Hi Phoenix GREAT JOB and congrats on maintaining your quit. I also read MR. Carr's book "The EASY Way to Quit Smoking". While I "got" what he was saying, and a lot of it makes sense, it was not enough to get me to motivate myself enough to start the quit for me. I eventually motivated myself to try the laser therapy. Do you think the book helped you??? I can't find my copy, I think now that I have started on my quit journey that I would like to read it again.

Phoenix and Allen Carr Let's not hide behind our finger guys. The fact that somebody wrote that stopping smoking is easy does not change the fact that billions of people know it's not. I am sure somebody somewhere finds quitting easy and maybe even enjoyable, but that's the exception, not the rule. Also, some people could smoke for years without getting addicted in the common sense. My wife is one of them, she's been smoking for 15 years, sometimes 3 cig a day, other times 1 cig in 2 months; she's a tease, I tell you . You try to tell all these people how easy it should be, and if they believe you, you'll be causing lot of damage and speedy relapses for them; because soon, all of them, except the unhuman martians, will find it not easy, and the'll be looking for you and Allen Carr; You really don't wand a smoker who's having a Nictoine fit looking for you. People have been tackling this quitting business since America gave to the world the gift of smoking, about 600 years ago. If quitting was easy, people would'v found out that long ago, because everyone is able to judge it for himself; It's not like believing the earth is flat or round issue. In order for the one of us to quit successfully, we need to be very honest with ourselves, we need to prepare for the worst; otherwise we'll be shocked when we find that things are harder than we thought. One last thought, If you want to see the light at the end of the tunnel, you,v gotta be able to see things as they really are, not as we wish them to be. You know what they say, that light you see coming from the end of the tunnel, it might be for a train that will not stop because you think it is something else. So, in order not to get run over, get off the track, until you'r sure it is the light at the end of the tunnel. if it's right, that 'quitting addiction which comes from many years of smoking is easy', and it's not, then it would be so wrong, it is unfair. It does not cohere with other nature laws. Does quitting many years of addiction has to be easy, before we would want to do it. You wouldn't be here if women insisted that giving birth has to be easy before thay do it. The hard work you are going to exert in order to convince yourself that quitting smoking is easy, you cou

Ok - than is the question - that you stop - even if it is difficult - and that you do not hope for some easy path:) thanks really. for so far today is worth than yesterday - walking around and want to cry... Alhoewel I also read some books on -"how easy stopping smoking can be" - for me is the greatest help the folk here - the knowledge that some people doing somewhere the same, and the guiding each other. Thanks Ron:) - a personal attention is very welcome now. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/28/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 32 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $6.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 1 [B]Seconds:[/B] 39

Only my meter below:) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/28/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $6.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 3 [B]Seconds:[/B] 23

Thanks Ronko, breaking the habit - Ok. I find it difficult how to do it? I cannot really sit down - relaxing - and ... because that is the old habit. but I have no other method yet. How to have little pleasures during the day ? Any idea? For me it could be a great help - if I could avoid being stressed. (no stress- the craving is definitely less for me.) I find it difficult to find any "rewards" (except chokolats - but then you cannot eat enough of it:) Phoenix - keep tight - instead of smoking you can do every time something (one the things which you have not done the last 30 years.) I do this as well (small steps though:) and even if I am not fully glad with which I have done - something is still done - and that makes me a little content:) Parola

Hi for me behind my addiction lies as well a kind of neglection of myself (very hidden- no one sees it - and I also just discovered it recently:) Anyway - this is my first day - and already feeling that emptiness ... a very practical question... how long does it take? Days, weeks? Parola

Hang in there - the 2nd day was really bad for me - I thought it would be easier than the first, the 3rd was pretty tough too as unfortunately it does seem to get worse before it gets better. But honestly, it DOES get easier [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 14 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 118 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $16.8 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 12 [B]Seconds:[/B] 27

Hi all I agree - quitting is probably the hardest thing I have ever done - HOWEVER! I did read the Carr book as I mentioned earlier, and it was what motivated me to quit. What he says is completely obvious - but I guess its all the things I had "ignored" for the 20 odd years whilst I smoked. Basically - you just don't do it - no matter how bad you want to, you just don't! Parola, it is the strangest feeling to only be a week ahead or so of you, but to know exactly how you are feeling right now - searching for the answer to the "how long does this last" question. I agree that for everyone timings are different - but for me, now at 2 weeks, whilst I do still think about it a lot, it just isn't anywhere near as tough as last week - either I am getting used to it or it really is easing - this time last week I was as miserable as sin, today I feel completely normal. The great thing is that this week I have had a few problems with my teenage son and whilst I have thought about smoking I used the Carr strategy to remember that even if I did smoke it wouldn't change the situation - and it worked for me. I a msure there a million books out there that would have worked for me - I was ready to quit and the book just gave me a bit more confidence to do it. As I said in an earlier post - whatever works for you..... [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 14 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 115 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $16.8 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 19 [B]Seconds:[/B] 47

Great post Shevie. I was reading about the dopamine thing just last night - apparently exercise also raises dopamine levels - so I am going to start to take more exercise. At least if I get addicted it won't be doing me so much harm ;-) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 9 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 76 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10.8 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 6 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55

By the sounds of things, I am not the only one who started smoking in my early teens - and I think that is part of what makes it so difficult for me to get my head around the "never" bit! I have smoked for so long now, it's almost like the thought of not doing other "normal" day to day things - it has been part of my life for so long. However, I think that whilst trying create this new life without smoking seems like such an enormous challenge - if I think about it for long enough, it really isn't difficult - afterall, I can still do all the things I used to do when I smoked - sit on the deck in the sun, chat on the phone, go out to eat with friends etc.. - I just do it without a cig in my hand now! Again - is this just all part of the "brain washing" Carr refers to in his book or have I been brain washed by the book?!!!!!!!! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 8 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 71 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $9.6 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 55 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26