surviving the cravings

[judyb]

You can survive the cravings BUT NOT THE SMOKING!!

I have tried to quit many times over the past 30+ years. I have quit for up to six months. I blew that six
month quit because of a dead battery in my car. (Pretty flimsy excuse, dontcha think.)

I've quit for a week or two, only to start smoking again because I thought I could have just one or two
cigarets and still be a non-smoker. I didn't even realize that I was smoking again until I had
smoked a pack a day for several days! How's that for self-delusion.

The fact is that there will be times when the thought of smoking doesn't enter your mind and there
will be times when you have desperate, screaming cravings. That's what Quitting is all about!
This is not a game we're playing here. Everyone on this board is
struggling to save a life! The stakes are very high and the enemy is deadly and sinister. We
call it "the beast", "the demon", but it's really that dark part of our own personality that has sustained
this life threatening habit.

A thousand different people can find TEN Thousand different reasons why they started smoking, why
they kept smoking, why they never quit or failed to quit or quit so late. The reasons don't matter. The
pain doesn't matter. There is no reason strong enough or compelling enough for you to start smoking
again.

Don't let the pain cloud your mind!

Pretty soon the pain will subside for a while, you will see a little clearly for a while and you will remember
your reasons for WANTING to quit. When that happens, try to mentally latch onto the
moment. Try to CLEARLY SEE your desire to Quit and your reasons for Quitting. If you
can imprint that positive image on your brain, you may be able to recall it during the
tough times.

That way, when the darkness comes and your resolve starts to wane, you can look at the image of your
resolve like a treasured photograph and realize that somewhere deep inside you DO want to Quit.

During the darkest periods, when your strength is exhausted, when you can't muster the resolve that
you had when the Quit was new, USE that image. Even if you can't remember what your reasons
for Quitting are, even when the Demon convinces you that staying smober doesn't
matter,even when your too tired of the fight and want to give in, just remember that, if
only for a brief shining moment, the Quit was VERY important, staying smober
mattered and one day the feelings and strength of that shining moment are
going to return!!

You don't have to be strong EVERY minute.
You don't have to have faith EVERY minute.
You don't have to have a sense of purpose EVERY minute.
You don't have to BELIEVE in the Quit EVERY minute.


But you MUST NOT SMOKE at least long enough to allow that strength
and sense of purpose to return.

You CAN do it!!

Vince
1/9/1999