Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking - Allen Carr [85]
4. If you were to weigh up the pros and cons of smoking, the conclusion would always be the same—to be a non-smoker and happy about it. Having made what you know to be the correct decision, don’t ever make yourself miserable by doubting it.
5. Don’t try not to think about smoking or worry that you are thinking about it too much. But whenever you do think about it—whether it’s today, tomorrow or the rest of your life—think, ‘YIPPEE! I’M A NON-SMOKER!’
6. DO NOT use any form of substitute.
7. DO NOT carry or keep any smoking materials.
8. DO NOT avoid other smokers.
9. DO NOT change your lifestyle in any way purely because you’ve stopped smoking.
If you follow the above instructions, you will soon experience the moment of revelation. But:
10. Don’t wait for that moment to come. Just get on with your life. Enjoy the highs and cope with the lows. The moment will come, and when it does, it’s a moment of pure joy.
CHAPTER43
HELP THE SMOKER LEFT ON THE SINKING SHIP
Smokers are panicking these days. There has been a huge change in society. Not too long ago, you could smoke anywhere; today smokers are shoved outside into the freezing cold. Even smokers regard smoking as anti-social. They sense that the whole thing is coming to an end, and they are right. Every year, millions of smokers are quitting and smokers left in the trap are acutely aware of this.
Every time a smoker successfully escapes from the sinking ship, the ones left on it feel more miserable and more threatened. Every smoker instinctively knows that it is ridiculous to spend a fortune for rolled up dried vegetable matter, to set light to it and to breathe the cancerous fumes into your lungs. So smokers blatantly lie about their ‘habit’, not only to others, but also to themselves. They have to. This is essential if they are to retain some self-respect. They feel the need to justify what they know in their hearts to be unjustifiable behavior. They buy into the brainwashing because they have no other option; and they vigorously defend their smoking as a ‘right’ or a ‘personal choice’. But this is really just putting lipstick on a pig because to admit the truth would leave them feeling frightened.
If a smoker tries to stop by using willpower, he feels deprived and miserable. All this does is to confirm to other smokers how right they are to keep smoking.
Non-smokers don’t feel the need to justify their decision to be non-smokers. Some decisions are such no-brainers that they do not need explanation or justification. Smokers therefore don’t really understand that it is easy and fun to be a non-smoker. Instead, they believe that becoming one will involve making a tremendous sacrifice. This intimidates the smoker and contributes to the fear that keeps him smoking.
As a non-smoker you can help smokers to see that it is easy and fun to be a non-smoker. Show the smoker that there is nothing to fear, nothing to ‘give up’ and absolutely everything to gain. Tell him how wonderful it is not to have to choke yourself, how lovely it is to wake up feeling fit and strong and to be able to really breathe. Tell him how great it feels to be free of the terrible, unremitting, unrewarding slavery of smoking. Tell him how it feels to finally be free of the conflict and stress of being a smoker. Even better, get him to read this book.
It is essential not to belittle the smoker by muttering away about second-hand smoke or ostentatiously waving away the smoke and pretending that it’s choking you to death. Remember how much you hated such people when you were a smoker? Please don’t turn into one of them, for goodness’ sake. Ex-smokers already have a bad reputation with smokers. This reputation is entirely due to the influence of ex-smokers who have quit by using willpower. Part of that ex-smoker still believes that he made a sacrifice when he quit. He continues to feel somewhat vulnerable and copes with this vulnerability by attacking the smoker. This might make him feel better,