Regrets .. I've had .. well just the one!

[suze14]

Karri, can't remember .. possibly too much detail lol
what i was trying (and still am) to do is understand this addiction and when and why my mindset could change to go from not smoking to thinking it's ok to do so. sometimes it seems the easiest thing in the world to do but other times it's easy to simply 'forget' the reasons. so i wrote this thread whilst trying to describe the path that took me back to smoking again. it was the first cig that opened the door to the others and after that, instead of being ok with not smoking, it became a constant battle culminating in imbalance and crazy ideas. hope that makes sense.
ps in honesty, don't you think that stopping smoking can make you go a bit loopy too?

Hi Suze. Trying to stop smoking has made me go a bit loopy. I have a real problem with the "forever" scenario and until I can feel comfortable with it then my attempts are always going to be failures.

Your post made me laugh out loud about the "could be people" but I understood exactly where you were coming from.

It's a bad addiction but we will all eventually beat it. You got back up and tried again and that's what matters. That takes courage and this time I know you'll win

[Alex76]

Originally Posted by suze14

what i was trying (and still am) to do is understand this addiction and when and why my mindset could change to go from not smoking to thinking it's ok to do so.

I think I can understand that, but I may be wrong. Is it something to do with not seeing an immediate impact from smoking, meaning the long-term risks are minimized in comparison to the current urge? I know that for me in the past when I attempted to quit, I got a point where I said to myself "just a few more won't hurt... I can always quit tomorrow", or "just one isn't going to kill me". It's extremely difficult (at least for me) to really believe that I could possibly die from the long-term effects, because I don't see any immediate impact.
Maybe for you, something else is triggering this "ah, feck it!" attitude?
BTW my gf went from 8 months quit to full-time smoking again just a month or so ago, and I've yet to understand what triggered her (we need to talk ).

Originally Posted by Karri

Hi Suze. Trying to stop smoking has made me go a bit loopy. I have a real problem with the "forever" scenario and until I can feel comfortable with it then my attempts are always going to be failures.

I think the "forever" scenario ties into what I was saying above... The future potential consequences are so far away that it's very difficult to imagine how they could possibly affect you now. That, and the fact that if you're still romancing with the idea of smoking... Forever is just too ****** far away to imagine "going without, forever more". Under these circumstances, best to try the AA method. One day at a time. "I will not smoke today", and when you wake up tomorrow, repeat the same thing. I'm not sure it would work, but I think anything is worth a try.

Alex.

Great points there Alex. When I thought there might be something wrong with me I quit smoking on the spot. When I found out it was acid I went straight back on them. Just as you say, because i can't see the damage it keeps me hooked. I also most definitely romanticise cigarettes too. In my head I can't imagine anything being as enjoyable without a cigarette to finish it off.

As you say though anything is worth a try. Nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Shame your girlfriend went back to smoking after so long. I know it doesn't affect your quit but it must still make you feel a little disappointed.