Quitting smoking again

[jimmoyer]

LOL ....

What attracted me to hypnosis is that it's different from the much hallowed WILL POWER or the rightly admired sequential rational logic.

WILL POWER is a myth, if you define it as the bullish power to deny yourself pleasure constantly.
To deny yourself your desires day after day after day is a plan to fail. It's a much admired characteristic probably because it is just about impossible to do.

Does it take WILL POWER to embrace something you like ? Something you look forward to ?
There's the trick.

And our belief that we are rational creatures making rational shopping decisions, making rational voting decisions is mere chimera.

We are emotional first, then we look quickly for the sequential logic to excuse it.

This all relates to quitting smoking.

Think about it.

 

[daisygirl]

I quit 5 1/2 years ago by using the patch and Zyban together. I had tried so many other times without success. I do cheat about once a year and have a cigarette but I hope that will eventually stop. I am really happy that during times of extreme stress, I haven't had the urge to return to cigarettes. My urge is usually when I see the commercials for the Nicorette gum...so I wish they would ban those dang commercials.

The one huge difference I also had when I actually did quit was my husband. He would tell me things like how great my hair smelled. It was so nice to hear the compliments that it just gave me that extra incentive.

I agree with what Muz had to say. Stop smoking indoors. Then cut out a favourite cigarette, whether it is after dinner or whenever. After a couple of days, cut out another favourite cigarette. Then start making it so that you have to inconvenience yourself to have one. Don't try to do this overnight, especially since you enjoy smoking. Do it one at a time, one day at a time.

BTW, I tried the patch by itself, but I was only successful with the first two strengths. When I got to the weakest strength, I wanted to smoke again.

As for the suckers, make sure they are sugar free or they will rot your teeth. You might want to try something else instead. (I always liked carrots.)

 

[Curiosity]

Wouldn't life be a buzz if it was really like all of our comfortable addictions? Who the heck designed this business of living anyway eh? Making all of our toys bad for us?

 

[Unforgiven]

It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools.

Wouldn't life be a buzz if it was really like all of our comfortable addictions? Who the heck designed this business of living anyway eh? Making all of our toys bad for us?

 

[Curiosity]

Unforgiven

Good morning... yup yer right.... still....it makes me grumpy ... but I guess if it was good for us we'd probably not like it.... hmmm hate chocolate? Never.

 

[jimmoyer]

Then cut out a favourite cigarette, whether it is after dinner or whenever. After a couple of days, cut out another favourite cigarette. Then start making it so that you have to inconvenience yourself to have one. Don't try to do this overnight, especially since you enjoy smoking. Do it one at a time, one day at a time.
-------------------------------------Daisygirl----------------------------------------------------------------------

I believed in that method. The countdown. One less cig a day. I always failed at it, but I believed that was a good method.

Ultimately I succeeded by stopping completely instead.

Read the following and see what you think:





Quitting by Gradual Withdrawal

Quitting by the gradual withdrawal method. I discuss this method quite extensively in my seminars. I always tell how if there is anyone attending who knows a smoker who they really despise they should actively encourage them to follow the gradual withdrawal "cut down" approach. They should call them up every day and tell them to just get rid of one cigarette. Meaning, if they usually smoke 40 a day, just smoke 39 on the first day of the attempt to quit. The next day they should be encouraged to smoke only 38 then 37 the next day and so on. Then the seminar participant should call these people every day to congratulate them and encourage them to continue. I must reemphasize, this should only be done to a smoker you really despise.

You see, most smokers will agree to this approach. It sounds so easy to just smoke one less each day. Thirty-nine cigarettes to a two pack a day smoker seems like nothing. The trick is to convince the person that you are only trying to help them. For the first week or two the one downside is you have to pretend to like the person and you have to talk to them every day. They won’t whine too bad either. When they are down to 30 from 40, they may start to complain a little. You really won’t be having fun yet. When the payoff comes is about three weeks into the scam. Now you've got them to less than half their normal amount. They are in moderate withdrawal all the time.

