The Drinking Trap

[Giulia]

(photo credit)

Drinking has been the downfall of many an early stage quitter. We become complacent in our quits and forget to keep our guards up. We let our defenses down because the alcohol impairs our mental processes. And we make the ever fatal mistake of thinking, "I'll just have one." And that is the end of this story because we all know what happens next.

So? Don't drink the first couple of months of your quit. Or if you do, take along a friend who will break your arm if you reach for a cigarette. Better yet, take along several friends who will do that. New quits are very fragile things and they must be protected.

[ManOfSteele]

I had my longest quit ever going .... I was getting close to my 6 month mark .................... then my boss took a new job and a manager that I didn't think liked me very much was now my new boss. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo

O wooh is me having a drink and then saying....hey give me one of those .......

I thought well I can smoke and then stop after that night...... that was before I was at the gas store buying a pack of my favorite smokes ...................... I was back at smoking 2 + packs within 10 days I think.

I am a smoking addict and I never can have 1 puff ever again. (I bet I am not alone)

I have learned to hate them and never will think of them as friends. They suck and I never need or want them back ever again.

Was this what you were talking about G?

[Giulia]

Oh YEAH. Thanks so much Ray for sharing your experience.

Who's next?

[Mrs. X]

I totally feel your pain!!! my 1st 2 attempts were ended suddenly by those famous last words in a bar... "would you mind if I stole a cigarette"... both times I didn't want to be a grub so I bought my own pack by the end of the night saying "of course I'll throw them away in the morning" and 2 years later, here I am on my 3rd attempt!!! My brother was in the airforce and had to quit for boot camp... his instructor always said to remember that as a non-smoker, you're only 1 drag away from becoming a smoker... I too used to think of them as a friend that I would miss but now they're just some @ssh0le who's trying to kill me and has already killed people that I've loved... so nice to hear the same wavelength!!! xoxo

[Giulia]

Oh, those very words ring in mine own ear "would you mind if I stole a cigarette." That's my exact phrase. "Can I steal a cigarette?" "Steal." Sounds better than "bum" doesn't it. It's the cute phraseology that sort of makes it ok if you say you're "stealing" (because it's a mutual agreement) but not if you're "bumming," (because then it's full of guilt and payback.) But it's all the same, whatever the verbiage. Boy does this hit home with me.

Love the concept of them being some "@asshole" who's trying to kill me." Great imagery.

Thanks for this post Mrs. X !

[Mrs. X]

You're very welcome Giulia! ( :

[ckoalaco]

Drinking was one of my triggers too. I wasn't all that much of a drinker, just a couple of drinks on social occassions but... Man did a drink even touching my lips spir off a crave from hell when I first quit. I just stayed away from it for a while. Things are fine now.

Gulia's right. Quitting smoking is serious business and you need to put that first and foremost at the beginning. You'll get to a place where you can pick up a drink without blowing a quit but don't push it. Keep the quitting as your focal point until it is strong.

[Giulia]

Drinking makes you vulnerable. Protect your quit.

[Giulia]

Hey Greg, congrats on your 25 days. No mean feat. My suggestion if you wanna drink would be to have a couple of really trustworthy friends with you who will point blank take a cigarette out of your hands should the booze make you fuzzy enough in the head to pick one up. Drinking is definitely a danger zone and you're wise to stay away from it until you're really secure in your quit. You DON'T want to go back to day one!

Stay smart.

[Giulia]

I "Craved" In.....Damn (curt June 13th)

Ok I'm said 2 say after one week i "craved in"...i really think i could have made it. starting playing cards, then had a drink, & b4 i knew it i was smoking. Man.....i so pissed at myself but....in not craving in 2day...1week is the longest i have ever went.....and i'm jumping back on board.
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Reply by Giulia Jun 13

Sorry to hear it. Yup, drinking it a real relapse trap. Major trigger for many, many people.

Getting back on the quit train immediately is the best thing you can do. You learned a lesson. Use it - for the next time you play cards, eh?.....

You did a week - so you can do it again. And more. Round 2 coming up! Ding Ding.
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Reply by curt Jun 13

Thx Giulia.....I am back on the "quit train". and i will be claiming a 1day smoke free day after 2day. I went a week......i will make it all the way this time.
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Reply by Giulia Jun 14

DO IT! Yes. Smiling atcha.

[christineD]

How right you are!! I am still in the Trigger/separation stage of this program and was doing very well, without a lot of effort using the separation techniques I had cut my smoking down from 25 to 10 a day, then over this last week I have relapsed and it started with going to a pub with my husband and a few friends - we were sitting outside by the creek, beautiful sunny evening warm and balmy so I had a chardonnay, and before you could whistle Dixie I had a cigarette in my hand, then another, then another (I timed it - every 15 minutes) - then I fell into the "pity pit" of why I am bothering I'm so bad, I'm worthless...and the last few days have dissolved into a drinking smoking Fest. The good news is that I actually feel sick from it - the bad news is that I want to smoke 'til I drop!!!
So this morning I woke up and thought "today I start again", - so for the first time in weeks I have linked in to this site, and am reading the posts and gaining strength again. I pray to my Angels, to my Self to help me with this inner battle of addiction.
Thank you for all your posts - they really help.

[Giulia]

Yup, and that's the trap. The more you smoke, the more you want to. We think that smoking will take care of the cravings, but it just makes us crave more. That's the insidiousness of the drugs in those nasty rolled up tobacco tubes. We crave when we smoke, we crave when we don't. But the cravings can ONLY go away for good if we stop for good. That's the cure, pure and simple.

[Dave]

Cigarettes are worse than crack! The pleasure lasts a few seconds, but the guilt lasts an eternity. This is coming from someone who is addicted to addiction. Whether it be potato chips or heroin, I've got to have it. Now. Somebody help.