Why do we say "Not One Puff Ever"?
At first, it sure sounds like a code-phrase for WILLPOWER, doesn't it? But that's not what it means to us.
"Willpower" is not what it takes to be a successful Quitter. In fact, people who just try to "gut it through" (and "hope it works") are most likely to fail.
The mantra "NOPE" is used because we understand three basic principles:
(1) Nicotine is true chemical addiction,. It uses the same dopamine reward pathways in our brains as as does an addiction to alcohol, cocaine or heroin.
(2) Once we are addicted to nicotine, we cannot "cure" or "kill" an addiction but only ARREST it.
(3) Even after we have successfully arrested our nicotine addiction, taking JUST ONE PUFF of nicotine will create a high probability of becoming a smoker again. This is true regardless of how long we have maintained a successful Quit.
From these three principles comes The Law of Addiction, which states,
"Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."
And that, my friends, boils down to "If you take a puff, you're prolly gonna end up smoking again".
(I know this to be absolutely true, because I gave up a 23-year Quit by smoking just one bummed cigarette "to see if I still liked it". That's called "overconfidence". Do not ever develop that. I immediately began smoking full-time again for four more years. I could have avoided that so easily if I'd understood that nicotine is not a "bad habit"; it's an addiction that can be jump-started with one bad choice...)
And so we say: NOT ONE PUFF EVER. (N.O.P.E.)
Get it? Got it! Good!
xxxooo, Sky (see the site "whyquit.com" for more information on addiction)
