CBQ Method

Quitting Smoking Naturally

Nasia Davos

What Does Nicotine Do To Your Body?

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How does nicotine affect your body what side effects does it have on your health?

No, I’m not talking about how smoking affects your health. But what nicotine does to your body.

It’s important to know this because nicotine is being portrayed as an innocent, even healthy substance. Research shows otherwise.

In this video, you will learn:
How nicotine affects different parts of your body, like your heart and lungs.
How nicotine affects your baby if you’re pregnant.
What side effects nicotine has on the brain of adults and young adults.

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Resources and Links Related to/Mentioned in this Video

“Nicotine Addiction 101: Everything You Need to Know about Nicotine”
https://cbqmethod.com/nicotine-addiction

Transcript

How does nicotine affect your body and what side effects does it have on your health?

Hi this is Nasia Davos, and in this video I will show you how nicotine affects different parts of your body, what side effects nicotine has on your brain, and how your heart, lungs and blood circulation react to nicotine. Not what smoking or vaping does to your body, but what nicotine as a substance does to your body, so stay tuned.

Before we dive in subscribe to this channel and hit the bell button so you can get notified when we release more videos that are going to help you quit smoking.

So let’s see how nicotine affects the body. Nicotine as a substance affects every part of your body; it affects your brain, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal and reproductive systems of the body.

Let’s start with the brain. One of the most significant dangers of nicotine addiction on the brain is that, it throws your brain chemicals out of balance. It throws your neurotransmitters like dopamine and endorphin out of balance.

Dopamine makes you feel rewarded. And over time, a smoker’s brain relies on nicotine to release dopamine. So smokers do not release dopamine when they feel genuinely happy or rewarded, they release dopamine when nicotine is present. So your brain is basically saving dopamine so it can release it when nicotine is present, and that’s how nicotine controls your feelings in a way. And the thing is, that the more you smoke, you build tolerance so you need more and more nicotine to have a dopamine effect. And after a while, you just smoke to feel normal. And that’s how nicotine depletes your neurotransmitters and changes the structure of the brain.

Some side effects of nicotine on the brain of adults are dizziness, disrupted sleep patterns, and blood flow restriction. And some side effects of nicotine on the brain of teenagers and young adults, is that nicotine creates unfortunately lasting impairments in memory attention and learning because the brain changes until the age of 25. So nicotine addiction can have a negative impact on that change.

Now I know that most of us who are watching this video are past this age, but all we can do is warn younger people and lead by example, lead by being non-smokers.

Now let’s see how nicotine affects the body. First of all, nicotine affects your blood circulation, and your heart. Nicotine causes plaque on the artery walls known as atherosclerosis, which may lead to heart attack.

Also because of nicotine, your blood vessels lose their elasticity which limits how much oxygen can go to your organs. And because there is not enough oxygen, your heart rate increases because your heart is trying to take in more oxygen. And this puts you at risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Nicotine also affects your insulin levels contributing to the risk of diabetes because nicotine stimulates the adrenal gland to release adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone that speeds up your heart rate. And while this makes you feel more alert and more energetic in the moment, this puts a lot of burden on your heart.

Adrenaline also makes your body release more glucose into your blood which slows the release of the insulin from your pancreas. What does that mean? What’s the result of this? Its that, you have higher sugar levels in your blood and insulin resistance which contributes to diabetes.

Nicotine also affects your respiratory, your breathing system and the lungs. It can contribute to emphysema, pneumonia. It affects the central nervous system. It’s linked to reflux disorder where acid from the stomach leaks up to the esophagus and causes heartburn.

Nicotine also causes peptic ulcer disease. When you have ulcers in your stomach, it causes dry mouth, heartburn and nausea.

Nicotine also affects your pregnancy. The American Lung Association tells us that nicotine during pregnancy can harm the brain and the lung development of the fetus. And it affects the physical and mental health of the mother causing low birth weights, premature birth or even still birth.

And research shows, listen to that research, shows that nicotine can cause obesity, hypertension, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, problems with brain and behaviour development and even respiratory failure to the child. So that’s what nicotine does to your body.

And it’s important that you know that because some people and some organizations treat nicotine as harmless, and it’s not.

Nicotine causes addiction, so being addicted in and of itself, it’s not a good state to be in now on top of that. Nicotine affects your health like you saw.

A common question I get asked is does nicotine cause cancer? And the truth is that we don’t know for sure, although nicotine is not considered a carcinogen yet. There is research that shows that nicotine can promote the genesis of tumors. So if you’re addicted to nicotine, know that you can break free and you can live happily without it.

The nicotine addiction is physical and mental. It’s 20% physical and 80% percent of it is mental. The mental addiction is how much you believe you need it and enjoy it. It’s how much you believe it adds value to your life. It’s your triggers and your routines all those things are the mental addiction.

So the key to overcoming the nicotine addiction is overcome to the mental part. So if you don’t know how to do that please make sure you get the foundational video of the CBQ method.

The CBQ method is a psychology based method that has 4 quit smoking stages. It has no drugs, no medications and it has helped thousands of people break free from addiction. It is the same method I talked about in my TED talk and it works because it changes how you think about nicotine, how much you believe you need it, how you see it and it helps you break the habit. So go get the video, the link is in the description in the video. I’ll show you what are the 4 stages of the CBQ method and how they work together to help you break free. I’ll show you how you became addicted to nicotine and how you can use the same process to reverse the addiction and you’re going to get a great overview of your journey.

And after this video you’re going to realize that quitting smoking does not start by quitting smoking, it starts by preparing. So this video is going to help you start preparing, so go watch it now and let me know in the comments if you think nicotine is bad for you.

And if you like this video, give it a thumbs up. And subscribe to this channel to get more videos like this. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see in the next video.

Ask An Ex – Episode 4: How Diane Quit Smoking with the CBQ Method, Took Control of her Mind & Beat Depression

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Welcome to episode #4 of Ask an Ex. 

In this video, you’ll hear Diane’s story of how she quit smoking after 35 years in March 2018! 

Diane is a strong, independent woman, and besides smoking, she had a very healthy lifestyle. She knew she could do anything. 

But there was only 1 thing she hadn’t conquered yet: The nicotine addiction. 

Like most of us, Diane used smoking as a crutch. And she was afraid that without it, she wouldn’t be able to cope. 

But she did it!

Not only she’s now a happy non-smoker, but she also overcame challenges that would have made most people relapse. 

Challenges, like depression. 

Prolonged depression after quitting can happen to only 14% of ex-smokers. Diane was one of those people. 

But she came out of it stronger than ever with a lot of lessons to share.

And to show you that everything will be okay as long as you remain smoke-free. 

As Diane explains, smoking is psychological, and your mindset plays the biggest role in your success. 

In our conversation, Diane shares:

  • How she quit smoking this time
  • How she overcame depression
  • Tips to change your mindset that actually work
  • And her advice for those who are struggling to quit smoking!

Please enjoy!

About Ask An Ex

ASK AN EX is a new interview series. Each interview features an inspiring ex-smoker who succeeded with the CBQ Method ™

And they tell you everything – how they did it, what helped them, what challenged them, their fears, motivations and aspirations. 

Because the best person to ask about quitting smoking, is an Ex who’s been exactly where you are right now. 

Every EX shares their unique perspective and wisdom on quitting smoking (because everyone has a unique mix of background, mindset, and experiences). 

And they do it for 1 reason: to help YOU become an EX too. 

Get the CBQ Method Foundational Video & Join our Newsletter here: 
http://bit.ly/startcbq
Join the CBQ Method Facebook Support Community:
http://bit.ly/cbqmethodcommunity
SUBSCRIBE to this channel to get more videos like this to help you quit smoking:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRPLgL5_AAHwtnP9Qwu8tsw?sub_confirmation=1

Transcript

Hi everyone this is Nasia Davos and welcome to this episode of Ask An Ex.

Today, I have someone with me who joined the CBQ program and whose persistence and never-give-up attitude helped her quit but have also inspired many others to succeed as well. So if you believe that quitting is impossible, if you’re afraid of failure and relapse or if you think you can’t do it, stay with us.

The ex I have with me today not only quit smoking after 35 years, but after she quit she overcame challenges that would have made most people relapse but she is still a happy nonsmoker.

Please welcome Diane Felix

Nasia: Diane, thank you so much for being here

Diane: Thank you for having me.

