Craving Buster Technique

[Giulia]

(Note:  this piece was first published in a blog by @aztec  back in 2012 called  Craving - EX Community    The original author april_ac was from another site.  Thank you Aztec for bringing it here!)

We interupt todays broadcast..for a test! (TRY THIS!)

Ok...especially you newbies...I want you to REALLY try this.

Don't give me that "AWWW Man!!" It's not a hard test!! More of an "exercise"!

I want you to stop what you are doing right now....and look around the room. Look at everything. Take your time. (Don't read any further until you do that.)

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Now...I want you to look around the room AGAIN...and this time find all of the things that are RED. FOCUS on the things that are RED. REALLY look at them! (Don't read any further until you do that.)

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This time....look around and find all of the things that are BLUE. Again...FOCUS on only the stuff that is Blue. REALLY look at them! (Don't read any further until you do that.)

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Now....look around the room ONE more time. (Don't read any further until you do that.)

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Did the things that were Red and BLUE stand out to you the most?? Probably! Know why? Because THAT is what you were FOCUSING on!

Do ya see where I'm going with this??

WHATEVER you focus on the MOST....is what will be stronger...stand out more....become MORE dominate. JUST LIKE CRAVINGS!! If you FOCUS for too long on the craving...it GETS STRONGER.

So...SHIFT your focus AWAY from the craving!

What do you mean you can't do that....that it's too hard??? You just DID IT in that little mental exercise a minute ago!!! How much were you focusing on smoking while you were looking around the room...focusing on the Red and Blue stuff?? Probably not much...if at ALL!

It DOES work.

While I don't crave cigarettes anymore...I do have other areas of my life where I use that exercise. Sometimes it's needed to RE-focus on the GOOD things I have...when I'm feeling down. It gets my mind AWAY from the "pity party" state.

Make this work for you. It's your quit....It's your life.

And it's worth fighting for!

Thanks for playing along!! You may now go back to your regularly scheduled programs!

[TBenyi]

This was actually extremely helpful. Thank you!!! It gave me a new way of thinking about the cravings. They do sometimes get really bad and as much as I try to distract myself they are still there dominating my thoughts. However, this simple exercise I can see actually helping and distracting me from the cravings and nagging voices in my head telling me to smoke.

[Giulia]

So glad it's helping.  It's amazing to see how we can change our mind and refocus when we need to.  Just takes practice!

[tiphanie34]

Wow that worked!!!

[Giulia]

Excellent!  Use what works, let go of what doesn't.  And keep finding new things that work.  

[Nichohl]

This is the best explanation of cravings I have read yet!

[MollyMolly]

Very interesting!

[marydickens]

This will be useful as my journey starts today as I am quitting smoking 10/14/18 this is my first full day of no smoking. I am going to need to re-train the brain as I find myself looking to do things on a schedule. However after reading and doing your post I did find my self putting my focus into other things and this will be a resource as I know I will need it! Thanks for taking the time to post. 

[elvan]

marydickens Welcome to EX...I want to share with you the welcome that is usually given by YoungAtHeart‌ who is currently on vacation.  She gave me permission to publish it for any newcomers.  I came to EX 4 1/2 years ago and have been smoke free for that length of time.  This site and the people here have held me in their hearts and have cared for me in ways I cannot begin to tell you. In my opinion, the best way to quit is to read everything you can about nicotine addiction, get all of the support you can...from this site or any others you might find...also in person from friends and family members.  The last component to a successful quit is commitment and you have to bring that WITH you.  You  have to decide that No Matter What, you will not smoke.  NOPE, Not One Puff Ever was my mantra when I came here, there are many others, choose what works for YOU and quit without excuses.  Stay close to the site, blog, comment, ask for advice and take it when it is given.  Remember, we have all been where you are and we all want you to succeed.  My name is Ellen.  Nancy, YoungAtHeart‌'s welcome follows:

Youngatheart.7.4.12

Welcome to our community!

The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it  or at your local library. Here's a link to a video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.
 
You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-exhas lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance.  You should also do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site.
 
 After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort.  I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.
 
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:

 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
 
Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

 Nancy

[Giulia]

Re-training the brain doesn't happen overnight.  It takes constant work.  But eventually the ship can be turned around.  So don't give up if at first you don't succeed.  

[Lauralives]

Read this again!  Thanks!  Laura