teddiebears
10-11-2006, 12:25 PM
Hello Quitters!!! :D
Glad to see a few of our 'regulars' drifting back. Hope there will be some newcomers to post soon too.
Here's a good article that I found in my files - sorry I don't remember where it came from.........
Condition Your Mind to Help You Quit Smoking
Work with the thoughts that don’t serve your best interests. Do it as soon as they crop up. Change the language and even if you don’t believe what you’re saying, restructure the thought in terms that will help you.
For instance, if you say to yourself:
"I can't enjoy the bbq because I won't be able to smoke. I'll be miserable and hate every minute of it. I'm already miserable just thinking about it. Mad too."
What will be the result? You'll be miserable, and you'll reinforce your belief that life is terrible without cigarettes. If you decide instead to shift your focus and perhaps run these thoughts through your mind:
I know that attending the bbq smoke free will be a huge accomplishment for me, and while it may be difficult and uncomfortable, I know I can do it.
I also know the experience will strengthen me and make it a little easier the next time. With enough practice, I'll overcome this difficulty, and I'll be a lot closer to the freedom I want from smoking.
This response will give you a very different result than the first option. You may not really believe what you're saying at first, but if you determine to stick with that change of focus, you'll teach yourself to believe it when you manage the event successfully.
When you say:
I go out to shoot pool and think, "Oh yeah! I can shoot pool and smoke all I want while I play!"
Reinforce the negatives of smoking at the same time. Add something like:
“Yeah, and in ten years, I won’t be able to breathe well enough to shoot pool.”
Or when you say:
I go to park and think, "Yeah! While kids play, I can smoke and sit on a bench!"
Add:
"I can look like a fool to the other parents who are playing with their kids instead of sitting here smoking! My kids must be ashamed of me."
On the flip side, once you’ve quit smoking and are feeling the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal, be sure to reinforce that the pain you‘re feeling is from the cigarettes, not quitting them:
"I feel so violent without my smokes. Very little patience -- no patience. Very volatile and violent."
Reinforce this way:
“Cigarettes did this to me. Once I’m free of this addiction, I’m NEVER going back because I don’t ever want to be a slave to this crud again."
Or:
"I think ONLY about smoking! My day feels like one long, incessant craving!!"
Add this statement:
"Ugh, this is so hard, and I feel lousy, but once I’m clear of this nasty addiction, I know I won’t ever have to feel this bad again."
You get the idea. Replace thoughts that don't help you with ones that do. TRAIN yourself to change the way you think and feel about smoking. The truth of it is that if you persist and work with yourself enough, your trained thoughts will lead you to a new set of beliefs, and from there, you can really make changes that will last.
Be patient with yourself and learn a new way of thinking that will serve your purposes, not hinder them. Get your attitude in line with your actions! Believe in yourself, and create the changes you want in your life. You CAN do it.
QUIT DATE LIST
Sarah - Jan. 17, 2006
~Laura - ?? Jan. 13, 2006
Teresa - ?? Jan. 9, 2006
Janny – Dec. 10, 2005
Fiona – Dec. 1, 2005
Jingle - Oct. 10, 2005
Kristi Ski - Oct. 9, 2005
Accutech - Oct. 9, 2005
Tarzana - Sept. 11. 2005
Geo - Aug.1, 2005
comfortseeker - Aug. 1, 2005
steff - July 5, 2005
Glenn - June 13, 2005
Astroglide - April 1, 2005
Jennifer - Jan. 19, 2005
Jo (2) - Jan. 10, 2005
befuddled2 - Dec. 23, 2004
Buzz - Nov. 19, 2004
Amy - Oct. 17, 2004
Minx - July 18, 2004
Candida - July 15, 2004
Alicia - June 18, 2004??
quietmouth - June 18, 2004
Tattoo - May 13, 2004
Kevin – May 10, 2004
Cindi - May 6, 2004
Kathy (gakat) - April 4, 2004
marijo – March 29, 2004
Kim - March 27, 2004
Zack - March 6, 2004
Christine - Feb. 3, 2004
HappyPolarBear - Jan. 28, 2004
Tina Marie - Jan. 1, 2004
Edith – Dec. 12, 2003
carlacat – Nov. 1, 2003
Shari – Sept. 12, 2003
Pam - April 1, 2003
nanastbird – Jan. 22, 2003
Marie - Nov. 4, 2002
Jo - Oct. 29, 2002
Andrea - July 13, 2002
Lorraine - April 8, 2002
batsinwonderland - Dec. 29, 1998
teddiebears – Dec. 28,1995
---------
"Pain is a part of being alive, and we need to learn that. Pain does not last forever, nor is it necessarily unbeatable, and we need to be taught that." – Harold Kushner
Glad to see a few of our 'regulars' drifting back. Hope there will be some newcomers to post soon too.
