Relapse and start again

The challenge is to learn from your last experience and never give up. Check out our challenges page to help you succeed this time around.

You’re most at risk of relapsing in the early stages of your quit attempt. After two or three months, this risk reduces significantly.

To learn from your relapse, think about:

• what you would do differently next time, for example using a different form of NRT
• what you should stop doing, for example putting yourself in situations where the temptation to smoke is high

It may help you succeed in your next quit attempt if you are aware of situations that could lead to relapse.

Situations that can lead to relapsing include;

• keeping a packet of cigarettes in your house,
• buying cheap cigarettes ‘for friends’ while on holiday,
• lighting or holding other people’s cigarettes,
• getting drunk and forgetting you are trying to quit,
• going outside with smokers – just for a chat,
• offering to look after someone else’s cigarettes,
• thinking ‘there’s so much smoke in here, I might as well smoke myself’,
• thinking that it doesn’t count if it’s a light cigarette, someone else’s cigarette, you’re on holiday or no one else sees you smoking
• a stressful situation such as a bereavement or illness in the family.