Smoking is 80% mental and 20% physical. The physical addiction is weak because nicotine has a short half-life and leaves the body quickly. Also, if the physical addiction or the physical cravings were strong, then we would wake up in the middle of the night just to smoke. However, we are not being woken up by physical cravings. We want to smoke only when our mind is awake and reminds us to do so.
That being said, there is a small percentage of people who do happen to smoke in the middle of the night. Why does this happen, and what can you do about it?
Smoking in the middle of the night means:
1) That you may be waking up for other reasons (water, bathroom, noise), and since your mind is awake, it reminds you to smoke.
2) You have created a habit of waking up during the night to smoke, so you have trained your mind and body to that pattern.
Both the above reasons are symptoms of how the mental dependence is affecting you.
And, of course, you can break that night pattern! Smoking during the night is a pattern, just like smoking in the car or with alcohol or between tasks. Recognizing this smoking pattern is a very good thing as it directs you on what to work through during the program.
To start breaking that night pattern, you need to apply everything you learn on the program – from recording those night cigarettes even if you’re sleepy (Day 0) to doing one experiment (day 5) during the night.
I would encourage you to email the CBQ team at [email protected] if you need help crafting an experiment.
If you have not yet reached the experiments part of day 5, you can find these tips helpful: https://support.cbqmembers.com/support-base/i-am-smoking-in-the-middle-of-the-night-when-i-wake-up-any-tips/