..."I slipped..."

August 8, 2011 by Julia Amy  

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Seems so innocuous a statement, doesn't it?  We all fall down in life, right?  But as a "serial quitter" myself, I cringe every time I see it written here.  After reading it so many times, I realize why; slipping is not without adverse consequences.  It doesn't have to be fatal, its true, however I suspect it often is.  How many times do you suppose the average person who dies from the affects of smoking had quit but then "slipped" into smoking him/herself to death?  But even if that (dear God please) is not the case, when people slip they've just made the addiction a tiny bit harder to fight, they've reinforced it's strength and undermined their own self-esteem and belief in themselves. My first attempt was 20 yrs ago.  I smoked 17 extra years after not smoking for a year 3 different times. Each time, I merely slipped mind you.  Who quits smoking and then says: "I'm going to smoke a pack a day again now"?  Isn't it always "just one....just for today, just for this party, just for now...." ?  You really want to roll the dice on whether or not you'll really quit in time?  Every time you slip you make it harder for a "forever quit" to happen. Or let's be adults, worse, much worse.  This is serious business, don't trivialize it .  Don't allow the addict inside minimize it, see it for what it is, a dangerous gamble.