I am new to this site but have been reading here for a long time before I joined. I have been smoke free since 10/8/2004 and nicotine free since 10/13/2004.
You bring up a lot of points in your post that I would like to address but the first is this "Should I just smoke one so I can get my first fail out of the way?" That is a bunch psychological bull. You are trying to justify having a cigarette. In fact everything you wrote is just that, a psychological ramble on why it is OK to relapse.
ChickenStix,
Everyone who reports in to say that they have "slipped" also reports that it was a conscious choice. No one slips. It is a euphemism to convey a sense of helplessness over your actions, but you are not helpless. You are of free will. Yes in the beginning, it is difficult to resist using nicotine. You have conditioned yourself to believe that smoking helps you to calm your nerves, celebrate, think, relax, and on and on. It is all lies. You smoke cigarettes because you are a nicotine addict. Learning to live without you drug is a process not an event. You must be resolute and unwavering in your committment to live nicotine free because the excuses to relapse are numerous.
24 days ago you made a decision to quit smoking? What made you change your mind? A well designed cigarette pack? C'mon now. Those people who designed that pack have certainly earned their keep if that is all that it takes to get you to relapse. Because if that tie dyed pack gets you to smoke just one cigarette, chances are very good that you will find yourself right back at your old level of smoking in very short order. That advertising executive will have done his job to keep you using the drug they sell in a delivery device known as a cigarette.
Nicotine addiction is not a game. Addiction to nicotine is more difficult to overcome than any other addiction according to scientists and people who have been addicted to other drugs like heroin, and cocaine and alchohol. People who have successfully taken back control of their lives from these other addictions recognize that the only way to remain free is complete abstinence. Not by weaning themselves off and not by changing delivery methods. Relapse is not a part of quitting, relapse is a part of smoking.
Anot
