This is my first quit, and I intend for it to be my last. I have thoughts about smoking about every 4 days now. (As willis pointed out some time ago, these are not really craves, since nicotine has been physically out of my system for a long time now.) My thoughts of smoking usually consist if a very brief desire to take in a drag, which I manage by taking a deep breath. Usually that is all that it takes.
However, there is an occasional thought that I think is a bit dangerous to be knocking around in my head. It stems from curiosity. I am curious about what it would feel like to actually smoke at this point in time. I am also curious as to how exactly one cigarette leads to a full relapse. I have read how this works in Freedom From Nicotine. However, it is more a technical description of how physical addiction to nicotine works. What I want to know is how that process works in an individual. How does one go from just having a puff or a cigarette to being right back to the pack or two pack a day habit?
Peoples' stories here will be beneficial for me as cautionary tales. Curiosity is what got me into this smoking mess to begin with. So I'm hoping that people can help me to satisfy that curiosity vicariously this time. Hopefully, it will be helpful for some people to relate their relapse stories as a reminder for themselves, too.
