It’s easy to feel defeated and say, ‘I can’t quit smoking,’ especially when a moment of stress or a simple reflex brings the craving back. But as we see in today’s story, a relapse is not the end—it’s a question of understanding why it happened…
“I already tried, and I didn’t succeed.”
Those are the same words you said to your friend when he gave you the book to quit smoking, and now you’re saying them to the guy who just dropped you off at City Hall on his Harley.
You arrive two minutes early. You pull off your helmet, thank him, and dash toward the municipal offices, weaving through the crowd in front of you.
“Watch it! You almost knocked me over!” a woman protests.
“Sorry, sorry! I’m running late.”
“I’m sure they’re behind schedule anyway,” she calls back.
When you reach the office for your appointment, you realize the woman you bumped into at the entrance was right. Ahead of you is an elderly woman, well into her 80s, waiting to be seen. You sit down next to her and ask:
“What time was your appointment?”
“Mine? Fifteen minutes ago. It seems like they’re in there sharing their life stories; the last person went in half an hour ago and still hasn’t come out.”
“Either they’re sharing life stories or they’re doing something else…” you say with a smirk.
“Well, now that you mention it, who knows… I thought I heard some strange noises a little while ago,” she says, laughing.
The conversation lulls, and guided by pure reflex, your hand reaches for where you usually keep your pack of cigarettes, only to find it’s not there. Panicked, you begin searching all your pockets repetitively.
“What’s wrong?” the woman asks.
“Nothing… I just can’t find my tobacco.” Then it hits you. “Damn it! It must have fallen out while I was on the bike. I have to go out and buy some, I’ll be right back…”
“Are you sure? I don’t think he’ll be much longer, and what I have to do is quick. Between leaving the building, buying tobacco, and coming back, you might lose your turn and have to come back another day. Have you thought this through?”
“Yeah… well… no. I should quit smoking,” you blurt out, almost by accident.
“You should quit smoking?” the woman waiting with you replies.
“Yes… well… I already tried, but I couldn’t do it.”
“I see… that happened to my Joan too. He tried several times before he succeeded. but tell me… when you started smoking again… was it right away, or quite a while after you had quit?”
Why You Feel Like «I Can’t Quit Smoking»
- If you relapsed quickly due to nicotine withdrawal symptoms. ..
- If you relapsed because you gained weight..
- If you relapsed much later because you thought «just one won’t hurt,..
- If you relapsed due to bad news or a crisis..
- If you’ve been here before, maybe you need to see what you missed the first time.