Cognitive Quit Smoking

I think cutting down is pure torture! I understand the principal but your
body is just waiting for the next ‘fix’ all the time so you are driving
yourself mad!
The most important thing when you are planning to quit is to educate
yourself on your addiction, and Steve’s site is brilliant for that. It makes
so
much sense.
You are the same age as me and smoking has become part of our life for so
long it’s like we are joined to it in some way. This is why preparation is so
very important to give us the best chance. I have printed off some of the
info. on the site so I can sit and let it sink in.
We are very lucky not to have a smoking related illness after smoking for so
long. I do wheeze sometimes when I lie down at night and, last time I
stopped smoking for a few days it stopped, so I know it is caused by smoking.
If we stay with this group while we quit I’m sure we will do it! The
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The most important thing for me is to give my
body what it wants, each time the urge to smoke
comes.
This is usually AIR, and a deep breath, or 3 or 4.
It does not want more thoughts. So I breathe,
I breathe, — and as I breathe in AIR I feel I am
satisfying the urge for a smoke.
It just feels that way to my body. Each time I do
it, it feels better to me. It feels better than
smoking. Usually 3 or 4 deep breaths. Sometimes
more, sometimes a short walk, a stretch,
sometimes a reminder of “I do not WANT
to be a smoker!”
I think this is how my ‘autopilot’ is being
retrained. This is what I’ve learned most of
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I have been delving into why I started smoking in the first place. I look
at photos of myself before I had ever taken a puff and I want to be that
person again (only an older version!). I think it’s important to really
understand our habit/addiction, and for each of us it will be different but
with the
same results.
Sue

I have been working with a small computer type thing to reduce the
number of ciggaretts smoked each day. I am also dieting. Have been for
nearly a year. I have only lost 33 pounds in that year but I have seen
significant body changes for the good. I have also been working out for
3 years. 2 years in water areoibecs and one year of very hard work in
the gym. When I gradduated to the gym I started to see results. I have
been on the timed program of ciggarette smoking for 8 days now. It is
driving me crazy. Counting the minutes to my next smoke. I want
desperatly to be a non smoker but I also despertly want to lose another
30 pounds. Today after five minutes at the gym I became so despondent I
came home crying and drank a pot of coffee and smoked my head off.
I am scared to death to quit, and I am scared to death not to quit.
It would kill me to regain any weight I have worked so hard this past
year to lose. (I am on a medication which causes weight gain) so taking
that into considration I am very proud of my 30 pound loss.
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One of my hesitations in quitting had to do
with a really special group of friends I came to
know simply because we were “the smokers.”
We bonded in a special way… we created a
“nonjudgemental smoking section” etc. My
friendship with these wonderful people was
entirely bound up with the smoking bond.
So I feared that seeing them again would either
be a time of grieving — ie, I would have to avoid
them — or a time of susceptibility — I would start
smoking again when I saw them. I decided that
I needed them to know in advance that I
was quitting, and that it mattered a great deal
to me that I succeeded.
So I wrote them a group email, telling them
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Hi Steve
Thank you, I will look at the link. I want to win this time.
Regards, Sue

i havent smoked in 1 week , 5 days, 23 hours and 10 mins.
i have been off the patch for 6 almost 7 days. i still want to smoke
but i will not smoke another cig. even if i gain 300 pounds, i pray
that i dont do that lol!
i chew lots of gum and my hubby (who hasnt smoked a ciggy in at least
20 yrs. doesnt remember) how hard it is and hates me to chew gum,
hey i have false teeth no rotting there lol!
not smoking is a very hard thing to do , but i am doing it and i know
lots of other ppl are not smoking to and i congrats to every one this
is a journey that will be remembered for a life time. and to think we
will have a life time,since we quit smoking!
god bless all of us,
melissa

I think on my previous trys at quitting I did’nt handle the withdrawals
well. I tried to fight them instead of embrasing them as signs that my body
was
healing. Also, I kept 2 ciggs in the kitchen ‘for emergencies’ which was
fatal because I had an ‘emergency’ every evening! I’ve thought about it a lot
and now I don’t think my heart was in it, so it was doomed to fail.
I must admit, the brain fog is something I find really tough, and has been
the cause of a few failings. It’s almost like depression. I think that
will be my biggest hurdle.
I do feel a bit nervous of not having ciggs around, but it’s only because I
have depended on them for so long.
One thing which may be helpful is Tai Chi or meditation. I have’nt tried
them but I’m going to this time if things get tough.
Sue

Hi
I have’nt been posting for a while because I did’nt feel ready to quit. I
tried several times but kept failing so, for a while I gave up trying.
But, now I’m getting other aspects of my life together it seems that
quitting is the next step. I just don’t want to smoke anymore.
On previous quits I have used patches, but I don’t know if, for me, having
nicotine in my body was making it harder to quit. Could that be true? I know
I could taste it in my mouth, and the craving was awful. So, I’m going cold
turkey this time.
I think one of the reasons I found it difficult was that I’ve been
housebound for months with joint problems, which was very boring! I can get
out now
so maybe that will make a difference.
Wish me luck and strength!
Sue

Carmen!! I’m so happy to see you quit for close to two years. I remember us
talking on icq. Great hearing from you.
ion