Paul723

Copied from Ladybug's post: My smoking A-B-C’s and D’s A friend sent this to me in the early stage of my quit and it became my guide! I don't know who wrote it and I don't know if it has been posted here before.....I apologize if it is a double post...but it helped me a lot and I thought I share! The A's: •Avoid situations you know you cannot handle •Alter your response - change the flavor of your coffee, sit in a different room, meet your friends in a neutral (nonsmoking environment) •Accept that some days will be tougher, and that by sticking it out you will get stronger. The B's: •Believe in yourself....you can do this. •Behave! You don't have to be a total brat....it's not going to kill you. The C's: •Cope with it and write down how you feel. •Calm down. There is no reason to panic you don't need cigarettes. The D's •Delay your next craving for as long as possible by: •Distracting yourself - keeping busy is extremely important. Go for a walk, or pull out your guitar. •Drinking lots of water or some herbal teas, keep it in your mouth for a while, enjoy the sensation. Chewing gum can help too. •Deep breathing. An easy way to relax. You might have done this 200-300 times per day when inhaling smoke. Emergency Coping Plan: AVOID the situation. Identify the situations when you normally smoke or chew, or feel cravings. For most, high-risk situations include work breaks, finishing meals, having coffee or being in a bar. Plan how you will avoid these situations for a few weeks. Plan for alternate activities. LEAVE the situation. If you find yourself in one of these high risk situations, leave if you can. And, leave before you get a craving. DISTRACT yourself from the craving. If you find yourself in a situation you can't leave and you get a craving, distract yourself from the craving by: Thinking about something else, like your Benefits of Quitting (or how much money you’re saving every week, how your body is healing itself). Doing something else to distract yourself like drinking water or deep breathing exercises. Thinking about an upcoming event in your life, such as a vacation. DELAY acting on the craving If you can't keep your mind off it, then make a deal with yourself that you will wait 5 minutes before you give into the craving. The craving will usually pass in a couple of minutes anyway. If you delay, the craving will go away. Use SELF TALK A craving may be accompanied by negative thoughts about your ability to resist it. Use positive self talk statements to combat your negative thoughts. Talk loud if you have to

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Eight is great! Congratulations!

Smoking is not an option. Take it off the table. You no longer smoke. I repeated this whenever I had a crave or thought.

Great job Rachael! Congratulations!

Three months is a great milestone in your quit! Congratulations! Well done!

NOPE

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The machine stops then sputters then starts and gives a Coke, the real thing. The machine starts humming "I'd like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company." I insert a tune you can't get out of your head

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Congratulations on four months ! You can use the money you don't spend on cigarettes to gas up the RV!

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Good luck to Beacon all day! O

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Four months is fantastic! Congratulations!

Good job, keep going!

Good job, keep going!

Fantastic job DevilDoll! Congratulations!

Four months is great! Congratulations!

Eight months is great! The summer quitters will wait for you. Congratulations!

NOPE