smoking cigarettes after quitting

[aspalas]

Sorry if this thread isn't really related to the forum.

I quit smoking 5 and a half weeks ago, cold turkey, for the first time ever. I smoked a couple of cigarettes tonight, they were aweful but I feel so bad. I reallt hope I'm not addicted again... I don't have any cigarettes in my environment though, and am nog planning to buy any. I just feel so weak right now, does anyone know how to cope with this? I really don't want to start again, and in some way, this kind of reminded me how aweful smoking is, but I still smoked, with now valid reason whatsoever...

 

[Gravely]

I'm a smoker and I love smoking, but I have tried quitting in the past and it's rough. In my experience, you will feel sick if you smoke a couple out of the blue. There is a certain tweak coming behind that, but you're not addicted at this point. It's important not to follow through and smoke more if you don't want to become addicted again. A routine will make you addicted again-- don't let it become a routine.

 

[johnny196775]

i smoked for 30 years then quit. I was lucky for being able to. i used the patch.

Try not to feel too bad about it. Smoking is a hard habit to break.

 

[TheSkaFish]

When my friend was in town last week, he said he had been trying to quit smoking. He had a hard time quitting at first - in fact, he bought another pack even though he said he was done after he finished what he brought with him on the plane. Later on we were having a fire, and he was still struggling with it. So, I encouraged him to throw his pack of cigarettes in the fire. A split second decision that he couldn't take back, which would shake up his system - once he chucked in his pack of cigarettes, they would be gone - he'd have to go through the trouble of buying another. I was impressed when he gave his pack up to the flames. He made it through the rest of the week smoke-free.

If you still have any cigarettes with you, I encourage you to just break them in half or burn them right now. Do it quickly, without thinking. This will "burn your bridge". Once you've done this, you'll have time to think if you want more cigarettes, and you'll know that you already spent money on the ones you destroyed and will have to spend even more money if you want to smoke. It will give you a lot to consider against buying more cigarettes. My friend, who had been smoking for 4 years, told me that the trick was getting past the second day. After that, smoking's grip on him was weaker, but he always gave in because back where he lived, he hung out with a lot of smokers. If you know a lot of people who smoke, maybe avoid them for a few days so you are not surrounded by the temptation. I wish you luck in quitting. You can do it!

 

[aspalas]

I don't have any (otherwise I'd have thrown them away anyway). I feel quite OK actually, just got out of bed (different timezone than you, probably), I don't want to smoke and thinking of it makes me sick. I guess it was just a stupid mistake. Usually I'm with people who don't smoke (I gave it up with a couple of friends, we all read Allen Carr's book, which worked great). This time it was different, I had dinner with my brother and his friends, and they all smoke. We were eating in the sun and had some beers, and I just thought, oh what the hell, lets try a cigarette. I tried a couple but I didn't like it at all. especially the "feeling" of smoke in my throat was aweful, you don't feel it when you are a regular smoker but I felt it now for the first time since I started, and I really hated it. I'll just follow trough as if nothing happened. I already haven't smoked hundreds of cigarettes since I quit, so these 4 won't make that much of a difference I guess.

 

[9006]

If it's something that took a lot of courage and discipline this is something I certainly wouldn't do, but I think everyone is different when it comes to how attached they can get just after one cigarette.

On a related topic I wish my mum could quit, she's a heavy smoker in her 50's and I always worry about her future, I can't help it.

 

[Zett]

Edit: Just realized you read the book >_<.

I suggest reading that section about social smoking again but essentially you've invited the idea of trying the cigarette again based on your re-emerging belief that the cigarette could be enjoyable. Basically stop that from happening and relapse should not occur. I think you'll be fine in a few weeks if his word is anything to go by (3 weeks withdrawal if I remember correctly). The reason the book works so well in the first place is that it undoes all your subconscious beliefs regarding the benefits of cigarette smoking. The whole thing is a nicotine withdrawal feeding trap designed to perpetuate cash into the pockets of those who produce it.

