Re-learn Habit is one step in the process of How to Quit Smoking. Here you will study your smoking pattern, identify triggers and break the “glue” between trigger and cigarette.
Beat Your Smoking Triggers
Now that you’ve tracked your cigarettes and know what your big triggers are, it’s time to start separating the cigarette from the trigger. All that means is putting a little time between the smoking trigger and the cigarette while you’re still smoking. This will help start to break the “glue” between your triggers and cigarettes. This is what we call “separation,” and it’s going to help make it easier when you actually quit.
See how to separate the cigarette from your triggers.
For example, if your Cigarette Tracker shows that you always light up a cigarette with your morning cup of coffee, tomorrow wait until AFTER you finish the coffee to light up. The next day, try waiting for FIVE minutes before you light up. After a few days of waiting five minutes, increase your wait to 10 minutes. Do whatever it takes to get through these short delays. Get up. Drink some water. Feed the dog. Do anything but light up.
Waiting will be pretty hard at first because you’re so used to having your coffee and cigarette at the same time. But what you’re doing now is loosening the “glue” that’s hardened between your smoking triggers and the cigarettes that go with them.Here’s the important thing. Once you start delaying like this, you’re going to experience what an urge really feels like. The good news is, it’ll pass. The urge to smoke starts slowly, hits a peak (sort of like a wave in the ocean) and then passes. Up until now, you’ve smoked at the beginning of an urge or at its peak. But now you’re getting practice riding it out.
All right, what other ways are there to separate and delay? You might find some or all of your triggers in the list below. Pick one, and you’ll see we’ve listed some ideas of how you can begin putting some distance between the trigger and the cigarette that goes with it. Figure out what works best for you.Separate the Cigarette from Your Triggers
After a Meal
If you can’t light up, what will you do after a meal? All kinds of things. You just have to start practicing.
Stress
Stress isn’t going to go away because you’re stopping smoking. Get some practice now handling stress without cigarettes.
Certain Locations
Once you quit, you may not be able to avoid all your old smoking places. Better get some practice being there without smoking.
Celebrating
Is it really possible to be at parties without smoking? Absolutely. You just gotta practice a little.
Mornings
Remember when you used to spring out of bed ready to take on the day? Without cigarettes? It CAN be done. With practice.
Your Jerk-face Boss
If you have a jerk for a boss, quitting smoking isn’t going to make him or her nice. Learn how to deal with the boss without smoking.
Fighting with a Friend
For years we smokers responded to anger by lighting up. But there are alternatives.
Paying Bills
It’s just another ritual some of us have connected with smoking. Beating it simply takes practice.
