To follow on from Lady's post about slipping, I just wanted to add a really important point. Before I first came to the SSC in April last year, I had smoked for 13 years and had tried to give up maybe 4 or 5 times, never succeeding for more than a few days. I HAD GIVEN UP ON GIVING UP and that was what I used to say to people. It may sound silly to those of you who are so well researched and experienced, but I had never considered that in effect I had "fallen off the wagon" and could easily get back on it just by NOT lighting the next cigarette and continuing my attempt at becoming a non-smoker. I always felt like, "Oh dear, for whatever reason I failed, that makes me a smoker again." What I am trying to say is that after smoking the first cigarette of each "quit" attempt, I immediately put off the idea of quitting for a few years.
The SCC gave me hope as I finally looked at it in a different way: If you do "slip" it does not mean your quit has failed, it just means you have to keep going through the beginning bit until you do succeed. And it's easy to say with hindsight, but surely it would be easier to just go through those horrible first few hours, days, weeks without a cigarette ONCE rather than more times?!!!
I used to be a serial "slipper", even last year it took me 3 months til I succeeded. The Allen Carr book really helped me to see that I should celebrate losing an enemy rather than grieve the loss of a friend. It didn't work that way for the serial slipper I live with, but he has set a new quit date on 30th March - Katy I won't mention smoking to him this time, I know this is what he wants, we are so different in that way!!! Fingers crossed anyway.
Celia
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/6/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 252
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,794
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1638
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 9 [B]Seconds:[/B] 11
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Quit Meter
$100,509.20
Amount Saved
-
Quit Meter
Days: 4837
Hours: 9
Minutes: 14
Seconds: 2
Life Gained
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Quit Meter
45686
Smoke Free Days
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Quit Meter
182,744
Cigarettes Not Smoked
