Well here i am again. Was doing so well last year then fell back into smoking again and just haven't been able to quit again.

I have now decided enough is enough and have climbed aboard the quit train again. As from 5pm I have smoked last cigarette

Wish me luck

Hi again @Jane. Glad to have you back with us, to step off the “Misery Merry-Go-Round” for good.

Your “enough is enough” attitude is a great asset to bring to your quit. For me, I found the withdrawal symptoms became more manageable once I “found my fierce.” I eventually got fed up with having my mind (and time and health and budget) always hijacked by cravings for nicotine. That determination to break free was useful. So was this site. Staying in dialogue about the experience and staying accountable were both helpful.

Good luck with Day 1 - let us know how you do!

Wishing you the best but as you know "luck" has nothing to do with it. YOU are the deciding factor in your quit and stay quit. It's easy to smoke that first one and fall quickly back into the full fledged nicotine addiction trap again as many of us can attest.

I was one of those that found it hard to get back on the train and each attempt seemed to become harder and harder. I knew I needed something to switch on in my brain to stop the white knuckling and change my focus into my free choice of never going back to smoking. Being quit for 5 or 10 years and still thinking about wanting to smoke when seeing others smoke was not the future I wanted for myself. I wanted to feel gratitude and achieve peace in my smobriety.

I found the switch by reading and educating myself about nicotine addiction (the why, how, and what I could do to help myself) and then reading some more. Each time I read I took away a few words or thoughts that spoke to me and added them to my pile of "never wanting a smoke" and "never going back". Find your switch. Then it really doesn't matter how long it's been since we last smoked. All that matters is that it no longer is a want or option to anything in our life. We are then free. You can do it too.

Pledge daily (you don't break promises to yourself do you?). Post an SOS as needed and as often as you need to the community for help. Nobody says you have to do it alone. Use the community. "Best Wishes".

41 minutes ago, Minnie Mouse said:

Each time I read I took away a few words or thoughts that spoke to me and added them to my pile of "never wanting a smoke" and "never going back".

^^^ This is awesome advice for veterans, newcomers and everyone in between.

To this day, I still read a lot and engage on this forum because addiction is sneaky… it can creep into my subconscious way too easily and pounce when I am vulnerable. So I keep reinforcing my recovery.

How you doing @Jane ?

Your post seems to have been buried. Hoping this posting gives it visibility in the community.

@DenaliBlues You got this! And yes, as we help others we help ourselves.

Welcome back Jane

Sorry you decided to to smoke again.

Re read all the information here to refresh you mind on why quitting is so important

Take the daily pledge

Make the decision to never take another puff 🐸

Hi All.

Thanks for checking in with me yesterday minnie mouse. Not sure where yesterday went as kept myself busy with house work, been so hot all summer so haven't done any.

Not had one puff so still on correct path

Staying busy was a key part of my quitting success too, @Jane. Glad you are off to a great start and that Day 1 went by quickly! Onward and upward!

Edited Thursday at 03:31 AM4 days by DenaliBlues

@Jane Not one puff IS the correct and only path. Keep it up!

I encourage you to change your quit date so we can see at a glance your progress (and for you not to be reminded of the past cause you're never going back there).

Welcome back @Jane and you can totally do this! Stay close to this forum, check in every day if you can and pledge your daily NOPE!

Jane, something Minnie said here really stood out to me — the difference between white-knuckling it and reaching a point where not smoking actually feels like your own choice.

I wonder if that's one of the reasons quitting can feel so exhausting when we're constantly thinking, “I can't have a cigarette.” The cigarette is still occupying the centre of our attention, even while we're trying not to smoke it.

I've become really interested in looking slightly earlier than the craving itself. When the thought “I want a cigarette” appears, what was happening immediately before it? What feeling, thought or situation did your mind interpret as requiring a cigarette?

It seems like a tiny distinction, but I think there's a big difference between continually fighting the answer and beginning to notice how the cigarette became the answer in the first place.

Wishing you well with the new quit, Jane.