Lapse or Relapse?

If you've suddenly found yourself smoking again, after days or even months of being smoke-free try not to panic. Many ex-smokers tried to give up several times before they eventually succeeded. Perhaps you had a strong craving to smoke or were under stress or had a drink with friends. Perhaps you don't even remember lighting the cigarette. Maybe you thought you could have "just one."

Stopping smoking is a learning curve - you don't always get it right on the first attempt. But you can learn a great deal from your experiences.

Lapse

Smoking one cigarette does not erase all of the smoke-free time you've accumulated. A lapse often occurs when an ex-smoker is placed in a situation in which he or she would have smoked in the past, but lacks a plan to cope without a cigarette.

Relapse

You've fallen back in to your old smoking habit
Take time to think your quit attempt through, try to look at what you have learned
Give yourself a break from stopping and decide on a new stop date
Remind yourself of your successes and the situation that led you to slip up
Make a note of the positive lessons you can learn from it and keep them in mind until your next stop date
Remember, don't give up giving up; the more you try, the more likely you are to succeed!