Stories & experiences

Lilidews
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Stories
18/10/2023
Joined

I used failures as a way to eliminate triggers.

Posted in Getting started 06 Nov 2023
3 Comments

Previous quit smoking attempts taught me that triggers are the worst. So, with quit attempt, I decided to eliminate some triggers permanently each time. I figured even though I wasn't succeeding in quitting, I could at least make it easier for myself next time, and enough next times have built up that this time has been a lot easier. For many years I've not smoked inside the house, nor inside the car. If I wanted a smoke I had to get off my backside and go outside for it, no matter what the weather. That removed a massive amount of triggers right from the start, and it also made the air in the house healthier for myself and everyone else to breathe. I then made a point of not smoking whilst walking. It would leave me shorter of breath when I did that, so I stopped doing that. My next quit attempt left me with the habit of leaving my smokes at home if I was leaving the house for less than 6 hours.

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3 Comments

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  • Happiness November 07, 2023 | 0:42
    We know that we learn through our mistakes, so good on you for eliminating much time for "triggers". Making time to smoke in an uncomfortable enviroment is an excellent place to start, We don't take our medications in public and our need for a nicotine fix may be viewed as such. Take the time to smell and taste it when you do smoke. Taste those poisons, begrudge the time it takes to just stand there by yourself and smoke it. Think of what else the money could be spend on rather than going up in smoke. No one can tell you not to smoke but you can lessen the desire to. Mindset...
  • Kate71 November 07, 2023 | 8:42
    Great input Lillidews. I’m currently on that same path. Haven’t smoked anywhere but my home for four years. Last week banned myself from smoking in the house. It’s down the back shed for me. Still getting used to it.
  • Lilidews November 10, 2023 | 22:09
    @Kate71 Stick to your back shed method, night or day, rain, hail or shine, until you're ready to fully quit. Even just that can be hard sometimes. Do you really want to run from your house to your shed for a cigarette in the middle of the night during a freezing cold hailing windy thunderstorm? No? Then your desperation for that cigarette isn't as desperate as you think. No, you're not allowed to cheat and have one inside the house. Besides, you don't have any in the house because you left your cigarettes stashed in the shed, didn't you! ;)

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