What can you do DIFFERENTLY? Maybe remember your thought pattern when you made the decision to smoke and make a plan NOW for what you will do differently in your next quit. You could have blogged "HELP" here, or called a friend, or come here and read, or taken some slow/deep breaths, or gone for a walk, or taken a bath or a shower, or cleaned out a drawer. This quit thing takes effort in the early days - you can't be a spectator!
Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same over and over and expecting a different result. What will you change?
Happy to hear you plan to get right back at it. Let us know how we can help!
Smoking is insanity......honestly I feel like I could have quit that day, by for some reason chose not to make it the entire day. I believe that was the addiction getting a tad nervous, and I chose to let it win. Really appears insane, but it's the addiction and 100% my choosing to smoke. I'm not good at quitting smoking, I know that, but I don't want to be a smoker, sooooo, I shall keep trying.
I don't think any of us here were good at quitting smoking. We treated it as a drug and did the withdrawal as as drug and the work that goes along with it to get rid of the slavery. It is hard work but it can be done. You can do it too. I know you can because quitting is doable if you are willing to let it go. If you want to hold on to smoking not be willing to let it go. NOPE NO mattter what, that is the problem.
For a long time I was waiting for it to happen. I did not know how but I felt that it would. However for me it did not just happen. I had to consciously make a commitment to do the work not to smoke and be willing to go through whatever it took . No it was not easy but is was doable. By educating myself about the addiction and understanding what I was doing to my body made the difference with the support here I am still free almost 6 years. . I suggest bookending ones days here for reinforcement. Cross the line to freedom, do the work and never look, back admitting the addiction is half of the battle along with not making EXcuses for smoking. /blogs/JACKIE1-25-15-blog/2015/10/21/stay-connected?sr=search&searchId=d00a9d50-3ba6-4e27-8ad6-addd0...
I smoked for over 40 years and I did it - you can, too. Just make up your mind you will not smoke another cigarette NO MATTER WHAT. Then, don't argue with yourself about it. I hope you get rid of ALL cigarettes when you quit this time - keeping any around "just in case" is giving yourself permission to fail.
I'm guessing you have already done the reading to understand why this addiction is so powerful? If not., do it now. The Allen Car Book, "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" (well, it's not - but don't let the title stop you), will have you looking at smoking in a new, improved light. I highly recommend it!
Did you change up your routines? Do them in a different order. Add something to the usual. Move your furniture around. Change your mind's direction when you start thinking about smoking? Count backwards from 1,000, take slow/deep breaths, take a walk, march in place, call a friend, count the white things in a room. Quitting takes effort in the early days, but you will get back out of it far more than you put into it.
As other's have said, don't give up. If it were easy, most of us would have quit a long time ago and wouldn't have multiple attempts. It took me 50 years of smoking and at least 7 attempts. What do I think made the difference this time? I used some aids, but I did that before. I attended a smoking cessation class and luckily found the Ex a week before my quit date. I have to attribute it to preparation, a plan, and support. For me, accountability can be real motivator.
Work on your quit and use the Ex to support your decision. It works.
Barb
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