Cognitive Quit Smoking

Congrats to both of you, Ozipam and Donna!!! I could not have done it
without you guys!! So glad you both are still around and comfortably
quit! It does feel grand! Lauren

Today, 2 years ago, I made the best decision of my life - to quit
smoking….Had it not been for this remarkable program and the
expertise of Steve and Pam, I would probably not have made it. This
program taught me how to identify what it is that my body really
needed - all the years I kept sticking a cig into my mouth and sucking
in, over and over and over and over - for 30+ years and all the time
ignoring what I really needed. I cannot express enought, my gratitude
and appreciation to both Steve and Pam for all their help and endless
support….This is a wonderful place and even though I don’t post
much, I try to read as much as I can. To anyone out there who thinks
that they cannot do this - that it is for everyone else but them, and
they are never going to succeed - you are SO WRONG - YOU CAN and WILL
succeed if you work the program. I wish all of you the very best in
your endeavors, and remember, you CAN do this - If I can - so can
YOU!!!! Fondly, Lauren

Greetings all,
I had a nice encounter today with an
acquaintance I have not seen for a few
months.. I told her I had quit smoking and
she told me she had quit two days ago..
so I gave her the cog website address and
recommended she join the email list as it
has been such great support. I told her a
bit about breathing deeply and she picked
up immediately on the value of this approach.
I just returned from a week of travel to
visit daughters. I am really really happy to
be not smoking.. it has been almost two
months for me now, and even though it has
been very hard at times, the emotional
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I’m a believer in “cool down distances”. Nancy posted, “When hubby and I
get into it, I go for a walk. I need to get away from the emotion and
breathe deeply.” I know I’ve done that. A few times. Or more. I’ve got a
couple of ex’s who will testify to that. Although they may have considered
it avoiding the situation, that’s another issue and I’m sure it really
comes down to perspective. My memories of most of those past situations
included a cigarette. Get stressed…. go light up…. suck a couple of
drags down to my toes… feel calmed. And with that, I’d dealt with another
instance of emotion. Regardless, removing our selves from the immediate
center of stress is probably an intelligent move and a healthy survival
technique.
I find myself more frequently creating cool down distances between me and
‘out there’. I call it ‘taking a break’. I’m currently living in Toronto
Ontario. Toronto, as most large cities, can be a very noisy hectic place. I
find that if I don’t make time to find a quiet place, at least a place
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Hi, I’m Tom. Tomorrow morning is my quit day. I have quit a number of
times in the past, most recently for 5 days about a week and a half
ago. Got in a fight with my wife and folded up like a deck of cards,
though. How do you deal with emotional stress when quitting? That seems
to be my biggest stumbling block. Thanks.

Hi, I am a new quitter seeking help. I have smoked for 45 years and
have tried accupuncture, life sign, some type of injection behind my
ear, hypnosis, nicotrol which I am now using again and probably others
that I have not even remembered.

I’m new to this group and to be perfectly honest - today is my QUIT
day. Day #1. I feel terrible too - that’s why I decided to look on
the ‘net’ for assistance. I’m using the patch, so hopefully in a few
weeks, months and years, I’ll be one of the one’s who can sucessfully
say that I’m a ex-smoker. To be honest I swear I wish I never even
started. Why was it important to me then to try and be cool -
especially since there’s nothing cool about smoking. Nothing at all.
Well enough of my “monkey on the back” talk.
For all of you ex-smokers, how long did it take for the cravings to go
away? At least the serious deep ones? You know the ones associated
with Day #1, #2 and #3? Any advice for a Day #1 ex-smoker? Believe me
I need all of the support and assistance that I can get.
If I feel like this from cigarettes, I wonder how alcoholics and drug
addicts feel?

Tomorrow I will have finished smoking for eight months and I thought
I’d pop in and say thank you!
In the eight months we have given up work, moved halfway across the
country to begin a new venture, (which isn’t going really well, but
other options are available)and been on our two week holiday. My
husband has been home alot (We went from never seeing each other to
always seeing each other!) Basically it has been a hugely stressful
time and even a little scary ( mid forties life changes are SCARY!!)
And I did not smoke!! Not a one, Sure I had thought about smokes,
thoughts like, if I still smoked I’d be puffing about 60 a day with
all this, thoughts like, if I still smoked I would not have the energy
or health to accomplish this, if I still smoked that would be 250-300
euros a month I wouldnt have to pay a few bills while money is tied up.
I did have a couple occasions when I thought I might like a smoke to
get me through a particularly stressful day but the foundation
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<< I was going to buy a timer yesterday, and still haven’t got there, but
we’re shopping tomorrow when I pick Shane up from school.
Donna,
My cell phone has an alarm which is so simple to
set and re-set… one of the reasons I was reluctant
in the beginning to try the timer exercise was
because I thought I had to go out and buy a timer.
If you have a cellphone, it probably has an alarm.
Very very handy! Annie

Dear Friends,
I was recalling today the way I was feeling before
I stopped (August 19). I was coughing most of the
time and my face was beginning to have a gray
pallor. I was wheezing at night, needing to sleep
with a vaporizer. I could not eat any dairy or
wheat because it made me so congested that
I could barely breathe. I was regularly coughing
up something really gross that I won’t describe
here out of respect for people’s sensibilities.
I felt a chronic anxiety about what the smoking
was doing to my lungs and heart and my overall
health. I rarely enjoyed the cigarettes, maybe one
or two a day at most. The rest were controlling
me, it seemed. I rarely felt well physically.
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