Nasia: So you have been a non-smoker for more than a year and a half now right?

Diane: Yes I have

Nasia: The 15th of March 2018

Diane: Yes the 15th of March 2018

Nasia: Huge congratulations this is an extraordinary achievement

Diane: Thank you, it Is, you’re right, I’m very proud of myself

Nasia: Well, you should be, it’s no small feat. So you smoked for

35 years how did you start smoking?

Diane: I started smoking when I was a teenager in high school, my sister’s smoked, my parents smoked it was cool back in the 80s and my mother actually said to me at one point when she knew I was smoking, she said “I thought you would be the smart one” and the same year that I started smoking, she quit. So my parents quit actually right after I started smoking but I was addicted and I was a teenager and it was cool.

Nasia: Yeah, so I remember when you succeeded you sent an email and you said I did it I quit this time I was ready mentally ready

Diane:  Definitely.

Nasia: How did you know that you were ready?

Diane: Well I was concerned about my health and I think that that was probably the largest driving force. I had like every other person who smokes you wanted to quit every day. You don’t want to be a smoker, you know that it’s hurting you and then it’s costing you money and it’s costing you time. So I did get mad at it, and but I had a cough and I am well, I guess I was 51 at the time and I had wanted to when I was 50. So, I didn’t make the 50th birthday mark but I said I have to do this otherwise I’m not going to see my grandchildren and all the

other things so I mentally said I have to do this, period. And I didn’t know how I was going to do it though.

Nasia: Was it the first time you tried?

Diane:  I did quit for a year in 2008 and I never did smoke another cigarette again but I was smoking cigars occasionally and then I became an addict again and I smoked them every day. So, for 10 more years, yeah, 10 more years. So, I knew that I had to, I knew I had to, I had to figure this out. I think that really it’s really mental.

Nasia:  Yes, definitely! Definitely, you’re right about that. Before you quit what worried you the most about starting an attempt?

Diane: Not being able to cope. It’s a definite fear. And I remember twice the day in 2008 when I decided that I was going to quit, I had to call a helpline hmm because the anxiety was so strong and that was just deciding the day, that wasn’t quitting it, was deciding the day. But it was similar when I decided to buy your program, to make that purchase.

Nasia: What maybe you decide to try the CBQ method?

Diane: You were on my Facebook, I saw you, I found you on Facebook and I said I’m going to, it’s different, it’s a different approach and I did not want to take any drugs that was really an important thing to me. I’m really trying to be more holistic now in my approach to life

Nasia: In general

Diane: In general, right, so I don’t take any medication and I don’t like medications and so I did not want to use drugs again. And I did not want to, some people I know have used the puffer things and I knew that that was just prolonging one addiction for another and the same with the patches, the same thing. It’s all the same right you’re just kind of putting a band aid on and trying another addiction. So I knew that my biggest fear was that I would gain weight. And which I struggle have with, so I’ll have to work really hard at that. And that I would be unhappy.

Nasia: Okay so, being unhappy gaining weight and afraid that you’re not going to be able to cope

Diane: Yes

Nasia: And fast-forward, you had to deal with all three of your fears.

Diane: Yes

Nasia: As far as I know right

Diane: Absolutely, yes. However my mindset was simply, I’m not going to do this anymore so as soon as I would have a thought if I wanted to have smoke I would say but you don’t do that anymore. Every time I would look say I don’t do that anymore.  I also used a lot of positive affirmations and I had them, I had them on sticky notes and I had them everywhere in my house. Yes, I put them up when I was doing the program, as you spoke many of them I wrote them on sticky notes and I pasted them on the walls, in the area that I studied. And I

was very adamant about studying and making sure and I did at the same time every day so I did prepare myself for the course.

Nasia: Yeah

Diane: Yes, so and I’m not at my residence right now however those sticky notes are all still there.

Nasia: Wow!

Diane: Yes.

Nasia: And you know I remember them, and you had I am a happy non-smoker, I respect myself,

Diane: Yes

Nasia: Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional, and that was my favourite

Diane: Yes

Nasia: So how did all those sticky notes help you on your journey?

Diane: It was changing my mindset. From believing that those smokes or the cigarettes or my cigars were actually what I needed to cope or to deal with life or to not eat. And that helped me to realize, it was me. It was not those folks, I needed to do that. I needed to train myself that I can trust in myself and be able to overcome with just my own mind and not addiction

Nasia: And this is so powerful! And I noticed following your journey that you were someone who understood the power of thoughts. You understood that the way you communicated to yourself about smoking, about quitting and about everything, really, that it has the power to make or, break you, so you got that!

Diane:  Yes, yes I wasn’t in denial.

Nasia:  No, but I’m saying that because not everyone understands how important it is the way we talk to ourselves

Diane: Oh absolutely! I actually, since then have done a lot of meditation and just simply you know with your phone, your cellphone and headphones whether, I’m yeah, because it’s so important with everything in life that you want to do. I mean everything that you want is on the other side of fear.

Nasia: Correct!

Diane:  That’s another saying that I had, so you have to mentally be able to overcome and I also have a background of I was a single mother my whole life, I’ve had multiple jobs, nobody’s ever taken care of me. So, I’m a very independent person and though it was that nicotine that I relied on, I could do anything else I could be the single mother, I was this hard worker or I could buy, whatever, I wanted I did things all by myself, always, very independent. However, I had that crutch and that was what I believe it or not it wasn’t people that I’ve ever relied on, yeah and I when I was doing some of the work, I found that out like, oh my god, I am relying on these this package this package of cigars or cigarettes for my, for my everything in life. This is nuts, this is crazy! So, that was that was like a defining moment too. Like, I can, I have to do this myself.

Nasia: And it’s this is nothing alignment with with, who you are I mean you’re independent about everything, you take care of everyone else,

Diane:  Yes

Nasia: And you have this to control you, I mean no

Diane:  Exactly!

Nasia: Okay.

Diane: I did some writings too about you know making them write to them, to write to the addiction, right to the nicotine, right to the smokes on a journal, to make it go away, to say I

don’t like you, you know, long time control me it blah blah, a letter.

Nasia: So you did that every day, once in a while?

Diane:  Just very a real one so I could reread it if I needed to.

Nasia: Okay, all right and do you still really go back and read?

Diane:  It’s in it’s in New York but yes, I could still have it

Nasia: Okay. And which when you had like a craving and which thought or mantra helped you the most in your journey?

Diane: Certainly, what I did in the, because I thought the cravings didn’t last very long, the physical cravings, they didn’t, they didn’t last very long at all. So that I just told myself for the first week,it probably was a week, you’re not doing that, you you’re not doing that anymore, you’re not doing that anymore. Just to get through that craving. I did do some breathing and I certainly keep myself busy. I’ve always exercised, so even when I was a smoker I exercised.  

Nasia: Yeah

Diane: So I knew that that was going to be wildly important to do. So I had to overcome pain and I don’t take medication remember. So I had to figure out how am I going to now do

these exercises because I need to, because I don’t want to be heavy I don’t want to be hurt. Nasia: How did you do this?

Diane: Yeah I, just consistency every day you have to you have to stay abroad on your own self, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and say I’m going to do this and you have to do it every day. And you can’t allow other people or other influences to take that away from you. So I was giving this to me, this was it I don’t often do a lot for myself but this time I was doing it for me.

Nasia: And the hardest part I guess for many smokers is allowing themselves, the time to figure this out and be patient with themselves and love themselves a bit and put yourself as a priority for a bit, it’s hard.

Diane: It’s very hard, I struggled. I did struggle, I went, I did feel depressed in the beginning probably for six months actually.

Nasia:  Let’s talk about that, that was a huge challenge, you were able to overcome.

Diane: Remember, and it was seasonally,  it was by that time it was winter,  which isn’t which isn’t as much fun mentally. Anyways, so seasonally I think that I probably had to deal with it too, I really did have some depression. So I was not going to go to the doctor’s and take any type of drugs I because I just don’t do that. I just didn’t want to, so I did research

from some of what you had already given on the teas and I’m a tea drinker anyway, so I did start taking some ashwagandha root and 5htp yeah and I still do.

Nasia: And it helped?

Diane:  Yes I’ve gone off it for a time period and there’re periods when I’ve gone not taking it and I realized that I get a little bit short, a little bit irritable.

