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GEARING UP TO QUIT

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John S2
John S2 Discussion started by John S2 5 years ago
REPOST From Vikki (Staff) on 4/30/2010



Hello and welcome to the Q! 

Most people have trouble following through with their quit, due to the habitual and emotional attachment to smoking. 

Missing the daily ritual, of smoking a cigarette every half hour, is a normal part of the process of Letting Go of this lifelong habit.

Many smokers 'try everything', except the most important step of all, of sitting down and actually PLANNING their new, nonsmoking life! 

'Becoming a nonsmoker' is much different than not smoking a cigarette for as long as you can go --- 'becoming a nonsmoker' means actually learning how to live and cope and experience EVERYTHING you do all in a new way - as a nonsmoker - for the first time, for as long as you can remember!

And that takes patience, effort and practice.

Do you have a plan of action to keep you motivated and help you succeed? 

If not, are you willing to write one down today and follow it?

By writing out a plan and practicing it daily, keeping your quit will get easier, instead of harder, as time goes by.  It helps you stay focused, motivated and prepared. 

Planning ahead means accepting you will have unavoidable, temporary side effects and withdrawals.  It is important to relax and let such symptoms pass by you, without moment by moment analysis.  Planning ahead also means having a list of options that you will commit to doing, instead of smoking, so you can slowly but surely develop new, nonsmoking habits.  Planning ahead means that this quit will be your very last quit ever! 

Let's get started:

  • Why are you really interested in keeping this quit? 
  • What will you gain from being a nonsmoker? 
  • Is your health and longevity and quality of life important to you? 
  • Why?
  • Who is going to support you through this? 
  • How specifically will they support you?
  • What has worked well before? 
  • Write it down! Do more of it. 
  • What has not worked so well before?
  • Why? 
  • How can you avoid these problems this time around?  Really think it through and write it down.

  • What has led to relapse in the past? How can you address your biggest trigger challenges this time around successfully as a nonsmoker?  Write it down.

If you are prone to anxiety, how will deal with these feelings when they arise effectively as a nonsmoker?  Write down 5 things you will commit to doing that will help you relax, re-group and alleviate stress and anxiety. 

If you have other smokers around you, how will you gather their support?  What are 3 things they can do to help make it easier for you?  How will that help you?  What other challenges will you have?  What are you willing to do to address them?

Are you ready to give keeping your quit 110% of your focus and energy for the next 2 months?  Good!  That is wonderful because that is what it takes to develop new habits and attitudes surrounding your new nonsmoking lifestyle. 

The important thing to remember is that nicotine is only one third of the big picture.  NRT ( such as the gum) helps with that one third, however, the rest is up to your commitment to work through the quit process. 

The emotional and habitual bond that long term smokers have with cigarettes goes way beyond simply doing their best to not smoke.

The best way to let go of cigarettes PERMANENTLY is to follow the plan of action you wrote down that addresses your own personal list of habitual and emotional triggers.  That way you can finally stop thinking about cigarettes. 

Plan in advance how you will replace each and every cigarette you used to smoke. 

You can replace a cigarette with many things ~ find out with practice and effort what works for YOU and then do it. 

Commit to doing it.   No Matter What. 

Adding to your action plan, please write down what would work for YOU as follows: 

How will you be:
  • relaxing
  • rewarding
  • unwinding
  • enjoying
  • comforting
  • entertaining
  • without a cigarette?

How will you deal with:
  • other smokers
  • anxiety
  • boredom
  • sadness
  • anger
  • frustration
  • after meals
  • morning coffee
  • work breaks
  • cravings
  • thoughts of smoking
  • social activities effectively as a nonsmoker? 

Really think it through and write it down.

How will you cope with 'the hard stuff' -- like finances and job hunting and relationships and health concerns effectively as a nonsmoker? 

Really think it through and write it down. 

The process of sitting down and brainstorming the answers to the above questions helps you to identify YOUR interests and YOUR options and will help you visualize your life as a successful nonmsoker. 

Practice being a nonsmoker each and every day by replacing each and every cigarette you used to smoke with the new behaviors, emotional coping tools, and rituals/habits you just wrote down.  That way, you will not feel bored or lost or start 'romancing' the cigarettes. 

If you 'fill the void' effectively, you will not have room or reason to miss smoking.

By taking these daily actions, you will practice - then finally become - a nonsmoker; as a result each and every day will keep getting easier!

Stopping smoking can literally save your life. 

So give your upcoming Quit the planning, effort, focus, commitment, and daily action it deserves. 

You CAN do this! 

It is the most important thing you can do for your health and your future. 

Good luck and KTQ!      Vikki   Q Counselor
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