I quit just over 24 hours ago and this time I feel positive of my success that I will never smoke again.
I have read (and re-read) Allen Carr's EASYWAY to stop smoking. I recommend it to anyone considering quitting or who has recently quit. His method is unconventional in that he claims it is relatively easy to quit if you follow his instructions. He used to smoke 100 a day - he knows all the ins, outs and excuses we use to justify our crutch.
He deconstructs the "reasons" we smoke and throws them back at us as excuses. The reason you smoke is because you are addicted to nicotine. The only reason I have ever craved a cigarette is because of the one previous to it. Before I had tried a cigarette I had no desire to smoke.
He argues that one part of the trap lies in the fact our first experience with cigarettes are that unpleasant we will be assured not to get caught in the trap. I reflected back and that is precisely what I thought at the time! I used to throw my mother's cigarettes out all the time and infuriate her. I was an ardent anti-smoker as a child. Yet one night I just had to know what the big deal was, so I tried one. It was revolting and my Mother was furious I had tried one.
Funny, that the very thing I had tried to dissuade her from doing for years she scolded ME for trying?
Then I went to high school and some of my mates were "into it". "Damn, nothing beats a drag after a feed at night". etc. Got the head rush after being taught how to light and inhale 'correctly' - had the foul taste on my breath. Then I tried another one. Then I bought my first packet feeling naughty - I was only going to smoke them when I wanted that rush. Yeah right.
You can imagine the rest of the story.
I feel equipped to deal with any upcoming withdrawals. Right now it's the end of the evening which is when I'd normally be smoking my heaviest so I am feeling it a bit. But I understand what it is I'm feeling and why. Every time I say no to the "little monster" wanting his fix, I've dealt another blow to him. Rather than going "Damn, I can't ever have another cigarette" I say "Yes! Thank God it's finally over. I'm a non-smoker! This is all part of the withdrawal process. Sweet". That conscious train of thought when I come up against a withdrawal pang so far has been crucial.
With all that said, I have never been an advocate of patches. Even before I read the book it never made sense to beat the addiction by prescribing lower doses of it. Even with the patches you still have the psychological triggers like a phone call, a drink or someone else lighting up that will give the illusion of it being necessary to light the stick up and puff.
But if you can quit and led a happy life from then onwards, that's the main thing. The key is to be happy with your decision and know it is the right one. It's not a glass half full/half empty scenario. The glass is empty for the smoker. any benefits for the smoker were created by the previous cigarette which is akin - as Carr says - to putting on a really tight pair of shoes just so you can enjoy the relief of taking them off.
That was therapeutic. If you are even playing with the idea of quitting, all the best!
