That Junkie thinking....

Here's a list of common thoughts -- Junkie Thinking -- type of thoughts, that bring us back to the sickarettes.

Look through them. How many have we engaged in during previous attempts to quit? Are we *still* engaging in them?

It might help to print this out and refer to it during a craving.

Junkie Thinking

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 '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 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.

MORE JUNKIE THINKING:  Why bother? We all have to die sometime ... I deserve to smoke Cigarettes are all I've got left They get to smoke ... It would taste so good They're smoking and it's not hurting them Smoking wasn't really so bad ... If I don't eat something, I might smoke ... If I don't smoke I might drink ... This won't count because ... I know I can't smoke just one, but I hope I can ... Do it fast before you think about it ...

JUNKIE THINKING: "I'm bored" RESPONSE: Smoking is an "activity" or "something to do" only for smokers. I'm really not "doing" anything when I smoke except still sitting/standing there. The rest of the world survives occasional boredom quite well without inhaling life-challenging chemicals.

JUNKIE THINKING: "But they've been smoking on TV and in the movies for years! There are even magazines devoted to tobacco products! RESPONSE: That's right. They were on TV for years, I wasn't. I'm still alive; many of them aren't and they departed this vale of tears in prolonged and painful ways. And the smiling faces in the magazines now are risking painful and disfiguring surgery later, at which point they won't be smiling at all.

JUNKIE THINKING: "Its so nice to go out for a 'breath of fresh air' and a cigarette." RESPONSE: Fresh air? I've got to be kidding. And face it, sunny days are one thing, but how many days do I huddle out in the rain with the rain hitting the cigarette and turning the cigarette paper that disgusting yellow color? How many times is it windy and it takes forever to keep a match or lighter lit long enough to light the cigarette, and then how often does a gust of wind come up and blow the ashes into my eyes? And when it's icy outside, freezing my face off is bad enough, but when it defrosts, there's this bizarre yellow condensation around my nostrils. Now THAT'S attractive.

JUNKIE THINKING: "Smoking makes work go faster." RESPONSE: Most jobs where you work indoors are with companies who ban smoking in the workplace. Some companies won't hire me if I smoke. And every time I stop for a smoke it actually prolongs my work, since I'm not busy accomplishing it. And the big finale is:

JUNKIE THINKING: “Well, I've gone a whole year, and shown I can do it if I want. Now I can go back to smoking. RESPONSE: Laughter..... pure, free, unforced laughter; rising up spontaneously from a bottomless well of joy and gratitude...... Any of these comments strike a nerve? Let's share what did, or any other ones that may not be here.