Vancouver island

i'ts week 6-7 in my journey, and i almost "took a break" from it because my sister and i decided to do a spontaneous trip, renting a van to go on an adventure and explore Vancouver island. I thought really hard about whether I should just smoke and enjoy this trip to the fullest because there's nothing better than travelling, especially in this weather when it's chilly and raining , and the vibe is cozy, everything about it makes me want to smoke. I almost caved, and then i thought about how my addicted mind is tricking me into convincing myself to fall back into my addiction. There will always be a fun reason to start smoking again, and that cycle would never end. I had to make a decision, do i want to quit forever, or do i want to throw away all the hard work I've done and go back to smoking? I must say, i was really close to giving up a few times, and i don't know how I stayed strong.

During the trip, i found myself thinking about smoking, even though i was feeling happy and relaxed. This experience aligns with research on how emotional states, including both stress and positive emotions can trigger cravings. As Tiffany and Drobes explain, cravings are not only driven by nicotine withdrawal but also by psychological and emotional highs. In my case, i noticed that when i was feeling happy and relaxed, the urge to smoke surfaced because I subconsciously associated the pleasure of the moment with the reward of smoking, which i had used in the past to amplify my enjoyment. Studies have shown that this emotional coping mechanism is common, as individuals often rely on smoking to enhance positive emotions or manage stress (Tiffany & Drobes, 1991; Rose et al., 1983)