Nasia: Okay, interesting!

Diane:  Yep, so I have kept, I do keep taking it, I mean it’s all natural, so yeah. But I was in

about six months and then I noticed that it did actually subside a lot.

Nasia: And what else did you do to get through this? The six months?

Diane: I did, probably, a lot of exercise, when I could with because I was going through some pain at the time, some physical pain from the arthritis so I did exercise and I’m consistent even with the pain. I’m talking at least three times a week.

Nasia: Wow!

Diane: And I did a lot of walking. I did try very hard to take care of myself emotionally and allow that and tell myself it’s okay. Pat yourself on the back, you did it, breath, allow this, allow this strange behaviour, it’s okay

Nasia: Thank you for sharing that, because I hope everyone can hear that. Just allow yourself to feel the way you feel and go through it the way you’re going through it.

Diane: Yeah! And don’t hurt, don’t beat yourself up. Say okay this is, think about it, you smoked for 35 years and give yourself credit. Allow yourself to just, whatever happens be okay with it. You’re gonna be okay.

Nasia: Yeah, because when we see someone smoking, there’s a memory that comes back. It’s not a desire, it’s just a memory.

Diane:  Yes.

Nasia: You think ahead of the memory of how you will feel ten minutes after smoking, or half an hour after smoking or being addicted, this the desire just evaporates.

Diane: Exactly, exactly like that. It has nothing to do with a craving, a physical craving. It has to do with an emotional craving.

Nasia: Yeah

Diane: And now you have to fill those emotional with something different whether it be productive or not or maybe I can take a break.

Nasia: Definitely! So how did it feel the moment you smoked your last cigarette if you can remember?

Diane: Yeah I actually quit on day eight.

Nasia:  Yes, I remember that

Diane: Day eight not ten because I had gotten down to two yes and I was frustrated so I said this is crazy. I’m not prolonging this, you know for myself just be done. So I think the last one was nine o’clock at night if I recall. And I didn’t necessarily know it was my last one because I didn’t give it that weight.

Nasia:  Okay, you just let it be.

Diane: I just let it be and then when I got up I said I’m not doing this again. I’m not going to do this to myself because it was really hard to do just to

Nasia:  Yes

Diane: So I said I’m not doing this.

Nasia:  So I’m not doing this is a quote, a phrase that really helps you

Diane: Yes it did. It really did.

Nasia: Yeah and I remember you challenged yourself and you quit before the predetermined quit date so you felt in control.

Diane:  Yes

Nasia: What part of the program helped you the most in your whole journey?

Diane: Journaling, well certainly cutting down obviously.

Nasia: Yeah

Diane: I already I was probably a little bit ahead because I already was not smoking for an hour before I after I got up because that’s what I exercise.

Nasia: Okay

Diane: I always get up in the morning and exercise and I didn’t smoke till after, being consistent with doing the work because you do have to cut out that time for yourself.

Nasia: Yeah

Diane: And it’s probably an hour and a half if I recall each morning I spent an hour

and a half.

Nasia: So if you want to make the most out of it, yeah.

Diane: Yes oh right true, yes you really do, otherwise you’re cutting yourself short. And you deserve to have that time for yourself for 10 days for crying out loud really think about. So it was the slowly cutting down and then also journaling and realizing how silly you are when you start writing down why you’re doing it. And what you’re doing, if you’re honest with yourself then you’re looking at this like you know this is this is craziness.

Nasia: Yeah all the emotions go away when you look at that.

Diane: Right! Yeah ,so I used the app I thought I found that to be encouraging and when you look at, you know the thousands of dollars that you’ve saved

Nasia: Yeah you saved a lot, right?

Diane: Yeah it’s over 6,000 now

Nasia: Wow!

Diane: Yeah, exactly so when I purchased your program at the time I thought that at the time it was one month of my spending and I said I deserve that I deserve to spend one month I do I deserve this. And that’s the difference, you need to tell yourself you deserve this you’re doing it. You’re doing it because you’re going to do it. Not because everybody says that you have to quit smoking.

Nasia: Exactly, 100%!

Diane: You know what else I quit? Well, right before I quit smoking I quit drinking soda. Nasia: Good for you!

Diane: And they went together for me. Yes from being, even a teenager when I started smoking, I always had a soda because I didn’t like the taste so I would and then I switched to diet soda of course so I could be thin-ner. And then I quit that ahead of time though. So I really started drinking tea and I still make my own, I make my own.

Nasia: Wow!

Diane: I make my own ice tea and then I drink you know tea at night. I don’t drink coffee at all.

Nasia: Fantastic, so you have a very healthy lifestyle

Diane:  I do so I was the smoker with the very healthy lifestyle, it’s crazy.

Nasia: Wow, good for you! And I like that you treat yourself and you allow yourself to break down when you want to down to have your treat when you want to have it and because that’s life right? It’s never going be all calm or all mad.

Diane: Everything has to be in moderation. I mean if all humans could live in moderation it would be a lot easier on the world but I know that that’s not always the case. So and then you have to forgive yourself, allow yourself and forgive yourself.

Nasia: And also allow yourself, forgive yourself, moderation, consistency and I don’t do that Diane: 

Nasia: Exactly here you go. I love that. So last question what advice would you give to someone who’s struggling to quit right now?

Diane: Don’t give up. When I was a child, actually my dad gave me a plaque and I have it on the wall and I’ll just never forget it. It says you can’t fail if you stop trying so which is true in life. So don’t ever give up. Find what it is inside of you, that will make you be whole with yourself and allow yourself, allow yourself the opportunity to quit, to be yourself, to be you. Don’t beat yourself up and don’t ever give up.

Nasia: Beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing, this very nice. So as you all can see Diane had a journey full of ups and downs and she’s an example of what you can achieve when you take responsibility for your success, take control of your thoughts and stay committed no matter what happens. Because smoking is a mental addiction and cravings are just positive thoughts about smoking, so if you stop thinking good thoughts about smoking and start thinking good thoughts about not smoking and yourself you will succeed. Never give up. So I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did please let us know in the comments what you took away from Diane’s journey that can help you in yours and Diane thank you so much for being here and for being open about everything you went through and your experience and how you succeeded. What you said, it’s really valuable and it will help anyone who’s struggling to quit or struggling to remain smoke free, so really thank you.

Diane:  And thank you Nasia really thank you for doing your journey and helping so many other people I was able to quit with your with your program because it fit for my life and I’m really very grateful.

Nasia: Thank you I’m grateful are our paths crossed and that we were able to meet so thank you all for being here with us have a great day and see you next time.

Why is Nicotine Addictive

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They say nicotine is as addictive as cocaine and heroin. Is this true? And why?

In this video, you will learn:

  • What is nicotine
  • How nicotine affects your brain, emotions and routine
  • If smokers are self-destructive or if they’re happier than non-smokers
  • 2 Reasons why nicotine is addictive
  • And what’s the key to breaking free from your triggers & nicotine Enjoy!
Get the CBQ Method Foundational Video & Join our Newsletter here:
http://bit.ly/startcbq
Join the CBQ Method Facebook Support Community:
http://bit.ly/cbqmethodcommunity
Subscribe to our Youtube channel to get more videos like this to help you quit smoking: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRPLgL5_AAHwtnP9Qwu8tsw?sub_confirmation=1

Resources and Links Related to/Mentioned in this Video

Nicotine Addiction 101: Everything You Need to Know about Nicotine
https://cbqmethod.com/nicotine-addiction/
Smoking Addiction: Is it Mental or Physical?
https://youtu.be/flSDd_fr2ac
Do ex-smokers report feeling happier following cessation? Evidence from a cross-sectional survey
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19351779

Transcript

They say nicotine is as addictive as cocaine and heroin. Is this true? And why is nicotine addictive?

Hi this is Nasia Davos and in this video, you will learn the two main reasons why nicotine is addictive, how it affects your brain, your emotions and your routine and what’s the key to breaking free, so keep on watching.

Before we dive in subscribe to this channel and hit the bell button so you can get notified when we release more videos that are going to help you understand your addiction better and quit it for good.

Okay so first of all what is nicotine? Nicotine is a natural pesticide, it protects plants from being eaten by insects. But even though it occurs naturally, it doesn’t mean it’s good for you, inside the human body, nicotine is a drug. And taking nicotine in any form, causes nicotine addiction, whether you take it through cigarettes, through vape, smokeless tobacco, nicotine gums, nicotine patches, it causes nicotine addiction.

