cracking and complete a project I hate working
on. (I used to use cigarettes to clear my mind to concentrate and as
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Unlike Nikki I find my cravings much easier to bear and control at
work than at home. In the office there is a good support network,
both from the non smokers and a couple of friends who are quitting
with me. I have been walking, or going to non smoking establishments
for break and lunch…really hasn’t been too bad. The evenings at
home, however, have been tougher! My husband smokes, not around me
though. So I find I am seeing less of him (he smokes in the
basement!), and , at home is where I truly relax…cigarettes went
well with that! I also always had “smoke breaks” when doing
housework! I talk with family and friends on the phone more on the
week ends - always smoked while doing this! I think my emotional
challenges will be:
1. When I am interacting with family and friends (not sure what
emotion that triggers? stress? good stress causes same needs as bad
stress, I think)
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The next two days will be a bit easier for me, I think (hope). Since
it’s the weekend, I will hopefully be doing no work, which is when I
find it most easy not to smoke. It’s at work that I find it harder.
This is for two main reasons: weekend I will be mostly with hubby,
having fun, relaxing and with his support/watchful eye I find I am
not even tempted, and don’t seem to get horrible cravings/tenseness,
yukky feeling, etc.
But at work, it’s a different story: this is when I am more
conditioned to take a break for a smoke every hour or so to get away
from the computer and the people I work with (!). This is for a
variety of reasons. Addiction was the main one, but I feel that is
easier now (almost two weeks, think that the physical effects are
much much less). The main reasons now are a combination of boredom,
stress and (often) ager or frustration. I work in technical sales,
whcih can be quite unrewarding at times, especially when talking to
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remove from e-mail and group

Steve:
Thank you for your in-depth response. I had actually already read
your entire site the night before (really struggling with strangely
strong urges to smoke on my 80th day quit.
Even perhaps not all of what I frantically read sunk in, it really
kept me busy. That and playing solitaire on my PDAI find both
activities quite soothing.
OK
I fall into two categoriesI had wanted to quit for a long time,
but
with smokers all around me (my husband some family and almost all my
friends smoke), I kept failing. I kept reaching for newer drugs, new
experimental programs and techniques, but I would fall back into
smoking.
After several failed attempts, I finally quit cold turkey after
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Reasons to Smoke
1. coffee in morning and afternoon
2. talking on the phone
3. working at the computer
4. cooking dinner
5. driving
6. paying bills
7. boredom
8. waking up from nap
9. getting out of shower
10. washing dishes
11. finishing a task
12. after grocery shopping
13. before bed
14. kids fighting
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