P.A.S - Quit Smoking Once and For All!

Quitting smoking is a process of re-learning. The emphasis in this stage is on breaking free from existing habits and breaking the associative connections between smoking and various stimuli, such as drinking coffee, watching TV, talking on the phone, boredom, anger, happiness etc. Till now, you have subconsciously acted in this manner: When a certain stimulus appeared, you lighted a cigarette. We shall try to demonstrate: A stimulus, let us say coffee, appeared: subconsciously, this stimulus is connected with pleasure. The automatic response is - lighting a cigarette. OR: A stimulus appeared (someone lighted a cigarette). You too, instinctively light a cigarette.
This process takes no time. You don't think about it. This is a chain, and since you have repeated this many times during the years, the action is automatic, almost instinctive. It takes place subconsciously, and you are not aware of it at all.
In order to effectively deal with automatic smoking, to develop consciousness and to easily break free from the "sub-habits", it is recommended to write down every cigarette prior to lighting it, on a sticker with the following table. Writing down the cigarettes will be done during the whole "defrosting the habit" stage. It is recommended to keep writing down the cigarettes for at least a whole week.

No. Time Reason Desire Pleasure

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10
Explanation:
Starting today, you will use one pack only, and use only the cigarettes in this pack. Do not give or take cigarettes from anyone else. Prepare a new pack (20 cigarettes), Put the sticker on it on both sides of the pack, 10 cigarettes a sticker.
Before lighting the cigarette write down in your card: the time you lighted the cigarette, the reason for lighting it (with the coffee, after dinner, waiting, boredom, nervousness, desire etc), the degree of your desire to smoke on a scale of 0-4, and pleasure on a scale of 0-4.
Desire to smoke - how bad you want, desire or need this smoke -

Don't want, I automatically pulled out a cigarette, without thinking.
Want it (weak).
Want the cigarette (a higher degree) - there is a clear reason for desiring this smoke on a normal smoking - situation: with coffee, after dinner, to calm down, for pleasure etc.
Want it badly, desiring it, don't want to give it up.
Dying to smoke, can't give it up, can't help myself - the highest degree of smoking-desire.
Pleasure - to what degree did you enjoy your cigarette -

didn't enjoy it at all
enjoyed it
enjoyed it very much
enjoyed it very very much
the highest degree of pleasure
Example:

No. Time Reason Desire Pleasure

1 07:00 Getting up 3 3

2 07:30 Breakfast 2 3

3 08:00 Coffee 2 2

4 08:20 Waiting 1 2

5 08:40 Driving 1 0

6 08:50 Phone 0 0

7 09:10 Writing 0 0

8 09:20 Boredom 0 0

9 09:40 Coffee 1 2

10 10:25 Tension - nervousness 4 1
At the end of the day, before going to sleep, try to summarize your card:
Are you smoking by time? (lighting a cigarette every 20-30 minutes), or by situation (coffee, phone, reading, writing) maybe your dominant smoking is by moods (boredom, tension, anxiety, loneliness) etc.
If possible, set yourself a daily amount of cigarettes to be smoked during the day. Don't cut down too much. Smoke a daily amount of cigarettes that seems to you like the limit of your endurance.
While smoking only the daily amount you set to yourself, try to set new smoking rules and change everything that has to do with your smoking habits. We call this activity "defrosting the habit".
The stage of defrosting the habit will last a week or two.

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	Quit Smoking Once and For All! Stage A: Defrosting the Habit
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