Christian99
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Your comments resonate with me, Michelle, and remind me of how I felt during my failed quits of the late 90's and early 00's. In my case, I decided to change my approach pretty dramatically as a result. I decided that I needed an alternative--something that, when those inevitable moments of weakness and vulnerability emerged, there'd be a final line of defense to protect me and my quit. For me, that was my new health and fitness persona: thus, when I started my new (and final, lifetime) quit, I made substantial changes to diet and exercise. This gave me positive things on which to focus and do, and, crucially, when I had those inevitable moments when the quit was in jeopardy, the act of smoking just seemed fundamentally inconsistent with this new persona I was cultivating. And this new persona mattered to me. I'll admit that it was a big commitment (daily exercise, whole new diet), but I'm pretty convinced that this approach was crucial in my being able to maintain the quit in that critical first year or so.
That was just my approach; the broader point I'd make is that if you've had serial failures, consider doing something very, very different. It worked for me.
Christian99
17 1/2 Years Quit
- 2
OK so THAT didn't go as planned
in Michelle's No Smoking Blog
A blog by MichelleDoesntSmokeAnymore in General
Posted
I wish you nothing but success in this crucial, life-affirming and life-saving enterprise.
As you proceed, just be careful that you're not confusing your plans to quit and lessons learned from failed quits with actual abstinence and real success. I've seen people over the years sort of trick themselves into thinking they're making progress simply because they're able to talk about why they failed. I'm not suggesting that's the case here (as only you can make that determination, ultimately), but success in this endeavor is finally about being and staying completely smoke-free: that is the only criterion that really matters.
Christian99
17 1/2 Years Quit