Here's a good article that I found in my files - sorry I don't remember where it came from.........
Condition Your Mind to Help You Quit Smoking
Work with the thoughts that don’t serve your best interests. Do it as soon as they crop up. Change the language and even if you don’t believe what you’re saying, restructure the thought in terms that will help you.
For instance, if you say to yourself:
"I can't enjoy the bbq because I won't be able to smoke. I'll be miserable and hate every minute of it. I'm already miserable just thinking about it. Mad too."
What will be the result? You'll be miserable, and you'll reinforce your belief that life is terrible without cigarettes. If you decide instead to shift your focus and perhaps run these thoughts through your mind:
I know that attending the bbq smoke free will be a huge accomplishment for me, and while it may be difficult and uncomfortable, I know I can do it.
I also know the experience will strengthen me and make it a little easier the next time. With enough practice, I'll overcome this difficulty, and I'll be a lot closer to the freedom I want from smoking.
This response will give you a very different result than the first option. You may not really believe what you're saying at first, but if you determine to stick with that change of focus, you'll teach yourself to believe it when you manage the event successfully.
When you say:
I go out to shoot pool and think, "Oh yeah! I can shoot pool and smoke all I want while I play!"
Reinforce the negatives of smoking at the same time. Add something like:
“Yeah, and in ten years, I won’t be able to breathe well enough to shoot pool.”
Or when you say:
I go to park and think, "Yeah! While kids play, I can smoke and sit on a bench!"
Add:
"I can look like a fool to the other parents who are playing with their kids instead of sitting here smoking! My kids must be ashamed of me."
On the flip side, once you’ve quit smoking and are feeling the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal, be sure to reinforce that the pain you‘re feeling is from the cigarettes, not quitting them:
"I feel so violent without my smokes. Very little patience -- no patience. Very volatile and violent."
Reinforce this way:
“Cigarettes did this to me. Once I’m free of this addiction, I’m NEVER going back because I don’t ever want to be a slave to this crud again."
Or:
"I think ONLY about smoking! My day feels like one long, incessant craving!!"
Add this statement:
"Ugh, this is so hard, and I feel lousy, but once I’m clear of this nasty addiction, I know I won’t ever have to feel this bad again."
You get the idea. Replace thoughts that don't help you with ones that do. TRAIN yourself to change the way you think and feel about smoking. The truth of it is that if you persist and work with yourself enough, your trained thoughts will lead you to a new set of beliefs, and from there, you can really make changes that will last.
Be patient with yourself and learn a new way of thinking that will serve your purposes, not hinder them. Get your attitude in line with your actions! Believe in yourself, and create the changes you want in your life. You CAN do it.
QUIT DATE LIST
Sarah - Jan. 17, 2006
~Laura - ?? Jan. 13, 2006
Teresa - ?? Jan. 9, 2006
Janny – Dec. 10, 2005
Fiona – Dec. 1, 2005
Jingle - Oct. 10, 2005
Kristi Ski - Oct. 9, 2005
Accutech - Oct. 9, 2005
Tarzana - Sept. 11. 2005
Geo - Aug.1, 2005
comfortseeker - Aug. 1, 2005
steff - July 5, 2005
Glenn - June 13, 2005
Astroglide - April 1, 2005
Jennifer - Jan. 19, 2005
Jo (2) - Jan. 10, 2005
befuddled2 - Dec. 23, 2004
Buzz - Nov. 19, 2004
Amy - Oct. 17, 2004
Minx - July 18, 2004
Candida - July 15, 2004
Alicia - June 18, 2004??
quietmouth - June 18, 2004
Tattoo - May 13, 2004
Kevin – May 10, 2004
Cindi - May 6, 2004
Kathy (gakat) - April 4, 2004
marijo – March 29, 2004
Kim - March 27, 2004
Zack - March 6, 2004
Christine - Feb. 3, 2004
HappyPolarBear - Jan. 28, 2004
Tina Marie - Jan. 1, 2004
Edith – Dec. 12, 2003
carlacat – Nov. 1, 2003
Shari – Sept. 12, 2003
Pam - April 1, 2003
nanastbird – Jan. 22, 2003
Marie - Nov. 4, 2002
Jo - Oct. 29, 2002
Andrea - July 13, 2002
Lorraine - April 8, 2002
batsinwonderland - Dec. 29, 1998
teddiebears – Dec. 28,1995
---------
"Pain is a part of being alive, and we need to learn that. Pain does not last forever, nor is it necessarily unbeatable, and we need to be taught that." – Harold Kushner