Stupid
Hi I am back. Annoyed with myself, managed to stay quit for quite a while. Then slipped had one, then another, you can guess the rest. I tried NRT patches again, they made me feel sick and quite strange. So today I have taken the patch off and back to the drawing board. I guess the positives are, for me , anyway _ Feel better going cold turkey, or, cold chicken. Now it’s back to the head space and trying again. Have missed you happiness, softly, and puff no more. Any advice, suggestions are welcome.
Hi Zen Calm
You don't have to be ashamed. Failing is also part of the process. It is not easy to get rid of an addiction after so many years of use. Don't forget that cigarette was part of your lifestyle so you need to adjust.
It's my third attempt. I quit for one month and then for 6 months. In both cases I slipped for a particular reason. Once at a party and the other time because of the stress at work.
I try to stay positive and focus on the benefits one instantly gets when quitting. I try also to accept this alarm bumping in my head sometimes saying "you need a cigarette, you need a cigarette !..." and then it passes.
My recommendation would be to also identify what triggered your relapse and then get ready to face these kind of situations without a cigarette.
That's what I did this time.
No drama here just get back to being free.
Try reading Allen Carr again and understand all that he is wanting you to absorb. Do not skim this book because it does work. The mindset is your biggest allie.
Why do you keep going back to patches when you know they make you feel unwell? Nicotine withdrawal is barely perceptible Allan says. I certainly didn't feel anything like expected from what I had heard. You started again because of the psychological dependence on smoking.
Were you unhappy while quit? Or were you getting so many cravings that life wasn't bearable? Could you not ignore them instead of starting a debate?
Perhaps you might try writing a list of pros and cons.
What did you not like about being a non-smoker and address that. Were you really unhappy you didn't smoke, or something else? Yourself?
Did taking that smoke make you feel better?
It only relieved a temporary want and now you may perceive that you have a permanent need.
We did not choose to smoke. We tried to quit and could not.....then made excuses.
We do not like to smoke, we like that smoking alleviates the craving.
Quitting nicotine should not be an issue for you. You only THINK you need a smoke. Change your way of thinking. We do not crave what we do not want.
I don't know if you check in to this forum on a regular basis, but I believe that that alone can help you to stay quit. Posting and helping support others is great too. It will make you feel good, raise your dopamine for that "HIt" you miss. It will make you feel proud and confident. You can do this. You are a fighter and here to win!
Hi there, lets focus on the bright side, you are here and you want to stop.. do you know why? Yes you know.. Do you know how? I bet that you know.. Take all circumstances as some kind of excusion, you are responsible how you chose to react to it.. That's great, because whatever happening to you, you can always pick up way without cigarettes.. Unfortunately, you need to make same decesion a many times until you will be free.. but you can do it.. one decision after other.. keep going.. :)