I have noticed a few new quitters wondering whether all the hell is worth it when there are people with 200+ days questioning their quit etc. As I was one of those accomplished quitters wanting to smoke again a couple of weeks ago, I thought it fair to share my whole story with you.
When I signed up with SCC last year in April, I attempted to quit every several days for a month and reset my quit meter about 8 times. Then I went back to smoking full-time.
Then I came across Allen Carr's book, "The only way to stop smoking permanently". It puts you in a state of mind where you do still want to smoke but you realise that it is the addiction talking not your rational mind, so a bigger part of you does not want to smoke. I came to understand that my dream of smoking occaisionally was never going to happen. Even if you have enormous willpower and only smoke a few times a month you will be thinking about smoking the whole time. He believes that cutting down before a quit is not helpful because it only makes every cigarette seem more precious. You come to realise that quitting is a positive thing to be celebrated, rather than grieving a lost friend. For this reason he does not recommed support groups, as they can be very negative, with everyone feeling sorry for each other. I don't think the SCC is all negative at all, but it did NOT help me personally to quit smoking. Please understand, I know that lots of people have quit without the book, but this advice is for those who are not coping.
I have not smoked at all since I read the book. I came on site a few days after to reset my meter but I did not feel the need to post a message.
A few weeks ago my boyfriend started smoking again and it entirely upset my rational views on smoking. May I make it clear, I was NOT "craving" the same way as some-one in need of the drug - in the first few days of a quit, it was an entirely mental "need". My boyfriend was telling me how much he enjoyed smoking etc. and this upset my balance - my inner knowledge that all smokers who have ever failed at quitting secretly despise themselves for smoking... Why did it cause such an emotional upheaval? Because the person I love and trust most in the world had lied to me. Why? Because nicotine addiction is so powerful. He has since admitted
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Quit Meter
$100,509.20
Amount Saved
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Quit Meter
Days: 4837
Hours: 8
Minutes: 56
Seconds: 50
Life Gained
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Quit Meter
45686
Smoke Free Days
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Quit Meter
182,744
Cigarettes Not Smoked