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Junkie Thinking - A Survival Guide...


10 years ago 0 187 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I was really happy to log on here and find this post.  It's encouraging to know that I'm not the only one with these crazy thoughts going through my mind all the time.  I'm constantly battling every thought on this list, and these are precisely what have ruined my previous quit attempts.  I will print this out and keep it handy as a reminder to myself when I find myself thinking along these lines.  This has given me the strength to get through the weekend smoke free. 
 
I need to make this quit stick, and am feeling really good about it right now. 
10 years ago 0 816 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hello and welcome lemontwist. You're doing the right thing by posting. You're helping others by posting but you're actually helping yourself in the process. When we put as much effort into recovery as we did into smoking we'll be successful. Don't worry about what could have been because what matters is now. Consider yourself a work in progress , a better version of the new you. Tell yourself that no matter what happens that I won't smoke today. All the years that I smoked I was always afraid of quitting but I find now that there was no reason to be afraid. Knowing what I know now the only thing anyone should be afraid of is not quitting sooner.  Think of craving and the unpleasantness of quitting as a healing process. You're doing this and you can do this. Others have quit and you can as well. Don't forget to reward yourself , however small , because you're telling yourself that you're worth it. We're learning how to live a new way of life without the use of an ingested and possibly fatal stimulant called tobacco. Excellent for you for not smoking today. breather
10 years ago 0 96 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I am having such a hard time dealing with these thoughts lately, it really helps to know that I'm not alone and that it's not stupid to feel this way. This is my 3rd time quitting and I just have to remember that maybe I would have been successful sooner if not for that junkie thinking. Thanks for this post!
10 years ago 0 115 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Junkie thinking is just what I need on a poster of on my wall! Must get my printer sorted and print a copy off! Great! Cheers Viv
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10 years ago 0 639 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Bump
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11 years ago 0 2508 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Original Post by: Josie,Health Educato
I think this is the original!
Its a great way to combat that junkie thinking! 
 
Print it!
Post it!
Prepare for it!
 
JUNKIE THINKING: "One Puff won't hurt"
RESPONSE: "One puff will always hurt me, and it always will because I'm not a social smoker. One puff and I'll be smoking compulsively again."

JUNKIE THINKING: "I only want one."
RESPONSE: "I have never wanted only one. In fact, I want 20-30 a day every day. I want them all."

JUNKIE THINKING: "I'll just be a social smoker."
RESPONSE: "I'm a chronic, compulsive smoker, and once I smoke one I'll quickly be thinking about the next one. Social smokers can take it or leave it. That's not me."

JUNKIE THINKING: "I'm doing so well, one won't hurt me now."
RESPONSE: "The only reason I'm doing so well is because I haven't taken the first one. Yet once I do, I won't be doing well anymore. I'll be smoking again."

JUNKIE THINKING: "I'll just stop again."
RESPONSE: "Sounds easy, but who am I trying to kid? Look how long it too me to stop this time. And once I start, how long will it take before I get sick enough to face withdrawal again? In fact, when I'm back in the grip of compulsion, what guarantee do I have that I'll ever be able to stop again?"

JUNKIE THINKING: "If I slip, I'll keep trying."
RESPONSE: "If I think I can get away with one little "slip" now I'll think I can get away with another little "slip" later on."

JUNKIE THINKING: "I need one to get me through this withdrawal."
RESPONSE: "Smoking will not get me through the discomfort of not smoking. It will only get me back to smoking. One puff stops the process of withdrawal and I'll have to go through it all over again."

JUNKIE THINKING: "I miss smoking right now."
RESPONSE: "Of course I miss something I've been doing every day for most of my life. But do I miss the chest pain right now? Do I miss the worry, the embarrassment? I'd rather be an ex-smoker with an occasional desire to smoke, than a smoker with a constant desire to stop doing it."

JUNKIE THINKING: "I really need to smoke now, I'm so upset."
RESPONSE: "Smoking is not going to fix anything. I'll still be upset, I'll just be an upset smoker. I never have to have a cigarette. Smoking is not a need; it's a want. Once the crisis is over, I'll be relieved and grateful I'm still not smoking."

JUNKIE THINKING: "I don't care."
RESPONSE: "What is it exactly that I think that I don't care about? Can I truthfully say I don't care about chest pain? I don't care about gagging in the morning? I don't care about lung cancer? No, I care about these things very much. That's why I stopped smoking in the first place."

JUNKIE THINKING: "What difference does it make, anyway?"
RESPONSE: "It makes a difference in the way I breathe, the way my heart beats, the way I feel about myself. It makes a tremendous difference in every aspect of my physical and emotional health."
(Excerpted from Patricia Allison's book)


Thank you Josie for reposting this..I thought I would BUMP it up again today for everyone to read..Me included..
 
Keep the quit..
Red..
11 years ago 0 2778 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hey Carlos,
 
     There are thousands of great posts here!  I'll bump some more forward a little later.  I'm glad to hear that you are doing a bit better!  Be strong, buddy!!!
 
            Jim 
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11 years ago 0 124 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks Jim. As a reminder of why I quit, it is refreshing
 
 
11 years ago 0 2778 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Bump for Carlos-Alberto!
 
   Read this entire post!  Lots of good information here, buddy!!!
 
             Jim 
  • Quit Meter

    $44,160.00

    Amount Saved

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    Days: 1056 Hours: 22

    Minutes: 3 Seconds: 26

    Life Gained

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    5888

    Smoke Free Days

  • Quit Meter

    176,640

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

12 years ago 0 3875 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Help for newbies.

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