Will it always be in the back of your mind to constantly think of smoking? Will these thoughts seem to disappear as quickly as they came? Will they hit you like a ton of bricks one day out of the clear blue? When will you never think of smoking again? All these questions can be answered on your own, because you made your life story when you began smoking.
I know in my case I had to devise a plan beforehand, a map, so to speak, on how I was going to go about quitting. I gathered as much information as I could beforehand even before I came to this site. I took a peek at other quit smoking sites. Some wouldn't let you join unless you went cold turkey and others were just gimmicks to purchase their latest and greatest answer to quitting. I stuck around this site because it dealt with smokers helping other smokers. Of course, it being free was just another added perk.
Being encouraged to journal and keep tabs on my progress in my case was essential. Going back in the pages of others' journal entries helped a great deal because I saw myself in most of what I was reading. Again I stuck around because I needed to help others that came behind me. There was a few hiccups along the way. Some misinterpretations of words and actions, but it was always a learning experience. How all of our moods ebbed and flowed and emptied into the larger pool of members.
Do I think having a few puffs is going to have you back to where you started? I think in your first year or two, it most certainly might. You're still creating new memories of your nonsmoking life replacing those of your smoking memories. There will be many more after a few years that will pop up, but they will be less powerful and more distant than they were when you first quit. Throughout your quitting process, you have developed new coping strategies rather than reaching for that cigarette.
If you are just starting out, fill out the section of tracking your cigarettes, Track Your Tobacco and Identify Your Triggers | BecomeAnEX and see your most prevalent times of lighting up. Start understanding this habit you have acquired and the whys and whens. We all have different theories, different philosophies, different opinions of what is the correct way to quit. We all have the same goal in mind, helping you quit and keeping you that way. Helping you see the monkey for what it is and keeping it away for good. Follow the steps, ask for help, search for answers to your questions by using the magnifying glass. Quitting can be done. You just have to understand it and want to stick with it.
