Yesterday I talked about the biochemistry of a nicotine addiction. Today I wanted to share a psychological technique that can help you tackle cigarettes in manageable bites, so that the prospect of giving it up for good, all at once, isn't so overwhelming that you give up trying before you give yourself the opportunity to succeed!
In my Smoke Stoppers training we learned about a 2 pack a day smoker who was able to eliminate all but his first cigarette of the day. No matter what he tried, the urge overpowered him and he succumbed. So his Smoke Stoppers coach asked him to journal everything he could about that cigarette, to see what the trigger was. Turns out, it was the stop sign at the first corner out of his garage. He'd pull out of the driveway, up to the corner, stop the car…and while he was stopped…he'd take the time to light up the cigarette. Everything leading up to the cigarette, from starting the car, to stopping, to the visual cues at that particular intersection, were part of the ritual.
So what did the man do to kick that last cigarette? Instead of pulling out of his driveway and turning right, he went the opposite direction, where the corner was a little bit further away. Did the trick.
My suggestion to you is to first tackle the first cigarette of the day. The one you light up with your morning coffee, while reading the paper, while driving to work…because it lays the groundwork for all of the nicotine highs and lows that trigger the rest of the cigarettes throughout the day. It's the most behavioral of all of your cigarettes, because you made it through the night without smoking. Mix up your routine. Go for a walk instead of reading your email. Eat a different breakfast. Sit in a different chair at the table. Anything, anything at all, to mix up the spatial, visual, and emotional cues.
See what happens. See what you learn about your habits. And how intertwined they are with food.
Speaking of food, as important as it is to me that you eat well to manage your PCOS, if you're making a choice between quitting smoking and changing your eating, the former is the most important one to prioritize. Don't worry about weight gain, we can take care of that later. Smoking is your bigger health risk. And if you can kick the habit, the one that has you chained to the second most addictive substance in the world…well, changing eating is going to be a much easier thing to tackle than you're envisioning.
One thing at a time!
Let us know how you're doing with this, by the way. Share the cues you figured out, help your fellow cysters!