If you have previously tried to quit, but failed during this period, do you know what the main reason was?
I'm just trying to pre-empt any situations/factors that could push me back into the habit and I think reading about peoples experiences may help me avoid such an occurence.
I understand this is probably already covered somewhere in the forum, so apologies if I have gone against 'forum-etiquette' by bringing up a subject that has been previously discussed.
Cheers
Hey,
Congrats on getting this far, huge achievement 
I think my biggest downfall in previous quits was not grasping that there is no such thing as "just one smoke". I would manage fine through the week then come the weekend and out socializing, would think "i've done really well, i'll just have one as a reward":rolleyes:
But theres no such thing as just one, you just get pulled back into the smoking trap!
And how stupid to think I could "reward" myself by breathing in all that poison.
A week is the best I have ever done. Smoked yesterday on day 6 .........again :rolleyes:
For me the downfalls have come because :
I tried to find an excuse to smoke rather than a reason to stay quit
Other people - avoid human vacuums at all cost. You know the people who suck every bit of positivity out of everyone around them because they are miserable with life
Make the week exciting. The first week is so thrilling as you cross off the days and love every minute. You can mistake being bored as being bored of quitting - that's fatal
Remind yourself that if you smoke again you will spend the next x amount of time planning your quit again. Coming back over and over again is torture.
Hmmm maybe I helped me too a little 
There are no excuses to smoke, because there are no benefits to smoking what so ever xx
Before I found this forum I think it was fear that used to make me slip up. Fear because I was going into the unknown, fear of the physical withdrawals and not knowing when they were going to end, and fear that I would be craving cigarettes forever. And fear that I would go mad if I didn't smoke!
And ignorance, I did not understand the nature of nicotine addiction, which is important and is why everyone on here says read, read, read. They are right as we do need to educate ourselves. Last time I was quit I thought I had beaten all my trigger points as so many bad things happened in that month I thought I could deal with anything. But I did have one big trigger left that I hadn't anticipated, which I don't want to share as it is too personal. But next time I am in that situation I will make sure I am well prepared.
I agree that there is no excuse to smoke, but if we do I think it is better if it happens early in a quit rather than six months down the line. We can learn from our mistakes and understand ourselves better, and hopefully build a strong, permanent quit. I hope I can make mine stick this time!
All the best dellboy,
Zoe
I'm only on day 25 but from what I've read on here:
Not having the right mindset. You must genuinely want to give up, not think you should give up.
Not really believing it is forever. It's not a 6 month, 12 month, 5 year thing, it's forever. You will never smoke again.
Thinking that "one puff" or "one fag" will be ok because "I can control it now". Addicts cannot control their addictions, their addictions control them. The only way to avoid this is total abstinence, forever!
Mixing alcohol and so******ing together too early, particularly if you get tipsy or worse. Many, many appear to have lost a quit because of this.
Keeping around any remnants of your previous smoking life such as the odd one or two that you had left. In a moment of weakness, if there are some easily available, you are in trouble.
Using excuses as why you need to have a smoke instead of reasons why you don't.
Edit: why won't it let you write social ising as one word? I've seen this problem on here before.
"c i a l i s" is a banned word (similar to v i a g r a and responsible for a lot of spam)
Before I found this forum I think it was fear that used to make me slip up. Fear because I was going into the unknown, fear of the physical withdrawals and not knowing when they were going to end, and fear that I would be craving cigarettes forever. And fear that I would go mad if I didn't smoke!
And ignorance, I did not understand the nature of nicotine addiction, which is important and is why everyone on here says read, read, read. They are right as we do need to educate ourselves. Last time I was quit I thought I had beaten all my trigger points as so many bad things happened in that month I thought I could deal with anything. But I did have one big trigger left that I hadn't anticipated, which I don't want to share as it is too personal. But next time I am in that situation I will make sure I am well prepared.
I agree that there is no excuse to smoke, but if we do I think it is better if it happens early in a quit rather than six months down the line. We can learn from our mistakes and understand ourselves better, and hopefully build a strong, permanent quit. I hope I can make mine stick this time!
All the best dellboy,
Zoe
Yeah if I hadn't joined here and read allen carr then I would be in a state of ignorance. And ignorance isn't always bliss.
Hope you can stop permanantly too xx
I'm only on day 25 but from what I've read on here:
Not having the right mindset. You must genuinely want to give up, not think you should give up.
Not really believing it is forever. It's not a 6 month, 12 month, 5 year thing, it's forever. You will never smoke again.
Thinking that "one puff" or "one fag" will be ok because "I can control it now". Addicts cannot control their addictions, their addictions control them. The only way to avoid this is total abstinence, forever!
Mixing alcohol and sociαlising together too early, particularly if you get tipsy or worse. Many, many appear to have lost a quit because of this.
Keeping around any remnants of your previous smoking life such as the odd one or two that you had left. In a moment of weakness, if there are some easily available, you are in trouble.
Using excuses as why you need to have a smoke instead of reasons why you don't.
No offence but that's very much in line with Ye Olde Quitting Methode.
If it's working for you then absolutely fine, stick with it.
It's almost my sad but true NHS quit tips!
I've failed a good few quits because I never understood why I smoked.
My current and final quit came together without having to worry about sociαlising, temptation, smoky smells, addiction, blips, trips, slips and the like.
I have no wish to smoke like I have no wish to go to Baghdad.
Waving a picture of Saddam Hussain in front of me won't make me think twice.
Most quitters genuinely want to quit, they'll even write the same on a letter and send it to Santa but failing to tell their subconscious will just result in socks again. 
Failing to tell your subconscious or changing your mindset.
In my mind just different ways of saying similar things.
I too do not worry about so******ing, temptation or smoky smells etc but there are, like it or not, those that do.
The question asked what were the main reasons for failed quits and, from reading on here, those I quoted are some of them.
In my limited time on this forum I have seen posts from failed quitters relating to all those I listed.
Now whether or not there is an underlying reason is another matter.
I agree with you 100%
I regularly see questions like:
How can I quit when my other half smokes.
I'm going out this weekend for the first time how will I cope.
I'm visiting smokers tonight what am I going to do.
I'm too stressed to quit
Will people shut up about smoking it's making me want to smoke.
I've nearly ran out of patches and I'm anxious the GP won't prescribe any more.
My CO reading is higher than last week yet I haven't smoked, help
Wish me luck I'm quitting tomorrow
etc
All typical of a desire to smoke yet having to quit and already anxious about future events.
Getting the mindset changed at day 1 or 2 stops all these questions dead in their tracks. They cease to be an issue.
No-one out there is educating quitters to this.
Bizarrely it ends up here on forums like this and that's not really how it should be.
No offence aimed at anyone but who really cares how much CO is in their bloodstream when really all they want to do is quit smoking.
Hey ho. 
