Dennis,
Now that you're through the first two weeks most all of the chemicals are out of your system and if you're like most of us your physical "craves" are gone. What you may be experiencing are smoking "triggers" and a psychological yearning (our junkie minds). There are simple ways to overcome both.
With all those years devoted to smoking you, like me, associated almost every daily activity with a cigarette. Your brain was trained to look out for you and make sure your blood nicotine levels wouldn't fall too low if it could help it.
- I'm going to be in a long meeting - better smoke now.
- Can't smoke in a store - have a cigarette on the way in.
- Get off a plane - find a place to smoke before getting the luggage.
For example, after working in the garden last spring I was walking back to the house and I noticed that I was absent mindedly tapping my shirt breast pocket. I had to laugh, I was checking for my cigarettes. Once you recognize the triggers for what they are just the fact that you did helps to reprogram your brain. I used to just smile, take a deep breath and say to myself "I don't need to do that anymore". But boy, after 40+ years I had a LOT of triggers to overcome.
Our junkie minds are trying desperately to have us remember the mythical "one good cigarette" and to forget the thousands we mindlessly smoked to keep our nicotine levels up. We know, through the education we received here, it is an addiction and we can't have just one. One = All. All I had to do was remember that fact and the single simple rule we all follow, Never Take Another Puff. The rest will take care of itself. It will get better and sooner that you can now even imagine. Remember NTAP RULES.
Read here, read more and read even more, then NTAP and I'll see you at green. It worked for me.
YQB,
Pat
(FREE NOW One year, two weeks, 14 hours, 9 minutes.
11417 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,283.54.
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