The Celebration Trap

[Giulia]

(photo credit)

It's a wedding, a birthday, a sporting event win, a job landed, a lottery number that came in big. It's when you are on top of the world and you want to go even higher. And you reach not for the goal of remaining smoke free, but for that cigarette. You'll just smoke one for the celebration. You won't really enjoy it, but Captain Hook will have grabbed you again.

[Sue]

It's funny how we can tell ourselves that a cigarette will add to the pleasure of the moment.....it's part of the insanity of smoking addiction....I have something to be so happy about so let me celebrate by doing something that's eventually gonna kill me? How is it that our minds can go there so quickly and we can make it seem so rational?

[Giulia]

Because we've lost our minds, obviously. Our minds are literally altered by nicotine. It adds receptors and connections that weren't there before. It messes with us. But WE have more power than IT!

[John C.]

Remember to "back-pedal" those rationalizations... (thoughts which make "sense" of destructive or bad behaviors). Use positive thoughts like:

"I can enjoy this moment JUST as it is"
"Life is great, let us bask in it"
"Boy, I am thankful for this moment!"

And, just as Giulia wrote, this is an addiction, and can be overcome by the better and more constructive sides of ourselves. Remember that what you said is important, essentially that SMOKING kills! I try to remember THAT at the beginning of a craving, but like to "ease-up" on myself after the craving goes away -- not a very long time.

Above all, enjoy life! Read, EXERCISE, listen to some favorite music or favorite radio station, flip through a magazine, keep a JOURNAL or diary, and bask in every little victory you have over cigarettes!

[Dian]

Sue, my mind has been playing unfairly all day......... I think it's mostly because my mom-in-law is an ex-smoker of many years and she goes on so about the smell and stink and yadda yadda yadda........ maybe the urge to smoke is just to flip my thumb at her LOLOL but believe me, I know that not smoking is for me and no one else but my kids and hubby, living longer for them is part of my reason to remain smoke free........... but man, do I want to smoke today....... and it's only day 4 so far.

yea Giulia, you are my cheerleader, keep us strong, nic's a bad person, we DON'T WANT NIC AROUND!!! LOLOL

[Giulia]

but man, do I want to smoke today....... and it's only day 4 so far\

Uh uh, get rid of that thinking right now. It's only day four so far, meaning "boy do I have a lot more days to suffer through.." NO. Change your thinking to this mode: "Boy, do I want a smoke today. But I'm on my 4th day, glory hallelujah!, and it's gonna get easier every day!" Try and catch the negatives when they happen and turn them into positives. Day four is fantastic!

[Dian]

hehehe, well, even with my way of thinking, I passed through yesterday with no smokes and today, day 5, I still smoke free and actually enjoyed being a non-smoker........ hallelujah!!!!

[Giulia]

Yeeeeeaaaahhhh! Too cool.

[ckoalaco]

Oh Dian... I'm so proud of you!!! You're doing GREAT!!!
Peggy


I have been quit for 3 Years, 3 Months, 1 Week, 1 Day, 13 hours, 57 minutes and 54 seconds (1,193 days). I have saved $4,475.92 by not smoking 35,807 cigarettes. I have saved 4 Months, 4 Days, 7 hours and 55 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 2/3/2005 10:00 PM - Not so much as one drag since!!

[Giulia]

I went to my cousin's daughter's wedding a week ago. I was in a car going to the church with two of my other cousins, one of whom smoked. I LOVE the smell of cigarette smoke. She lit up in the car -asked me first if it was ok, 'cause she knew I'd quit. I said, "Sure, as long as you open the window."

And I wanted one SO BAD at that moment. At that moment. I'm a 2 year three month quitter and I still wanted one. It's the way it is. But I did nothing about that craving. And the moment passed. It would have been so easy to just say "Ah, give me one. Just one. I'll just smoke it in the car with you and then it'll all be forgotten." WRONG! I can imagine myself now, had I done that. First of all I would then have been thinking about cigarettes all through the wedding. And even if I did manage to smoke only that one, I'd be sitting here right now consumed with wanting another. It would be niggling away in my brain.

When you make smoking a non-option, life becomes much much easier. You accept the fact that you will occasionally have cravings, but that you will never ever give in to them. Because you don't do that silly thing any more. You have learned to always say NO to the teasing trickster in you mind. And you are free.

[Mike in @lanta]

This is my favorite bump of all time Guilia.

[Mike in @lanta]

We love to reward ourselves. I would reward myself every chance I got. Well I took out the trash, I deserve a smoke. I mowed the lawn, I deserve a smoke. I cleaned the gutters, I deserve a smoke. I'm rewarding myself for things that I should be doing anyway. I'll reward myself by killing myself. How INSANE!
My reward now is truly enjoying my family & the added years that cessation has given me.

[Giulia]

(This was a post by Sharon that I copied and put here - with her permission.)

"I had a 6 year quit going and relapsed - and I didn't even have an 'excuse'.

It was a gorgeous day, my dogs had just earned new titles and ribbons, we had just spent the entire weekend with good company, running in agility and helping out; I was relaxed and happy. I was driving home, stopped at a gas station and for no good reason bought a pack; 2 years later I am again quitting.

Yes, my guard was down but it was I who made a wrong choice. So, as you say, quitting is not the hardest part, but staying quit .. and never believing that 'just one' prompting. That is the hardest part for me."