KEY THREE
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There are points in your day where you always light up a cigarette. It may be when you get behind the wheel of a car, or when traffic gets heavy. It may be when the phone rings and a cigarette just seems natural. It may be when you are arguing with a loved one. It may be when your boss is acting like a real jerk. You have many events in your life that are closely tied to smoking in your mind. They have to be unhooked. It is not as bad as it sounds. You already know what most of them are. Write them down. For me some of my triggers were phone calls, driving, drinking coffee, high stress situations of all kinds, and after a great meal. If you always have a cigarette during or after any event, (yes even that), then before you even start to cut back on the actual number of cigarettes you are smoking, you must restructure your smoking activities. Assume one of your triggers is a phone call. Breaking the link is done by not ever smoking on the phone from now on. You can smoke as much as you like afterwards, but no smoking while on the phone. After a meal, you smoke only after an increasing amount of time has passed. (Start with 15 minutes, and work up to an hour.) Each and every identifiable trigger must be broken. Watching television, driving, drinking coffee or alcohol, etc., etc., etc. During this process, you will suffer some temporary discomfort as your mind reconditions itself, but you will suffer no withdrawal symptoms and it is something you can easily handle. Believe me this is one of the most important things you can do to help you quit and stay quit! |