Remember that Wants Can Have 5 Heads!

__ (Stop, Go, Change, Change)

For years people have been telling me that BESOCHEMPS has helped them understand their sometimes complicated reasons for wanting to smoke. I've also been encouraged by folks who told me that they used the BESOCHEMPS model to address their binge-spending, pornography, over-eating, self-injury, drinking, and drugging problems. The 5-Headed Dragon has reportedly save a few marriages and I can't express how thankful I am to hear all of the great stories.
     I'm quite certain that understanding the origin of the want can improve our ability to cope with it (without sucking soot!) However, even if you're not exactly sure which head of the dragon is causing the desire if you address all five heads, you'll put an end to the desire to smoke. When in doubt, deal with all five heads, right?
     Here's a quick way to cover all five heads. Use it consistently and your soot-sucking days are numbered!

BE (behavioral trigger)            “STOP” what you're doing!
Get up out of your seat at work. Take a break from the frustrating task.  Now obviously if driving is the behavior that triggers us into the state of want, we can't just stop driving. We'd have global gridlock on every road if we did! But we can change the radio station we're listening to and hopefully the thoughts in our head at the same time!

SO (social trigger)                 “GO” someplace else!
Go for a quick walk around the block or even down the hall. Go sit in the room with nicest view for a few minutes. Get away from the stressor or conflict, even if it's just for a few minutes. Of course there's nothing like a walk on the beach, but if that's not possible, try visualizing a relaxing beachwalk, a trip to a flowery meadow, a quiet walk through a misty forest. We can go anywhere in our imagination!

CH (chemical craving)                 Alter your brain chemistry!  "CHANGE YOUR HEAD"
OK, relax! This isn't as scary as it sounds. Infuse your brain with lots of freshly oxygenated blood by doing some deep breathing. If you're still using NRT (nicotine replacement therapy), go ahead and have a piece of nicotine gum or use your nicotine inhaler along with these other interventions. (Dragons have five heads!) Sometimes increasing our blood glucose level can help really change how we feel. A granny smith apple and some deep breathing make a world of difference! Even a short burst of physical exercise causes an endorphin response in your brain! There are plenty of safe, natural ways to adjust your brain chemistry (without sucking a lung full of arsenic & polonium!)

EM (emotional urge)                 Pray, affirm, meditate!   "CHANGE YOUR HEART"
PS (psychological compulsion)   
Yes, even though there's a difference between our emotional urges to smoke and our compulsions towards self-destruction, the way to address both is the same. We need to nourish our spirit, soul, or inner child. Whatever we call that part of us, we can agree that it needs nourishment. Praying, meditating, and reciting our affirmations can really change how we feel.

Put it all together and a dragon-killer intervention might look like this:

Imagine sitting in the den watching TV when a persistent desire to smoke occurs. Even if we can't figure out why we want a cigarette, we can absolutely defeat it!

Pause the TV (Don't you love DVR!?) Say a familiar prayer as you walk to the kitchen to grab a glass of green tea (or a granny smith apple?) Set the timer in the kitchen for 7 minutes. Go out to the deck or sit in the window seat - breathing deeply as you walk there. Breathe deeply for another minute before treating yourself to a guided imagery walk on the beach as you recite your affirmation. In about the same amount of time that we used to waste smoking a cigarette, we've eliminated a desire to smoke and nourished our soul! No matter which head of the dragon was causing the desire to smoke, it gone now! With practice, patience & persistence we will be free again my friend! Now go back and finish watching that TV show.

Memorize this powerful tool: STOP, GO, CHANGE YOUR HEAD, CHANGE YOUR HEART!