Oh, it starts off well enough. You decide you're not smoking anymore, and you may even be doing really well, just chugging along, gettin' down with your bad nonsmoking self, when BOOM!, something happens and there seems to be nothing to stop you from lighting up.
Next thing you know, you're simultaneously kicking yourself, feeling guilty, and resetting that quit clock back to zero.
Well, chances are, you didn't have a Plan B.
It doesn't have to be complicated; pretty much anything will do, as long as it's handy or easy, doesn't require a lot of effort or planning in the moment, and is so straightforward that it's difficult to rationalize yourself out of doing whatever it is. If you can talk yourself out of it because it's going to require serious effort or interrupting your life in a major way, it's probably not going to work.
The thing to remember is this: make sure your Plan B is something you can fall back on almost without thinking about it. Anything you can make an easy excuse to bail on is eventually going to fail.
I made it so that no matter when a craving hit, I was prepared, so my brain couldn't default to it's old Plan A (SMOKE!). I kept my Plan B simple so I didn't have to think about it when I was flipping out. Having a Plan B strategy handy saved me from giving in and lighting up a whole lot of times at first, and during a lot of stressful anniversaries and trigger situations afterward. As a quitting strategy, it's one of the easiest and most effective ways to reinforce your own efforts.
At one time or another, your brain will try to talk you out of your quit. Don't give it the opportunity: go with Plan B!
The mighty mighty GUS Buddy List of Quittters & Supporters... won't you join us?
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