Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking - Allen Carr [80]
The instant you extinguish your final cigarette, it’s over. You’ve won. No force on earth can prevent you from claiming the life that you have earned and the life you deserve. Go out, be proud, savor this moment and embrace your future free from the slavery of drug addiction.
CHAPTER 40
THE FINAL CIGARETTE
Having decided on your timing, you are now ready to smoke that last cigarette. Before you do so, check on the two essentials:
1. Do you feel certain of success?
2. Do you have a feeling of doom and gloom or a sense of excitement and anticipation that you are about to achieve something really wonderful?
If you have any doubts, re-read the book first. If you still have doubts, contact your nearest Allen Carr’s Easyway center, details of which are listed at the back of this book. One of our facilitators will be happy to discuss any comments or questions you might have.
Remember, you never decided to fall into the smoking trap. But that trap is designed to enslave you for life. In order to escape you need to make the positive decision that this will be your final cigarette and that you will never again force yourself to do something that makes you feel so awful.
Remember, the only reason you have read this book so far is because you would dearly love to escape. So make that positive decision now. Make a solemn vow to yourself that when you extinguish that final cigarette, come what may, you will never smoke another.
Perhaps you are concerned that you have made vows like this several times in the past but are still smoking, or that you will have to go through some awful trauma. Have no fear, the worst thing that can possibly happen is that you fail, and so you have absolutely nothing to lose and so much to gain.
But stop even thinking about failure. The beautiful truth is that it is not only ridiculously easy to quit but also extremely enjoyable. Instead, why not focus on the wonderful gifts you are about to receive as a non-smoker? Health, life, happiness, freedom…the list is endless!
Why make it hard on yourself? Why not choose the EASYWAY! All you need to do is follow the simple instructions I’m about to give you:
1. Make the solemn vow now and mean it.
2. Smoke that final cigarette consciously, inhale the filth deeply into your lungs and ask yourself where the pleasure is.
3. When you put it out, do so not with a feeling of: ‘I must never smoke another’, or ‘I’m not allowed to smoke another’, but with the feeling: ‘Isn’t it great! I’m free! I’m no longer the slave of nicotine! I don’t ever have to put these filthy things in my mouth again.’
4. Be aware that for the next few days, the ‘little monster’ will be inside you looking to be fed. At times I refer to it as a slight physical craving for nicotine. Strictly speaking, this is incorrect, and it is important you understand why. Because it takes time for the ‘little monster’ to die, some ex-smokers assume that it is necessary to suffer cravings during this period. You will be glad to know that this is not the case. The body cannot crave nicotine. Only the brain can crave. Physical withdrawal creates a slight physical feeling a bit like hunger that up to now your brain has interpreted as ‘I want a cigarette’. You need to replace this ‘conditioned response’ with a new one, based on the facts. So when that slight feeling comes, respond by saying to yourself, “YIPPEE, I’M A NON-SMOKER!” and focus on all of the wonderful gifts you are giving yourself by breaking free from the slavery of smoking. Brush that feeling off as if it were a bit of fluff that had somehow landed on your sleeve. In this way, you can be happy about your decision to become a non-smoker, and you can stay happy for the rest of your life. At this time, you can also reflect on the fact that cigarettes only ever brought misery, stress, fear and slavery to your life, and that every smoker on the planet would rather be a non-smoker.
5. Willpower quitters do not recondition their ‘I want a cigarette’ response