Here I am at the end of day three and i smoked..i feel such a sence of regret now that im done. There goes my three days. I ahould have kept the patch on longer
Here I am at the end of day three and i smoked..i feel such a sence of regret now that im done. There goes my three days. I ahould have kept the patch on longer
Glad you came and told us...better to come before you smoke and let us try and talk you out of smoking. You can start over...have you rid all smoking paraphernalia...? How were you able to smoke ...? If you haven’t already, please read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX where you will gain knowledge about the quit and preparation. It is more than your patch. It is working hard for this quit...and keeping close to here for support...We are all in this together...so get reading...and you will be a quitter in no time...~ Colleen 184 DOF
You're not alone. There's only ONE person I know on here who quit only once. And I think that's Youngatheart.7.4.12 The rest of us mortals had to do it over and over - and over - until we finally 'wised up.'
We ALWAYS regret putting that next cigarette in our mouths. But we will continue to do so (because this addiction is so strong) until we FINALLY decide that we want no more regrets. When the desire to remain smoke-free becomes greater than the desire to smoke - we will have found our everlasting Freedom. Note that I didn't say "when we want to quit more than we want to smoke."
So why didn't you keep the patch on? Why didn't you follow the instructions given about how long to use it? Or maybe you did and I'm asking the wrong question. But if you think you should have kept the patch on longer - lesson learned, right? Three days and you could have had a day 4 tomorrow. So? Jump right back on the horse into your quit. DON'T WAIT! That saddle gets cold really quickly and a momentary slip can become another lifetime of smoking. No kidding. You've got to immediately get back to your quit. (MOO - my opinion only). Slap the patch on again and start from scratch. Take what you've learned and move forward. Continuing to smoke is going backward. You can do this. You just have to keep at it with AVIDITY! Come on. Say "YES I CAN." Write it on a sticky note and put it it in front of your face. Hey, maybe write it backwards and stick it on your forehead and look at yourself in the mirror. (Psssst - gotta keep a sense humor about it all. It helps!)
At least it was only three days...although I am sure that doesn't make you feel better. You know what happened, what went wrong. You CAN do this. It isn't easy but it is POSSIBLE!
Giulia I believe jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 quit on his first try.
Dale - true??? Sorry if I got it wrong. Whomever quit on your first try SPEAK UP! We need to shout you out to the community!
Yes, I quit the first time and I attribute it to my month's preparation of saying "I'm going to wait a little while longer" every time I thought of smoking.
After 4 weeks, I was down to 5 a day and I had proven to myself I didn't need to smoke just because I thought I did.
It was at that point I bought my final pack and I set a date for the day after New Years, 4 days away. (5 a day)
The first 2 weeks I spent playing guitar at a friends house 10 hours a day. (dopamine) We had a little game that made each day new. He'd put on a cd of every different style of music, from country to rap, and I would play guitar along with it.
The 12th day when I had forgotten to use the patch 2 days in a row, I stopped using the patches.
That night, I joined an online quit smoking group like this and learned what I brought with me. I had been quit 18 months at that point.
It is so ok. Dust yourself off when your ready, and begin anew!
it takes courage to come here, and then admit, you smoked.
Bravo!
Conquer the Craving - in one minute or less
j.deer3090 Glad you came back! Pretty great group of people. They're here for you!
Mark
EX Community Manager
jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007, Beck37 So you both are one-time winners! How 'bout THAT! Wish I'd remained free back when I was 21 and had a year under my belt. Kudos and more power to ya!
I've quit several times. Once for a year. Just keep quitting until you get to the final one. What put me on top was finally admitting deep down that I was addicted and couldn't quit by myself. I researched a lot, read a lot, found this site, made my plan and used it. So far so good.
Stay strong. Dust off and try again. You'll get there.
Don't beat yourself up- but do look at your why. What was the trigger you couldn't deny? Did you have smokes on hand or did you have to go get them? If you examine this, I think you'll find you weren't thoroughly prepared but you can be for your next quit!
Did you get The Easyway to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr? You should pick that up, read to the end and then try your quit again.
Don't beat yourself up. I was in your place and felt the same way. it took me 4 times to quit and as the saying goes, 'if at first you don't succeed try, try again'. Not everyone will be successful the first time. Just like everything else in life you have to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally.
Take a step back and write down why you picked up that cigarette and next to it write down why you are Going To Quit. When you take that step again and feel the urge read what you have written.
Also, purge your surroundings of all cigarette related objects; ash trays, lighters, matches, etc. Have your car detailed and your teeth cleaned. Yell out to everyone you are quitting smoking and ask for their support and definitely come back here for help and encouragement.
I am now one month shy of my first year as a non smoker and let me tell you, it's an incredible journey as you gain control of your life. I cannot tell you all the amazing changes I've experienced so far. People have said my skin looks so healthy, my smile is bright and I no longer smell like stale cigarettes. I'm sleeping much better, have more energy and food tastes incredible.
Restart your clock, take a step back and See the future you Will have. It's amazing and We are All here for you and will take the journey with you Together.
Thank you so much for sharing your courage and self honesty - No worries - I quit and smoked again - and came right back here - to begin again. - feelings come and go - FACT - you may choose to start now - new day now - gentle hug ❤