I have been the one. The one who quit for a week, a few days, whatever, and then picked up one cigarette and fell into the relapse game. I came here and talked about the relapse and then I fell off the face of the planet.
I was reading replies to a person who relapsed and one of them said "thank you for posting!" I thought that was so profound in a weird way. The relapser screwed up their courage and posted. They didn't disappear from EX. And they were thanked for that.
I want to add my thanks to relapsers who try again and again and again, and come here and talk about it. It is so brave to not internalize it all, to share with us, and to, believe it or not, strengthen my/our quits. By starting again, you're showing signs that you're gonna make it. You have not given up. You want to quit. You're flirting with smoking, but you'll show it to the curb before you know it. I believe in you!
I'm 44 days in and have quit numerous times before. I know what a relapse is and how tempting the urge to smoke can be. I also know that if I take even one puff, I'm a smoker again. And to tell the truth, I'm not sure I would have the wherewithal to come here and admit the relapse and ask for help.
So, yes, thank you for posting. You are doing both yourself and me a favor by doing so. And keep quitting!
Donna
Day 44
Hi DonnaMarie
Thanks for this blog! We are always glad when a relapser comes back to talk to us and maybe quit again. Nothing is gained by quitting, relapsing and just saying....forget it. Most of us are here to help people become forever quitters.
BUT----you will find that while we say...thanks for coming back.....we will sort of poke and prod (I guess it SEEMS like that ) to help the person understand why they relapsed in the first place. Because while we judge not....and while we welcome all.....it is a FACT that the more you relapse.....the more you relapse...... and the greater the chance is that at SOME point, you won't come back. So we really do try to get people to think about through what happened to trigger the relapse and what they are going to do if it happens again. Because without conscious thought.......you will stay in the gerbil wheel of quit/relapse/quit/relapse--------------- forever.