Nicotine addiction is a physical and a mental addiction.

The physical addiction is simply the addiction to the substance nicotine. The mental addiction is the effect that this has on your behaviour, your mind, your routine and your reality.

We’re going to talk about this later, but if you want to know what’s the difference between the physical and the mental addiction and what’s the difference between physical and mental cravings, I have another video for it so check the link I added for you in the description.

Okay, so why is nicotine addictive? There are two reasons: The first reason has to do with your brain. Nicotine makes your brain addicted. How does this happen? So when you take a puff this goes to your lungs then it enters your bloodstream and then it goes to your brain and it takes 10 seconds for nicotine to reach your brain. And when it’s in your brain it activates receptors that release feel-good chemicals like dopamine.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that your brain produces and it’s very important because it makes you feel good. It’s a chemical that helps us learn, feel motivated, remember things and repeat behaviours that ensure our survival, like eating. And because nicotine releases dopamine, it tricks the brain into believing that smoking or vaping is a behaviour worth repeating. And that’s how nicotine hijacks the brain, by making you believe you need it just like you need food.

And all this thing creates a thinking process, a self-talk, a craving mind that’s dedicated and reminding you to get nicotine. For example, when you’re hungry, your body will warn you and your mind will tell you “hey you need to eat”, “eat”, “just this” it’s going to insist for you to eat until you do. Why? Because it wants to protect you. The same way your brain will tell you “you need to smoke” or “just one puff” or “one cigarette won’t matter”. And it will insist until you smoke and it creates these thoughts, these mental cravings these positive thoughts about smoking. Not because you have any real enjoyment and desire for cigarettes, not because you have a self sabotaging nature and not because something is wrong with you, but simply because your brain has out-dated information and it believes that you need nicotine, it doesn’t know any better. And that’s how nicotine tricks the brain into releasing dopamine.

Now, does this mean that smokers feel happier than non-smokers? Not at all. A smoker’s brain doesn’t release more dopamine than a non-smokers brain, they just release dopamine at different times.

For example non-smokers release dopamine when they’re genuinely happy and when they feel rewarded but smokers release most of their dopamine when nicotine tells them to. And over time the smoker’s brain relies on nicotine to release its dopamine. And that’s how nicotine holds your natural feelings of reward your happiness in a way, hostage. And the thing is that the more you smoke, you build tolerance so you need more nicotine to release, to have any dopamine effect in your brain and after a while you have no real dopamine effect and you just smoke to feel normal. And that’s how nicotine depletes, it exhausts the natural reservoirs of your dopamine in your brain and that’s also how smoking can change the structure of the brain.

Now, the good news is that dopamine levels bounce back after you stop smoking after you stop using any form of nicotine and it takes about 2 to 3 months for this to happen. But I think it’s a pretty good bargain when you have been smoking for decades and you have been depleting your dopamine for decades. And then your brain takes three months to bounce back, it’s miraculous!

Apart from that, there is a lot of research that shows that non-smokers are happier than smokers and that ex-smokers who thought that they can’t cope without nicotine, they report being happier one year after they quit. So we tend to think that nicotine makes us happy, but we mistake addiction with happiness. Addiction is not happiness, freedom is happiness, health is happiness.

So nicotine is addictive because it has tricked the brain into believing you need it and you can’t live without it and that’s the first reason.

Now the second reason why nicotine is addictive is that it becomes part of your daily life. Yes, nicotine is addictive because it becomes part of your routine and it becomes a coping mechanism for you.

Because while you smoke or you vape and nicotine goes to your brain and it releases dopamine. You’re doing certain things and activities, you’re living your life so your brain has learned to link smoking or vaping and nicotine to those activities and your routines and your habits and people and all those situations. And these situations later become triggers.

So if you usually smoke while talking on the phone, then after a while talking on the phone, will trigger your cravings. If you smoke when you’re bored, then your brain has learned to expect a dopamine release when you feel that way. And the fastest way to get that, is through a cigarette. And most of the times it’s the only way you know how to get that and that’s how dopamine works. It helps us repeat behaviours by associating cues, triggers with a behaviour that release dopamine, which is smoking.

For example you have a meal, you smoke, you have a dopamine release. With time having a meal becomes a cue, a trigger to smoke. Or you feel stress, you smoke, you have a dopamine release. After a while, feeling stress is an instant reminder for you to smoke. If you don’t do it, your self-talk comes in, “you need one”. This will happen if you don’t smoke “just one cigarette”. Because your brain thinks you need it.

The only way your brain is insisting for you to smoke is because it thinks you need it. It’s because it has outdated information. And the thing is that by constantly linking your emotions, situations, moments and people to smoking, it’s easy to think that you can’t enjoy life or cope without nicotine or your cigarettes. It’s easy to think that without nicotine you cannot relax, socialize, enjoy life, take a break, drive or concentrate. Because all the situations have been linked to nicotine and you think that quitting nicotine will magically take away your capacity to enjoy life and just live.

You just don’t know how to live as a non-smoker. That’s the truth. But everything you do as a smoker, you can do better as a non-smoker. Everything you do as a nicotine addict, you can do way better when you’re free from addiction. You think you can’t, simply because you’re addicted to it. But when you stay away from nicotine, you will realize that you have been in an abusive relationship that’s based on lies and fear. You think it’s love, but in reality it’s abuse and you can only see that when you take a step back.

And the good news is that when you break free, when you stop using nicotine, your brain starts breaking the associations between your triggers and smoking or vaping or smokeless tobacco.

How does this happen? Every time you’re in a situation where you used to smoke and you don’t, and you feel calm and you feel okay, you feel content in this situation. You basically show your brain that, “hey I didn’t smoke, I didn’t vape and nothing happened”. So this feeds your brain new information, it creates new neuro-pathways in your brain. It helps you rewire your brain. Because your brain sees that you don’t need nicotine to survive which is what it used to think. So it adjusts and with time, the craving thoughts disappear because your brain understands that it doesn’t have to remind you to get nicotine because you don’t need it.

So the same way you update the software on your phone when there is a bug, think about your thinking as a software and it needs an update and the bug is that you think nicotine is essential to your survival. But just like your brain learned to expect nicotine it can learn to not expect it. After all you, were born a non-smoker so you can return to that state.

So nicotine is addictive on two levels: because it hijacks your brain into believing you need it and because it becomes part of your life.

So what’s the key to success?  How do you break free? The nicotine addiction is a physical and a mental addiction. 80% of it it’s mental and only 20% is the physical addiction. The physical addiction is not a strong addiction after four to five days of being nicotine free almost all nicotine is out of your system. What makes you relapse, what makes you go back is the mental addiction, this is what’s keeping you hooked. The mental addiction is your routine, your self-talk. How much you believe you need it and enjoy it, your triggers all those things are mental not physical.

So back to the question I asked you in the beginning of this video: Is nicotine as addictive as cocaine and heroin. Physically, absolutely not! Physically, nicotine is not very addictive. It leaves your body if you just don’t use nicotine it’s gonna leave your body in five days.

Mentally, yes! Exactly because it creates a bubble, it creates a lie that you cannot live life without it and that life is inferior without it. But that’s what addiction does. So the secret, the key to breaking free is to stay away from all nicotine and to work on overcoming the mental addiction. In other words, you need to change how you see smoking, how you think about it and you need to change your relationship with cigarettes.

You need to reprogram your brain to not believe that nicotine is essential to your survival. So if you want to know how to overcome the mental addiction, please make sure you get the foundational video of the CBQ method.

The CBQ method has four quit smoking stages that are based on psychology. This has no drugs, no medications, none of those things. And it has helped thousands of smokers quit for good. It’s the same four stages I talked about in my TED talk and they’re specifically designed to remove the desire for nicotine and change how you think about it and break the habit. So get the video the link is in the description. In the video, i’ll show you what are the four stages of the CBQ method that are the mental and behavioural stages you need to go through so you can reprogram your brain.

I also show you how these four stages work together and I give you one tip to get started with each stage. I also show you how you became addicted to nicotine and how you can go through the same process to break free. And you’re going to get an overview of your journey, a bird’s-eye view of your journey. And it’s going help you whether you have already quit. Because you’re going to see if anything is missing from your attempt. It’s going to help you if you want to quit soon. Because you’re going to put a plan and it’s going to help you if you think about quitting is out of the question right now because it’s going to take the big and sometimes intimidating goal of quitting smoking. And it’s going break it down into approachable steps, so go watch it now and let me know in the comments why you think nicotine is addictive.

