| Hot buttons or triggers generally operate outside your | | | | within you. |
| awareness causing you to change your behavior. A | | | | Some triggers are of the optional variety some not |
| smoking trigger or hot button is something that causes | | | | and your inner intelligence knows the difference. When |
| you to smoke even though you had not planned to do | | | | you are driving your car and see a red light you |
| so. Few people start each day planning to have a | | | | automatically change your behavior and you stop the |
| cigarette with their coffee or with friends over a drink? | | | | car. A yellow light usually means proceed with caution |
| If you don't plan on it then what makes you decide to | | | | or slow down and stop, a green light usually means |
| have one, or do you decide? | | | | one thing, continue as planned. |
| If one thing can turn you on, something else has the | | | | What are your triggers, when it comes to quitting |
| ability to turn you off. Coffee is a drink that many | | | | smoking? Is it the time of day, when you stop for a |
| people associate with smoking cigarettes, but how | | | | coffee, when you are with friends at a bar, or is it |
| about milk or water? Does a glass of milk and a | | | | something you see, hear, smell, touch or taste. When |
| cigarette go together, if not, it's not a smoking trigger | | | | you have identified your triggers, you can either face |
| and drinking a glass of milk instead of a coffee may | | | | them head or avoid them. |
| even help you to quit smoking. | | | | If you don't reinforce something it will eventually go |
| Triggers are unbelievably powerful precursors to | | | | away. Each time you face a trigger head-on as a |
| action. When you walk into a movie theatre, what is | | | | non-smoker the bond between the trigger and the |
| the first thing you smell? If you said popcorn, your | | | | cigarette will weaken. Eventually you will be able to |
| olfactory memory for popcorn was awakened. Were | | | | enjoy a coffee or a drink and not think of a cigarette. |
| you thinking of popcorn or did the question lead you to | | | | Be patient, without reinforcement the signals will |
| thinking of popcorn? If you weren't, the mere mention | | | | weaken and you will become stronger and more in |
| of the word may have evoked and awakened a need | | | | control every time you say no. |