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Share your quitting journey

Slipping and Sliding - Tales of Trouble Part I

Giulia
Member
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I just discovered this can't be read in Relapse Traps.  So I'm going to try to blog it out here.

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Slipping and Sliding - Tales of Trouble

Replies to This Discussion

ManOfSteele Permalink Reply by ManOfSteele on May 8, 2008 at 6:23pm
    
    I tried so many times with little success...

    one time my best friend Mike and I smoked one whole pack one right after the other to make us sick of smoking ... well I think it just helped me become more of a chain smoker ..... I went out and bought another pack right afterwards ...lol

    I can remember a hypnosis clinic where some guy was hypnotising 300 or so people in less than 3 hours ....lol at the 1 1/2 break everyone is in the hallway lighting up ...you could barely see.... I did not smoke the whole night from like 9pm on ....until the next morning....

    SO back then EVERYTHING was a trigger and I let myself use any and all excuses !

    All my bad experiences I think did show me what I needed to do to eventually have a successful quit and that basically came down to never allowing ANY excuses to EVER take a puff again.

    hope this might help someone ...
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Giulia Permalink Reply by Giulia on May 8, 2008 at 9:25pm
    
    What a RIOT! LOVED the fact that after the hypnosis session you all went out for a smoke break in the hallway! Hillarious!
    Actually hypnosis helped me for about 2 seconds too.

    Thanks so much for your response, Ray. Yes, it's all about not allowing any excuses ever. You just have to keep saying NO. You may think that Nancy Reagan's promotion of this concept was not to your liking. But that's exactly what you have to do to stay quit. It's as simple and as complicated as that. Just say NO. And mean it.
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Lenna Permalink Reply by Lenna on June 4, 2008 at 10:39am
    
    You got it, don't you!!!! Allowing ANY excuse to take pick up a cigarette.

    I quite for 6 years, met a man, and he smoked. After a year, I did finally bum "just one".

    That was 8 years ago. I married and divorced the man, but still have the smokes!

    I blamed him for being the reason I smoked. I really have begun to look at this very
    differently now.

    I"M the reason I still smoke!!!

    I'm working quite hard on the mental aspect of this addiction, and this site is very helpfull, I have NEVER
    joined an online group before.

    So thank you all for being here and sharing, and I plan to work the becoming an EX program and soon
    to pick that "Quit Date"
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Giulia Permalink Reply by Giulia on June 10, 2008 at 8:35am
    
    Amazing, isn't it. We can quit for SIX YEARS and then just bum ONE and we're back to being full time smokers again. That's the power of this addiction. We need alarm bells that go off in our heads when we near the dangerous reefs of "just one" thinking. I've worked very hard for the past two years to ensure that there are such alarm bells in my head. It's reading stories like these that keep me from the reefs. Thanks.

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Janet Permalink Reply by Janet on July 3, 2008 at 12:39pm
    
    Wish the best for you. I'm struggling here myself. Quit for a few days and went right back to it. I'm going to give it a try again this weekend. I have been on zyban for almost a month but it doesn't seem to be helping.
    Good luck
    Janet
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Kellie Permalink Reply by Kellie on October 19, 2008 at 10:54am
    
    I had quit for about 2 weeks short of a year. No more cravings. Felt really good. I was so proud that I had kicked it. I was under a great deal of stress in the 4th year of Vet Med school and national boards were coming. They put me on Zyban for anxiety issues. Within 7 days, I was jonesing like crazy. I had not felt like that since the first two weeks of quitting and it was back. I gave in; telling myself it was to avoid losing my mind. I have spent the past 10 months trying to quit again. I wish I had never started again and it is frustrating me horrible that I can't get past the first week.
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Lenna Permalink Reply by Lenna on October 19, 2008 at 12:08pm
    
    The biggest part of this addiction is the mental obsession. I had quit for about 7 years. Now here I am, on DAY 7. I feel great, but I absoulty know that the longer I go, the harder it will be. My mind will start playing tricks on me. I'm prepared for it this time, and therefore am stronger mentally. When I am stressed, I will look at the stress and see what I can do to relieve it in healthy ways. When I'm angry, I will immediately look at that anger and see if its justified, or just some childish agenda violation issue, that my addiction would love me to go out and smoke on! Not this time! Not ever again. A ciggarette is never going to be the answer to any mental or emotional stress. There are tools to learn how to handle my reaction to life, instead of just reacting to life. WHEW!
    This is me on day 7 🙂 LOL....
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Mike in @lanta Permalink Reply by Mike in @lanta on October 20, 2008 at 5:23am
    
    I am so proud of you Lenna & this new attitude of yours. You can do anything sweet lady.
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Raj Permalink Reply by Raj on July 4, 2008 at 1:41pm
    
    I'm second. One will lead to more. There will always be some sort of excuse to smoke. I'm with most of you. Don't allow any excuses. Just do not light up!!!! I regret the backslide and have to quit all over again. I tell you what. I felt too good . Can't become a slave to the 3 inched bandit again. NO excuses....Quitting for Good!!!!

About the Author
Member since MAY 2008. I quit smoking March 1, 2006. I smoked a pack and a half a day for about 35 years. What did it take to get me smoke free? Perseverance, a promise not to smoke, and a willingness to be uncomfortable for as long as it took to get me to where I am today. I am an Ex but I have not forgotten the initial difficult journey of this rite of passage. That's one of the things that's keeping me proudly smoke free. I don't want to ever have another Day 1 again. You too can achieve your goal of being finally free forever. Change your mind, change your habits, alter your focus, release the myths you hold about smoking. And above all - keep your sense of hewmer. DAY WON - NEVER ANOTHER DAY ONE. If you still want one - you're still vulnerable. Protect your quit!