Make Room For More D's in Your Life

[NDC_Team]

Recently when working with a group of patients quitting tobacco, we were talking about coping skills for urges and cravings.   While we have traditionally looked at the 4 D’s (Delay, Distract, Deep breathing, and Drink water), this group added 2 more to the list: Discuss, and a surprise fun one - Dance!!

So, consider trying these cognitive strategies for your cravings or urges to smoke:

Delay:  Delaying acting on your urges - say 5 minutes  - and most likely the urge will lessen or even completely go away.

Distract:  Find something to occupy yourself with for a few minutes while the urge or cravings dissipate.

Deep breathing:  Breathe in through the nose, and out through the mouth.  This can be very calming and relaxing.

Drink water:  That’s right!  Drinking water does help with cravings; and while most of us don’t drink enough of this life giving fluid anyway, it is a good reason to drink up!

And finally, the 2 new ones:

Discuss:  Ask for help from, and utilize, the support people in your life to help you work through cravings and urges.

Dance:  Quitting smoking is hard work – make sure you celebrate your efforts !!

Barb Dallavalle, MA, LP

NDC Counselor/CTTS

[sweetplt]

Great post ... Thank you for sharing ~ Colleen

[TW517]

I "chair danced" my way through the first 3 months of my quit :

/blogs/TomW5.15.17Blog/2017/07/31/i-cant-stop-dancing 

[AnnetteMM]

It's hard to smoke and dance at the same time

[karenjones]

I went to a support group and the discussion topic was 'craving' I had been quit for 17 days and focusing on craving for one hour did not help me.  After the support group meeting was over I crossed the street to a convenience store and bought a pack of cigarettes . so craving was one thing that I could not deal with even through conversation, the mind precedes all experience.  One hour of thinking and talking about craving, what is a trigger etc. I am not sure if I could even talk about that and listen to that now without developing a craving.  Tobacco is such a horrible addiction.  All addictions are horrible.  They hijack peoples lives.  Deflecting helped me, changing the subject when my addict wanted to talk about cigarettes and craving.  Deep breathing really helps and all ex-smokers should learn the technique of diaphram breathing .

[kaakes]

Good morning everyone! I am over-the-top ready to be rid of this disgusting cigarette smoking. It's feels the way I'm sure, other highly addictive drugs must do that affect the mind to feel compelled to pick up a cigarette, put it to your lips, strike a match to it- and lastly, inhale all that nastiness.

[ponygal]

I think it would be helpful if you could post what the physical benefits are on an incremental basis once you have quit smoking. I'm almost at the end of my second month of smoking cessation and I feel great but would love to know exactly what it's doing on the inside

[TW517]

There's a free phone app a lot of us use called "Smoke Free" that has just what you're looking for.  Check it out.  It's pretty cool.  Congrats on your nearly 2 months!

[lauraredfearn99]

What a wonderful way to show us ways to help inspire us to achieve this physical addiction. It requires both behavioral modification and also support. Great ways to help get through the hard times. Remember that you have to do this for yourself, you have to be committed to change!!!