How did you know…
… when it was time to smoke?
How did you know? Did one of your kids say, “Gee mom/dad, you haven’t
had a cigarette in about an hour. Aren’t you due?” And did you say,
“You know what? You’re right. It is time for me to smoke.” Did some
friend call and remind you? Did you pencil ‘time to smoke’ into your
day timer so you’d get through however many cigs you smoked in a day?
Did you look at a clock, do a bit of calculation, and just figure you
must ‘need’ one? Or did you use commercials breaks on TV to remind
you to smoke?
What signal or signals alerted you that it was time to smoke? How did you know?
July 26th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Hey there Stephanie,
Glad to see you’re still with us.
So whenever you were uncomfortable, happy, sad, angry, hungry, or
full, you smoked. What was it about those states of being that called
for a cigarette?
July 27th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Hi Fran,
Yes absolutely. shoulders up, tense and anxious (in whatever
muscular/physical form they take), snappish(a shift in
emotion)… these are certainly cues that are associated with
smoking. For next time I’d suggest preparing some ‘what ifs’. They’re
a way of preparing to respond rationally (non smokingly) in a
situation you see coming, in this case 5 kids. Something along the line of …
‘What if I’m at dinner and son’s, his 5 kids are being themselves,
and I know from experience that my shoulders will be up, i’ll be
tense, snappish, and anxious.
In the past I’d have wanted a cigarette. Now I know what my body is
really needing in terms of breathing, stretching, and a break from the kids.
I can do some breathing and stretching before I get there, breathe
frequently while I’m there, and make sure I only have to stay 2 hrs max.”
Preparation like this will eliminate an ‘urge to smoke’.