Katy,
Then what could you say about those who have quit for 5 years, 10 years, even 20 years who go back to smoking? I've never been quit that long... this is by far my longest quit... and I don't understand how or why somebody would go back to smoking after 5 or 10 years. Since you're there, what do you think about that? Can you shed some light as to how or why somebody WOULD go back? I think understanding that helps the rest of us stay quit so we don't fall in that trap several years down the line.
When I was a smoker, I HONESTLY believed that it was not possible to quit for life. I'd seen and heard of SOOOOOO many people who had quit for YEARS, only to go back to smoking later. I believed that ALL quitters went back at some point in time or another. Anytime I ever met somebody who'd quit smoking, even if they quit 10 years earlier, I'd say "you'll go back!" Granted, that was my junkie in me talking who didn't want to accept that quitting was possible, but it's true! I didn't believe anybody COULD stay quit forever. First of all, I didn't understand staying quit for more than a month! THAT was unfathomable to me! But now, with sites like this one, I do understand how people quit and stay quit... but now, I don't understand why on earth they would return to it after that much time!
I'll be honest, it does scare me. Right now, I can't imagine going back to smoking. Smoking is not a part of my life anymore. But every once in a while, I get a tiny urge... it usually goes away as quick as it came... in about 5 seconds and doesn't return for days, weeks or months... but it does happen. It honestly frightens me to think that even after all this time, I'm not safe from the addiction. I've known TOO many people who have quit for years, only to return to smoking. I guess that's part of the reason I still come here everyday and why I'm so active here. I have a lot to be accountable to. But that fear still exists. Perhaps that's good... perhaps when that fear goes away, then I'll be susceptable to going back to the addiction. I don't know. Perhaps somebody can shed some light for me as to how on earth some people who have quit for many, many, many years somehow find their way back to smoking. I'd love to know.
Crave the Quit!
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