Cognitive Quit Smoking

….. its gone awfully quiet in here this past few days! We get kinda nervous
when things go quiet….. but no doubt its with the run-up to the festive season
- lots to do and organise (its been the same here too) This has got to be one
of the most stressful times of the year, and a time when Warren can start to
rear his head with those old responses if we’re not actively working our quits.
Post and let us know how things are and whether we can help
all the best
Pam

Hi Jennie,

Depression is a serious concern for most quitters. Depression, to some
extent and for some period of time, is *the* most common quit experience.
However, you’ve got a handle on it going in. You need to discuss this with
your Dr and be ready to adjust dosages or maybe even switch to a different
antidepressant. Being ready to address any changes in physical and
emotional condition is the first step, and a huge one, toward being in
control.
Steve
ps- as an additional note, Cognitive Behavior Therapy can be a very
effective means for dealing with depression in some cases. Jennie, you’ll
see how this quit plays out. You’ve got resources you never had before. I’d
expect you’ll find this quit very different from past experiences.

I think you are right Pam. It is unlikely there is a simple answer
to this question.
I’m still now sure about the NRT but I do know I am not biting my
family’s heads off so that part is good. At the same time I do get
triggers and am able to practice dealing with them so that is good.
I guess I’ll stick with the patches for now and maybe step down a
little quicker than the recommended schedule if I feel I am dealing
with the triggers adequately.
Regards,
Eric

I’ve had the flu and of course have still been smoking like an
idiot. It finally caught up with me Monday and I simply couldn’t
smoke anymore due to a cough so extreme it was inflaming my breast
bone. I’ve been using the patch since then and trying to apply the
new ABC approach I’ve learned here and on the COG web-site.
My ABC’s are a bit distorted right now since smoking is not an
option anyway. A) I have finished a meal and I still feel an
emptiness in my stomach B1) I would love a smoke but can’t due to my
flu B2) I can watch TV or talk with my wife until my body realizes I
really am full C) I’ll watch TV or talk with my wife. It’s actually
nice that B1 is not an option since it makes B2 a no-brainer yet I
can still work through the exercise.
Since I have to quit for a few days and I was planning to quit in a
couple of weeks anyway I’ve decided to just go ahead and do it now.
Anyway, just thought I’d let ya’ll know.
(more…)

Hello to all the NEW PEOPLE,
Glad to see you hear. Lauren sorry about your basement that is not a
fun way to clean it, and hello Donna, I have been kinda off line. Our
daughter came home from college. I had to look it up, 41 days and for
the most part I am comfortably quit. I still ABC things, thought my
hubby would get on borad, not yet. Anyhow, was around one of my
smoking friends and told her about CogQuit, she will make it here
when she wants. I am still excited about being a non smoker and the
way it came about. I am not ued to all this free time, how did I find
he time to smoke all those years. Anyway have been having a little
fight with Warren, believe he has been put in his place do to his job
correctly. Had some negative self talk going on for a bit, that is
over with. Have been thinking about all of you and seeing all the new
people come to CogQuit, it will be the best thing you ever do for
yourself. My heartfelt Thanks to Steve, Pam and Everyone here. I read
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I need to hear that everyone is doing okay, it has been so long
since I have heard from Lauren and soon be a week for the rest of
you. Let me know, could be it is just a busy season, could be the
flu, take care, donna
Welcome to all the newbies hope you are enjoying the techniques you
will learn here to to cope with the quitting. For me it has been a
truly wonderful experience. Kind of like learning how to be an
adult, hadn’t realized how I had used smoking to delay solving any
type of strife in my life and now know that there are more
appropriate ways to do this. :<) take care, donna

I’ve spent a lot of time working on my lists and compiling them into
an html document and would like to share it though I don’t know how
to go about that.
Previously analyzing all the reasons I smoked seemed futile. However
I now see that the list is finite and that I can systematically
approach this most critical aspect of quitting.
Regards,
Eric

Hello everyone,
I checked my membership in this group and I’ve been “lurking” since
late March. I started my lists and got stuck on the 3rd one…..the
physical, and decided in June after chatting with Steve a bit that I
wasn’t quite ready for this. I want to thank everyone in the group
that has posted for your inspiration to get going on this quit again
and Pam and Steve for patience with my “slacking off” and their
willingness to help.
I’m 43, have smoked from 1/2 pack to 1-1/2 packs a day for 25 years,
and it’s way past time to quit. Here’s what I have so far.
Pam,
I found my lists last night but haven’t been doing the
timer exercise today yet……maybe the rest of the
day.
Foundation Statement
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I just got through reading the Cognitive Quit Smoking web site and
it really made a lot of sense to me. I had been puzzling over
something similar to this.
I have never found it all that hard to make it through the chemical
withdrawal. Plus I know bunches at this point about nicotine
addiction and the health risks. So why, once I clear the nicotine
out of my system do I not just say “yippee … free at last … free
at last”? Everyone says, and I know also, that the rest is
psychological and habitual but I’ve never really understood how to
address that side of things.
Still, I think my question, as simplistic as it was, makes just a
little sense. The notion is that I have a wonderful life worth
living and lots of reasons not to smoke so it would seem that would
just overwhelm the other stuff once the chemical withdrawal trigger
is no longer there.
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Hello Everyone;
I smoked for 35 years…..and got a bad scare while sick with bronchitis. I flat
ran out of air. I have COPD….and was told 4 years ago I had the beginnings of
emphysema (sp?). During this terrible bout of bronchitis (I also have bronchial
asthma) I had to have a friend rush me to the ER…and they gave me a HUGE
steroid shot (after an x-ray to rule out pneumonia) I even pulled a rib….and
had to press, with both hands and all my strength, under my left breast on the
rib that hurt like you-know-what, every time I coughed. At 3 am, Friday the 5th
of Dec., I was trying to get some sleep, and could not,…..I lay there on the
couch (couldn’t sleep with hubby because of my coughing) and thought,” I have to
quit…..” I got up and took the 5 or 6 out of my pack in my cigarette case and
broke them and threw them and the case in the trash. I took the last pack out
of my carton in the freezer, opened it, broke them all and threw them away also.
Then I went on a mission through the
house and got all the ashtrays and threw them away. I then took the trash bag
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