HALT is definitely my first go-to now when I feel the tide coming in with a wave of a crave.

H, not really, but I ate ice cream. That can't continue. "A moment on the lips, forever on the hips."

A, nah

L, my dog is enough company, plus I have a lot of social contact at work. Solitude is a relief....but then I want to smoke.

T, not tired, but I'm going to end the night because all I can think of is going to the store for a pack and smoking a few.

 

What stops me is a chance encounter with a smoker earlier today. The smoke halo around him wasn't totally disgusting, but it was not pleasant, either. It did make me want to smoke. I knew it would taste terrible, but that never stopped me from smoking before.

 

No, I need a longer list of distractions for when I'm low on energy but it isn't time to sleep for the night. Took the dog for a walk, but it's cold and rainy (Seattle weather), and all she wanted was to get inside where it's warm. 

Bored. I'm bored. And lethargic. It's close enough to tired that I'm saying good night. Because I forgot once to pledge in the morning, I'll pledge tonight for tomorrow. 

And tomorrow I'll come up with a few things I can do when I'm craving but too low energy to repaint the house or scrub floors.

 

No doubt there are ideas from you all floating around here in posts. I'll take a look on my next day off.

I heard Mary Poppins used to smoke.

Instead of NOPE or HALT or SNOT or whatever, she used to say - Supercalewhateverthehellitwas.

 

My distractions were staying glued to the boards whether it was reading, posting, replying to posts, celebrating milestones and especially socializing and playing games. It was a great way to keep my mind busy and off the constant craves.

As Jillar said, coming here and posting, reading all you can and then some and playing games was a great time waster and .... it educated me about this addiction. Romancing the cigarette is a big no-no because it perpetuates all the lies that our addiction has told us since we started smoking. Thinking you can have just one is another big no-no. That leads only to relapse.

 

Instead, look at the reasons why you originally quit and all you have invested in your quit to date. It's an incredible effort that has huge value so why would you ever consider throwing that away? Anyone can choose to smoke; that's easy but only people committed to a better lifestyle can quit. It takes commitment, perseverance, and time to get there but it's available to anyone who wants it.

When I read the words ..Take smoking off the table ...no matter what the hell is going on....my junkie brain clicked ...the only  way to quit successfully...is too never smoke again .

No matter what is going on around you ....sometimes it's hard....but always doable ....