Thanks for bumping this penguin.
I like the point about recognizing the subconscious urges/responses and then dealing with them. I guess that's why self-talk helps so much. Once you see that the "craving" you're having is just a response to a certain stimulus (a trigger), it puts you back in control of what you're going to do. If your goal is to remain smoke-free, then you can take action to remain on that path and not be swayed by that subconscious reaction. By doing whatever it takes.
The thing about self talk is that it is difficult to hold two competing thoughts at the same time. So, if you tell yourself that you really really want a smoke, or that just one won't hurt, it is much more likely that you will smoke. But if you are aware that these are things you say to yourself, you can prepare contradictory self-talk phrases ahead of time so that you are ready the next time. Like, "I really really want a smoke." Instead, "But, I'm not going to have one because I don't smoke. Nonsmokers don't smoke cigarettes." Or "Just one won't hurt." Insert, "Of course it will hurt. It will most likely lead to 20 or 30." If you keep the patter going on the non-smoking path, you can't simultaneously keep reinforcing your desire to smoke. The more you reinforce the nonsmoking idea of yourself, the less powerful is the idea of the smoking you, hence gets easier over time.
and to quote Free,
[quote]
If you want to change your life, change your mind.
[/quote]
-aloha
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/22/2007
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 64
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,560
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $435.20
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56