Free Quit Aids
Here are three aids for your quit that may help you through a crave. The first one is absolutely free; the second will cost you an empty jar or two, and some old cigarette butts. Fair warning: the visual is a bit graphic, and the Olfactory Aid smells to high heaven. Neither of these is for the weak of heart or prim of sensibilities.
Man's Best Friend
I learned the following visualization from my dentist, who said it helped him through many a crave. I found it very useful, and think you may, too.
Whenever
you suffer a crave, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to center
yourself and relax a bit. Then, visualize a beautiful field of healthy,
full tobacco plants. See them swaying in the breeze under a gorgeous
late Spring sun...just a few wisps of cloud in a deep blue sky. The
weather is perfect, the temperature exactly what you would want on a
perfect day outdoors. And the plants look so perfect you'd think it
was all a post card for North Carolina or something. Now, visualize
the most perfect plant
of all. The one that looks like God her own black self (or the completely
random energy that just happened to create the universe) created the
perfect tobacco plant just for this one cigarette you're going to smoke
to satisfy your crave. There has never been a better tobacco plant and
there never will be again, OK? Got it? Good...
Next, visualize a big, friendly dog...the bigger, the better...say a big, galumphy Newfoundland...a couple hundred pounds of fluff-ball. And he comes galloping over the field towards you. He can't wait to be with his best friend. You watch him running towards you in joy for several seconds...you can see a long way in the bright afternoon sunshine...and he just looks great coming over the field. When he's about to you, he slows to a trot, then a leisurely walk. He's sniffing about, casting for a scent. And all of a sudden, he lifts his leg and pees all over your perfect little plant...the one that your cigarette is going to be made out of.
Then, to make matters even worse, he turns tail toward the plant and takes a dump on it. Not some stiff, mostly hard turd, mind you. Oh, no...he sprays it with the worst expulsion of diarrhea you've ever seen. It's just dripping all over the leaves and onto the ground. And it smells awful....
Pretty gross, eh? Think you'd want to smoke that plant?
While the smoke that breaks your quit may not have been environmentally ravaged by a big dog, it does have hundreds of chemicals in it, many of which have been proven to cause cancer. It will be another nail in the lid of your coffin.
So, now that you've had that little visualization...are you sure you want to smoke?
The Butt Jar
Here's a cheap trick, if ever there was one: whenever you have a crave, remind yourself of just how bad cigarettes smell. What follows is a quick, easy way to do just that.
Place the contents of one or two ashtrays in a small jar. The jar you use should have a very secure lid. This is toxic waste you're building; you don't want it getting out unnecessarily. Add enough water to fill the jar about halfway. Seal lid tightly and shake vigorously until all contents are thoroughly soaked, the ashes blended into the water. Set on the sill of a window that gets good, direct sunlight for several hours. Check water level and add more if necessary.
Many have found it helpful to make up several jars: one each for home, car and office, as well as a very small jar to carry with them. Keep an eye on water level and add whenever it gets low.
Once this jar of crud seasons a bit, the smell will knock a vulture off a garbage truck. If you can still smoke a cigarette after taking a deep whiff of your Crave Jar, I'll be very impressed. Not in a good way, mind you...but I'll be impressed.
The Pacifier
Another cheap trick, and one that many have found useful in the first stages of their quit. My Sweet Baby said that this trick really helped her deal with craves, as well as giving her something to do with her hands.
Purchase (or swipe from a fast-food establishment, such as Che Mac's) several plastic drinking straws. Cut the straight end to the same length as your brand of cigarettes. Using tweezers or a small screwdriver, push some cotton into one end of the straw. Test the resistance by sucking on it the same way you would a cigarette.
Add or subtract cotton until you get about the same resistance from your straw as you would your brand of death stick. You now have a pacifier for the times when you just absolutely have to suck on something. Make several so you always have one in the car, at home and office and a few spares in case you chew the end off of one.
And, Voila! You now have your pacifier.
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Learn more about Lane the Quitter and Lane the Bass Player.
Lane's personal writings may be found at A Life With Spirit.