Honestly, when I see someone smoking today, my instant reaction is 'Really?' So glad another one came to his senses!
has anyone else kicked the habit? the nasty nicotine one
- Thread starter iluvclam
- Start date
Not to downgrade anybody's struggles but of all the vices I have had, tobacco was by far the easiest to quit. Since I was 11 I have started and stopped 3 times. For some reason, I can pick it up and put it down. The way I did it was by gradually wheening myself off of them. I smoked roughly half a pack a day and over 8 weeks I would just smoke 1 less per day for a week, then 2 less and so on. After 6 weeks, I was free and clear. I still get cravings from time to time and I sometimes indulge but don't feel the need for more. The biggest cravings come after really good sex. I guess I just need something to take the edge off he he he.
i haven't said his method doesn't work. i have actually read his book twice, and do appreciate what is said. it makes a lot of sense and nobody can really argue that. in fact i have rather openly suggested that the only way to quit smoking IS cold turkey. nicotine is the problem not the cigarette. stop the chain stop the problem.
what i do take issue with is the notion of "easy". if it were, nobody alive today would remain a smoker. nobody. if it were so easy why wait 30 years? ironically he did die of lung cancer in 2006 albeit 20+ years after quitting.
nicotine receptors do and will become altered with cessation. this will trigger physical withdrawal. for me it was rather intense.
what i am trying to do is share my experience. if i have to say anything is that for the first 4-5 days of non-smoking was akin to being in the middle of the Sahara desert and being thirsty. you want to quench your thirst so badly but water is nowhere to be found. from days 6-12 the balance of power was 50/50, and for this week will power for me peeked. what kept me strong was believing that the worst was over and that if i fail the clock starts at zero. by day 12 onwards to even now, the balance has totally swayed. now it's more like smoking is akin to wanting icecream for dessert after a really big meal. you want one and would probably enjoy it. but if you don't have icecream your day isn't ruined. you can think about it, look at others enjoying their icecream, but i no longer feel i need dessert to feel completely satisfied. this stage is where i feel Allen Carr's book really pays off. now is the time to believe in being a happy non-smoker. now is the time i can look back and see smoking for what it really is. now is the time i can look at other smokers and pity them not envy them. i no longer need will power to remain a non-smoker. and that is powerful.
I just love the way you said this! What a wonderful feeling of freedom you must be experiencing! All the best to you!
you have to understand that all smokers quit cold turkey at some point. whether you switch to gums or patches you do eventually have to quit the gum too. the reason im anti-gum etc is because doing so does two things. it prolongs and drags out the inevitable and it also instills the idea that the cigarette and nicotine is something your body can't live without and that it is essential for you to get by. it perpetuates the myth that most smokers believe their entire smoking lives - that the cigarette is a crutch. it isn't.
i considered myself a nonsmoker the minute i could stand beside a smoker and say to myself if only they were where i am today they'd be a nonsmoker too.
i feel absolutely great. both mentally and physically. my smokers cough and annoying throat scratch stopped almost entirely by day 2. my skin is clearer and i am relaxed and not mellow compared to 2 short weeks ago when i felt my world was ending. i do suppose that if you look at it from the perspective of a year 2-3 weeks is "easy" in comparison.
i considered myself a nonsmoker the minute i could stand beside a smoker and say to myself if only they were where i am today they'd be a nonsmoker too.
i feel absolutely great. both mentally and physically. my smokers cough and annoying throat scratch stopped almost entirely by day 2. my skin is clearer and i am relaxed and not mellow compared to 2 short weeks ago when i felt my world was ending. i do suppose that if you look at it from the perspective of a year 2-3 weeks is "easy" in comparison.