 

[thelonegamer]

I am a smoker but I'm not addicted. I can go weeks, months without smoking. I'm kinda weird. I smoke very unregularly. I go three straight months smoking then go three straight months not smoking then smoke for a week then don't for a few days then restart it and just follow this 'shuffle' sequence. I don't know why I just don't feel the urge to smoke every minute. It's all about habits. Get new stuff to do on the time you reserve to smoke. Whenever you have a free time and your mind automatically sets it for smoking just reset it to do something else, go take an ice cream, playstation/xbox or something just to pass that time until you are busy and don't have the time to smoke. Hope it helps

 

[TheRealCallie]

I am a smoker but I'm not addicted. I can go weeks, months without smoking. I'm kinda weird. I smoke very unregularly. I go three straight months smoking then go three straight months not smoking then smoke for a week then don't for a few days then restart it and just follow this 'shuffle' sequence. I don't know why I just don't feel the urge to smoke every minute. It's all about habits. Get new stuff to do on the time you reserve to smoke. Whenever you have a free time and your mind automatically sets it for smoking just reset it to do something else, go take an ice cream, playstation/xbox or something just to pass that time until you are busy and don't have the time to smoke. Hope it helps

I agree with this.

For the OP, it sounds like it's more habit than anything else. Were you stressed or anything like that when you decided to smoke recently?

Personally, I fully believe in mind over matter in this situation. I smoke, but I'm not addicted to it at all. I can quit (and have) whenever I want. More and more, I'm getting to the point where I don't want to smoke anymore. It's definitely more habit for me. I get stressed, so I smoke more and right now my life is one big ball of stress. As soon as that stress lessens a little, I will likely quit.

 

[aspalas]

It was a kind of social pressure I guess. I don't think I'm hooked again, this entire day I didn't have a single craving (those stopped about 2 weeks ago, actually). Smoking now might actually have helped me. I really hated the taste, now I know why it's disgusting again. I've smoked for about 3 years and I couldn't even remember how aweful it tasted because my body got used to it. I'm not stressed or anything, I don't really have "triggers" anymore in my daily life, but this time I just wanted to know what it felt like again, it's really stupid but I think that + being a little drunk pushed me over the edge.

I don't think it has had a negative impact to be honest, got trough this day effortless, like any other day I guess. Thx for the support anyway!

E:

If it's something that took a lot of courage and discipline this is something I certainly wouldn't do, but I think everyone is different when it comes to how attached they can get just after one cigarette.

On a related topic I wish my mum could quit, she's a heavy smoker in her 50's and I always worry about her future, I can't help it.

Tell her to read Allen Carr's book! Some people recommended it to me, and as I said, 5 weeks ago me and 2 friends read it and we all managed to quit. It's not entirely effortless, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

 

[raincloud]

You are probably not hooked again, but it's something to think about. I quit smoking in 2005 and I would actually have a cigarette or two a year and it wasn't any kind of problem. I didn't get rehooked, but I AM UNUSUAL in this department. Fortunately (well, not really "fortunately") I developed a rather bad case of pneumonia in 2009, and I was left with considerable lung damage. I have to use two different inhalers every day. If I have even one drag of a cigarette, I'm sick and wheezing for three days straight, so, yeah, I think I'm forever done with cigarettes!

 

[aspalas]

The past few days I haven't had a single urge to smoke again, so I'm pretty confident to say I'm not hooked again. Thanks for the support again, guys!

 

[painter's radio]

After smoking every single day for the past few years, very habitually, I've just gone my first 24 hours cold turkey smoke free. No patches or e-cigs. Not so bad, so far. I live real close to a 24 hour shop though so the temptation is always there in the dark hours where time stands still, all but the walk to the shop.

Anyone want to join me? In quitting I mean. Jump on board. I'm only 1 day ahead.

 

[dawningday]

This is a great thread.
I quit for three days, bought a pack, smoked it. Then decided to quit again. This lasted for 2 weeks, being smoke free. I was getting to the point where I thought I was past the withdraws, but for the last few days I was really urging. So yesterday I gave in, bought a pack.
After reading this thread, I don't feel like being so hard on myself.
I forgot that I did buy Allen Carr's book a few years ago. I never read it, or started to then just forgot about it. Part of my problem, is that I have too much time on my hands. I'm in between jobs at the moment, so I've been just trying to keep myself busy with things around the house.
Anyways this is a great thread, gives me motivation to try again.