(this article is the second part of Sorting Cravings And Emotional Triggers)

Though we may not realize it, we smokers are experienced expert programmers. I call triggering certain programs that we as smokers have designed and taught our brains to run, just like high-class software. For instance, the phone rings and we light up automatically. It’s coffee break time at the office and we automatically reach for our package of cigarettes. Somewhere in the past, we have conditioned our brain to associate smoking with a series of actions or time frames, such as lighting up as soon as we leave the driveway or get off a bus, etc. Our brain becomes a computer program that alerts us that it’s time to smoke. We don’t think about it most of the time. That’s our brain’s job.

Thus, when a smoker quits, those trigger ‘programs’ are still running. They still call on us to smoke, or reach for an ashtray. Those message alerts are quick and direct. We don’t think about them or plan them. They’ve worked for years and will continue to do so, unless we conscientiously work to change them and put in new programs. So when it’s coffee break time, our hand reaches for the pack without putting any thought into it. It’s automatic smoking. That’s a trigger and trigger response, not a craving.

Some of you may well tell me you’ve been waiting a whole hour to be able to smoke. The craving occurs at the moment when you’re really commanded to have one, like that hour earlier when you really wanted one. The craving hasn’t lasted an hour, but your response signal to be patient or impatient has kept the promise alive.

Quitting involves re-programming our brains to de-activate those triggers. Some de-activate them by changing behaviors, such as taking a walk during coffee break, doing exercise or chewing carrot sticks. They recognize the urge and deal with it in a way that suits them best. The strong urge usually lasts from 3 to 5 minutes. Some people will just stand there and focus on the next task, waiting out the five minutes and with stubborn strength, will free themselves from the bad habit gradually. Those trigger types of alerts will last for the first 2 or 3 weeks until they are mastered. It does get easier, and some people say they did not have a rough time of it, although the first week was difficult to deal with if they did not have a well-prepared plan to deal with the cravings.

What if it lasts longer though ?

Read part 3 : Sorting Cravings And Emotional Triggers – Emotions