Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking - Allen Carr [78]
2. Will life ever be the same without the cigarette? This tends to be a longer-term fear. That once you are through the initial period and life becomes normal, you will be left with a void. I’m delighted to tell you that life without cigarettes is dramatically better than life as a smoker and that you will feel the benefits for the rest of your life. True, life does settle back down as you become accustomed to your freedom, energy, improved health and surplus cash, but it settles at a level way above that that a smoker has to endure. It may help to make some detailed notes about your life as a smoker. These notes can be used in the future to refer back to. Remembering how miserable life was as a smoker will help you to stay happy about getting, and staying, free. Sometimes, to appreciate our freedom, we have to remember what it was like to be a slave.
As I said, there are situations that you associate with smoking and you need to develop a strategy for dealing with them. Let’s look at a couple of scenarios.
1. ‘I’ll keep a pack of cigarettes close by, just in case.’ The failure rate among people that do this is several times higher than those that don’t so my advice is to remove all smoking materials from your house, car, office etc. The reason for this is simple. By having cigarettes on or close to your person, you are sub-consciously positioning the cigarette as the ‘solution’ if you have a problem. Try to see it the way it really is. The cigarette is the problem, not the solution. Would you recommend that an alcoholic trying to quit drinking keep a bottle of scotch handy? Does a non-heroin addict carry a fix around with him ‘just in case’? Shortly, you will be a non-smoker, and non-smokers don’t need cigarettes.
The worst thing about this tactic is that it creates doubt in your mind. We want to remove doubt, not create it! If you still feel the need to have cigarettes with you then I suggest you re-read this book from the beginning because something hasn’t ‘clicked’. However I believe the main reason for the higher failure rate in these cases is that the smoker does not feel completely committed to stopping in the first place. Remember the two essentials to success are:1) Certainty that you are doing the right thing by stopping and 2) a positive mindset: ‘Isn’t it great that I don’t need to smoke?’
2. ‘Should I avoid stressful or social occasions?’ By all means, try to avoid stressful situations (who needs them?) but don’t be frightened if they do materialize. As a non-smoker you will be far better able to handle stress because you will be happier and healthier. You also won’t be suffering the constant stress of being a drug addict.
As for social occasions, my view is that you have achieved something wonderful and that you should celebrate from square one, not sit at home moping. Remember—you haven’t lost a friend; you’ve killed a deadly enemy. This enemy was not only trying to kill you, but was also stealing from you; your health, energy, self-confidence and self-esteem, money and your freedom. Why wouldn’t you be happy to get rid of such an evil monster? ‘Get out and enjoy yourself!’ is my advice. There is so much to be happy about and the sooner you get out and have fun, the sooner you receive affirmation of the wonderful decision you have made to break free.
CHAPTER39
THE MOMENT OF REVELATION
The moment of revelation usually takes place about three weeks after a smoker stops. The sky appears to become brighter and as the last of the poison is swept away, the last of the brainwashing disappears along with it. Instead of telling yourself you do not need to smoke, you suddenly realize that the last thread is broken and you can enjoy the rest of your life without ever needing to smoke again. It is also usually from this point that you start looking at smokers as worthy of pity.
Smokers using Willpower rarely experience this wonderful moment because, although they are glad to be non-smokers, they never truly understand that there was nothing to ‘give