It only takes three days to overcome the physical part of tobacco addiction. The rest is in your head. Make no mistake the mental part of kicking any addiction including tobacco is not easy. Remember it takes time... It took time for you to become mentally dependant on tobacco, it will take time to become independent.
Addiction to tobacco begins by choosing to use, recovery begins the same way -- choose to quit. Addicts must take responsibility for their recovery. Own it. Having a self-inflicted tobacco addiction does not absolve you of your behavior.
The physical part of addiction recovery is not very important. What is important is dealing with the compulsion, the craving, that happens even when you know you're going to destroy yourself.
As Addicts we all have addictive thoughts. I very rarely still have an addictive thought but I still have them. Being able to recognize them is very important especially at the beginning of our quit journey! That can be challenging because we have 60,000 thoughts a day and because we don’t necessarily recognize them when they pass through our minds.
Some folks personify addictive thoughts and refer to the Nico-Demon! I have no problem with that as long as you know that the Nico-Demon is YOU! You are generating these thoughts! Nobody knows what motivates you like you and most addictive thoughts are motivational. What do they want you to do?
“I need my next FIX!”
That’s it! These thoughts may look very different from that but that is their motivation! Here are some Examples:
· I need my sickerettes!
· I’ll never be happy as an Exer!
· Sickerettes are my best friend!
· Sickerettes calm me down!
· Life is too stressful to quit!
· I’ll quit someday just not today!
· I don’t smoke that much!
· I’m a social smoker!
· I’ve smoked too much for too long! I can’t quit!
· Just one won’t hurt!
· I’ve failed at quitting so many times, I can’t imagine success!
· I like smoking! It smells good! It tastes good!
· Smoking is my only vice!
· At least I don’t XXX [drink, do drugs, etc…]
· Some people smoke their entire lives and are healthy!
· Smoking is hereditary! Everybody in my ancestry smoked!
I could keep going indefinitely! But it really comes down to one concept! If this thought gives you a “reason”, i.e. EXcuse to smoke even one more Sickerette – it is an addictive thought!
Nothing is forcing you to smoke. Your genes, your personality, your awful past, your family -- nothing. Abusing tobacco is voluntary, purposeful behavior. The only cause of your addiction -- both physical and mental is the thoughts that you habitually think that tell you in a thousand different ways 'Have a smoke' and the belief that thoughts command you to act.
Here’s the empowering part! YOU get to decide! You don’t have to follow that thought!
Imagine thoughts as cars on a highway – they rush by and you can focus on only red cars or you can focus on just blue cars or you can decide to put your focus elsewhere!
Not all thoughts are addictive thoughts, are they? It may seem like that at first but you had enough Freedom loving thoughts to find this website and sign up!
Let go of your addictive thoughts! They will happen! That’s the nature of addiction. But you don’t have to latch onto them! That’s what we call romancing the Sickerette! Call it out and then focus on the Freedom loving thoughts!
I’m sure most of us have played the game: Don’t think of a purple zebra. Just mentioning purple zebras makes you think of them! Telling your mind to STOP thinking about them just doesn’t work! On the highway in your mind those blue cars are going to pass! So let them pass by!
When you stop paying attention to addictive thoughts, at first they pout, and then they scream, wave their hands, flail around, and throw a tantrum! That’s a good sign, actually as long as you continue to focus elsewhere! It means they're scared that you are serious about FREEDOM! They will say this is too scary, stressful, ugly, whatever! They will bring out every temptation they can muster so you will give in! BUT You still have the choice! YOU DECIDE!
You can decide to add red cars to your mind highway!
READ, READ, READ! When you read you are stimulating many more Freedom loving thoughts! The fastest and most effective smoking cessation method to change your thoughts is by using affirmations. You can get pages of affirmations right here:
https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/positive-affirmations-and-support
Do you want relief from tobacco? Do you want your life back again? Include affirmations in your smoking cessation routine. Have you heard that saying, "Don't feed the Monster?" Well, I have a saying, too! Feed your FREEDOM LOVING Voice!
Think of those cars on the highway! The more you read the more the traffic on the highway in your mind has helpful red cars!
Distract yourself with other stuff! Then you are filling that highway with even another kind of car – green cars, Get involved with something you’re passionate about. Borrow from the list called 100 things to do instead of smoking and then make your own list:
Then decide!
Take control of those thoughts by choosing your focus!
Pretty soon you won’t notice those blue cars so much! Thoughts thrive on attention! The blue cars in your mind highway will take the off ramp! Your attention is sometimes on those red cars, other times on those green cars, and they will seem to multiply on your highway.
Eventually these blue car thoughts become less frequent and only once in a very blue moon will they show up! You will go hours, then days, then months, even years without these thoughts! And by then when they do show up, it’s a little whisper you can easily choose to dismiss!
It gets better very soon so don’t be discouraged! What’s 4 Months compared to a lifetime of Freedom?
Participate! We know how to do this and we can show you how!
DECISION is the Ultimate POWER!
