Fwd: [CognitiveQuitSmoking] Timed smoking and gradual cutdown…Hel
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
people are kind and not judgemental, and we are all aiming for the same thing.
Take care
Sue
December 31st, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Hi Sue,
Absolutely. I’d like to explain the cognitive quitting view of that
connection….
Shortly after we started smoking we became addicted to nicotine and and
started to experience withdrawal between each cigarette. Withdrawal
includes increasing muscle tension, changes in breathing, shifts in
mood/emotion, and difficulty thinking or concentrating. These are universal
symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. One smoker may feel it sooner than another
or one may feel it more intensely than another, but every smoker deals with
these symptoms of withdrawal. It didn’t take any of us long to click to the
understanding that lighting up relieved the discomfort of withdrawal. That
was the beginning of our nicotine addiction, the fluctuating nicotine level
and our understanding of what was needed to remain comfortable.
After some period of time we responded to the onset of withdrawal by
automatically lighting up. Our auto pilot, or Warren, took over and ‘we’
didn’t have to be so consciously involved. Here’s where our nicotine
addiction became our smoking habit…. routine everyday events like
hunger, boredom, fatigue, or anger to name only a few, ‘feel’ just like
nicotine withdrawal. They all include some element of muscle tension,
changes in breathing, thinking or concentration, and shifts in mood or
emotion. And every time we begin to feel the onset of those sensations, our
auto pilot says “Smoke, that’s how we’ve always dealt with these
sensations”. As a side note, we’re hardwired to listen to our auto pilot
simply because the auto pilot works for our survival. That’s why it’s
almost impossible to win an argument with him/her. But the point I’m making
here is that the way we’re “joined to” smoking is through a pattern of
behavior where we respond to specific body cues with one very established
response, smoking.
The cognitive quitting program is designed to, first, make you very aware
of what cues your body is sending, to put you back where you were when you
first began to smoke and associated a cigarette to what you were feeling.
That’s done with the timer exercise. Next we’ll take the timer notes and
use them to prepare for upcoming situations. This is a critical step in
that retraining the auto pilot means having responses ready for him/her
before he/she needs them. Otherwise, the autopilot makes the old
association and we have to play a catch up game of rerouting the old
response. But that’s something we’ll get into as soon as you’ve worked
with your timer for a couple of days.
I hope this has clarified a question or two. And if it’s raised more
questions, great. Ask them and we’ll work toward answering them and getting
you solidly and permanently quit.
Steve
January 2nd, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Hi there
This is not uncommon when you are cutting down, it seems to put your body
and mind in turmoil. Try and put this experience behind you and prepare to
quit. Also, try to feel relaxed about it and prepare to go with the
withdrawals. I look on withdrawals as a passage, that we have to go down to
get to the
freedom at the other end.
This is my first day and I feel a bit dizzy and sleepy, but it’s
bearable…so far. I have a patch on to help with the ‘ brain fog’ and so far
it’s not
too bad.
Take care
Sue
January 3rd, 2007 at 11:45 am
Of course I wish you luck, Margie. But quitting is’nt really about luck,
it’s about learning about your addiction and then preparing to quit.
Let us know how you get on. We’ll be here for you.
Take care
Sue
January 3rd, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Hi Karen,
You can do this!
I started the timer exercise when I woke up this morning.
Donna
January 5th, 2007 at 7:14 am
Hi Steve
Yes, I’m in the UK, and I’m an owl!
I’m doing OK today so far, but I’m going to look for the timer on the site.
I’m in slow motion at the moment and not getting much done. Time does
seem to go slower when you don’t smoke, for some reason.
Sue