Intro/Day 2
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
thankful, I don’t live next door to a quickeemart!!!
any of you have any experience with this one?
thanks
elizabeth
August 28th, 2006 at 4:18 am
Hi Elizabeth,
I’d like to take a shot at what was going on when you were on that
“insane auto pilot” scavenger hunt.
Once we’ve established that a cigarette is THE way to resolve certain body
cues, than the auto pilot will only consider a cigarette as the relevant
and appropriate response. When you tell yourself, “You can’t smoke one even
if you find one…”, your autopilot doesn’t hear or care since it’s only
concern is how to best respond to your body cues.
The problem with this scenario is that when we’re using our higher brain to
say, “I don’t smoke anymore.” and our auto pilot is saying, “A
cigarette will relieve these specific body cues.”, they’re not talking
about the same thing so there’s no reasonable expectation that what the
higher brain is saying will influence the auto pilot. Try this…. use
your higher brain to suggest non smoking responses for your body cues.
However, in order to do that, you have to know what it is you’re body is
feeling at that moment. Which brings us back around to the timer exercise.
Have you worked it yet? How in touch are you with the tension in your
shoulders or neck, with your breathing, with abdominal condition? When you
can provide accurate answers in those areas then your auto pilot will
listen to what your higher brain says.
Hope this hasn’t been too convoluted.
Congrats on your 2nd day. You’re a brave soul to jump into a quit at this
time of year. Good for you.
Steve