And if you like this video give it a thumbs up. Share it with someone who can benefit from it and subscribe to this channel to get more videos like this.

Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see in the next video.

Cream of Tartar For Quitting Smoking: Does it Work?

by

Can cream of tartar help you stop smoking and have less cravings? Is cream of tartar a remedy or a gimmick?
And if it does help, what’s the reason for it?

In this video you will learn what is cream of tartar and how it’s supposed to help you.

Also, we will fact-check the 3 statements about mixing cream of tartar with orange juice:

  1. It flushes nicotine from your body
  2. It can make you crave cigarettes less
  3. It can help you quit smoking faster

Most importantly, you will learn what remedy can really help you have fewer cravings and why.

Get the CBQ Method Foundational Video & Join our Newsletter here:
http://bit.ly/startcbq

Join the CBQ Method Facebook Support Community:
http://bit.ly/cbqmethodcommunity

SUBSCRIBE to this channel to get more videos like this to help you quit smoking:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRPLgL5_AAHwtnP9Qwu8tsw?sub_confirmation=1

Resources and Links Related to/Mentioned in this Video

“Life-Threatening Hyperkalemia from Cream of Tartar Ingestion”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570668/

“Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) effects on withdrawal syndrome of heroin abusers.”
https://europepmc.org/article/med/10836211

“Clinical trials using ascorbic acid aerosol to aid smoking cessation”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0376871693901083

“How Long Does Nicotine Stay in Your System?”
https://cbqmethod.com/how-long-does-nicotine-stay-in-your-system/

“Smoking Addiction: Is it Mental or Physical?”
https://youtu.be/flSDd_fr2ac

Transcript

Can cream of tartar help you stop smoking and have less cravings?

Is cream of tartar a remedy or one of those gimmicks that may even have negative effects on your health?

Hi this is Nasia Davos and in this video you will learn:  what is cream of tartar how it’s supposed to help you quit smoking and we’re going to look at the facts. We’re going to look what’s true, what’s a lie and misinformation, and what you should look out for so keep on watching.

Before we dive in, subscribe to this channel and hit the bell button so you can get notified when we release more videos that are going to help you quit smoking easily.

So what is cream of tartar? Cream of tartar or otherwise known potassium hydrogen tartar is a by-product of wine making. It is an acid similar to lemon or vinegar and it’s often used in baking or cleaning. It is a white powder that looks like baking soda or baking powder.

And there is this myth that it’s supposed to help you quit smoking but we’re going to look at the facts and we’re going to look if it’s true.

So this urban myth dates back about 10 years but there was a viral post about quitting smoking in 2008. And there was an article written by a blogger without any medical proof or facts. And the claim was that mixing cream of tartar with orange juice will flush nicotine from your body. It’s going to make you crave cigarettes less and it’s going to help you quit smoking faster.

So let’s examine those claims one by one.

So the first claim is that cream of tartar helps you flush nicotine from your body. Cream of tartar is diuretic, it helps you pee more and when you pee more you flush out toxins. But there is no proof that it helps you flush out nicotine. And even if it did, you will get it back by smoking a cigarette.

Nicotine has a short half-life so which means that when you stop using nicotine it’s quickly out of your system. It takes five days for almost all nicotine to be out of your body. The only thing you can do is stay away from nicotine.

So there is nothing special about cream of tartar. You can do detox if you want to by drinking a lot of water, by exercising or just eating fruits like oranges.

And the thing is that consuming too much cream of tartar can be harmful. And there have been rare cases that used cream of tartar as a cleanse and they ended up having life-threatening hyperkalemia which is having too much potassium.

Now the only good thing in this equation is the orange juice. The orange juice is good so if you want to detox throw the cream of tartar and keep the orange juice. And it’s even better if the oranges are fresh.

Now, the second claim is that cream of tartar makes you crave cigarettes less. Listen, I searched a lot, there is zero proof that supports this claim and there is also zero proof that potassium helps you with cravings.

Cravings are mental and physical. The physical cravings last 5 days, 5 days after you smoke your last cigarette and you’re nicotine-free. There is no nicotine in your body so there are no physical cravings. So during the nicotine detox, if you choose to do detox, you have maybe shorter period of cravings but the cravings are more intense. And because as nicotine is flushing out of your system, your body craves it more, not less. And when it’s completely gone then the physical addiction ends and you have no more cravings.

So it’s good to detox your body but you don’t have to use cream of tartar and it doesn’t make you crave cigarettes less. And the mental cravings that are the biggest part of the smoking addiction, they’re just positive thoughts about smoking so as cream of tartar.

It cannot possibly change how you think about smoking and your relationship with cigarettes so there is zero value there.

But now, you may tell me yes, but I used cream of tartar and orange juice and it made me feel a bit better or I know someone and it helped them. Listen, this is anecdotal evidence, this is not proof, this is not science. But if you did feel better, you’re not imagining this. I’m going to tell you exactly why this happened.

It happened because of the orange juice and specifically the vitamin C that’s in the orange juice. Yes, smokers tend to have a deficiency of vitamin C so it’s good to take it but that’s not why vitamin C helps with cravings. There’s actually research that shows that vitamin C can help with many addictions.

For example taking vitamin C as a pill or a tablet dissolved in water has been shown to reduce pain and reduce opioid, use in cancer patients. It has also been shown that high doses of vitamin C can increase endorphin levels. Endorphins are the brain chemicals produced by yourself to relieve stress and pain. And the University of Michigan Health System suggests to take vitamin C to expel excess alcohol during the initial withdrawal.

There is also research that shows vitamin C might block the response of opioid receptors to opiate drugs like heroin, morphine or oxycodone. Another research shows that vitamin C lessened withdrawal symptoms of heroin addiction. And last but not least, there is research that shows that spraying vitamin C to your mouth along with counselling that helps you overcome the mental addiction. That the combination of those things showed that people had less cravings, less food cravings and better mood.

So yes, if you’ve been feeling any difference with this mix of cream of tartar in orange juice, is because of the vitamin C that’s in the orange juice. And you will feel even better if you put the tartar aside and up the vitamin C. Of course, ask your doctor before doing that.

And now the third claim is that cream of tartar and oranges can help you quit smoking faster. Let me ask you, how can excess potassium help you quit smoking faster by removing nicotine from your body which is also not true.

The smoking addiction is a physical and a mental addiction. The physical addiction goes 5 days after smoking your last cigarette and you’re nicotine free. The mental addiction goes when you change how you think about smoking. So it’s not a matter of when by its not-it’s not going to go in one day or two days or five days. It’s going to go as soon as you change how you think about smoking and your relationship with cigarettes.

So cream of tartar, it’s really useless and vitamin C it’s a wonderful remedy. But I want you to listen to this, all kinds of remedies, all nicotine free substitutes or herbal substitutes anything you can find out there, they’re all great to enhance your efforts if you’re in the right state of mind and you have a good foundation for your quit.

It’s like drinking water to lose weight. Water is going to help you but it’s not going to cause the weight to fall off. It’s only going to enhance your efforts if you’re already following a fitness plan. If you drink a lot of water but eat the same it’s not going to help you.

In the same way, if you drink vitamin C and keep on smoking or you don’t change your mental addiction, it’s not going to help you. But if you’re ready, it is going to assist you because the key to success, the key to quitting smoking easily and permanently is overcoming the mental addiction. Always has been, always will be.

Now if you want to overcome the mental addiction, make sure you start by watching the foundational video of the CBQ method. The CBQ method is a4-stage method based on psychology and the 4 stages it has. They designed to help you overcome the mental addiction so make sure you watch the foundational video. It’s going to help you have an overview of your journey and it’s going to help you understand why the CBQ method can work for you. So make sure you watch this video, I think you’re going to like it a lot.

And thank you so much for being here. Let me know in the comments what’s your opinion about cream of tartar. And if you liked this video hit the like button below. Subscribe to this channel to get more videos like this and I will see in the next video.

Nicotine and Anxiety: Why Do You Feel Relaxed After Smoking?

by

Nicotine and anxiety. Why do you feel relaxed after smoking?

