Monica,
Every single day of your life, you have two choices regarding smoking. You can either smoke or you can choose to not smoke. Every single day, you make that decision, whether you are on day one of day 1,000, you STILL make the choice every single day. As you go along in your quit, the decision gets easier, but we are STILL just one away from a pack (or more) a day. No matter how many days we have under our belts, it's still the same outcome - if we smoke one, we are risking going back to a lifetime of smoking.
I hope that this relapse is a wake-up call for you. When you said that you were past the "slip" because you hadn't smoked in a few days after it, I got a little worried because I could tell you were getting a little too confident. I did the same thing and had 3 mistakes because each time, I thought "I'm NEVER doing that again!" But just because we say it, doesn't always make it true. We have to live that choice and we may be completely confident and strong in our quits one minute, but then scrounging for cigarettes the next. THis is a very powerful addiction, but YOU, my dear, are stronger.
So tell me, what is your plan for next time? I really want to know! What will you do the next time you are thinking about smoking? Will you come to the site and post? Email/IM a quit buddy? Call a friend who supports your quit? Read your reasons for quitting? Read your quit journal (if you have one)? What will you do? Tell me. I want to know. Having a plan in place is (in my opinion, coming from somebody who has screwed up enough times to know) the BEST way to keep yourself from smoking. Make a concrete plan for what you will do and then stick to it. Do NOT smoke without doing these things first. So what's your plan?
Monica, as you know, I've been where you are and I'm VERY glad to see that you're getting right back to your quit. This quitting thing isn't easy, but together, we can get it done. I'm always here for you, hon. If you'd like, I can get on Messenger and give you my email and IM addresses if you would like to chat with me sometime. Just let me know.
Crave the Quit!
Pam
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 434
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,868
[B]Amount Saved:[/B]