addiction relapse

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I quit smoking back in October of last year. But this weekend I've relapsed. I was out with my cousins on Friday night, we were walking through the city watching him smoke, when suddenly I had the urge. He offered me a ciggy, and I thought "what can one ciggy hurt". I didn't smoke at all the rest of weekend and I was fine.

Then last night the urge came back big time, it was unbelievable the only thing I could think about was having a ciggarete. People with autism think in pictures, and I kept having this image in mind of me puffing a ciggarete, and I kept imagining how good it would feel once I started smoking. I couldn't take the pressure, went out, and bought a pack now here I am a smoker again.

I feel so disgusting right now.

Da*n, I am so sorry to hear that. It is such a shame, hapens to so many people, clean for months and one stupid cigarette and they are back to square one again

I quit almost 2 years ago and have not have any genuine temptation since but I do still occasionally dream that I am smoking (And of course I think "Hang on a minute!?!") which is always a good reminder that I have to stay alert and resist, even if I do not consciously experience any cravings.

same thing happened to me, where I quit successfully then fell off the wagon a couple of years later. The second time I quit, I used the nicotine patch, but I couldn't keep the darn things lit. (har, har) But, seriously, it did help me quit and I have been smoke-free for a few years now. We all have the capacity to change and perhaps we can harness our intense Aspie focus to help quit.

I've had smoking dreams, too.

It is not easy.....Good Luck!

Cigarettes are the work of the devil (Embassy 6:66)

Seriously, how can something so bad for you be so hard to stop doing? I have battled with the weed on and off for 14 years, and my good intentions don't usually last much longer than the first pangs. The basic problem I think is that I like smoking, even though I know I shouldn't do it.

You don't need to feel disgusting, it is also difficult
to quit cigars. I stop for 2 weeks, then BLAM!
I am doing a 5 box of Garcia-Vega Cigarello's every
1.5 days. If I am really stressed, like this last week,
$60(or $1 per vega in 8 days.), BOY, THE MORE I
am stressed the more I smoke, and such the curse
of the habit. I figure once a smoker, always a smoker,
you and I are just conscious of it more so as visual
thinkers.


Ghosthunter

I quit smoking cigarettes on December 2nd, 1987 after smoking for almost 10 years. I had a lot of motivation to quit - I was offered a job repairing computers but the boss was an ex-smoker and couldn't stand to have the smell around him, so my job offer was conditional on my not smoking at all, including at home (because then my clothes would still smell). That sort of thing would be illegal today, but I'm glad he did it. Anyway, I quit cold-turkey in the middle of a pack and never went back. Instead I bought bubble gum (the big blobs of gooey gum, not the little sticks) and chewed on them any time I felt like something was missing from my life. I must have chewed gum for about 6 months before the oral fixation waned.

Anyway, when I went down to Cuba for vacation 17 months ago I brought back a few cigars, mostly to share with my friends. I had a few, and found that while I enjoy them (particularly in the evening, sitting on the back deck with a bottle of red wine) they don't leave me feeling like I *need* them the way cigarettes did. In fact, I have a few here that I bought in Thailand this January and still haven't opened....

I think that as I get older my tendency toward addiction has dropped off quite a lot. There was a time when (in hind-sight) I had a problem with alcohol, but now I keep a half-dozen bottles in the pantry and hardly ever think of them.

I've made a few quit attempts, but I'm back to smoking, probably permanently. I used zyban (which is ghastly) a couple of times, other times were cold turkey, which is better than zyban.

I think the idea that you can have one, or just go back to being a light or occasional smoker is a bit deadly. Maybe after 10 years, like Jetson you can, but not in the early years.

Anyway don't feel too bad, most people go thru that stage, it's a highly addictive drug and can take many attempts. Good luck. You probably need a substitute stim.