Is this real relaxation or an illusion created by your addiction.. that feels very real?

Knowing the answer to this is the key to quitting smoking without anxiety.

So let me show you:

  • 3 reasons why you feel more relaxed after smoking a cigarette (yes, you’re not imagining this, but there’s a reason for it).
  • How to feel more relaxed as a non-smoker.

This article breaks down the myth of smoking as stress relief, which will help you quit smoking and remain smoke-free.

Why Smoking Seems to Help with Anxiety

After you smoke you feel relaxed, yes.

But this is weird. Because if smoking really relieved stress then smokers would be the most relaxed and Zen people ever… but that’s not the case.

Also, it’s physically impossible for nicotine to relax you. Because nicotine in small doses, like a couple of cigarettes, is a stimulant! So it does the opposite of relaxing you.

So why do you feel relaxed after smoking?

nicotine and anxiety

Reason 1. You Relieve the Stress Coming from Your Cravings (Not the Stress Coming from Your Problems)

Smokers have two sources of stress and anxiety:

  • The stress that comes from life (that everyone has- smokers, ex-smokers, and never-smokers)
  • And the stress coming from their cravings.

Why Cravings Cause Anxiety

Cravings cause physical and mental tension.

When you’re craving, you get physically agitated and tense. And you also get mentally agitated because the craving mind keeps nagging you to smoke, “You need a cigarette right now.” “Just one won’t matter.” “Come on, just one puff.” All these are mental cravings.

So you’re craving, you feel agitated, you take a few puffs, nicotine goes to your brain, the craving ends, and you feel relief.

But the cigarette relieved the stress coming from your cravings, not the stress coming from life.

How Nicotine And Anxiety Work

Woman has anxiety

Imagine there’s Maria the non-smoker. And in a parallel universe, there’s Maria the smoker.

This is the same person; they have the same life. The only difference is that one of them is a non-smoker, and the other is a smoker.

So it’s Monday morning. Maria, the non-smoker, is having a stressful day; she has to pay the overdue bills, get the kids ready for school, catch up with work. She has too many responsibilities too much of life stress.

Maria the smoker is having the same stressful day. But she has an additional source of stress: her cravings.

nicotine and anxiety

The overdue bills cause her anxiety. But she’s also experiencing craving anxiety. She smokes a cigarette, relieves the craving anxiety and she feels a bit better than before thinking the cigarette helped her cope with the overdue bills. But it didn’t. It just relieved her cravings.

Then she’s feeling anxious because she has to get her kids ready for school on time and at the same time she’s feeling tense because she’s craving.

She smokes a cigarette feels a bit better, thinking nicotine helped her feel calmer while getting the kids ready for school.

But in reality, smoking just relieved her nicotine craving. It didn’t help her get the kids ready faster.

Same thing with the deadlines, with the responsibilities, with everything.

So Maria the non-smoker goes on with her day while Maria the smoker has to smoke in order to go on with her day.

nicotine and anxiety cravings

They both have the same life stress.

Maria the non-smoker is less stressed than Maria the smoker because she doesn’t have to worry about smoking or feel anxious when her body is low on nicotine.

When you’re a smoker every craving you satisfy relieves your stress momentarily and at the same time causes the next craving to come along. When it does, you’re going to have to satisfy that too, otherwise, you’ll feel anxious.

Every craving you satisfy gives rise to the next craving that soon comes back like an itch that won’t go away.

So smoking relieves the stress coming from your cravings. Nicotine solves the problem it creates and if you want to get rid of the smoker’s stress all you have to do is become a non-smoker.

Nicotine is the problem. Not the solution

– CBQ Method Principles

Reason 2. It’s All About Your Breathing

The second reason why you feel relaxed after smoking has to do with your breathing. What do I mean?

Our emotions affect our breathing.

For example, how do you breathe when you’re stressed, angry or tense?

Your breathing is shallow, fast, and interrupted. Right?

And how do you breathe when you feel relaxed, peaceful or relieved?

Your breathing is deep and slow.

Our emotional state affects our breathing. Same way, we can affect our emotions by changing our breathing. It goes both ways.

When you’re stressed your breathing is tense. So you take a few puffs and in order for you to inhale the puffs your breathing has to change and become deep and slow. Otherwise, you can’t smoke!

When you smoke, you inhale deeply and slowly. So you feel relaxed thinking the cigarette helped..

But in reality it was the deep and slow breathing that relaxed you. Not the cigarette.

And you can relax without the cigarette, just by breathing deeply as if you were smoking a cigarette.

how to cope with anxiety without smoking

So next time you feel stressed try to breathe as if you were smoking a cigarette but without smoking. Try this and let me know what happened.

Reason 3. Nicotine Seems To Relieve Anxiety Because You’ve Forgotten How Relaxed Really Feels Like

If you’ve been smoking most of your life, chances are you never learned other ways to cope with stress and anxiety.

If every time you feel anxiety, you reach for a cigarette, you probably never got the chance to learn and practice how to cope with the ups and downs of life in healthy ways.

And maybe you’re going to tell me “Smoking is the only thing that relaxes me”. But compared to what?

It’s not that you have 10 different ways to cope with stress and smoking is the best one. It’s just that smoking is all you know.

Check how Valerie copes with anxiety as a non-smoker (After smoking 2 packs a day for 40 years)

On top of that, all of us who’ve been addicted to nicotine we don’t really know what relaxed feels like until we quit.

When you smoke you feel better because you relieve your cravings and breathe deeply. But better does not mean good. “Not craving” is not the same state as “feeling relaxed”. These are different states.

smoking and anxiety graph

But in your mind they’re the same because you don’t have any other point of reference of how relaxed really feels like. You have forgotten how relaxed feels like.

I encourage you to start observing other smokers and start observing yourself too. Do you really live life as a relaxed person?

Probably not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here reading this article on nicotine and anxiety.

Although smoking a cigarette might feel like an effective mood control… nicotine dependency increases your anxiety.

Think about it. Feeling that you need a cigarette all the time, having to interrupt your life because of a craving, worrying about how you might be harming your health, feeling guilty about smoking.

The wonderful thing is that the smokers’ stress goes when you stop. Becoming a non-smoker is not only going to stop the stress coming from your cravings but it’s also going to reduce the stress coming from life.

And research shows that quitting nicotine decreases overall anxiety. So there are great things waiting for you once you stop smoking.

stress and anxiety after quitting smokinf

3 reasons nicotine seems to help with anxiety:

  1. You feel relaxed because you relieve the stress coming from your cravings, not the stress coming from your problems.
  2. When you smoke you change your breathing from shallow to deep and slow, which makes you feel relaxed.
  3. You don’t know what relaxed really feels like – you only know what not craving feels like.

To quit nicotine and decrease anxiety, you need to work on your mental addiction and the CBQ method helps you do that.

CBQ stands for Cognitive Behavioral Quitting. The CBQ method is a psychology-based method that over the last decade, has reached and helped millions of smokers quit easily, myself included. To develop this method, we took what happy non-smokers had in common, and we put it in a 4-step process that everyone can use to succeed.

To get started with the CBQ Method, you can get the foundational video and PDF starter guide of the CBQ Method.

In this video, I show you why the CBQ method can work for you & how the 4 quit smoking stages of the CBQ method work together so you can learn how to cope with anxiety and the ups and downs of life as a non-smoker. The accompanying guide will help you map out your quit, take notes, and remember important tips.

Get the Foundational Video & PDF Starter Guide of the CBQ Method here.

Ask An Ex – Episode 3: How Rosa Quit Smoking with the CBQ Method + Her Quit Smoking Tips You Can Do in Quarantine

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Welcome to episode #3 of Ask an Ex. 

In this video, you’ll hear Rosa’s story of how she quit smoking for good!

Even though she tried to succeed before using willpower and nicotine patches, her efforts didn’t last, and she wasn’t a happy non-smoker. 

But she kept searching for a better way, found it, gave it her best shot, used her incredible resourcefulness, and she made it!

In this video, she shares how she did it + a lot of tips you can start doing right now to make your quit smoking journey easier, even if you’re stuck at home in quarantine.  

As Rosa explains, it’s doing the little things that help you feel better overall. 

In this video, Rosa shares:

  • How she quit smoking this time and what was different from past attempts.
  • What she chose to replace smoking with.
  • How she was able to socialize and enjoy herself as a non-smoker with her friends who smoke. 
  • How she copes with stress as a non-smoker. 
  • And her advice for those who are struggling to quit smoking!

