Cognitive Quit Smoking

Is there anyone else out there who’s working with the program, either the
timer exercise or the abcs? Need any direction? Any help, any questions?

I like to sit on the porch in the morning and watch the sun come up
while I drink my coffe. I am relaxed and enjoying looking out over the
town so there is no stress or tension but that is my favorite time for
a cigarette. I tried to write an ABC for the craving today but
couldn’t think of one. Could you please help?
Carolyn

So now that it’s clear what a timer is and where to find one, is there any
chance anyone will actually set it and make some notes? Is this timer
exercise clear? Or is there some massive confusion that needs to be cleared
up? Or is it that people just aren’t ready to quit and procrastination is
easier than picking up a pencil for 30-60 seconds once an hour?

While the timer exercise is generally intended to point you toward
recognition of all your body cues, a shorter simpler way to get
started is to focus only on muscle tension and the state of your
breathing. So when your timer goes off, reset it, do a quick body
check for muscles and breathing, make a note, and carry on for another
hour. Don’t even bother with the fourth question of “4- Rational
response. What might you do to address those physical needs in a
nonsmoking way? (Stretch specific muscles or areas, deep breath
properly, eat if hungry, rest if fatigued, etc.)”
Is there anyone who needs help finding a timer?
Steve

I keep saying I want to quit but only saying it wont help me succeed.
I have set a quit date for July 1 and will spend the next day few days
doing my timer exercises and foundation statement.
Pam and Steve I want to thank you for all you do.
Carolyn

Hi, My name is Linda and today I smoked my last cig. I will be going
on the patch starting today. I want to thankyou for accepting me
into this wonderful group of people. I have written my Foundation
Statements and I am here to share them.
Foundation Statements
1)Do I want to be a smoker?
No I do not want to be a smoker.
I hate what they do to me physically and emotionally. I hate the
control I have given them over my life. I do not want to spend the
rest of my life controlled by this addiction. I want to be free of
them once and for all. I want to be able to take control of my life
and not wait until its illness or another reason to have to try and
quit. I want to be in the driver’s seat not a passive passenger any
more. I am 47 years old and feel I am ready to do the work to stay
clean. At this time in my life I have extra time to do the work. I
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Hi Carole, Linda and Linda…
Welcome…You have come to the right place….
After smoking for over 40 years, and quitting and restarting several times,
I really didn’t think it was possible to quit…. However I have been
comfortably quit now for 20 months…, thanks to Steve and Pam, and
Cognitive Quitting… this method works..
I started with the patch, but I stopped using it after a couple of weeks,
simply forgot to put it on one day and decided to go cold turkey from there,
I wanted to get off nicotine quickly. I am sure the exercises I had done
here made it far easier than I expected.
Write out the foundation statements, and commit to them, and then do the
timer exercises. These will help you learn to listen to your body, and
respond automatically to what you really need.
ABCs are really like little road maps…. you prepare them ahead of time in
readiness for difficult times, so you already have a plan mapped out, so you
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I’ve been free of nicotine for 6 months—I quit smoking on December
6, 2004. It seems like another lifetime. And I almost forgot this is
my 6 months! I’m writing to thank Steve for his insights and
work, and putting it all together in such a good program on the
internet, and Pam for her good-hearted efforts. And thanks also to
the generous and patient people here who contributed wisdom and
encouragement. And I’m also writing to encourage someone who might be
just reading here and perhaps looking for a way they can quit.
Being able to quit smoking has changed everything in my life. In
addition to all the physical benefits of quitting, I think I’m
more able to meet each moment of my life more consciously. I couldn’t
when I was responding to every moment with nicotine—my body and
senses and lots of emotions were being ignored. And if we’re ignoring
our body and senses, and what they tell us about our lives, then
whose life are we living anyway?
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Yeah, it would be great for all the newly quit to post their timer exercises
and any ideas to help the ones that haven’t quit yet! And YES Pam…WE NEED
YOU AND STEVE !!
Sheila

… to all of you who’ve been posting recently to share your successes
with cognitive quitting. I think you’d all agree that, along with
‘doing the work’, posting about your progress/asking questions (and
getting feedback) etc have also helped you to achieve your comfortable
quits.
How can we persuade you newbies to post your timer logs, ask your
questions? There aren’t any prizes on offer, but the more you get
actively involved in your cognitive quits, the greater the rewards
you’ll experience for yourselves. As your cogquit coaches, Steve and
I are starting to feel a bit unwanted Pam