terrible day

[laura]

I have smoked I can't tell u how bad my day has been, I work 1-1 with a young lady who suffers from mild seizes and today she had a drop fit, we had to call an ambulance, I thought I was going to lose her. I was in shock I know smoking wasn't going to make the situation any better but I didn't care I'm still shaking now. Other than this I don't know what to say :-(

[Mastergardener]

(((((Laura))))))

Just climb back on board like me. I'll hold a hand out for you.

[Oneistoo]

Sorry about that, Laura. What a terrible ordeal. I had the same experience a few years ago with my mom when she had her first seizure. I thought she was minutes away from dying. I rode with her in the ambulance, and when they turned on the sirens I started to cry I was so shocked. 

 

Climb on the train again, Laura. Smoking won't help, but you already know that. It was horrible, but you are now an experience richer. If that makes any sense....

 

(((Laura)))

[El Bandito]

What a terrible shock Laura. I hope that the lady and you are both OK.

 

Smoking? Stoopid.

 

But you know that.

 

All done. Just get straight back on with quitting. Eyes front!

[laura]

I'm already be on. We are both on now thankyou

[laura]

Back on

[Doreensfree]

Aww Laura...yes a shock for sure....

Well done for jumping right back on....never give up...giving up.....

You can do it..

[BAT]

Glad your back onboard :)

[Nancy]

So sorry, Laura!  That must have been a terrifying experience.  Just be careful, because you addiction had been woken up and will try to convince you it is okay to have more...just for now.  In a similar situation, I gave up an eight month quit and it was 15 years later when I quit, again.   (((laura)))

[robert]

The Law of Addiction

"Administration of a drug to an addict will cause reestablishment
of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."

Smokers are often furious with me because they believe I caused them to go back to smoking.  Why do they think this?  Well, I have this nasty habit of making a really big deal any time a clinic participant takes one puff or maybe just a few cigarettes.  The smoker feels I am so persuasive in my arguments that he has no choice but to have a full-fledged relapse.  In his opinion, I forced him back to the lifetime dependency which will impair his health and may eventually cost him his life.  He is convinced that if I had not made such a major issue out of the incident, he would just have smoked that one time and would never have done it again.  How can I sleep each night knowing what I have done?

I sleep quite well, thank you.  For, you see, I am not responsible for these people's relapses to cigarettes.  They can take full credit for becoming smokers again.  They relapsed because they broke the one major law of nicotine addiction - they took a puff.  This is not my law.  I am not setting myself up to be judge, jury, and executioner.  The law of physiological addiction states that administration of a drug to an addict will cause reestablishment of the dependence on that substance.  I didn't write that law.  I don't execute that law.  My job is much simpler than that.  All I do is interpret the law.  This means, by taking a puff, the smoker either goes back to full-fledged smoking or goes through the withdrawal process associated with quitting.  Most don't opt for the withdrawal.

Every clinic has a number of participants who have quit in the past for one year or longer.  In fact, I had one clinic participant who had stopped for a period of 24 years before he relapsed.  He never heard that such a law existed, that even after 24 years, the ex-smoker is not totally freed from his imprisonment of addiction.  He didn't understand that the day he tossed his "last" cigarette, he was placed "on probation" for the rest of his life.  But ignorance of the law is not excusable - not the way the laws of a physiological nature are written.  By the American standards of justice, this seems to be cruel and unusual punishment.  But this is the way things are.

Maybe instead of going to a smoking clinic, a recently relapsed person should contact his attorney to plead his case of why he should be able to have an occasional cigarette when he desires.  Maybe he can cheat just once, get a sympathetic jury, be judged innocent, and walk out of the courtroom a free and independent person.  Surely, in pleading his case before twelve impartial people, he will probably have no problem convincing them that he is innocent of any wrongdoing.  And, as he happily walks out of court a free and independent person, he will probably have an uncontrollable urge and then light a cigarette.

Don't look for loopholes in the law of addiction.  You will be convicting yourself back to smoking.  While it may seem harsh and unfair, to many, smoking is a crime punishable by death.  Don't try to cheat the system - NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

Joel

© Joel Spitzer 1988

[babs609]

oh Laura...I am so sorry about the girl and hope she will be ok....but if you don't have an alternate plan for when things get tough again..then you are at risk of relapsing in the future.  Because life is always happening...the good, the bad, and the ugly.  For smokers and non-smokers. 

