Hi 2stubborn Slips and relapses used to scare the wits out of me and sometimes I questioned my ability to be successful. I don't think the quit gets harder but it is possible that we become complacent as it gets easier. I almost lost my quit just before Christmas after abit too much eggnog. I actually asked hubby for a smoke and if he had said yes....my quit would have been lost (all because of a temporary lapse in judgement) I think we can also get knocked down out of left field. Sometimes we hit major hurdles and we revert back to our old coping strategies. However, there are so many happy, successful quitters and so many strong people who jump right back up and start again after a temporary relapse or quit. We can do this! 89 days is awesome! Windy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/11/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 117 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,358 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $585 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 11 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 36 [B]Seconds:[/B] 9

Hi 2Stubborn, People slip because they act without thinking first. If they should think only for 1 minute they would think twice to light up again. They also have the choice: To smoke or not to. They choose to smoke when they do, but blame a certain situation why they smoked. It was because they were so sad or angry or whatever. After smoking again they feel really bad and that feeling makes them smoke even more. They fool themselves. I think it also has to do something with stubborness, I did not smoke again because the people I work with told me that I could never quit. You just wait I thought to myself, you will never see the day that I go back to smoking. I am a stubborn thing my self. Keep your quit no matter what, if you really want to do it, you can !! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/1/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 284 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 8,524 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �837.8 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 39 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 49 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

Keep on quitting! With every slip and relapse, you gain more knowledge---your strengths, weaknesses, and adjust your coping mechanisms accordingly. I don't know about the rest of ya'll, but I have learned more about myself along this quit journey than in 34 years of smoking! I credit my success thus far to the failures experienced previously. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 121 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,081 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $968 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 12 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34

2stubborn2smoke, It has been said that quitters are most likely to relapse within the first three months. It has some truth as the first three months are the hardest. There are many reasons for slipping/relapse. Some involve a alcohol, a tough crave, the temptation of just one, being in high risk situations or deeper more emotional links. Whatever the reason, when we slip, it's important that we learn from it. This isn't an easy habit to get rid of but it is achievable! So what can you do as you march on in your quit? Begin quit maintenance. Here are a few tips: * Keep up with the new routines you've established to replace smoking. * Keep planning ahead when you know you must enter situations that will put you at high-risk for a slip: social settings, drinking... * Come up with an emergency coping plan & kit. Have a list of distractions, benefits of your quit, accomplishments, motivational tools and rewards. Although you may never need this emergency coping kit, if ever you become at high risk for a slip, you'll be ready. You'll have something to run to instead of cigarette. This has been shown to be especially helpful when you unexpectedly become emotionally upset or encounter a new trigger. If you have an alternative, you are more likely to use it. * Reward yourself! Although you may not be doing it as often as you did in the beginning of your quit, you should still reward yourself for overcoming temptations and reaching milestones. By doing so, you are reinforcing your new behavior and helping to make it stick! Another important part of quit maintenance is identifying situations that put you at high risk for a slip or a relapse. Common high-risk situations for many include: * Being emotionally upset * Social settings in which temptation is likely * Unexpectedly encountering the to-be-avoided object Again, having an emergency coping kit gives you an alternative to reaching for that cigarette as you have replaced that crutch. Try writting down the specifics of what happens to you when emotions come into play. Ex: When I get angry, I use to go outside to smoke and calm myself down before even attempting to deal with the problem at hand. Next try finding alternatives to what you habitually do when in this

2stubborn, I don't know why people slip. I've been around here for quite a while now and have seen a lot of people fall into this trap. Some recover and some don't. Learning to deal with emotions without the crutch of the cigarette is very difficult for some and not for others. I am a quitter that it was really hard for. I had to learn new coping skills. I cried a lot, sat in the pity pot, and sought the support of my fellow quitters here on these boards. Before smoking, I would post and wait for responses, send out emails, make phone calls, and exhaust every method. Something worked every time no matter how hard it seemed. The tools are in place and the help is there but the quitter has to be willing to reach out for it. Yes, there have even been times I really didn't want the help but I reached out anyway. I made a commitment to myself not to smoke again and I live up to that commitment. I DO understand why people go back to smoking. Sometimes it just seems easier to give up than to continue to fight the emotions and the addictive thinking. I have wanted to give up so many many times. But, like I tell everyone, keep taking one step at a time. When you feel like giving up, dig deep and take one more step and then another and another. NOPE is the model I live by. If I ever take a puff, I am finished for life. I will be the old lady pushing around the oxygen tank, if I live that long. Everyone is different and everyone's quit is different. Refuse to ever be a slave to smoking again. Smoking kills. Period. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 554 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 11,092 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1939 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 50 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 49

We slip, we relapse, we flounder.....because we don't see clearly that we are ADDICTS!....we fail to see what this addiction really IS...how it controls.....how it tricks and slips right in...taking over your thinking first and then your actions. You are lucky as a quitter if you realize in time (to avoid a slip) just what you are dealing with. Nicotine addiction is said to be worse than even heroin addiction! Withdrawal includes depression, a feeling of loss, sadness.....all of which contribute to a quitter beginning to listen to the junky thinking. do more reading on addiction.....line up ways to combat the junky thinking...."realize" what the symptoms are! You have to be ready....some quitters have a much harder time in this department than others. I, for one, was covering up a lot of negative thinking by just turning away and lighting up. when the smokes are gone, the thoughts and feelings have to be dealt with! don't dispair over others slipping....take care of YOURSELF. In spite of the "hiding" I was doing by smoking, I managed to have a clean quit....but it wasn't always easy.....I think I was just too stubborn to let go and smoke LOL hang tough....realize that EACH of us is different....use your experiences AND those of others to learn Katy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/4/2002 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1828 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 73,145 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10419.6 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 241 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 57 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45