Smoking Relapse, Prevention and Recovery Quit Smoking Program
smoking relapse prevention and Recovery: Congratulations! If you're reading this, it's because you've already stopped smoking. You feel good about being smoke-free and you want to stay that way.
Keep your guard up: When you first quit, you probably had strong urges to smoke. After a few weeks, though, the urges became less frequent and less intense. But even after months of being smoke-free, you're not home-free. You will always need to watch for situations that could lead to a smoking relapse.
When you feel tempted, remember you've resisted urges before. Go back to the work you did on your stop-smoking action plan. If you didn't make a plan, give it a try. Review your triggers and your strategy for managing them. Remind yourself of your reasons for quitting and the benefits to your health, your finances and your loved ones.
According to a Statistics Canada report entitled A step Forward, a step back:Smoking cessation & relapse by Margot Shields " Relapsing was strongly associated with the length of time an individual had quit. Approximately 1 in 5 men and women who had quit smoking for two years or less had started again. By contrast, about 5% of former daily smokers who had quit for three to five years had started smoking, and among those who had quit for more than five years, the figure was 1%".
smoking relapse prevention and Recovery: Conclusion, the longer you stay quit the less chance you have of starting again. Understanding relapse prevention and recovery may help you to avoid relapsing or it may help you to recover quickly.
Distract yourself from the thought of smoking by imagining how clean your lungs are after only a week of not smoking and how much clearer they will be the longer you abstain from smoking.
Ask yourself questions and give yourself honest answers if you feel the urge to smoke. What benefit will I get from smoking? How will I feel about myself if I start smoking again? Examine the answers and weigh the pros and cons of having a smoking relapse.
Remind yourself of why you quit smoking in the first place. Was it to better your health, save money, be a role model to your children? Think back to how it felt to not smoke and how good you felt about your accomplishment.
Surround yourself with people who support your decision to avoid a smoking relapse. Steer clear of smokers until you feel the temptation to resume smoking pass.
Be patient and allow the good feeling of not smoking to override the wish to smoke again. You can do it and you will be proud of yourself each day you conquer the temptation to light up.
smoking relapse prevention and Recovery:
Don't let stress to trigger it: Many of the ex-smokers curse stress as the reason for them to start the habit again. It is quite natural that when you get angry or if you are in a dejected condition or in stress, the craving may be there. In that case, remember that stress is a part with everyone’s life and even nonsmokers have stress. Cigarettes have nothing to do with stress. Believe in the old adage that within us lays both happiness and sorrow. You can easily overcome it if you have the will power. Here are some suggestions to overcome it. 1.Do some physical activity. Doing some physical activity will definitely reduce stress. Walking and moderate exercises will do a world of wonder to your body and mind. 2.Talk to a person whom you trust. If you think that you need external help, then talk with your counselor, doctor or trusted friends so that you will be relieved and they may be able to help you to get out of it. 3.Find some resources. You can find a number of self-help books that are available in the market to help you, and alternatively, you can also opt for stress management classes.
Smoking Relapse Prevention and Recovery:
If you've had a cigarette or two - relax, you can still succeed: A slip is when you smoke one or two times after your quit date, but you still want to quit. A smoking relapse is when you go back to smoking the way you did before and give up your attempt to quit.
If you slip — and many ex-smokers do — it's natural to feel bad. The problem is that feeling bad can lead to the self-defeating conclusion that your plan isn't working. That's simply not true. A slip is a slip, nothing more, unless you let it become a full smoking relapse.
Be positive. Forgive yourself. Get rid of all your cigarettes.
Slips are learning opportunities — think about your triggers and how to change your behavior.
Remember, one cigarette does not make you a smoker. You haven't failed. You just need to adjust and stay with it. You can do it!
After a smoking cessation relapse:
Don't panic — set a new quit date when you're ready to try again and make it soon.
Try to figure out why you started smoking again and how to avoid the same situation.
Think how successful you were. Review your strategies for handling all the temptations to smoke in your life. Make any necessary adjustments to what's not working and prepare to move on