About Ask An Ex

ASK AN EX is a new interview series. Each interview features an inspiring ex-smoker who succeeded with the CBQ Method ™

And they tell you everything – how they did it, what helped them, what challenged them, their fears, motivations and aspirations. 

Because the best person to ask about quitting smoking, is an Ex who’s been exactly where you are right now. 

Every EX shares their unique perspective and wisdom on quitting smoking (because everyone has a unique mix of background, mindset, and experiences). 

And they do it for 1 reason: to help YOU become an EX too. 

Get the CBQ Method Foundational Video & Join our Newsletter here: 
http://bit.ly/startcbq
Join the CBQ Method Facebook Support Community:
http://bit.ly/cbqmethodcommunity
SUBSCRIBE to this channel to get more videos like this to help you quit smoking:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRPLgL5_AAHwtnP9Qwu8tsw?sub_confirmation=1

Transcript

0:00:00.020,0:00:04.820
Hi everyone this is Nasia Davos and
welcome to this episode of Ask An Ex

0:00:04.830,0:00:09.480
today you’ll hear from someone who
joined our CBQ program and who has a

0:00:09.480,0:00:14.219
lot to share with you about her success
in quitting smoking so if you think you

0:00:14.219,0:00:16.980
can’t quit or if you’re struggling to be without

0:00:16.980,0:00:22.540
cigarettes stay with us

0:00:26.000,0:00:28.980
The ex I have
with me today quit smoking after 24

0:00:28.980,0:00:34.320
years overcame all sorts of tempting
situations that life threw at her she’s

0:00:34.320,0:00:37.890
still happy nonsmoker and she’s here to
tell you how she did it

0:00:37.890,0:00:43.370
please welcome Rosa Maria Roca hi Rosa
thank you so much for being here

0:00:43.370,0:00:50.940
Hi Nasia you’re welcome pleasure so you have been
a non smoker for about a year now right

0:00:50.940,0:01:00.079
yeah 12 December 2018 was your quit date
congratulations this is a huge milestone

0:01:00.079,0:01:06.180
thank you yeah it is actually
so proud of myself you should be so

0:01:06.180,0:01:15.180
you’ve been smoking for 24 years how did
you start smoking well with a group of

0:01:15.180,0:01:22.380
friends actually my best friend she she
started and I asked her for for one just

0:01:22.380,0:01:28.350
to try it the silly things you do when
you are a teenager and I found it

0:01:28.350,0:01:32.729
disgusting was horrible but then it was
trendy

0:01:32.729,0:01:39.750
everybody did it so why not yeah makes
sense though I think most of us started

0:01:39.750,0:01:47.549
smoking that way yeah yeah yeah so over
the years did you ever think about

0:01:47.549,0:01:55.979
quitting yes a few times yes especially
when I got sick and I started coughing

0:01:55.979,0:02:03.360
and then the smell again I didn’t like
the smell when I wanted to climb a

0:02:03.360,0:02:10.979
mountain and I couldn’t because I was
just out of breath and yeah with all

0:02:10.979,0:02:15.810
these situations you find yourself stuck
in something that is quitting you the

0:02:15.810,0:02:21.060
freedom to do so do whatever you want on
right and in a healthy and happy way

0:02:21.060,0:02:30.720
yeah but I did it with success so so you wanted to
quit for all those reasons did you ever

0:02:30.720,0:02:38.849
make a serious attempt yes I did
a couple of them were serious the others

0:02:38.849,0:02:45.120
were not serious but the couple of them
do you know what happened it was very

0:02:45.120,0:02:52.739
frustrating because I ended up crying on
the corners of the house oh my god yeah

0:02:52.739,0:02:56.280
it was because I did it on my own
without any help

0:02:56.280,0:03:03.329
vaping it didn’t exist yet I think
patches weren’t as known as they are

0:03:03.329,0:03:10.260
nowadays and so I did it myself
like with willpower yeah just yeah it

0:03:10.260,0:03:14.760
just took me a lot of tears and I
couldn’t in the end I couldn’t just yeah

0:03:14.760,0:03:23.790
relapsed again yeah is this horrible and
last year what what happened and you

0:03:23.790,0:03:33.799
said I’m gonna try to quit again
I turn 40 I had like a painful leg

0:03:33.799,0:03:38.849
because I don’t have an excellent
circulation I think now is much much

0:03:38.849,0:03:46.680
better after that we have to say no more
pain in my leg so it was definitely the

0:03:46.680,0:03:53.849
cigarettes and then the you know I’ve
got two kids and I had to sneak out in

0:03:53.849,0:03:59.160
the garden every time like after the
meals to light a cigarette they were

0:03:59.160,0:04:03.450
calling me because they wanted to play
with me before a reading time before

0:04:03.450,0:04:10.650
going to bed and you know I started to
to find it very horrible actually for

0:04:10.650,0:04:16.260
them they were they are nowadays also
very aware of it so they know it’s

0:04:16.260,0:04:20.970
something bad they were saying mom when
are you gonna quit why do you do it

0:04:20.970,0:04:26.500
do you really need to smoke and I was
asking a great question

0:04:26.500,0:04:34.630
yeah they get to challenge myself when I
said listen it’s now or never it’s now

0:04:34.630,0:04:43.830
or never and I did it thanks to you Nasia well
I’m very happy you found this program

0:04:43.830,0:04:51.940
what made you decide to try the CBQ
method because well I tried patches

0:04:51.940,0:05:00.910
before mm-hmm well last time yeah they
I mean they take the anxiety of the

0:05:00.910,0:05:05.800
urges off but you still have the
cigarettes going on in your mind

0:05:05.800,0:05:12.370
so that and yeah just addicted to them
you still addicted to them the

0:05:12.370,0:05:21.150
difference with your program was that
that um you start from the deep roots of

0:05:21.150,0:05:26.200
smoking so where are the deep roots
that’s what I found and you start

0:05:26.200,0:05:33.870
thinking about why what is making you
continue smoking and all that stuff and

0:05:33.870,0:05:40.290
it makes a difference actually when when
you when you go so deeply and just like

0:05:40.290,0:05:45.970
analyzing why you do it
um well it’s different just have to say

0:05:45.970,0:05:49.930
it’s different I didn’t need any vaping
I didn’t need patches I didn’t need I

0:05:49.930,0:05:57.669
only needed some boxing equipment that
was really cool

0:05:57.669,0:06:04.750
I enjoyed the boxing oh also you did
replace smoking with boxing yeah and you

0:06:04.750,0:06:12.220
bought a home equipment well my son
has one so I I hung well the thing

0:06:12.220,0:06:18.610
don’t even know what is the name and I
mean and and then I imagine myself

0:06:18.610,0:06:23.800
looking at the cigarette yeah
does it look like a little cigarette and

0:06:23.800,0:06:34.030
then just box to it it was
amazingly relaxing hmm I’m very fun I

0:06:34.030,0:06:39.910
think like fighting smile yeah it was
easy and you

0:06:39.910,0:06:44.620
exercise you blow off some steam very very
nice

0:06:44.620,0:06:50.080
great choice yeah I’m happy yeah I was
happy at the time I chose because it

0:06:50.080,0:06:54.490
made me feel so much better I mean the
anxiety went as well because you’re

0:06:54.490,0:07:00.790
obviously doing exercise and and yeah
it’s a sport i sweat as well so I

0:07:00.790,0:07:05.020
burn some calories I did everything in
one perfect

0:07:05.020,0:07:09.430
so obviously that helped you a lot on
your journey

0:07:09.430,0:07:17.730
what other part of the program or your
coping strategies helped you succeed

0:07:18.890,0:07:28.610
so I started to have a better food
better food like healthier food I will

0:07:28.610,0:07:34.070
as well so I introduced to my
diet avocados okay

0:07:34.070,0:07:40.340
say you know in Spain when or maybe my
home we’re not very used to have

0:07:40.340,0:07:46.610
Ricardo’s and in in England they they
are and they still have few friends and

0:07:46.610,0:07:49.940
they started to talk about the vitamins and whatever and I start to be

0:07:49.940,0:07:56.990
more focused on on the healthy food like
going deeper and see what what the

0:07:56.990,0:08:01.970
advantages are and at the end to have
better skin appearance as well because

