Everyone has a few favorite cigarettes. Over the years, you've built up your own rituals around smoking. Maybe you always smoke when you're:
Everyone has a few favorite cigarettes. Over the years, you've built up your own rituals around smoking. Maybe you always smoke when you're:
The cigarettes linked to such daily routines are the ones you enjoy and crave the most when you smoke. They're the ones you miss the most when you quit.
Smokers who try cutting down before they quit often cut out their least favorite "habit" cigarettes. Then, they are left with the ones they enjoy the most. But, this can make quitting harder - by making you miss those special cigarettes even more when you quit.
Clear Horizons suggests the opposite - giving up three of your most favorite cigarettes before you quit. This way, you'll get used to being without cigarettes at those special times when you still have the rest of your cigarettes to keep you going. The more times you spend in any situation without cigarettes, the less you'll crave or miss cigarettes in that situation. So, you'll feel stronger and more secure without these cigarettes after you quit. Quitters who have used this method say they didn't miss these cigarettes nearly as much as they had expected.
What are your three favorite ritual cigarettes?
Think back over your daily smoking patterns. Think about when and why you smoke and about which cigarettes mean the most to you. Or, keep track for a few days noting when and where you smoke each cigarette.
Find three situations in which you always smoke if you can. Be specific about the time and place - such as "lighting up whenever the phone rings at my desk" instead of "smoking at work." Other good examples are "in the kitchen, when I finish the dishes," "in the TV room, while I'm watching the news," or "in my car, driving to and from work each day." Make sure it's something that happens at least once a day (or once a workday). These are your ritual cigarettes.
Type in your three situations here:
1.
2.
3.
Cut out these three favorite ritual cigarettes.
Then, for a week or two before your quit date, do not smoke in these situations. Go ten or fifteen minutes without lighting up, or wait until the situation has changed (e.g., it's at least fifteen minutes after dinner, or you've finished reading the morning paper). No need to cut down on how many cigarettes you smoke. Just don't smoke in any of these three situations. Don't give in, even once!
Some helpful hints: It's easier not to smoke if you do something else - like sip on ice water, doodle or chew sugar free gum. Try deep breathing (page 21) or exercise (page 20) to take the place of smoking. The puzzle on page 28 will give you other ideas. Pay attention to what nonsmokers do in these situations. And notice that the urge to smoke passes in three to five minutes, whether or not you smoke!
Also, look for non smoking signals. Think about the places you'd never smoke - maybe your new car, a friend's house, or at the movies. Try to spend more time in these places.