Cognitive Quit Smoking

hi everyone,
just a note to let everyone know i’m still alive and not smoking. My
husband and I are still in the process of moving to a new town. We
sold our house and closed 3 weeks ago and have been living in a
friend’s camper trailer. Yesterday we rented a furnished house -
what a relief! we were going nuts in that little trailer. we bought
a house but won’t get into it until the middle of October. This has
been a real roller coaster the last few weeks. I’ve done really well
not smoking. there have been a few time I wanted to just throw up my
hands and smoke but they have been few and far between. My friend
even had to remind me of my 4 month anniversary. i’ve pretty much
quit counting. i’m anxious to get settled - i’m a real nester and
living out of a box and a suitcase has been terrible.
i hope everyone is solid in their quits. I feel really good in that
department - now if someone could just find my socks!!!! (more…)

Hi Everyone,
Here is my first ABC: I picked the hardest first…
A. Driving to and from work
B. I do enjoy driving. It make me feel tense and stressed because of
the many aggressive drivers now days. I am afraid someone will hit my
car or cause me to hit them. I also feel anxious to get to work or
especially to get home and though I drive safely - my body feels all
the tension on the inside. Before I use to smoke alot when I drove
because it helped pass the time on my 40 min. commute and relieved
some of the stress. It gave me something else to focus on besides my
nervousness. I want to smoke while I drive.
C. Since smoking is no longer an option for me when I drive, I will
bring along some water or juice to sip on. I will also get some books
on tape to listen to and/or put on some relaxing music to help with
the stress. I know I will still be bothered by other drivers, but I
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…..how’s it going? Check in and let us know how things are, and if we can
help.
all the best
Pam

…. and still very happily cognitively quit! Just waving at
friends old and new, and to say that ‘doing it’ is what’ll get you
quit. I’ve dealt with so much this past 16 months, and all of it
without a smoke. I’m working in Germany at the moment, bit homesick,
but smoking would never be an option for me, ie isn’t an option I’d
ever choose.
Pam - I’m going for some retail therapy, good advice!
Steve - look forward to icq’ing again very soon.
my best to you all,
Jan

Hello All,
Thank you ALL for your warm welcomes…..it feels good…I mean it….
Am leaving work early to clean up my yard, put away lawn furniture,
ect. in preparation for this hurricane coming thru Maryland. (Steve,
you will LOVE the Eastern Shore after this week I have started my lists but keep thinking of more and more….Will
finalize them tonight and post them tomorrow!!! Looking forward to
any and all feedback. Again - THANK YOU ALL for being there
Lauren

OMG, Pam! Thanks so much for digging that up! That helps a lot. I
guess I felt a little like I might be doing something wrong if I
still/again have smoking thoughts pop into my head, but I guess I’m
doing something right because that’s as far as they go!
It’s so funny, as I was writing that email I was thinking “Why are
you writing this here? What in the world could these people tell you
that could help?” And I thought “Well, they used to surprise me all
the time by coming up with just the right thing.” And you did it
again. I also used to think “Why are you writing this here” when I
did the lists and stuff, and then of course was so glad I did because
you guys were right.
So Newbies, do the lists and the timer exercises and POST your
questions and experiences and concerns here! It feels silly at the
time but it DOES work!

Come on in, the water is wonderful! This is a small but powerful
group. You’re lucky to have found these people. I quit after 23
years of smoking. I thought I’d die a smoker because it seemed the
one thing in life I just couldn’t do (quit). Sandy, good for you for
posting those great lists. Keep doing the work and listening to
Steve and Pam and you will get through this quit and will be so glad
you did. I’m here whining about lingering mild urges but don’t let
me mislead anyone… it’s EASY now and my life is so improved.

Is anyone awake in here and want to meet in chat at
www.cognitivequitting.com ?
Corin

Hi Lorraine - how’s the week gone? Did you go ahead with your quit on Monday?
Want to tell us how you prepared for the situations that were a cue to smoke?
Pam

….. I missed my anniversary (one whole year quit!) I doubt there
are many here who remember me apart from Steve and Pam, Jan (who I
just caught online)and a few of the other Brits. I just wanted to
say how great life is since I learned how to cognitively quit. It
really is like I never smoked now - which is probably why it only
just dawned on me that I reached that one yr anniversary and it
totally escaped me.
If I think back, smoking became a non issue within a few months of
quitting. This was a very very different experience from other
quits - for a start I had a lot of thinking to do and a lot of work
also I went on an emotional ride in those early weeks as I
grappled with Warren, and learned new ways to deal with all the raw
emotions. I had to learn how to deal with anger and frustration
differently, find new ways to cope with all the physical stress that
these emotions stirred up. Steve was incredibly patient with me when
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