treepeo
832 posts
Registered:
29 Nov 2017
08 Dec 2017
Link to this post
Hi franny,
I am glad that you got rid of the rest of your cigarettes. You quit for a week, so you already know that you have what it takes. You just have to find a way to stick with it. That is part of this whole process.
You know what, franny? I had about 5 days or so under my belt before I had to go back to work. I still had all of my cigarettes at home, and before I left for work, I hesitated. I looked at my purse and I thought, "Am I really going to walk out of my apartment without putting cigarettes in my purse?" As it turned out, that was a really big deal to me. I had to ask myself if I was really committed to my quit, or not. I stood there for quite a while going back and forth in my head. Ultimately, I realized that I had to totally commit this time round. I had already gone through 5 days of hell, and why waste my efforts? And I also knew that there would be many other moments when I would be tested, and once again, I realized that either I was serious about quitting or I wasn't. And I stuck with it.
I think we all have struggles like this when we decide to quit. It's not surprising, given that most of us have smoked all our lives, so much so that smoking becomes part of our identity. So when we try to quit, we have to deal with all of those feelings and try to start thinking of ourselves as non-smokers. I know first hand that that is not at all easy to do. But it IS possible.
I am glad you are giving it another shot, franny. Try to remember what you were thinking when you broke your quit and lit up that first cigarette. Was it because your craving was so strong? Or was it because you weren't quite sure if you really wanted to commit to quitting? Or was it a bit of both? If you think about what happened, it may help you in this next attempt. I always say that knowledge is power.
Good luck, franny, and remember, you can do this. Believe in yourself.