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I tried to quit three or four times and actually did for a week here and there before some perceived crack in my comfort zone drove me right back to my best friend, Marlboro cigarettes. I read all the steps to quit; even followed some of them for a few minutes or days. I even worked down from my beloved red pack to the light version. I made a general announcement, This is my last cigarette! I quit! My belief was that I would chat myself into a public hole that would embarrass me enough to prevent relapse. Wrong! I found things to keep in my mouth to distract me from smokinghot cinnamon candies, mints, fake plastic cigarettes, nasty-tasting mouthwash. Wrong! Nothing tasted like my Marlboros and I was never distracted from the craving to smoke. I read that after 3 days, the physical addiction was gone and the rest was emotional, Well, after 3 days my emotions were pounding a drum beat inside my head and I was sure I was going crazy. But I thought about that emotional thing for a whilewhile I was happily relapsing into nicotine heaven and working up to another bout with pneumonia. One day, while taking a shower, it came to me that I was using cigarettes as my personal reward systemdo the dishes and have a cigarettetake out the garbage and have a cigarettewash clothes and have a cigaretteput them in the dryer andyou get the idea. Being somewhat logical, I decided to try quitting smoking in a new wayone I designed myself. I gave myself permission to get some Marlboros anytime I wanted to, but I had to wait 30 minutes before I did it. This removed the absolutely forbidden component of trying to break this habit. While waiting for the 30 minutes to pass, I got busy doing something I enjoyedlike playing computer games, writing my genealogy, watching a really good video. When I felt a need to smoke, I took notice of what task I had just finisheddishes, picking up dog poop on the lawn, etc. This brought the entire nicotine addiction problem down to something I could handle and could understand. Most times, when I got myself involved in some distracting activity while waiting for the 30 minutes to pass, an hour or two had actually gone by. I have to admit that more than once I grabbed my keys and started out the door to buy some Marlboros. Once I analyzed my own need to smoke (reward system) I could say to myself, Youve got to wait 30 minutes, and it worked. I havent smoked for over 10 years. I still feel a twang of wanting a cigarette when I am stuck in traffic on Southern California freeways. I look around and people in most of the cars around me are smoking. But it is a momentary passing urge that disappears in a moment and no longer controls me. Hope this helps you. |
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