A month into the approach you’ve got them into pretty major withdrawal. But be persistent. Call them and tell them how great they are doing and how proud you are of them. When they are in their 35th to 39th day, you have pulled off a major coup. This poor person is in peak withdrawal, suffering miserably and having absolutely nothing to show for it. They are no closer to ending withdrawal than the day you started the process. They are in chronic withdrawal, not treating him or herself to one or two a day, but actually depriving him or herself of 35 to 40 per day.

If you want to go in for the kill, when you have them down to zero, tell them don’t worry if things get tough, just take a puff every once in a while. If you can get them to fall for this, taking one puff every third day, they will remain in withdrawal forever. Did I mention you really should despise this person to do this to them? It is probably the cruelest practical joke that you could ever pull on anyone. You will undercut their chance to quit, make them suffer immeasurably and likely they will at some point throw in the towel, return to smoking, have such fear of quitting because of what they went through cutting down, that they will continue to smoke until it kills them. Like I said, you better really despise this person.

Hopefully there is no one you despise that much to do this to them. I hope nobody despises themselves enough to do this to themselves. Quitting cold turkey may be hard but quitting by this withdrawal technique is virtually impossible. If you have a choice between hard and impossible, go for hard. You will have something to show at the end of a hard process, but nothing but misery at the end of an impossible approach. Quit cold and in 72 hours it eases up. Cut down and it will basically get progressively worse for weeks, months, or years if you let it. I should mention, this is not a new technique.

It has been around for decades. Talk to every long-term ex-smoker you know.

Try to find one person who successfully used the cut down approach, gradually reducing to eventual zero over weeks or months. You will be hard pressed to find even one person who fits this bill. One other perspective that should help you see the flaw in the approach. Look at people here who had once quit for months or years and then relapsed. One day, after such a long time period, they take a drag and are smoking again. If one puff can do this after years or decades, guess what it will do after days or hours of being smoke free. It puts the smoker back to square one. All that any ex-smoker has to do to avoid relapse or chronic withdrawal is to - NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

​

 

[Impetus]

Well, I agree that cold turkey is the best approach, but using patches etc are similar to the gradual withdrawal method in my opinion.

I think there are two aspects to cigarette smoking, the nicotine addiction and the smoking habit.

It's best to derail the smoking habit first, i.e. those "trigger" cigarettes with morning coffee, after a meal, before bedtime, the drive to work, etc.
Break those habits first, then go cold turkey.

I smoked a pack a day from age 14 and quit cold turkey around 21 years old when I started vocal coaching because my coach wouldn't take me as a student if I smoked. I had incentive, and health was the last thing on my mind. Unfortunately, I subsequently spent another 20-odd years playing in smokey bars until the blessed smoking ban, which was a dual-edged sword making the workplace more healthy and less smelly, but contributing to the decline of the club scene...(along with the internet, home theatre, RIDE, and general cost of living increases). But I never smoked another cigarette.

Muz

 

[smilingfish]

Not smoking during pregnancy doesn't count, because your body just doesn't want to do it.
Live/work with non-smokers(move to another place, leave your family and get a new job...).
Put horrible pictures/ statuesthat can warn you about the harm smoking can do to you, everywhere in your house and your workplace.
Oh, you're not supposed to write this online diary of quitting smoking. This just reminds you of smoking.

 

[jimmoyer]

http://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_03_one_day_time.html

This guy says it better than I can...



Take it ONE DAY AT A TIME

This concept is taught by almost all programs which are devoted to dealing with substance abuse or emotional conflict of any kind. The reason that it is so often quoted is that it is universally applicable to almost any traumatic situation.​

Dealing with quitting smoking is no exception. Along with NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!, ONE DAY AT A TIME is the key technique which gives the smoker the strength to successfully quit smoking and stay free from the powerful grip of nicotine dependence.​

When first quitting, the concept of ONE DAY AT A TIME is clearly superior to the smoker thinking that he will never smoke again for the rest of his life.

