Smoking sub-take 3-HST-take 1

[Patti]

Yeah - the biking may be a good way to distract you from the whole quitting smoking process. The way I stopped smoking was that I suddenly noticed I hadn't had a smoke in about 6 months. Just focus on other stuff, is all.

Seven years later I still get the craving when other people are smoking around me, but most of the time I'm not thinking about it. My workmate offered me a smoke to satisfy my craving, then asked how long i had quit for, I told him 7 years, then he wouldn't give it to me anymore. Mixed feelings (GRRR - I mean, thank you!)

To offer another hippy-style metaphor like Sean's classic: Before you have an operation, they give you general anesthetic to put you to sleep. When you wake up, its all done! You missed the whole experience! So just go to sleep, i.e. focus on other stuff. When you wake up, you'll be smoke-free. But it'll be a painful experience if you're awake the whole time watching (I had an op on my foreskin recently, local anesthetic, holy crap that's traumatic, you don't want that) but my point is, stop trying to quit smoking, and just play the subs and do something else.

Check with Shannon first, but my understanding is that the sub will do it anyway, so if you feel like smoking, don't try hard not to do it, just smoke. Let the subs quit for you, don't try and do it yourself. I still remember my last cigar - I used to love cigars so much - but this one, honey-tipped, I lit it, and after 20 seconds of staring at it and contemplating it, stubbed it out and threw it in the bush. I lost interest. (I wasn't on subs though)

After the subs have helped you lose interest, you'll quit automatically.

But don't smoke before you go bike riding!

Wow! You just forgot about smoking???? Why can’t that happen to me? Dang!

Stop trying to quit smoking….that’s a very interesting way to put it. I heard this…hmmmmm in my head when I read that. It just makes sense! Funny thing is, I think you said it thinking I was still smoking but now that I’m not, why would I continue to “try to quit”????

I’ve already stopped smoking, Monday will be 3 weeks. I do feel like the actual cravings are decreasing but what I’m dealing with now, are the aftershocks, which are anxiety, restlessness and sadness and things along those lines.