Junkie thinking #1

[Susana]

Not an SOS but I thought this post would belong in this forum nonetheless.

 

I have my driving class in one hour. I´m trying to finish my work for tomorrow on time, fretting fretting fretting...

 

And it has hit me on the forehead: my driving exam is next Thursday!!!!!. "I have chosen the worst possible moment to quit smoking. These classes are massive stressors, and the exam will be even worse. I should have waited until after the exam. Maybe I should stop fighting the cravings for now and concentrate instead on passing the driving exam, I can quit after I´ve got my licence".

 

Junkie thinking, huh? Even I can see it.

 

Still one thing is to see it and a different thing is to dismiss it out-of-my-mind-to-never-bother-me-again... it IS bothering me...

 

:girl_cray2: :girl_cray2: :girl_cray2: :girl_cray2: :girl_cray2:

[sharonsiff]

Hiya Susana

 

Remember the chimp link I posted? Well I suspect the chimp and the junkie thoughts come from the same area of the brain so with that in mind I hope this, from the book, helps.

 

Feel7ng insecure from time to time is normal for a chimp, so expect it, accept it then take care of it.

 

Whenever your chimp is feeling insecure, be practical and where possible seek reassurance. Seeking reassurance is a wise thing to do whenever you need it- tick, you're on the right track and doing this Susana

 

Specific fears that are real-The way forward, when looking at specific fears, is to ask yourself what is outside of your control and what is inside of your control. Your chimp will want to control the uncontrollable and then become very distressed when it can't do this. The human accepts that some things we cannot control and therefore we must accept them or deal with them at the time they appear.

 

So from that Susana maybe it 'might' help you accept that the thoughts will come, they are to be expected while you are detoxing from cigarettes. Taking care of it, well by not actually smoking you are in effect taking care of it.

 

I don't even know if this helps you Susana but I posted it just in case it does.

[action]

Wow, that really is Junkie Thinking!  Well done you for identifying and squashing it ;)

 

I am sure that you will have a great lesson, and know that there is never going to be the 'perfect time' to quit smoking, if you listen to your junkie thinking!

[Susana]

Thanks guys.

 

I was "doing" cold turkey but I have chewed a nicorette for a while. Bummer it did help a bit. I´ll take a blister for my class. I don´t want an anxiety attack in the middle of the motorway at peak hour in mid-July. Shite. I´m paralised.

[Susana]

Famous day 3. Do you know how many of these bloody day 3´s I´ve been through in the last 3 months? And not many day 4´s I´m afraid.

 

Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!! I HAVE TO fight this. I HAVE TO.

 

MIERDA! JODER!

[Susana]

Off to my driving. Chew chew chew

 

Will be back in 3 hours.

[JackiMac]

Susana just checking to see how you are doing are you back from you driving yet, all chewed out xx

[sharonsiff]

Yes....how did it go?

[Susana]

Phew!!!!! That was a close one. When I posted I was truly panicky. I even started to doubt myself and my quit. Brief thought, but scary.

 

I´m back now. Very good class. I had the same gum I had in my office, and I haven´t been so calmed in the car for quite a while.

 

Junkie thinking #2: Now is when I start considering that I have put nicotine back into my body and I have to start the detox again, so my quit suddenly is not as precious as before I put that gum in my mouth a few hours ago... More bullsh. I´m as quit as I was this morning, and I have used a tool that I had in my drawer, such as the nicogum, to help me get over a rough patch. Now it is back to cold turkey.

 

Yeepee! If I wasn´t so exhausted I would jump up and down. :dance3:

 

Thank you!!!!! :give_rose:

[El Bandito]

Nice work Susana.

 

You can recognise the junkie thinking...talk to it. Reason with it. You are smarter than the junkie.

 

I used to say - get the tough ones out of the way - the rest will be easy. You just did a driving lesson - with NO cigarette...if you can do that, you can do anything!

[sharonsiff]

Nice work Susana.

 

You can recognise the junkie thinking...talk to it. Reason with it. You are smarter than the junkie.

 

I used to say - get the tough ones out of the way - the rest will be easy. You just did a driving lesson - with NO cigarette...if you can do that, you can do anything!

Exactly.....

 

Well done for not smoking Susana.

 

Like EB said talk to it, reason with it.....it puts the 'chimp' back in the cage ;)

[Jenny]

You can do this Susana!  Good job identifying what's going on and posting here. 

Life marches on, even when we're busy fighting the nicodemon.  You can never choose a time to quit that will be prefect because life just isn't.

Keep fighting through it kid!  I promise you will be so glad you did. 

[Paul723]

"The perfect time" is a lie the addiction uses against you.

[jimmy]

Susana don't scare an old man like that lol  hang in there you can do this and youll be so happy that you did so proud  of you for not giving up stick to your guns and kick nicodemon in his ass  yes I said it  whoop his butt   your  thougher than he is   rember ride this quit train show me the Susana that the bulls in spain are scared of   you rock  :D :D :wub: 

[Still winning]

oh babe, we all remember the 

 

"this was a bad time"

 

"I've been here before"

 

"I don't know how I will do this"

 

You know what you do - whatever works!!  But don't you put something in your mouth and set it on fire you hear!!  It sucks sometimes, it really does. My heart hurts for you and how much it takes but you hold on - and then this battle is fought and won and you move on.  I sense a brilliant quit from you my lovely, hold the F on!! xx

[Fay]

Good job, Susana!  The next lesson will be easier!

[Pippa]

Hi Susana - great work at identifying the tricks your mind is playing - and also for facing down such a big trigger - every time you do that you will keep getting stronger .... You have so got this !

[Nicole Diver]

"The perfect time" is a lie the addiction uses against you.

I agree! It got me so many times.

Susana, proud of you!

[Tink]

Susana you stuck to NOPE how about next time using normal gum as you know you don't need to smoke. And starting to whole detox again is a bummer

 

Susana is going  to get through this test not nicotine, no way should nicotine take the credit for what you will achieve

 

I wish you all the luck and strength in the world to passing your test and the start of your new life of freedom and independence

 

You can do it Susana!!!

[Susana]

Still chewing. Only 2-3 gums a day to help me over the worst cravings. Still not 100% happy with this solution, but will stick to the gum until after the exam tomorrow. Then go cold turkey for the weekend and sleep it off if I need to.

 

Thank you guys for the very helpful and educational responses. :give_heart:

[jimmy]

just keep going Susana   your doing it your all ready half way throught the day im just starting mine  so proud of you   show us    that happy dance :music:  :yahoo:   

[Nicole Diver]

Still chewing. Only 2-3 gums a day to help me over the worst cravings. Still not 100% happy with this solution, but will stick to the gum until after the exam tomorrow. Then go cold turkey for the weekend and sleep it off if I need to.

 

Thank you guys for the very helpful and educational responses. :give_heart:

Little known fact about me. I quit with the gum.

When I stopped the gum, I was nervous it would be a new struggle. But I had ZERO physical cravings. (Kind of like when I went from cable to Netflix, nervous but it was a piece of cake.)

What's important is quitting, in my opinion.

[MarylandQuitter]

As long as the end result is quitting smoking, it doesn't matter.  Whether or not you chewed gum, sucked on straws, took some meds (like I did), used the patch and so on to get healthy and ditch the smokes, who's to judge?  The goal is to stop smoking for the rest of our lives and that's all that matters.

[Holski]

Yay!!

Susana, I'm so glad to read this!

You are doing great!

:D

 

Keep kicking the Smokodemon in the junk!

You got this!

[beacon]

Susana, woo hoo! Keep going mu friend