In our quits, I notice a huge variance in how much people "test the limits" of their quits. Some, I've noticed, baby their quits and don't take their quits into dangerous situations. Others, like myself, tend to push the envelope a little bit more. I mean, on day 6 of my first quit in June of last year, I went to a concert with a smoker where just about everyone around me was smoking and I was fine and didn't smoke. But, it was a pretty tempting situation, nonetheless. I personally don't want to feel like I'm denying myself anything by quitting and by not going into tempting situations, I would be missing out on life a little bit. However, I completely see the purpose of babying your quit for a while, and to be honest, after my third and final screw up, I have babied my quit a WHOLE lot up until recently and I'm just now feeling comfortable testing the limits again. But, to be honest, for the last 8 months, I have sort of felt like I have put my life on hold until my quit was secure enough to go places where I might smoke and I'm glad I did that to a certain degree, but I also feel like I've been missing out on life because of it, but at the same time, it was worth it.
So, I'd like to start a (friendly) debate to get some views on the subject of pushing the envelope and testing the limits of the quit. Here are some questions I have.
1. If you are the type of person who pushes the envelope a bit, what has your success rate been? Have you had any slip ups because of it? Also, what situations, if any, are completely off limits?
2. If you are NOT the type of person who tests the limits, how long did you wait (or if you're still waiting, then how long do you anticipate waiting) before going into tempting situations?
Crave the Quit!
Pam
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 248
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,217
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1024.24
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 8 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22