Cognitive Quit Smoking

ddsteve@… writes:
<< This could be an interesting thread…
‘A Quitting State of Mind. What is
it? How do you get it?’ Any thoughts?
……………………………………………………………
My quit date was August 19. On August 11,
I wrote this email to my 3 grown daughters,
who for many years had begged me to stop
smoking.
…………………………………………………………..
Dear beautiful and wise daughters,
I am writing to let you know that I’m actively
cultivating the decision to quit smoking; please
wish me the best.
I don’t know how long it will take, but I think if
(more…)

When I started with the timer, I was still smoking.
Steve told me not to worry about a quit date or
pressuring myself about quitting smoking… most
important, do not fight with myself about it. The
first step was just to get in touch with my body’s
regular cues, using the timer to help me pay
attention.
So the timer would go off… I would feel around my
body, looking for the kinds of body cues mentioned:
shallow breathing, tension, hunger/thirst, etc…
the preferred (rational) responses are always kind of
obvious, and they vary little:
where is there tension .. neck, face, back, etc.?
(stretch, get up, walk around, whatever brings
some relief to the particular tensions)
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I have tried a few times to do the timer exercise. Meant to start again today.
. . .but forgot!?!
First two times I did it, it didn’t appear that I got it right. For example, is
this correct?
Upon waking Groggy Feel Kinda stiff Get coffee/cig
Is that what you do? Or do you write your “alternate” responses as well the
first time around with the exercise?
I want to start tomorrow, and do the timer through the holidays. Is that too
long to do the timer exercise?

Do start with the timer exercise, as described on
the website… it will help you enormously, every
day. For me it made all the difference in the very
beginning of being able to quit, being able to
feel good & proactive about the whole thing instead
of as if I were depriving myself & fighting a hard
fight.. highly recommended and very best wishes
to all … Annie
<< there are some of us out here.
thanks for the postings all ~
it’s hard to find a place to go where folks
understand the quitting process
pls keep up the postings coming
i need ‘em / it’s helping

Hi. It’s 5 in the morning. I’ve been up all night. I made it through
the third day wo a cigarette. This Nicotrol Inhaler really helps A
LOT. I do hope that this is an active board. I haven’t even read
anything on it yet. I’m sleepy. I think I’ll go to bed. Thank God, I
made it through another day without a cigarette. j

…. when it’s time to smoke?
What was it for you that signaled it was time to light up again?
For me it felt like some lo

To those of you who are a bit confused as to just what this “10 Stages of
Quitting” is about, I thought there might be some value in taking another
look at some of the generally dispensed and accepted advice re: quitting.
When a smoker, or a quitter, gets an urge to smoke it means that some body
cue is present at THIS MOMENT and there is a ‘need’ to respond. That ‘need’
is the urge. A smoker will light up or want to light up. A quitter will
usually wrestle with themselves employing ‘will power’ or whatever other
‘hang on’ tools they have at hand. That’s the smoking habit/behavior…
body cue, associated response to the body, action. Depending on how the
‘urge’ is dealt with, the ’smoker/quitter’ will move past that moment into
the next. However, the point is that body cues and their associated
responses are immediate. A cigarette was immediate, 8-12 seconds for
relief. For those who are using the program, stretching and breathing is
immediate. Anything we use that will help us learn to change our smoking
habit must address the immediate nature of smoking.
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Sorry I missed you in chat, had my speakers turned off and didn’t know you
were there … doh. I’ll be back at 8:30EST

Hi Caroline,
These are better. Just a couple of comments….
It’s unusual to have pain in one area of the body and be relaxed in the
rest of the body. So if your hip is bothering you, very likely there will
be some tension in other areas. At the time you make your hourly notes, try
adding a bit of stretching and a few deep breaths just to see if you can
recognize an ‘improvement’ or change. This may help you become more in tune
with what’s going on.

Your right side from your lower back down hurts yet the rest of you is
“normal/relaxed”? I think your correct that it’s normal, but I’d be
surprised if you’re as relaxed as you think.
Caroline, the timer should be going with you. Out running errands with
whatever physical aches and pains accompany you is going to produce
physical stress that is associated with smoking. It’d be hugely helpful to
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Thanks Donna and Annie and all for your kind words—I couldn’t be happier.
And thanks Abadi too—so now that you’re out of the closet Abadi, so to speak,
will you tell us who you are and what’s your status regarding smoking? Are you
familiar with this method of quitting?
Judy.