R = Relapse Prevention
If you think lighting up absentmindedly while you're talking on the phone means you've failed, you're wrong. That's just a lapse, and it doesn't have to set you back. (Though that's why you have to get rid of all your smoking paraphernalia: so it's hard for "accidents" to happen.)
A lapse is a slip, an error, a mistake. Look at your behavior. What caused it?
Did you put yourself in a tempting situation? For instance, maybe you went to happy hour with your old smoking buddies the week after you quit. Or maybe you signed on for a weekend camping trip with relatives you can barely tolerate in the best of circumstances. Either way, you were asking for trouble.
Whatever the situation was that prompted you to take a puff, learn from it. And every time you manage not to light up when faced with a smoking trigger, pat yourself on the back and tell yourself, "I can do it!" Then, tell others about it. That's just the kind of positive reinforcement that prevents a lapse.
A relapse is different from a lapse in that it's not just a puff, or even an entire cigarette or two. A relapse is a return to your previous smoking behavior.
When You're Tempted
Eventually, you'll be able to handle most situations without being tempted to reach for your favorite soother, mood-lifter, best friend . . . but until that reflex is history, here's how to avoid lapses or, worse, a relapse:
- Identify triggers. Learn what people, situations, and emotions trigger your desire to smoke.
- Reduce temptation. For a while, you may have to avoid friends who smoke. If people in your family smoke, ask them to avoid leaving their cigarettes where you can easily take "just one." And ask them -- please -- not to smoke around you.
- Explore new places. Think of no-smoking places to go for fun. Meet a friend at a movie or a museum instead of a bar. Have dinner at a restaurant that doesn't have a smoking zone.
- Pull out your card. Read -- and reread -- your Three Reasons to Quit Smoking card.
- Use coping strategies. Review the 6 Es of Coping with Cravings.
- Try another replacement. If you're wearing a nicotine patch and it's not helping enough, you may need to supplement it with another form of nicotine replacement therapy (maybe gum or lozenges) to get over the initial bumps of your new life without cigarettes.
- Check your dosage. If you're taking an anticraving pill and it doesn't seem to be doing the job, call your healthcare provider and discuss changing the dose.
- Stay strong. Avoid alcohol; it's famous for weakening the resolve not to smoke.
- Talk yourself through. Memorize and quietly chant this mantra to yourself: Smoking is no longer an option in my life. No exceptions, no matter what happens.
Relapse Remedies
A relapse is different from a lapse. It's not just a mistake. It's a return to smoking. It's when one cigarette leads to another -- and another. And whether it takes just a day or a week, you are smoking again. True, you have to go back to square one -- P = Preparing to Quit -- but one failure, or even several, doesn't mean you won't succeed the next time. Don't give up. Learn from your mistakes, and give quitting another try as soon as you can.
