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Starting Over in No Man's Land

MByrd1002
Member
3 19 368

"Who wants to go through withdrawal again?" I think to myself as I reach for it. My husband left his out on his desk, and the temptation while cleaning on a Saturday was intense. Surprisingly intense. He'd lost his job yesterday, and I knew money was going to be tight again. Too tight. Trying to combat the thought, I took my dog on a walk and sliced an apple for a snack. It was still calling to me. 

"Stop romancing that thing. It's death." The exercise hadn't taken away my thoughts on that solitary item on his desk in the basement. 

Try as I might, the hard cleaning, laundry, crocheting, hot cocoa, and chewing gum I had used successfully for 3 months wasn't cutting it. I sat on the stairs to the basement and lit up with my contraband nicotine. Eating apple slices and reading on my phone, I destroyed my first quit with a few puffs. 

Bracing for the headaches and nausea. Again. 

Drinking decaf tea to combat the insomnia. Again. 

Trust me. If you're in No Man's Land, don't throw away your hard work over a single weak moment. 

If you do, you'll just have to go through withdrawal and start over. 

So, here we are.

Day 3.

Again. 

19 Comments
YoungAtHeart
Member

Sucks, big time, I know - I hope this will be a warning to all those reading it how easy it is to lapse, and how lousy it feels!

SO glad you are getting right back at it.

You might write down exactly how that cigarette tasted and felt.  I don't think it was anything like the last one you smoked three months ago - right?  Did it burn your throat, hurt your chest, and did you almost hork up a lung?  Hope so - it's easy to romance the IDEA of a cigarette....but the reality doesn't measure up anymore (at least I HOPE it didn't!).

The one thing I didn't see that you tried was writing a blog here asking for help.  Next time it gets tough, maybe that's another thing to try?!

Good to have you back with us!

Nancy

Maki
Member

So sorry you are having to start your journey over again . (Tag ) but really you are not .... it's now part of your journey . Turn the page . 


No Mans Land (Tag) seems to be becoming more of an excuse to smoke these days ( just my opinion) rather than recognizing it might or might not be where you are at all .

Choosing to smoke is just that . Choice . The only way out of this addiction is not to give in .... again .

No urge is that strong we can't beat it . We have to think that way , believe it , and find a way through it . No stituation we are in is a good enough reason to entertain or glorify smoking . Its not a romance . Smoking cares not how much you smoke just that you stay addicted . Smoking is deadly , it's an epidemic we have control over personally in our own lives . 

I am hoping in the next page of your blog will have a happy start and the completion of the book will have a happy ending . (Tag ) rooting for you . 

I'm pretty new here so I don't know you . I hope I haven't overstepped  my boundary . I say these things because you are of value and worth the freedom  from this nasty addiction .  I went to look at your profile but it's empty with no quit date so I still don't know your quit history. Because there  is no quit date I would urge you to Continue your quit again as soon as possible . (Tag)  , start over . (Tag) quit nicotine , quit smoking , quit addiction . 

Post before you smoke ,  share that part of the story first so  others can help you through .... its helping others too . We are in this together . Posting  saved my quit every time . 

Best wishes 

Journeying together one and all . 

MartyO
Member

I know the shame of relapse...

Don't dwell in it.  

Learn from it and move forward!

YOU GOT THIS!

-marty

Cousin-Itt
Member

Sorry to hear about your husbands job. Sorry you had to restart but glad you restarted

I am a true believer in a couple of things.

Post and ask for help when you are craving and wait for 3 responses before doing anything

Secondly Do the daily pledge. Make that pledge make a promise to yourself to stay smoke free just for today 

after 1,309 days I still pledge almost every morning.  I promise / give my word to myself  I won't smoke Today

Just my opinion

Carl

SuzyQ411
Member

I have been where you are MByrd1002‌ and have felt the shame, as well as self-disappointment. But I am back and now 63 days into my final quit. Hang in there. Hang On. Pay attention to Maki's post; follow her suggestions and you will be well on your way in your "rebound quit."  Also if you care to read it, here is the story of my recent relapse:

RELAPSE SUCKS

~ Suzy

MByrd1002
Member

Hey Maki, 

Appreciate your comments! Wasn't expecting anyone to reply and just wrote to vent it out. When my husband and I got married almost 3 years ago, he switched from smoking to vaping. A year in, I tried vaping and was hooked. Now, we're planning on having children, and my goal is to quit to give my babies a fighting chance and the healthiest mama they can get. It's been 3 months (and I didn't do quit aids 'cause I'm worried I'll just switch one addiction for another like my husband).

The texts and reading posts from this website have been lifesaving, but I've never interacted with anyone before. 

Cheers friends. 

MByrd1002
Member

I like the idea of promising myself every morning. For the most part, I got through 3 months by telling myself we weren't smoking today. Day after Day. 

MByrd1002
Member

SuzyQ411‌ Relapse does suck! Especially cause the physical symptoms were mostly gone, and I'm worried they're going to come back and kick my ass. My brother in law is 3 weeks into his quit, and it's been good having someone to talk to who gets it. I sent him a blog post from this website, and I finally got up the guts to post. 

Mike.n.Atlanta

Attagirl MByrd1002‌. Get back on that horse with a lesson learned.

Mn@ 001.jpg

sweetplt
Member

Ah so sorry...just so happy you are back in the journey...Keep close to us ... we are here to help...~ Colleen 462 DOF 

OldBones-Larry

MByrd1002‌ it happens to many. 

At 90 days you are right in the middle of Relapse Rocks in NML.

Desolation Point is right there and many have fallen over the edge.

You can make it past this point with planning and your tools.

You know how to do this now. Plan for the next time you are faced with this situation and you can get past it.

Larry

MByrd1002
Member

This comment almost made me cry. "Attagirl" reminds me of my grandfather who, unfortunately, passed away of cancer. Thank you for your encouragement. 

SuzyQ411
Member

I was able to return to the quit within two weeks. Hope you will get back into the groove fast as I understand the longer you wait the harder it is to build up the momentum. Best wishes~ Suzy

elvan
Member

SO SORRY, please stay close to the site and come here before you light up...give us a chance to remind you to read what you just wrote.

Ellen

MByrd1002
Member

Got right back on the horse. Why stay down there when I'm going to have to climb back out again? 63 days is halfway to my 130 day goal. (Read that 130 days without nicotine retrains your brain through seasons and stress that you handle life w/o nicotine now.) 

You got this! 

MByrd1002
Member

Thank you all for your encouragement. We all will have a wonderful, nicotine-free day! #rooting for you

Barbscloud
Member

Sorry to hear that, but glad you're back on track.  Be prepared!   Reach out before your smoke.  We're here to support you.

Barb

maryfreecig
Member

Stick with Ex. It's a sure fire way to stay tuned in to what you really want. And Exers will of course respond!!! Yes you can, one day at a time.

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

MByrd1002‌ Congrats on getting back to it. Be sure to check out How do I get my quit date to show on the community?‌ to resync your new quit date.

Mark
EX Community Manager