Relapsing

[PorkandPancakes]

There have been a few relapses lately on the train and it's got me to thinking. I read somewhere that the SOS doesn't help. I don't think it's that simple. There seems to be 2 types of SOS. There are those that don't want to smoke. Then there are those that have already decided that they will. The ones that don't want to will post an SOS because they recognise the warning signs but the very fact they posted means they chose not to smoke already. But the ones who don't are in danger. They don't SOS because. They already chose to smoke.

 

For those that have relapsed, I think they would all admit (after some soul searching or honesty) that they lost their quit a while before they smoked. They allowed the addict to start talking. So I urge everyone, any lurkers, newbies, anyone who feels even slightly unstable in their quit to read this and take heed. You are responsible for your quit. You need to examine your attitude towards cigarettes. Remind yourself of how smoking really made you feel. Can you remember the disappointment in yourself when you failed to give up each day? What about the breathlessness? The smell? The way your day is dedicated to the next smoke?

 

Sure, maybe you want that 'hit'. But what is that hit? It's your drug addict self taking a drag on a death stick. It's one step closer to losing your feet. Or getting lung cancer. Or death.

 

I don't want to upset anyone but I would rather shout loud to remind people what you're actually messing with in the hope that maybe just one person will heed the warning and take steps.

 

Romancing the cig will get you nowhere and quite frankly it's bulls**t. It's not romantic. It's just your next hit. It doesn't de-stress you. It creates the stress in the first place. Anytime you get these thoughts. Shut them down. No brain. We don't smoke. We don't WANT to smoke. We CHOOSE not to smoke.

 

I don't know how to be clearer on this. If you continue to fight yourself. If you allow the internal dialogue, then your quit is not safe. You are just a smoker that abstains from smoking. It's you that needs to change. Change those thoughts. Open your eyes and ears to the realities of smoking. It's safe to do this now because you quit. You don't have to keep up the fences that we all put up while we smoke. You don't have to pretend not to care about the effects. You don't need to tell the tale of your 90 year old uncle who smoked his whole life. You can be honest now. Do it to save your life. Please. I don't like watching people jumping off the train. You knows there's nothing down there really! Say it with me.....,

 

NOPE!!

[PorkandPancakes]

Damn, I meant to post this in the main quit smoking board. Babs or MQ, is there any chance you could move it please??

[beacon]

I'll point out that once you quit, smoking again will not be the same. After a few days the physical addiction is gone and the mental craves and habits take over. So, if you smoke, it will not feel good. It will taste gross and will not scratch the mental itch.  Instead you will feel disappointed that you have crushed your own spirit, the real inner you who knows that you are better than someone who is addicted to a plant treated with cancer causing chemicals.