The Cost of My First Relapse
Back in December I started a parade that asked how long some of your past quits had lasted before losing them to a relapse. I think 14 people responded. Today I want to take it another route. For members who had quit at least one other time in the past, even for a few days, and then lost that quit, I would like you to estimate how long ago that quit were lost. Go back to the first quit you can remember ever doing, even if you had interim quits since then. This is a fair way of looking at it because if you think about it, those interim quits would never have had to happen if the first quit lasted. For those who never tried to quit, just work your calculations from when you started to smoke.
Then estimate how many cigarettes you smoked since that first relapse. Try to do a conservative estimate of how much those interim cigarettes ended up costing. This will often become an eye opening exercise. When you think back to how all you wanted was one, how "borrowing" one seemed so harmless, and then realizing just what the cost of that first puff was. Let us know those numbers.
As sick as the resulting numbers may make you feel, understand it is nothing compared to how sick cigarettes may actually make you if you allow yourself to let it happen again. More than just making you disgusted and emotionally sick, it can actually make you physically sick and cost you more this time. Besides the cost of cigarettes having gone up, smoking will eventually cost you your health and likely your life. To avoid a repeat of a past relapse, always remember this time around your success is contingent on always remembering to never take another puff!
Joel
Related video: What to do with the money you used to waste on cigarettes:
Melissa
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- but here's the good news I might well save three times that much if I live another thirty years as an non-smoker! Talk about incentive! 
