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What exactly is cognitive quitting?

http://www.cognitivequitting.com/

Quitting smoking from a freethinking perspective.

I like it.

I like it!  Sounds interesting.  I’ve always thought it could be done this way and still do.

The CFI facility in Hollywood, CA has a non-theistic group similar to AA.

Occam

I don’t live near there either.

I know.  You’re stuck in the middle of the bible belt, but I just thought I’d mention its existence.

Occam

I appreciate it, because it confirms my thoughts on how to quit- rational thinking and focusing on the human.  The problem is, the rational thought lasts until you go insane from withdrawal.  The good news is, it’s longer and longer before the insanity kicks in. Last time (3 days ago), I went 24 hours before I went insane and all the reasons for quitting went out the window.  Of course, that one cig reminded me why I wanted to quit- extreme dizziness, worsened headache… but in three days I smoked the whole pack.  Better than in two days, I guess.  In the meantime, I try to figure out why I did it.

Why am I going cold turkey?  I have no other options.  The patch even at the lowest level makes me sick- the higher the levels the more deathly sick I get.  I kid you not.  Level one nearly put me in the hospital with respirtory failure because the dr did not take into account my size and the amount I smoke.  Level one numbs my arm and makes my chest hurt.

Wellbutrin gives me migraine like symptoms including vomitting.  The lists goes on with the problems I have with the usual methods.  Even the natural methods make me physically ill.

So, we are back to cognition alone, which is my last resort.  So, you can imagine how much seeing this means to me.  This, along with the positive outlook of Humanism and my psychology background, gives me courage.  IMHO, this higher power crap is just that- BS.  It all resides, IMHO, in the human and their inner power, their inner drive to quit. One has to stand on their own two feet and claim the power for themselves to quit.  There is no magical pill, patch, or god that will do it for them.  I truly believe this.

OK I don’t know about anyone else, but there is my pep talk for today.

I can understand your problems, Mriana.  When I first tried to quit there were none of those medications.  I quit a number of times.  Finally, I switched to the lowest nicotine cigarettes and increased time between each cigarette so that I was able to gradually decrease my chemical dependence and just be stuck with the habituation.  I finally made it about thirty years ago.  However, I have to warn you.  The story, “after I quit for six months I tried one and it tasted terrible” is a myth.  I still respond positively to the smell of cigarette smoke, so I have to maintain my conscious decision to avoid ever having a first one.

Occam

Last week my friend was diagnosed with a throat cancer (larynx). He is my age, late thirties, has two children, and is probably going to die. For the first time I seriously thought about quitting smokig. My doctor gave me a prescription for Champix. I still haven’t got the pills – I have now had it for two days in my wallet. I am not sure if I am afraid I won’t be able do it, or if I simply don’t want to do it…

Sorry to hear about your friend, George. Cancer is a terrible disease, in any of its forms.

Yes it is.  :( Hopefully he will recover.  There is always hope if he gets medical treatment in time.

Personally, I think cigarette smoke smells horrible, yet I enjoy inhaling the smoke.    Go figure. Thing is, every year I get more and more sinus infections and each time it takes two rounds of the strongest antibiotic possible without it being a Penicillian type antibiotic.  I have allergies galore, but I know the cause and source of my sinus infections- or I think I do at least, because my sinuses get a little better if I can go without the smokes.  I do believe it is the source/trigger of a lot of my headaches too.  Not all, but a lot of them.

The other thing is, I feel ashamed to even admit I smoke.  I avoid smoking out in public and only smoke at home, which makes it hard when I’m at home not to smoke.  I’m fine out in public, but I can’t spend my whole life in public though.  Besides, I’m a homebody when I’m not at work or taking classes.

Thank you, Doug and Mriana.

The facts that my father died of lung cancer, my father-in-law died of emphysema, and I had a couple of sinus operations were certainly motivations for me to quit. 

What was interesting was that in my early work days in the 50s, when I’d go into a meeting more than half of the people there smoked.  By the 90s when I retired, the one or two who smoked would go outside at breaks, but the other twenty or thirty no longer smoked.

Occam

Haven’t tried smoking…

But I do know that the anti-smoking campaigns at school are extremely ineffective.

We have this week called Red Ribbon Week which basically is an entire week where they teach us not to do drugs or smoke. Sometimes they have plays, we make posters, they make us sign pledges, etc.

First time I experienced Red Ribbon Week: Yeah! Smoking’s bad! Don’t do drugs! Just say no! Death to the cigarette companies! DEATH TO THE CIGARETTE COMPANIES!
‘Round the third time: Uh… this is a little boring…
Fifth time ‘round: Oh God… not this again…
Eighth time ‘round: Ugh… I’m going to need marijuana or something to get through this…

Well, of course I’m not going to do it… But it’s basically that ineffective.

Sigh!  Yes it is.  I didn’t start smoking cigarettes until I was 18, but before that I was so anti-smoking that one would have been surprised that I took up the nasty habit.  :( I guess it’s always the ones you least expect.