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Giving yourself permission to smoke again after you’ve quit can be worse for you than the actual physical act of smoking (bear with me here). The choice & permission given to smoke again really hurts us and may begin the relapse cycle many find themselves in. I recently saw a post from someone who had been quit a month, smoked “just a few”, and then immediately got back on the quit train. The comment made was surprise that it was just as hard if not even harder to not smoke again thinking that since he had been quit for a month and only had a few and quit again right away that it would be easier. First, I say congrats to this person for getting right back on his quit without allowing more smoking time to pass. It’s been my experience & what I’ve seen that many who relapse after being quit for a good bit of time (6 mos to a year or more) usually take longer to quit again than the actual time they had been quit. Again, it’s the permission you give yourself to smoke one (or a few) that can cause the most harm to you. This was certainly true for myself. I had a previous quit of a year and a half but when I went back to smoking I smoked for a little bit longer than I had been smoke free (one year 10 months) before I quit again. Once you give yourself permission to smoke you may be thinking I can always quit again. You may be telling yourself that you just want to “enjoy” smoking a little while longer. That little while often turns into a lot of time smoking again. I didn’t really appreciate my first quit. When I gave myself permission to have one it opened my “permissions” gate to eventually have another one (& then another & another). I fell back into the addiction trap of believing that I enjoyed it, could always quit again & that I could control the amount I smoked. I never really thought of myself as an addict back then. The problem was the permission I gave myself. Smoking is not just a bad habit, it’s an addiction. The only way to control “it” is to not feed it until it becomes dormant. The only way for it to stay dormant is to never have another one again to be guaranteed 100% of no relapse. I call it Adulting 101. Tell yourself “No” or “NOPE” out loud. Don’t give yourself permission for the first one. You know what it will lead to so don’t do it. Quitting again does not necessarily get easier with addictions because its the previous permission(s) you gave yourself that can make it harder to say no to yourself again. It’s up to you to parent yourself. Tell yourself no and mean it. (I wrote this for a different community on 3-21-19. It's lesson still holds true today. It would never be "just one" for me. I'll keep my addiction dormant ... forever.)3 points
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@SD2026 Smoking in "moderation" for the long term never worked for me and seldom does for anyone. Cigarettes travel in packs. That's why it's called an addiction. You're doing great. Keep it up!2 points
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It makes sense and the above reminds me that I initially was going to just cut back for a while at first but I think I was probably trying to stall my actual quit really. I'm glad I didn't as I probably would still be smoking now, fewer cigarettes but still smoking. I know that if I had one now that would be it for me. Thanks for posting this!2 points
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Gday Im a nicotine addict …. Fact Im only a puff away from a twenty a day habit…. Fact Not smoking for over 10 years is no get out of jail free ticket either Cause I’m not in jail! Im free And I’m staying that way1 point
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Hi @Grotesque (Marisol)! Quitting IS life changing and that's for the better. Transitioning from smoker to non-smoker makes clear how we really should be living our lives rather than being a slave to nicotine day in & day out. It's hard to see that before quitting; I know because I was where you are a little over 9 years ago. Life becomes much clearer once you've quit. Quitting's not easy for any of us but it IS possible and being around others who've quit makes things so much better ... believe me! Hope you set a date and stick around so we can support you though your journey As you contemplate quitting, do read some articles scattered around the dite. Watch some of the quit smoking videos in the video section. That may help to precondition your mind toward quitting. You have nothing to lose but an extremely harmful & expensive addiction!1 point
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Education was my personal ticket to freedom from smoking. I encourage you to do your homework. Study up on nicotine & addiction (& Big Tobacco) as if you are studying for a test. Find the factual things that you can no longer ignore or stomach that collectively sends you over the cliff into your own personal “No Way, No More Smoking Land”. Work to change what smoking means to you. See smoking for what it really is. It is control over our time, our focus, our money . . . our life. Even our activities & who we hung out with was influenced by our smoking. Get yourself free from the smoke screen & do whatever it takes for you to walk away from it … forever. Freedom from active nicotine addiction is so awesome!!! I hope you get free of the chain of addiction sooner rather than later. Best Wishes.1 point
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Huge Congratulations on your 32 days not poisoning yourself . Your still very early in your Quit, your body is going through some massive changes Time … the longer you put nicotine behind you , the better it gets Feel very proud , your doing what every smoker deep done would love to do Upwards and Onwards1 point
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