0:08:01.970,0:08:07.340
yes avocados are great yeah yeah the
cigarettes damage your skin a lot yes

0:08:07.340,0:08:11.710
yes that’s true what else helped you
along the way

0:08:11.710,0:08:18.230
exercising even if it’s going out for
the walk for half an hour if you don’t

0:08:18.230,0:08:25.550
have time to go to the gym yeah whatever
to have some fresh air yeah you are

0:08:25.550,0:08:35.530
stuck in your chores or job problems
just anything that gives you some some

0:08:35.530,0:08:40.969
good well-being right like dancing as
well because I like dancing I

0:08:40.969,0:08:46.190
particularly like dancing with my kids
and listening to the music yeah anything

0:08:46.190,0:08:53.300
you you enjoy basically will help where
are you doing those things before or

0:08:53.300,0:08:58.370
you started doing them more when
you quit smoking I started so I

0:08:58.370,0:09:05.420
started to do them more when I quit but
I yeah I used to do them before also but

0:09:05.420,0:09:12.740
less it’s true less less time cause I
didn’t have much time to that very

0:09:12.740,0:09:19.790
interesting and I know you told me in
the past year you had to overcome a lot

0:09:19.790,0:09:27.350
of tempting situations can you tell me
more about what they were and how you

0:09:27.350,0:09:30.900
overcame them because I think this can
be very very helpful

0:09:30.900,0:09:36.460
it was a challenge I mean going out with
your gin tonic or whatever the red wine

0:09:36.460,0:09:41.470
in your hands and not having the
cigarette in the other hand yeah it’s uh

0:09:41.470,0:09:47.980
it’s quite tough but once you do it and
honestly you drink a couple of glasses

0:09:47.980,0:09:54.160
of wine and the next day you just wake
up there’s no coughing there’s no

0:09:54.160,0:09:59.560
horrible smell taste in your mouth
that’s not it’s no it’s nothing

0:09:59.560,0:10:06.610
yeah you tie it because you went to bed
late but um you feel great and that’s

0:10:06.610,0:10:12.220
another thing that you need to learn to
enjoy from now on great I love that you

0:10:12.220,0:10:16.720
said that so in the moment where you you
were with your friends

0:10:16.720,0:10:22.270
there was the strong association with
cigarettes that you hadn’t had the

0:10:22.270,0:10:25.690
chance to break it because it was
something you hadn’t experienced as a

0:10:25.690,0:10:32.440
nonsmoker yet what did you do in that
moment that allowed you to enjoy

0:10:32.440,0:10:39.010
yourself and your friends without having
to smoke so it’s it quickly came to my

0:10:39.010,0:10:48.700
mind your words like observe and
identify the double trigger okay and I

0:10:48.700,0:10:55.390
actually did and I assumed it I accepted
it and I said listen now this is over

0:10:55.390,0:11:02.770
and you have to learn to enjoy yourself
without it and yeah was like giving a

0:11:02.770,0:11:07.360
lesson to myself because you have to
talk to yourself sometimes to realize

0:11:07.360,0:11:15.730
and to be aware of it and yeah it worked
I I just accepted it and and it helped

0:11:15.730,0:11:24.280
me but another thing that helped me a
lot I have to say is um just realizing

0:11:24.280,0:11:31.600
that it’s it’s a life-changing
experience and I mean that once once you

0:11:31.600,0:11:39.130
you say this is over you need to change
your lifestyle yeah because otherwise if

0:11:39.130,0:11:44.560
you get stuck there and you follow the
same patterns it might not work

0:11:44.560,0:11:49.959
so you need to introduce new new things
and things that make you feel happy and

0:11:49.959,0:12:00.029
better happier what other things did you
introduce the and change your lifestyle

0:12:00.389,0:12:07.329
well actually I have to say that I
enjoyed watching a movie after the meal

0:12:07.329,0:12:14.410
like without having to go out cause it was the
meal then the cigarette and then you

0:12:14.410,0:12:19.509
know and then watching a movie maybe but
like having finished the meal and go to

0:12:19.509,0:12:26.470
the dining room to to watch a movie it’s
amazing without having to well feel the

0:12:26.470,0:12:31.980
flavor that the bad flavor in your
mouth and whatever mm-hmm another thing that makes you feel proud and full

0:12:31.980,0:12:39.009
these little things it’s a it’s
a a chain of little things that make you

0:12:39.009,0:12:42.730
feel just great
exactly and so that’s why I’m asking you

0:12:42.730,0:12:47.709
about it because a lot of people are
struggling selecting and identifying

0:12:47.709,0:12:52.000
those little things that can make a
massive difference in how you feel and

0:12:52.000,0:12:55.809
you not needing cigarettes so what you
did was really smart

0:12:55.809,0:13:06.189
dinner movie it’s amazing helps I also
have a thing that I found interesting is

0:13:06.189,0:13:13.089
like um I bought a few different teas
yes so I’ve got different teas like la

0:13:13.089,0:13:22.660
camomile and then these liquorise with
pepper peppercorn I think so these

0:13:22.660,0:13:27.910
little different things and every time I
need to like have something in my mouth

0:13:27.910,0:13:34.600
because sometimes yeah whatever I go and
have different tea so today I’m gonna

0:13:34.600,0:13:38.800
try another one I’m gonna take this one
because I love it

0:13:38.800,0:13:44.889
or you can be a chewing gum I mean a minty
chewing gum I love chewing I’m just so

0:13:44.889,0:13:52.959
but you know these things these little
treats and I like the idea about the

0:13:52.959,0:13:57.180
teas because you have some variety
trying always something new

0:13:57.180,0:14:03.990
no it’s good very nice so when when you
feel everyone and we all experience

0:14:03.990,0:14:14.570
stress how do you manage stress as a
nonsmoker I’m going out for a walk I

0:14:14.570,0:14:22.080
don’t at home you feel the
atmosphere it’s overwhelmed yeah I go out for

0:14:22.080,0:14:30.440
a walk or I just go upstairs and
sometimes take a bath if I have the time

0:14:30.440,0:14:38.010
I call a friend and just explain her
whatever or having a chat with

0:14:38.010,0:14:44.760
my husband well it’s very helpful if you
are just stressed for anything but in

0:14:44.760,0:14:55.590
the end it’s not worth it that’s a great
mindset so one last question yeah

0:14:55.590,0:15:00.930
what advice or tips would you give to
someone who’s struggling to succeed at

0:15:00.930,0:15:09.690
the moment so that nicotine addiction
just lasts two or three weeks so don’t

0:15:09.690,0:15:14.600
worry you’re not gonna die you will
overcome it

0:15:14.600,0:15:21.840
that is the mind power what will help
you a lot so not the with the willpower

0:15:21.840,0:15:28.230
the mind power that as you said Nastia
in your videos but it’s true but you

0:15:28.230,0:15:32.610
need to cultivate your change once you
believe it just cultivate you change

0:15:32.610,0:15:37.260
that means change your lifestyle
basically or introduce these little

0:15:37.260,0:15:44.240
things into your daily life and you’ll
see the difference

0:15:47.190,0:15:55.170
yeah and do what you love to do thank
you back you’ll see the feedback thank

0:15:55.170,0:15:59.699
you so much for sharing this that was
very very helpful thank you so much very

0:15:59.699,0:16:05.879
good so as you all can see Rosa’s journey
is a great example of perseverance and

0:16:05.879,0:16:09.779
resourcefulness
she had ups and downs like everyone but

0:16:09.779,0:16:14.189
she stayed committed she used the power
of her mind and she did it and this is

0:16:14.189,0:16:18.810
important to remember because there is
no such thing as the perfect quit what

0:16:18.810,0:16:23.399
matters the most is how you approach it
your mindset and your attitude so I hope

0:16:23.399,0:16:27.660
you learned a lot and that you enjoyed
this as much as I did please let us know

0:16:27.660,0:16:31.290
in the comments what you took away from Rosa’s journey that can help you in yours

0:16:31.290,0:16:35.850
and Rosa thank you so much for being
here and sharing your experience it was

0:16:35.850,0:16:43.769
really great and I know it’s gonna help
a lot of people so thank you thank you

0:16:43.769,0:16:47.310
and thank you all for being here with us
have a wonderful day and I’ll see you

0:16:47.310,0:16:49.790
next time