Quitting once or many times

[dj2quit]

I had quit for 17 years. And then cheated once. 
You can’t cheat once. That first puff means you’re hooked again. 

I went on for six months, smoking a pack before “quitting” again. Once I had that first puff, it was the shampoo railway. Puff, quit, cheat and then lather, rinse and repeat. 

You can’t take that first puff! When the desire hits, remind yourself of this fact. 

Ive made the following comment in several posts.  Keep trying. You will succeed. But not until your desire to quit  is greater than your desire for nicotine. 

[Barbscloud]

@dj2quit   Thanks for the reminder that you can't just have one.   

Barb

[icbarr]

I too quit for 17 years and had a devastating relapse 3 years ago. I had such a hold on me, that it took 3 years to see myself on the road to recovery again. I am on day 8 of not smoking, on day 3 of no nicotine in my body,  and finally feeling like myself again. 

I've been reflecting a lot on my relapse and on ways I can avoid from happening again.  I think the answer is in changing my relationship with smoking completely. I am looking into cognitive behavior therapy to train my brain to cope differently with triggers. I also have learned that taking a more pragmatic look at addiction gives me sense of control. After all, it's all chemistry, neurotransmitters, receptors, and brain activity. Gotta be smarter than this thing, right?