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My opinion

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1693

Members,

This has been a great discussion, and I think the conclusion in all of this is that we need to agree to disagree!

We are all different, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We are all also here to help and support one another in our journey to become and remain smoke free. Please keep up the great work everyone, and please continue to share the amazing support and advice that is always helpful and much appreciated

Breanne, Bilingual Health Educator

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 303

Personally I would rather have someone come to us and tell us they have slipped so we can help them even at the risk of them keeping their meter in tact. I fear that feeling like they might be given a hard time for not reseting their meter might deter them from telling us and we all know what happens as a result. They do it in silence and alone not getting the help they need which could easily turn that slip into a relapse.

I'm not saying I fully disagree either. I personally would reset my meter. Mostly because I'm not the type that can have just one; however, I also believe it is up to the person not us to decide and you have to consider what might happen if they feel others are against them for not doing so.

We are all in this together and there are going to be some gray areas. I still don't believe you can ever be free until you walk away completly because having a cigarette implies that it is neccesary, important, and I don't believe that at all.

In the end it's not mine to decide.

Mr Q

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 8/4/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 394
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 9,456
Amount Saved: $2,955.00
Life Gained:
Days: 43 Hrs: 22 Mins: 2 Seconds: 19

Quit Meter

0

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 0 Hours: 0

Minutes: 0 Seconds: 0

Life Gained
Quit Meter

0

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

0

Cigarettes Not Smoked

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 802

I feel so strongly on this point that I hesitated about responding for fear of offending anyone.

Breather, I agree with you entirely. You either smoke or you don't. I definitely don't agree with the "slip" concept. If you choose to smoke again, you have made a conscious decision to do that, rather than remain smoke free. If you smoke, you blew the quit. There have been many times that I was so tempted to grab a smoke and have a few puffs. Nobody would have known but me. Could I have kept on telling people I had over 600 smoke-free days??? Not a chance. The only honest thing that I could say was that I had remained smoke-free for 600+ days, then I was a fool and blew it. Back to zero on the meter.

Is this not why we ask for help when we're having difficulty remaining smoke-free? Remember me coming back a few weeks ago when I was struggling? I could have lit up so easily, but I chose to come here first and look/receive the support I needed to remain smoke-free. Is this not part of the committment we made when we chose to quit smoking? Quitting is not a joke - it's a full-out fight. My opinion is that you can't keep quitting, slipping, quitting, slipping and not reset the meter. You have to quit and remain quit to be a non-smoker.

I know that it's been said that it takes an average of 7 attempts to quit smoking before you have it partly under control. This is my first "real" attempt, and it's hasn't been easy. I truly admire the quitters that don't succeed but continue to return. However, if you don't succeed, start again, not carry over your stats from where they used to be.

I hope I haven't offended anyone, just my opinion.

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 1/3/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 608
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 12,160
Amount Saved: $4,620.80
Life Gained:
Days: 66 Hrs: 8 Mins: 56 Seconds: 50

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 24

I have no doubt whatsoever, that if I came to this website and thought I could have a little puff, and still keep my days and all the congratulations that go with it, I would have had a little sneaky puff.

The amount of times I have thought about having just 'half a cigarette' and then thought of the consequences, including resetting that metre and losing my days.... well it is these things that have changed the whole way I think about 'one more puff'.

So no - I think it's a cheat and you'r kiddin yourself if you can have an occassional puff but still claim you're smoke free.

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 8/10/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 23
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 575
Amount Saved: $296.70
Life Gained:
Days: 1 Hrs: 23 Mins: 26 Seconds: 0

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 31

I agree with Breather and CarlosS, smoke free is suppose to be exactly that smoke free, if you have a puff then reset your clock.

