Becoming And Staying A Non Smoker
You have to remember that once a smoker always a smoker. Even many years after giving up, 90% of ex-smokers who are tempted to have just one puff on a cigarette return to their previous levels of smoking.
If You Suffer any Setbacks
Try not to be discouraged if you slip up and smoke 1 or 2 cigarettes. It doesn’t mean you are a lost cause. However this doesn’t mean that you are safe to just smoke the odd cigarette now and again. People who go down this path also end up back to smoking as many as they were before.
People who slip up usually do so within the first 3 months of quitting. If this happens to you, don’t lose heart but ask yourself these questions to try to find out what went wrong and how you can avoid it the next time you quit:
- What was I doing when I slipped up?
- Where was I?
- Who was with me?
- What mood was I in?
- What could I have done instead of lighting up a cigarette?
Other things you can do if you slip up are:
- Understand that you've had a slip, a small setback. This doesn't necessarily make you a smoker again.
- Don't be too hard on yourself. One slip up doesn't mean you are a total failure. It doesn't mean you won’t quit for good in the future.
- Don't be too easy on yourself either. It's important to get back on to a non-smoking path as soon as possible. Your goal is, after all, to quit completely.
- Remind yourself of how well you did for all the time you went without cigarettes. Try to work out how you can cope better with the quit next time.
- Work out what made you smoke again and decide how you will deal with it when it comes up again.
- Learn from the experience. What has been most useful during this quit? Use whatever that may be on your next attempt.
- If you are using medication to help you quit, don’t abandon it if you’ve only had 1 or 2 cigarettes. Stick with it to help you get back on track.
- If you haven’t used support in the form of your doctor or a group or help program, this time consider joining something to strengthen your resolve, motivate you and help you quit once and for all.
Remember – You don’t have to do this by yourself
Your chances of success get better every time you try to quit; most people take around 4
attempts or more before they finally succeed. If you fail just think of it as the rehearsal before you really do quit.
Although it can often take four or five attempts before a smoker quits for good and relapse is a part of the process, the disappointment you may feel when it happens to you
can be discouraging.
Even though this attempt has failed it doesn't mean you can't or never will give up.
The important thing is not to feel overwhelmed by negative emotions or believe that
you are powerless in the face of your addiction.
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