LoveDub

Reading it, absorbing it, bought some of the accessories which I’d need. Just gotta start with closing the ‘open loops’. Scary. :)

Download it and use it if you’re a FireFox user. It’s great – it’s pretty simple to setup and it’s made my Inbox a pleasure to handle, and my life a lot simpler.

http://www.gtdgmail.com/

Things NOT to do once you’ve quit (at least for 2 months after):

DON’T make a big deal about it – don’t tell everyone you know that you’ve quit – you’ll set yourself up for a great deal of shame should you slip;
DON’T drink with smokers, or even drink if you can manage it;
DON’T drink coffee or take any other stimulants (cut down at least);
If you smoke pot, cut down – don’t use it as a substitute, and for goodness sake, DON’T mix cigarette into it!
DON’T smoke cigars and think you won’t inhale;

Things to carry with you once you’ve quit:

Rescue Remedy (a herbal calmative, watch out it has an alcohol base) – this stuff is amazing for those tense moments when you feel like biting heads off people around you;
A short straw, to stick in your mouth when you really just need something to do with your hands, to satisfy the oral fixation.

Things to do:

Drink lots of water, if you feel a craving, have some water;
Drink green tea, or even better, chamomile tea – it has natural sedative qualities, and will calm you down immediately if you’re feeling amped;

AND NEVER EVER:

Think that it’s only 1 cigarette, and it won’t make you start again. Believe me, once it enters your body, you’ll want it again. Don’t give it the chance.

You may rationalize your choice to have another cigarette by a number of ingenious methods. But always remember, that it’s not you doing the thinking in those moments, the addiction is making up your mind for you.

You get some people who can smoke a cigarette or two at a party and not be addicted. If you’re reading this, then you’re NOT ONE OF THEM. Don’t kid yourself that it’s only one cigarette.

And if you do smoke a cigarette, don’t beat yourself about it. Don’t feel like a failure, because you could be putting yourself into a cycle of self-loathing and pity which may be the trigger for the self-destructive desire to smoke.

Just start again.

But MEAN IT EVERY TIME. Otherwise, what’s the point of even trying? If you aren’t honestly stopping smoking, then don’t bother. Go smoke.

But if you really want to quit, then you must STOP smoking. It’s the only way.

Cutting down is bullshit, it just makes you crave those cigarettes even more. The less you smoke the more valuable they become.

JUST STOP, IT’S EASY. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS REALLY REALLY MEAN IT.

And always remember in those first few days (and it’s only a few days) that all that pain and irritation that you’re feeling is not because you AREN’T SMOKING cigarettes, it’s because YOU SMOKED CIGARETTES. They screw your system up so much that it makes you feel terrible when you don’t have them.

It’s an important thing to realize – the cigarettes make you feel bad, not the absence of cigarettes.

And why would you want to use something which makes you feel bad?

You want to be in control of your mind and your life, right?

SO TAKE CONTROL.

And realize that you’re going to run into a whole bunch of emotional shit that you haven’t dealt with. It’s all going to come back to you. Cigarettes are a powerful sedative. We use them to regulate and control our moods and happiness.

Without that control mechanism provided by cigarettes, you may find yourself losing control every now and then.

The important thing to remember then is that it is the cigarettes making you feel that way. It’s not an authentic feeling – it may have authentic base – you might be an angry person, but it’s amplified by the withdrawal.

Be ever mindful during this process that you’re not acting normal. Keep others mindful of this too, so they don’t react to your amplified anger, ask them to be patient with you. Remember to take the Rescue Remedy, if needed – it really helps.

Once you get over the hump, once you start to feel more even-keeled, believe me, you will find yourself filling with light and love and emotion.

You’ll discover new ways of moving, of being moved, of delight, of wonder, taste, smell, sound. Everything is brighter, fuller, more vibrant.

I don’t smell bad anymore, my clothes are clean, I don’t have stinky fingers, and bad breath. I LOVE MYSELF.

I’m a little unstable now and then and I’ve had to learn energy and mood management, and a whole lot about stress control.

But everyone has had to learn those things, we’ve just put off the lessons because we had a crutch.

Throw the crutch away!