Progress thread for ne
Ne -- I quit smoking about two months into Bac, probably at around 140 mg or so. I still get occasional pangs / tugs. I used the Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allen Carr. My wife used it to stop smoking in 2007, as did I, but then I relapsed, mainly because of my anxiety. My ex-wife used it successfully as well.
The technique matches up against the kind of mindfulness therapy I'm doing. This therapy emphasizes coming to terms with and accepting one's feelings, rather than trying to make them go away (try not to think about a pink elephant!). Part of Carr's schtick is that if the desire to smoke comes up, let it be, and then say, I'm so grateful to be a non-smoker!
Per the other thread we've been interacting on today, this is my current approach with drinking, as I guess that -- as you say -- may not be at my switch dose. But it's sort of working for now ... and that therapy is used to help curb addictions by noticing an urge / craving, accepting it, and then making a choice based on the life you want to live. Although, as I have pointed out to my therapist, and he agrees, that's all well and good unless you have a high baseline anxiety state, in which case, medication (at least while you build up muscle around a new set of skills) is very much in order!
Hope that helps. Two months after quitting, when I do have a tug to smoke, I picture myself with my lips wrapped around a car exhaust pipe ... not pleasant!
Ne -- I quit smoking about two months into Bac, probably at around 140 mg or so. I still get occasional pangs / tugs. I used the Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allen Carr. My wife used it to stop smoking in 2007, as did I, but then I relapsed, mainly because of my anxiety. My ex-wife used it successfully as well.
The technique matches up against the kind of mindfulness therapy I'm doing. This therapy emphasizes coming to terms with and accepting one's feelings, rather than trying to make them go away (try not to think about a pink elephant!). Part of Carr's schtick is that if the desire to smoke comes up, let it be, and then say, I'm so grateful to be a non-smoker!
Per the other thread we've been interacting on today, this is my current approach with drinking, as I guess that -- as you say -- may not be at my switch dose. But it's sort of working for now ... and that therapy is used to help curb addictions by noticing an urge / craving, accepting it, and then making a choice based on the life you want to live. Although, as I have pointed out to my therapist, and he agrees, that's all well and good unless you have a high baseline anxiety state, in which case, medication (at least while you build up muscle around a new set of skills) is very much in order!
Hope that helps. Two months after quitting, when I do have a tug to smoke, I picture myself with my lips wrapped around a car exhaust pipe ... not pleasant!
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