[Lilly2]

Have any of you ever experienced "pink cloud syndrome" during your recovery?

Read the article and comment below. I will, too (regarding my cigarette/nicotine addiction).

Pink Cloud Syndrome: What is It and How Dangerous It Is

[Lilly2]

For me, I think whenever I've approached quitting smoking, I consider my life like this "pink cloud" or euphoric feeling of being clean, healthy, and rid of nasty habits. The first week might be tough, but then the weeks that follow might go more smoothly. The peaks for smoking relapse are at 3 days, 7 days, and 21 days, give or take. But there are many of us smokers who have relapsed after having experienced a pink-cloud crash, or long after we've become accustomed to healthy living for years. The chances of relapse can occur at any point in our lifetime, even if the cravings have dissipated for a while. That's why I hear about recovered smokers of 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years relapsing. For me, the longest I've went without a cigarette has only been 45 days.

After hearing about this, it's even harder for me to quit when knowing that my pink-cloud will set me up to fail - will give me a false sense of hope and/or security. It feels great to be "clean," but what happens when that pink-cloud honeymoon is over? What happens when I reach that 30-day, 45-day, 6-month, or 12-month mark?

I want to be recovered and craving free! It's hard to deal with any addiction, I suppose, since it's easy to make excuses about relapse as a part of the recovery process. I guess it's a journey of try and try again, two steps forward and one step back.

Any thoughts?

[Lilly2]

I found these articles as well:

Addicts Just Want to Have Fun (in Recovery)

10 Tips for Staying Sober During Difficult Times