My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

I quit smoking in February or March. I have not smoked since then, not a drag or even a cigar. I am confident I can live the rest of my life without ever smoking again.

Nevertheless, the thought of never being able to smoke again, EVER, is just awful to me. So I came up with this plan and before I implement it I am submitting it to OOT so that you guys can tell me if Im an idiot (Im about 99 percent sure of it already). My girlfriend has already given me the greenlight on this, and really her opinion on my smoking is the only one that matters to me. She has never smoked and doesnt know the insidiousness of the addiction coupled with the fondness for puffing cigarettes one acquires after years of smoking.

So Heres the plan, I will smoke only If I am away in a place that can only be reached via Airplane. Further, it must be somewhere Ill likely never go to again or infrequently. Thirdly, it must be at least a trip that is 7 days long, meaning it is one in which vacation time from work is used. Weekend getaways do not count, even if they are to Curcao or something. The next time I would be on a vacation such as this is next Febuary. I was just away 2 weeks in Europe and did not smoke, as I will likely be back there in the future.

Example: If I were to go on an African Safari for a week, Id smoke the entire time in my Khaki outfit complete with tan hat and monocle.

According to the plan, my everyday life would be cigarette free. I am now accustomed to waiting for the g-damned bus, drinking coffee, and having sex without their corresponding cigarettes. My plan is partly derived from the psychological theories relating to "state dependency".

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

Sounds like a reasonable plan, but what happens when you get back from 7 days of cigarettes? Say, for example, you're on the ride to your first day back of miserable, miserable work, and all you can think about is how much better you'd feel if you could just have ONE MORE cigarette? Since I've never been addicted to cigarettes, I don't know the answer, but how easy is it to "turn it back on"?

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

Just quit being a pussy and don't ever smoke again.

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

How difficult was it for you to quit the first time? You're going to have to go through this each time you go on vacation, so if it was agonizing (which I'd guess it was), it hardly seems worth it.

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Just quit being a pussy and don't ever smoke again.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the correct answer.

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

I quit smoking about five years ago. I had the same problem. The thought of quitting forever sucked. So I made a deal with myself. I am not quitting forever. When I am old and can only sit in a chair and stare out the window I am going to smoke my brains out. Who cares if you die of lung cancer if you are 78 and can only sit in a chair?

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Just quit being a pussy and start smoking again.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

Sounds good to me, I'll reply more late--I'm going outside to grab a smoke.

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

Don't do it. You're crafting a justifiable sounding enabling plan for smoking. Eventually the cravings will subside and you won't care as much psychologically. But this plan will not work, I think you know that, and it'll just be torturing yourself. Keep up the non-smoking. Its tough...


(fwiw, I smoke, quit for 2.5 years until a really bad breakup sent me back over the edge again)

Re: My Smoking Plan: Am I Fooling Myself?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Just quit being a pussy and don't ever smoke again.

[/ QUOTE ]

Either you smoke or you don't. It'll be easy to start smoking when the vacation starts, but it will be a bitch to stop. Realistically, you won't stop after 7 days. You'll try, but you'll have that half a pack left from the trip. You'll just finish it and then quit. Oh but before you can quit, there's a huge issue at work, and, with the stress of that situation, it won't be a good time. etc etc etc

Take if from someone who know first hand, this won't work. Quiting smoking is hard because it is addictive. If you stop smoking for a year, you're still addicted, but you body got used ot living without the cigs. Once you bring the cigs back it, you're body won't want to let them go.