Cognitive Quit Smoking

It makes a lot of sense that the ‘thought’ of quitting is worse than the quitting. I am planning to quit on Jan 1st. And I am spending too much time ‘thinking’ about how I think I’m going to feel. Today, for example, I wanted a cigarette at work so bad that my mouth became extremely dry. So if this was an ABC, would I say, or write, Its been an hour since I had a cigarette. My mouth is so dry. I feel a little tense and anxious. A smoke would sure be nice.

But instead, I should just get a nice glass of ice water and sit and take a few breaths.

Now, what I’m worried about (and I’m not even there yet!) is the tense feeling not going away…and not being able to stop thinking about smoking. I can see it now…other employees or customers are trying to talk to me and I can’t focus because I want to smoke!

in past attempts I would talk a lot about how much I wanted a cigarette, so people would tell me you have to try to stop thinking about it. Like I read in the files…thats really not possible.

So…with this cognitive quitting…will my mind stop thinking this way?

Also…I’ve been on wellbutrin since May…my last quit. Should I just stop taking it since it won’t feel like something new. Sorry…I’m rambling!

Sheila

Greetings to Steve and Pam and everyone else who reads this.

This cogquit program got me thru the holidays in fine shape it did. I’ve been so busy making major life changes all very good.

I missed my 2 year Anny That was Dec 1. It has been quite the ride, made very sane without all the struggle so many have. I took this cogquit way of thinking and made it my own. I did all that was suggested and my quit became so natural and without struggle. There is no struggle in this way of going about the quit. I don’t come around much anymore, I do read every newsletter that comes in tho. Do the work here and you will know a comfortable and secure quit. This way of thinking in cogquit also filtered into other areas of my life. It is a great pattern for dealing with many things. Take this and use it for all it is worth. Steve and Pam really love doing this with all of us make use of them also. Steve spent many hours with me in the beginning guiding me, Pam was always there explaining things so clearly also.

Sending courage and wishing you joy filled holidays, smoke free, and standing tall.

much gratitude

ionronrote 2 years and a little change:)

Thank you all for writing and sharing your thoughts…I had no idea
how much “coming out” and having support would help…tonight I feel
stronger…
Ray, there’s NO WAY that cigarette would last more than 10 minutes
on my desk! and Neil, I can relate to your story….in fact the last
time I broke my quit (after 3 years…DUH!) was sitting in the
hallway of the intensive care ward in the hospital where my father
was dying from an aneurism, no doubt helped along by many years of
smoking. (this was not in the US, by the way…)
Steve, your take on the situation seems quite accurate and very
clear…the more we have learned to both value the brain and numb
the body, the harder…and more critical it becomes to reconnect the
two…It is my own personal, critical journey and voila! I have
arrived firmly on that path…
I AM doing the timer excercises, and just understanding, NAMING, the
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Hi group
I am on day 53 of not smoking–been a smoker over 50 years–many quits–but, like haltomare, three months of no smoking have been my limit.. Elizabeth’s desperate search for a smoke has been my downfall many times, so this time, I have a cigarette on the desk, so no craving to have a smoke available. Perhaps this will result in failure, but, so far, just picking it up and looking at it, has been enough for me to say no thanks.
Paying attention to my body, is the reverse of my usual habit, is tough, but sounds like the answer.

Ray

[LINK]

I turned my house upside down for the first 2 weeks, lucky for me
I had gotten rid of everything. The last time I relasped was because
I found a pack. I’ve been smokefree since Nov. 1,2004 and it’s
getting better, but I have to be real careful and remember all the
backdoors are closed.
I’ve been a smoker for 47 years and the longest I’ve been able to
quit is 3 months, I’m praying that this time it’s for good.

Hi
I am on day 2 of my 4th quit…and have resisted the urge to join
email groups (probably for the same reason I smoke in the first
place!) until I read Steve’s “Cognitivequitting” website. Addressing
the issue with consciousness as opposed to will power seems right on
the core of the issue for me.
I am using the patch and it’s not even that I want to smoke a
cigarette as much as I want to know “where they are”…Last night I
found myself hunting through all the pockets of the coats in the
closet, pulling out books from bookshelf, checking behind the soap
in the bathroom…All the time I was telling myself.”You can’t smoke
one even if you find one…” and yet I was on insane auto pilot
looking for one….
I can deal with an urge when it comes up…but I don’t know quite
what to do when the animal starts going on the hunt…I’m just
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Hi there,
I am very busy at the moment, due to the run up to Christmas.
Anyway, happy to report that I have been smoke free for 11 days.
Yesterday, was a day where I snarled a lot, due to different
pressures, but to be honest, I only thought of cigarettes a couple
of times and found I could say to myself, would a cigarette make any
difference to what is going on,and how I feel, and I could honestly
say no, it wouldn’t, so dismissed the thought straight away.
Tomorrow night may be a bit more difficult as it is our works night
out, but I am going to be prepared. I will go for the meal,
then come home. I do not intend to go to the local pubs for a drink.
Some of my colleagues would be delighted to give me a cigarette if I
asked for one.
Still reading, and doing my timer exercises, most of the time when
I had my cigarette, all I needed was a break, to allow me to gather
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It’s been over a week for me (8 days) without cigarettes or nicotine
of any kind. And it’s soooo great. I really never thought I could do
it, and here I am. I’m so happy about this—more than happy—I’m
very very thankful. I feel like I’ve woken up from a deep sleep and
been given another chance to be truly alive and conscious; another
chance to live a really good, fully awake life.
The cog quit approach really works—in spite of me not really
getting it all the time–but I’m using it a little better now I
think. It seems like everything else good flows from it as well. For
instance, I also stopped having caffeine since it was mostly to go
with cigs for me, and have had no interest in sugar. In fact, I seem
to have cravings for good food (fruits, vegies). And I started
swimming (have been swimming daily for…2 days now)—just amazed
that I can still swim. And what bliss that water is.
I quit. And I will never go back. Never go back to merely existing
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Hi Pam, Steve and all!
I have been blindsighted with urges to smoke for the past week. A
lot of my abcs 15 weeks ago were based on keeping busy or trading
cigarettes for a more interesting, productive life.
Well I’m busy now but you’d think I have never baked or wrapped a
present without a cigarette. Maybe I haven’t!! I don’t think I ever
escaped the crowded stores without lighting up.
I know Christmas is not about my quit but this is awful. I have been
telling myself how I wouldn’t be eating all of these treasures if I
could only smoke. Then when I didn’t fall for that I mused with
smoking again until December 31 so I’d have a New Year’s resolution.
Like quitting cigarettes was the only room for improvement in my
life.
Does anyone have some holiday abcs to share? I’m not above
copying!! I tried the files but nothing fit. I’m pretty much
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Hello Steve, Pam, and all,
I just wanted to drop in and let you know that yesterday I
celebrated 10 months as a non smoker. It hasn’t been completely
unremarkable, and sometimes I’ve yearned for that simple answer to
every question that was lighting up a cigarette, but I get past it.
I’m now about 25 pounds heavier than I was when I quit. Friends
insist that I was 10 pounds underweight when I quit, so I guess I’m
15 pounds overweight. But I feel good, and I’m working out five
times a week, and trying to be patient with myself and my body and
allow myself time to establish a new “normal.”
Thanks to you, Steve and Pam. Your support and help were invaluable
to me!
Barbara