Physiological symptoms

In order to simplify of smoking cessation plan we have broken the aspects of concern onto three (3) categories.

Physiological, Cognitive, and Behavioral.

Though each of these areas can present challenges.  It seems physiological is the most difficult at least for my friend.

Cognitive aspects of quitting include but are not limited to positive thinking, responding to those asking about your efforts to quit with a positive response, reminding yourself of all the reasons for quitting (avoiding death and illness, etc.), learning all the newest research and info about smoking, reminding self of benefits for quitting, thinking about how nasty cigarettes are regarding smell, taste, chemicals,etc, reminding yourself that you are only smoking because you have not yet quit and physically still crave strongly, you are working on your plan,  you have improved by reducing your intake, you are addicted but quitting will not kill you, you can tolerate the unpleasant symptoms of quitting because it will be so worth it, etc

Behavioral are taking precautions of and during danger zones, like being around other smokers, drinking, when driving,etc..., and making behavioral changes to avoid additional smoking or lighting up at all, talking with those around you to explain your need for changes and ask for their support, ( see positive sandwiches blog regarding what and how to talk about smoking)...put notes by ash trays to remind you, take a short walk instead of a cig break, count out in the morning and only take ten ( or whatever number you're on) cigs with you for the day, etc...

Physiological - UGH...basically your body craves them. you need them and are a slave to them. Once you pass a certain amount of time the symptoms begin...irritability, jittery, anxiety, etc there are tons of symptoms that you can identify with yourself..but you know the feeling...

this is when it is crucial to utilize your cognitive and behavioral skills and push as long as you can to avoid the next cig...

once you have reduced # of cigs your body will adjust to that much nicotine and then your craving and urges will become farther apart in time and less intense...the cycle of undoing has begun....your body will work with you and begin to heal and not need these chemicals.  It does require planning, proactive planning, consistency, ongoing conscious effort, and it needs to be a priority every day.

Ultimately once you have reduced to a very low number per day, my friends goal is like four (4) cigs per day and have maintained that for at least two (2) weeks maybe longer...go to the docs if necessary and get the medical help like gum or a patch etc..( see another blog for all options)

THEN TOUCHE!

Put the cigs down and NEVER pick one up again!