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Forum Update

Who's in Charge?

cpk

Quit Date: 02/04/2015

 

Posted March 28, 2015 · IP 

When you were a smoker trying to quit did you sometimes wish you could buy "just one"?

 

In my town a few stores used to sell single cigarettes. The singles they sold were stinky and stale and expensive, and it was like the tobacco industry was laughing in your face like "gotcha!" you will even buy a stale cigarette. What's next?, picking butts up out of the gutter?

 

Sure, you can bum one. But then when you get home, and it's late, and the demon's awake? Then who's in charge?

 

When you relapsed, do you remember thinking, "I wish I didn't have to buy a whole pack... I only wanted one, or two." ?

 

When you relapsed, do you remember thinking, "I just bought this pack today and it's full. I'll quit tomorrow..." ?

 

When you relapsed, did you find a crushed up cigarette pack in a pocket, with one or two left ? Do you remember your jolt of pleasure?

 

The tobacco industry knows. It knows it's in charge because you are the addict.

 

That pack of 20 -- those industry devils must have had it figured out --- the average amount in a day's supply for the addict. A smoke or a couple every hour, just enough to keep the fire stoked...

 

Hell, if smokes were sold as singles...you might have to work harder to get from one smoke to the next...there might be time...to THINK.

 

The tobacco industry doesn't want thinking smokers on its hands. It wants addicts.

 

It's a powerful thing to quit. It's a powerful thing to wake up in the morning and feel deep down inside, "I'm in charge. I drive the bus. I say what I do with my time today. I spend money on things I like today. I am a free person today."

 

The tobacco industry devils aren't going anywhere. They are at the edge of the parking lot, with their brass knuckles on, blowing smoke downwind, towards you. They want you addicted. They don't want to politely offer you "just one" --- they want you addicted to one times a billion+. When you're dead they will step over your body and stalk the next victim.

 

So, who's in charge of YOUR WORLD today???

 

Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/4925-whos-in-charge/

 

Edited by jillar

8 Comments

Recommended Comments

Gus

Members

Me! Me! Me! That would be me! I am in charge today! Nicotine has no power over me ever again! 

 

Linda

Members

Wow I can relate to that in my many attempts to quit lol

honestly...even tho i've been quit for a few weeks, the cigs are still in control.  I'm still an abstaining smoker.  Most of my thoughts are dominated by the quit but that's okay.  it has to be this way.  my quit is a garden and right now it's full of weeds so it's going to take all my focus and effort to get all the weeds pulled.  then once all the weeds are pulled it's going to take daily monitoring for new sprouts of weeds so i can dig down and find the roots.  later it will take weekly monitoring for more weed sprouts so i can dig down further and get the rest of the roots.  and then when i've gotten all the roots out and all the weeds are gone and there are only beautiful blooming flowers in my quit garden i still have to be vigilant in monitoring for weeds cause seeds will blow in on the wind from who knows where and they will pop up when and where i least expect them.  but that is life.  the garden, whatever it is be it quitting smoking or playing piano, must be tended.  to do otherwise is to stop living.

thanks. @jillar i try to keep that in mind and hope it's the one that'll get me past the unceasing cravings.  do you recall roughly how long it was before you actually felt like you were over it? I quit once for about 4 years but it's been 26 or 27 years since i started back again and i've no recollection of how or what i did to get through it.  i only know what the trigger was to start me back which is highly unlikely to happen again.

@intoxicated yoda, it took me my whole first year. It was the same as if there was a death in my family. That's why I stuck close to my support. We even have a one year pledge pinned to the top of the main forum. We smoked for a lot of years so there's just no way that we can be over it even in a years time because there will always be "firsts" that will test you but the beauty is that they are much easier to swat away then when we first quit😊

i can't do a year....but i can do tomorrow.  😜

see yas tomorrow!!  and thanks for the chat.  i helped far more than you know.

Kris

Members

Just found this thread. I am in charge.  May not like it but I have go do it. I have to be in charge but there are days when I want to say take care of that, I am going to take a nap.  It is kind of funny I found this,  I have been having trouble with my middle child (dog).  He thinks he is entitled to get food aggresive behavior and throws a fit, I mean ugly with teeth out and barking and going at the 80# chow who does not respond.  It is not acceptable, so I grab him and put my hand around his mouth an I tell him I am in charge, I put his food bowl up on the table. He is learning he can't have his bowl until he stops.  I yell at him in my meanest voice that I am in charge and he stops.  Am I doing the right thing? I know you are you are talking about my quit and I am in charge of that but to to take care of that I have to be in charge of all areas of my life.

K

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