Think about it....if you were never a smoker in your whole life..and this same situation occured...do you think you would have grabbed a cigarette?  NO WAY..that would be absurd....non smokers do not think about smoking..ever.  Even if faced with the worst , most horrific event in their life...they still won't grab a smoke.  Why?  Because they aren't addicted and don't believe a puff of a cigarette will help them.  They are right.  It won't help them...it won't help you.   Tastes like poop and makes you cough...and if it did anything for you it only distracted you.  It's an illusion that it will ever do anything for you.

 

Glad that you came back here and back on board...........now you know what relapse feels like...so you never have to feel it again cause the feeling it brings won't change..  RELAPSE SUCKS!  It does NOW...it will in a week from now...a month from now....and many years from now...and all it takes is one puff. 

[Still winning]

Aw Laura, horrid to hear, what an awful day.

 

Sorry you thought smoking might help too. It's never the answer.

 

Sugary tea helps shock far better and less harmful love.

 

Pleased you're back on.  

 

Massive hugs, truly does sound very hard.

 

x

[ChRiSpY]

Dear Laura,

 

Shitty stuff happens to everyone.  You are only human.  Make a plan for what you will do next time something shitty happens.

 

Get up...dust yourself off and remember how bad you feel about smoking.  

 

Onward and forward only... no more backwards nonsense.

 

Keep on keepin on.

[Rob]

What a horrible day. Hope you feel better now.

[JackiMac]

Hi Laura sorry to hear you had a horrible day and glad the lady is ok.  As you know smoking will not change the situation, it would not have made what happened any different, I have fallen off the train twice over the last year yes the addiction stinks, relapse is awful, but we need to learn to be stronger than the pull than the crave than the belief that "just one" will be ok, because it is all lies.  well done for recognising that and for jumping back on, we are all here to help and support you Laura big deep breaths and big hugs coming your way xxx  

[Runfree]

You know what Laura?  We're both so new to this and what you went through today scares the sh*t out of me because it can happen to me too, so easily (meaning the high stress/smoking pattern).  I am SO glad to know you're willing to get back on the quit path and not let this slip define your future.  You already have knowledge, tools and you have a huge group of people to turn to so....find the groove in the path that you've already started to carve and move forward.

 

Loved what Babs wrote...going to have to come back and read that one a few times.  You can join me back in the wide-eyed, what the hell is happening newbie car if you'd like.  Kinda bumpy back here but people check on us so it's all good. :)

[SanDar]

Sorry you've had such a crappy day. 

You've been given some good advice Laura.

Just keep hanging on and don't ever give up. 

You can do it! 

[laura]

Thanks for your support - I was at a vulnerable stage and one of the girls I work with said you need a fag. I should of realised there and then I just needed a hug but no I decided to smoke my choice, no excuse I was in shock. I feel cap obviously as it was just the other day I felt confident with my quit.

someone said it takes failed attempts to make your quit srong. I know now if this happens again which is likely I will be stronger and prepared for the seizer and to not smoke.

[laura]

My sister took me out this evening for a meal in London then a show made in Dagenham, so that has cheered me up.

The girl I look after is fine thanks for caring x

[MarylandQuitter]

Glad all is well with the young lady you work with.  Please be watchful over your quit right now because like Nancy and babs said, "you woke up the addiction".  "...now you know what relapse feels like...so you never have to feel it again cause the feeling it brings won't change.."

 

You do realize there are only a couple of good reasons for relapsing, right?

 

Good Reasons To Take A Puff On A Cigarette After Having Quit Smoking

For people who think that there are no good reasons to take a puff on a cigarette after quitting, and more importantly, for people who think that there might actually be good reasons.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvHl-zwUdBo

[Gabby]

Dust yourself off and hop back on

[Pippa]

(((Laura))) - so sorry you had such a horrible day - but happy you are back on board - we are all here for support of you need it :-)

[laura]

Defiantly woke up the nicotine monster, woke up craving.

[Nicole Diver]

Defiantly woke up the nicotine monster, woke up craving.

Hang in there! We are here for you through this. Reading or watching YouTube vids on the addiction helps when a craving hits

[laura]

Struggling :-(