Self Help

After you have successfully stopped smoking for a while, you may feel quitting has been easier than you expected. Not that it’s been easy altogether, but it still has not been as hard as you feared. You may now go for several hours, maybe most of the day or evening, without even thinking about a cigarette.

Here’s the downside of feeling too confident: You’re at a party. You’re feeling good. Maybe you’ve had a drink or two. Someone offers you a cigarette. You think, “I’m not having any trouble. I’ll have a couple tonight and go back to non-smoking tomorrow. Maybe stay with
a routine of only smoking at parties.”

One of the first times I quit, I decided I’d only smoke on weekends. Soon, I was trying to convince myself that the weekend begins on Wednesday evening and ends the following Wednesday morning!

Vigilance - that’s the word for the next few months. You don’t have to spend every waking moment managing your quitting, but you do have to stay on your toes, vigilant, alert to the temptations or situations that can mess up your plan. Give your nonsmoking the vigilance you would for anything else that is very important.