WARNING: Some judgement ahead. Don't read this if you don't want my opinions.
I quit three times in my life. The first time, I was in my early 20s, and I lasted a year before I got cocky and lit a cigarette for someone just to see if I could. Yes I could! And then I smoked a pack a day for the next 20 years.
The second time, in my 40s, was only for a few days. The patch had just been invented and we all thought it was a miracle. It wasn't. I got super nauseous and gave up. And then I smoked a pack and half for the next 20 years.
The third time I was in my early 60s, and that was two-plus years ago. I did it cold turkey after switching to Juul.
See https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/people/AnnetteMM/blog/2019/09/08/how-to-quit-juul-or-vaping-in-ge... for that story.
Each time I quit I learned something.
- One is too much.
- Any excuse will do.
- My quit is more precious than I thought.
Are you a serial quitter? Have you quit multiple times even since joining this community?
I learned two great things from Yoda.
- Do or do not. There is no try.
- Failure, the greatest teacher is.
You must learn from each failure, or you're simply making the same mistakes over and over and over. That creates great frustration and resentment. You cannot be successful that way. And it really effs up your body and mind.
Be really honest with yourself. What have you gained by each quit? Have you become addicted to sympathy? It can happen! We have to find emotional satisfaction in our own lives, not by hurting ourselves. If you find yourself in that predicament, please seek help from a professional. Sometimes the addict's needs go too deep for just a social support group.
Those who have remained committed to this community have not only quit successfully but have reached out to help others quit. That's a really important key to growth in your quit. It's by helping others that we keep our own quits precious. If you find yourself in multiple quits, seeking help constantly, never quite moving forward, please take a good hard look at that. And stop hurting yourself.