Terry

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 6/28/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 66
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 1,188
Amount Saved: $594.00
Life Gained:
Days: 7 Hrs: 10 Mins: 39 Seconds: 52

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 278

Don, I personally look at a slip like putting a banana peel at your feel. You slip, fall down, lose your attempt, and it hurts. Call it relapse. I still use slip. Whatetver it is, you puff, you are a smoker. You are not "smoke-free". I feel that most likely not resetting the meter or downgrading what happened is the addiction talking. A slip or a relapse is an imperfection, and you can either stay on the ground, or get back up and throw the banana peel away. If someone slips and doesn't change their meter, that's fine, as long as the person stays quit after that. Anything to beat the addiction... and that junkie brain stinking thinking will eventually go away. There is something powerful in saying that you have been smoke free for x number of days, but that meter is a personal choice. In the end, you can only protect your quit. Excellent post Don.

Rock, NOCE (Not one chip ever)?!? I am now officialy depressed!

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 4/3/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 152
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 2,280
Amount Saved: $1,140.00
Life Gained:
Days: 16 Hrs: 14 Mins: 5 Seconds: 34

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2534

People who smoke and fail to reset their meter are only kidding themselves.

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 5/18/2004
Smoke-Free Days: 1933
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 48,325
Amount Saved: �12,081.25
Life Gained:
Days: 327 Hrs: 8 Mins: 52 Seconds: 30

Quit Meter

$56,694.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 1122 Hours: 19

Minutes: 37 Seconds: 1

Life Gained
Quit Meter

5154

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

113,388

Cigarettes Not Smoked

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 100

ditto what Rock said....

N.O.P.E. for me too!

Leslie

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 2/14/2002
Smoke-Free Days: 2756
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 110,240
Amount Saved: $9,646.00
Life Gained:
Days: 283 Hrs: 13 Mins: 38 Seconds: 26

Quit Meter

$170,265.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 5960 Hours: 19

Minutes: 24 Seconds: 54

Life Gained
Quit Meter

45404

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

1,135,100

Cigarettes Not Smoked

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 90

Breather

If you smoke...you smoke, easy . Reset.
Slip is a slip, but reset.

Puff if you must but ...reset.

Smokefree is exactly what it says.

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 7/1/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 62
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 1,550
Amount Saved: $465.00
Life Gained:
Days: 9 Hrs: 8 Mins: 58 Seconds: 38

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1843

I was just thinking how this topic relates to diets. I know people on diets who NEVER eat sugar or carbs. I know people on diets who only eat sugar or carbs 1 day a week. I know people on diets who eat sugar or carbs based on their point system. I know people on programs where the meals are prepackaged and have different carbs. I know others who run 10 miles a day and eat whatever they want since they burn it off. I know others who have had surgery to reduce what they eat. So if I eat a hot fudge sundae tonight, am I off my diet? I guess it depends on what type of diet I am on. If I go running 10 miles I am ok. If the hot fudge is sugar free and the ice cream is fat free/low carb, I am ok. If I only have 2 points worth of sundae I'm ok too. If today is my "free day" I am ok. If I only take 1 bite because my stomach is the size of a walnut then I am ok. I am still on a diet, I am just following the diet.

Smoking, on the other hand, is an addiction. Weekend smokers, OPC smokers, vacation smokers, etc. are smokers. If you can take a puff on a smoke then go back to being smoke free then don't reset your quit meter. That's your decision. And I'm happy that you can take a puff and not want the whole pack. But I know that if I took just one puff I would want a carton. Its like potato chips. How many of us can actually eat just one chip? If I was a potato chip addict, I couldn't eat just one. Because one would turn into eating the entire bag. So I am going to say N.O.P.E. (not one puff ever) and N.O.C.E. (not one chip ever). And if I personally smoke or eat a chip, then I will reset my meter, because I know that I cannot have just one puff or one chip! But this is me. You are you. We are all on different journeys on our way to the same destination!

Trillium, I forget who originally told me that smoking won't fix anything. I'm glad the advice I was given a year ago is helping you out today! These words of encouragement are what allows me to keep my quit!

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 8/20/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 377
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 15,080
Amount Saved: $3,770.00
Life Gained:
Days: 56 Hrs: 7 Mins: 26 Seconds: 41

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