For when the smoker is first giving up smoking, he does not know whether or not he wants to go the rest of his life without smoking.
​

Most of the time the smoker envisions life as a non-smoker as more stressful, painful, and less fun. ​

It is not until he quits smoking that he realizes his prior thoughts of what life is like as a non-smoker were wrong.

Once he quits he realizes that there is life after smoking. It is a cleaner, calmer, fuller and, most important, healthier life.

Now the thought of returning to smoking becomes a repulsive concept. Even though the fears have reversed, the ONE DAY AT A TIME technique should still be maintained.
​

Now, as an ex-smoker, he still has bad moments every now and then. Sometimes due to stress at home or work, or pleasant social situations, or to some other indefinable trigger situation, the desire for a cigarette surfaces. All he needs to do is say to himself, I won't smoke for the rest of today; tomorrow I will worry about tomorrow. The urge will be over in seconds, and the next day he probably won't even think of a cigarette.​

But ONE DAY AT A TIME should not only be practiced when an urge is present. ​

It should be practiced daily. Sometimes an ex-smoker thinks it is no longer important to think in these terms. He goes on with the idea he will not smoke again for the rest of his life. Assuming he is correct, when does he pat himself on the back for achieving his goal? When he is lying on his deathbed he can enthusiastically proclaim, "I never smoked again." What a great time for positive reinforcement.​

Every day the ex-smoker should wake up thinking that he is not going to smoke that day. And every night before he goes to sleep he should congratulate himself for sticking to his goal. ​

Because pride is important in staying free from cigarettes.​

Not only is it important, but it is well deserved. For anyone who has quit smoking has broken free from a very powerful addiction. For the first time in years, he has gained control over his life, rather than being controlled by his cigarette. For this, he should be proud.​

So tonight, when you go to sleep, pat yourself on the back and say, "Another day without smoking, I feel great." And tomorrow when you wake up, say, "I am going to try for another day. Tomorrow I will deal with tomorrow." To successfully stay free from smoking, TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME and - NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!​

 

[RomSpaceKnight]

I was off the smokes for a year after my heart attack. Just after getting a clean bill of health from cardiac docs I started again. My job sucks and there are some here who I hate vehemently for engaging in criminal activity and the corporate types won't listen. The stress that potential whistle blowers go through is immense.

 

[triedit]

Rom I think you and I share a similarity in that smoking gives us a sense of power we don't otherwise have....something to think about.

 

[daisygirl]

I always tell how if there is anyone attending who knows a smoker who they really despise they should actively encourage them to follow the gradual withdrawal "cut down" approach.

Don't know if I agree, but I definitely didn't tell you this method because I despise you, triedit...I was only trying to help. Gee, now I feel horrible. :-(

 

[triedit]

*laugh* no worries

 

[jimmoyer]

LOL Daisygirl, you bad bad girl.

No worries. We know you didn't suggest the countdown method to Tryedit with evil intent !!

I posted that article about what the countdown really does to a smoker. It's something most smokers don't know and should know. That's why that method is the most difficult method a smoker will take. Failure rates are huge with that method, because of the continual state of withdrawal that method inflicts on smokers.

So why do all smokers love the idea of that method ?

Because that means they don't have to quit !!

When you're in the grip of the vampire, nothing else matters.


Today is ONE YEAR of "no fumar". For me.

By the way RomSpaceKnight, I absolutely remember thinking much the same in a former job and the smoking helped me think better. I could physically feel the buzz give me that extra shot to the synapses to verbalize and think better.

But !!

After crossing the river Styxx to the other side of light, LOL, you realize it was all chimera.
All of it is not true, as much as it appears true to you. It's fascinating to have lived both lives.
Neither side can tell each other. Until they experience it.