Approach Is Everything. Just Ask A Pilot.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

"You Must Wait Two Weeks And Do This And That"

     Where did this come from?

     Has anyone at the top of the chain considered that it just might take over two weeks to imprint change and acceptance in the human mind for an entirely new lifestyle after the ritual and addiction as deeply established as smoking?

     Has anyone considered that counting and focusing on every cigarette just might make someone focus on denial and difficulty instead of the realization of, "hey, I just went 4 hours without a cigarette and it wasn't a problem at all."

     Has anyone considered that the more you think about not smoking, the more you are thinking about smoking?

     Approach is everything. Just ask a pilot.  🙂

[NewMe]

EXcellent points, Dale. Especially the idea that someone who has never been addicted could come up with the perfect plan for quitting. Around here, though, the advice to read, read, read (tips and advice from ex-smokers, plus the information they found useful), along with "take what you need and leave the rest" should get you  safely on the runway.

[elvan]

So true, the more you think about quitting, the more obsessive your thinking becomes.

[Pops]

I've always felt that continually talking about a crave is spending too much time thinking about it. Romancing the thought is another way to look at it. Pops

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

I went through a period where I questioned if coming to this site daily, spending hours reading and commenting well into my quit, kept me unnecessarily focused on the role of cigarettes in my life.  I've read others ask the same question.

Ultimately, I found this site extremely helpful, despite the fact that its focus was precisely the opposite of that which I was trying to avoid, which speaks to your point, Dale.

The key to success is not necessarily how much you think about cigarettes and smoking.  It's how much and/or how little glory and positive association you grant them.

You'll have much better results if you try to land a plane on a Texas highway than a Brazilian mountain pass.  And you'll have much better results quitting smoking if you quit treating cigarettes as rewards or treats.

[bonniebee]

I think the advice of not putting your quit date to far ahead of your self is good advice !

I also think putting to much pressure on cutting down your smoking may just give One  to much anxiety before the big day arrives .

I think it is important to pump your self up for it ,not down ! it is exciting not scary !  A new chabng a new you a positive outlook  on a new journey !

[jonilou]

The wonderful thing about this site is that it provides something constructive for us to do instead of focusing on cigarettes and craves or smoking thoughts or whatever.

We can help others, sometimes just by listening or offering advice if we can think of something relevant or helpful to say. The point is, it takes our minds off of ourselves and time just flies by. Especially early in a quit, it is great to be able to read blogs and ignore whatever your nic brain is trying to tell you!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Quit date?

If you are processing the idea of quitting and experiencing no anxiety, denial or fear before you quit, you'll know when you are ready.

I didn't set a quit date until I bought my last pack.

By that time, I had gone from a pack a day to 5 a day without any angst.

[Pops]

Consider just talking about life in general.  Mentioning the good times to be had by getting out and about.  Experiencing life on life's terms without smoking and actually enjoying enough to talk about "it" and not the lack of nicotine.  To me, that is when the obsession has decided to take a distant place in my life, as opposed to being in my forethoughts all day long as in the first two weeks.

I'm only 99 days in, but I hardly think about a smoke at all now.  It's been at least two weeks since the thought came up, & then I just dismissed it, sort of like a fly buzzing around my dinner plate.  Unwanted, but not going to ruin the moment.

Pops

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

If we treated flies like we used to treat cigarettes, we'd try to smack that fly into our food and gobble it up as fast as possible!

Who does that?!?

[JonesCarpeDiem]

not this week.  🙂

I don't even eat the worm from the tequila bottle.

[Daniela2016]

Well Pops, you really have the right attitude.  I wish I could say the same. I still think about it, but not obsess; I don't want to smoke, but I remember it several times/day.

As for planning to quit, for me it was rather spontaneous: I got sick, could not inhale, and took that as my sign to quit cigarette.  I was still puffing on the e-cigarette when I came here, set a date, was working on decreasing nicotine in the juice, and one day I knew I was ready and quit smoking it, way before my quit date.

Daniela 173DOF

[joyeuxencore]

One of the best blog titles ever got to tell you but then again you're a real professional! Hope you're doing well... I think about you more than you have any idea.

[Giulia]

Proper prep makes for a good landing.

[Leeza]

You are such a wise sage, Sensai!  Each of our paths to being smokers has been different and timelines for prep work might be too limiting and arbitrary.  My first step in preparing to address my smoking related issues is to stop smoking mindlessly and to become fully aware of every cigarette I smoke.  I am using this as a skills training approach to reduce the number smoked per day with less stress in prior quits.  Every time I do smoke mindfully, it re-enforces that I amoing toward giving up nothing of benefit.

[Leeza]

Don’t underestimate the importance of timing. The timing of your attack on the smoking habit is extremely important.  In life, timing is the essence of a winning strategy.  […]  The popular concept among behavioral therapists is that no time is better than the present to take action against an addictive habit.  In theory, it sounds right.  But the cold light of reality presents a different picture.  I am convinced that there is a tremendous advantage in a well-prepared, preemptive attack against the smoking habit.

Balasa Prasad, Stop Smoking for Good

[SkyGirl]

One of the most important things I've learned in my years here on EX is that there is absolutely no one "right" way to quit.  Different approaches work for different people.  There is a lot of great advice here on EX.  The successful Quitters are the ones who read through it all and then use the methods/approaches/distractions that appeal to them personally.

I do believe that SOME type of preparation is necessary, especially in the area of education about nicotine addiction.  It's rare to see someone here who simply dropped their cigarettes on an immediate whim and was ultimately successful in not ever smoking again.  Understanding how nicotine addiction works on our brains is a powerful tool in quitting.  At least it was for me.

But I think there is a lot of flexibility in the methods we use to get ourselves in the right mindset.  

I personally needed a full three weeks to read books, get used to the idea of myself as a non-smoker, actually make a plan for how I was going to handle cravings and reach a feeling of self-confidence in my ability to quit.  

For others, it takes less time.  For some, like Dale, cutting down slowly worked.  For some, it's months before they are ready to begin their Quit.  For some people, whatever is currently going on in their lives plays a big part in their timing.  For others, it doesn't matter what their current situation is when they decide they are ready.  Some prefer to use NRT, some do not.

Whatever works for you is what is RIGHT.  As we always say, "Take what you need, and leave the rest!"   

xxxooo,   Sky