Smoking Relapse....! Attention quitters.. I need advice!?

Question

Quit on New Years Day. Doing very well. but on Friday night I smoked (whilst out) and again on Saturday night. Was smoke free Sunday and yesterday (during the day, whilst at work) I had three!! This morning I have had two..... I dont know what to do! I dont want to start again... but im scared that stopping again will be like going back to Day 1. And its so hard!!! Do I just put it behind me and get back on the patches and just pretend it never happened... will it be like Day 1?! Has it cancelled out my good work for 3+ months?! Please help..?

Answer 1

Just go back to the patches and it won't be like Day 1 - you're dealing with a far smaller reduction in your blood nicotine level and you're more used to not repeatedly lighting up now. Once you're through the patches, consider having the gum with you in case of cravings - it helps deal with those moments without having to fall off the bandwagon.

Stick with it - I was a forty a day-er for God knows how long and now, apart from eating mints in industrial quantities, I'm fine. It's true what they say, you do end up feeling far better, being able to taste things more and not smelling. Think of doing a bit of exercise too for those natural endorphine highs as well.

At the end of the day, if the cravings seem too much, just reflect on whether you really want to die before your time or to have an extra 20-30 years of life. It sounds trite but ultimately that is what it boils down to.

PS Resist the 'cold turkey' brigade - nicotine replacement therapy really does have a major impact on people's success in giving up.

Answer 2

COLD TURKEY! Remember you can't quit too many times! From now on tell yourself ..loudly.. that your a "non smoker"
New research shows that if you tell yourself outloud in the mirror that you are not depressed, you will NOT feel as depressed. It affects the brain, it fools it, brings it out of the more unrational emotional center into the more logical upper brain(talk center frontal lobe) center. GEnious huh?

Internalize why you want to quit. DO NOT go to bars filled with smoke. DO NOT hang around a room full of smoke and friends. It's a big life changing direction, stay home and watch a lot of TV until your friends stop smoking around you. A saw a commercial where the dude put a picture of his young daughter in the cellophane of his pack of cigs so he could see her face every time. I quit cold turkey. my hands felt like they should hold something a lot for months, BUT THEN IT WENT AWAY. IGNORE THAT. BE STRONG. Nicotine is stronger than Herion addiction. BE REAL.


don't give up "if at first you don't succeed try try again"

those things are nasty, you'll be so glad this time next year!good luck

Answer 3

Quit, stop, whatever it takes, stop. It will be the best thing you do for yourself. I tried patches, gum, tablets, filters, support groups and finally hypnotism. Whenever I felt the urge to smoke I would repeat this mantra, "I'm a non-smoker, I'm a non-smoker, I'm a non-smoker..." until the urge went away. Sounds silly, but I went from 3 packs a day to zero and haven't touched one since. Smoke free for almost 20 years. The point is, don't berate yourself for slipping, just get resolved that you can beat this. Use patches, use duct tape, use rocks, whatever it takes that works, use it. You can overcome these urges and in a few days you won't even notice them. For the first month or so, stay away from smoking situations, bars are a biggy because the alcohol effects your judgement. Good luck, hang in there, you can beat this. You are stronger than this little urge, because that's all it is, just a little urge.

Answer 4

you can only count 'smoke free' time as time when you don't smoke, so if you have just one drag, you are back to square one, is it really worth it??
my best advise is to just stop, forget about those silly patches, you don't need them, if you don't smoke for 24 hours, there will be no nicotine in your system (so i have heard), so really it's just the habit of lighting up that you need to break!!

i stopped smoking boxing day 2 years ago, but i ended up having 2 cigs that new year eve, since then i have not touched a cig and feel a million times better for it, and i actually shed a few pounds.

keep strong, you don't need them (cigs or patches)

Answer 5

Try taking his mind off it, and above all things distract him from smoking! Entertain him, suggest things to do, talk a nice long walk or a trip to a countryside pub, rent in a few movies or get a nice bottle of wine, something like that. If that doesn't work give him the bl0wj0b of his life - the sort that makes your eyes bulge like Kermit the Frog's.

Answer 6

I`m sorry to hear that you succumbed to the dreaded weed,
I have not had a cig since xmas day and I am still craving, all you can do is try again as the consequences of continuing to smoke are horrendous, hopefully you succeed and your experiences can give help to others in this position.

Answer 7

Benefits for stopping smoking=countless. Benefits for smoking
= zero.

Answer 8

Ohh Honey, i know its hard but you have to congratulate yourself for the three months that you have stopped and regognise that this was just a blip and stop again, dont have another cigarette.
dont punish yourself it has happened now just let it go and resume where you left off...

Well done you can do it !!!

Answer 9

Come on Sophie you know you can do it.xx

Answer 10

Just keep going... honestly willpower is the best way.