Hi there. I finished reading Allen Carrs "Easy way to stop smoking" this evening (8th Jan)  at 5.30! Its 11pm now and I haven't smoked. However, this is not the "easy"or "enjoyable" experience I was promised! Did I do it wrong? He says that this is not using the willpower method,but if I hadn't have thrown my tobacco into the fire,I would definitely have smoked by now. I have tried stopping before and this is every bit as awful as those times. Not what the book says and I followed that book faithfully!! I haven't stopped craving it all night. Has anyone had any experience with this? I was not expecting to go "cold Turkey" with this method. I'm absolutely distraught. Please get back to me with any advice or insight. Thanks so much 

  I read that book three times. I thought I was going to find a way to quit smoking that was magical, or at the very least something I hadn't thought about. It's just not there! I still takes willpower to apply the quit plan that he recommends. Don't get me wrong it is a great book for anyone who is trying to beat this addiction. It is full of valuable information about the addiction process and how the tobacco companies have worked to get us addicted, and keep us addicted.

Just my opinion of the book!

Do you have a quit plan?

Good Luck!

Thank you do much for replying to me.. Im ridiculously grateful! Im Samantha by the way. I don't have a plan really. I thought I might use nicotine inhalers because afyer my last attempt I swore that Id never do cold Turkey again. Then,I got very excited about the book and stupidly believed that there would be a magic "Off button" when i finished the book. Now I'm so confused because I've read over and over in that book not to use NRTs, but I'm lost. I feel like I'm beaten already to be honest. The book has great insights, but I guess I got too carried away with the notion that it could do the work for me!

Hi Samantha,

It would be so nice to be able to just flip a switch, right? 
Carr’s method advices against NRT because  it is a Cold Turkey method. I understand why you’d find it a little misleading being called “the easy way”. Truth be told, there is not an easy way. If there were this forum wouldn’t be necessary or likely exist. 
There is no reason not to use NRT. Do what works for you. For me, I used patches and found some value in the book to supplement some thought processes. 
I think the most important thing to remember is there is not a specific one size fits all approach, nor is there a right or wrong way. I do think you will find it helpful to stick close here, read a lot and post often!

Support from those who “get it” makes a tremendous amount of difference! 
More soon!

Thank you very much. I think I need to sort of regroup myself quickly now and get a plan in place! (Now that at the grand old age of 34,  I'm realizing that magic doesn't exist!) I will continue with this attempt. Thanks for the feedback, its helped xx

Hi Sam! Welcome. I think sometimes just diving in is the best way. I’ve seen people prepare and when it came time they didn’t go through with it but of course there are those who do. As people here will point out, it really a many different types of methods and people. As for me, aside from the thought of “I really should quit” thought I had for a couple of years I didn’t have a plan. But oops, I got Covid so the day after I was told this, I just didn’t pick up a cigarette. There wasn’t a real thought process. I guess I just sort of numb myself. After that initial day, I said it’s a good time as any and continued not to smoke. Today is day 65 for me. By no means has it been easy. I ate so much hard candy inside my mouth had sores. I read a lot on this forum. What helped me a lot is the section called quit stories journals. I was inspired and also put some fear in me. I wish I can say I’m all good and I don’t think about smoking but the thoughts still come. One thing I can say for sure is IT DOES GET EASIER! I just fight with myself. I tell myself I want to live healthy until God calls me home. I don’t want to be lugging around an oxygen tank. If I have to do that I guess I will have to find a positive in that too... you know what I mean. You are so young so you are way ahead of many of us. We should have been as wise as you are being right now. Fight with all your might!! Good luck!

HI!

Sorry about the rough start!

 You have been given some great advice here! I have only been quit for a little over a week.  Loreficent and gkim have been more successful at quitting than I have.

  I think that your regrouping is a great idea. Please don't give up because things haven't went well.  Your very young, compared to me. I have multiple health problems that are connected to smoking for close to 50 years. You can avoid all that by quitting now.

Have you watched any of Joel Spitzer's video's?  I've picked up a lot of good advice from listening to him also.

Good Luck!

Thanks you guys. I really appreciate the posts and hearung your stories. It sounds like you are all doing really well to me. Congratulations with that and  best of luck for each day to come! Im on the first morning. Wow this is bloody awful. Im going to give it a go. I owe it to myself. I worry everyday about what I am doing to myself. If I can just get through this day! Ill post soon x

Hey Sam 

I just read your post Im on day 9 . I found that book useful but not magical either and I am using a patch but I started with the step 3 patch. I hope things are working out for you and you got your plan in place. 

Hi Sam. I also read his book years ago and it was actually as mentioned in a book. It was easy, few cravings etc. But, yes there is a but, I quite easily start smoking again after few months. Reading the book for the second time didn't help at all. There are some really valuable information in it and I need to admit that he has really great style so not all bad 

Here's the thing, there is no magic stick or something similar. I guess there are people who were successful with Carr's method but they are extremely rare. Each quit is unique and most of us go through hell at a beginning but it gets much much better later on. It's a path, a journey. Just appreciate the fact that you want to quit and go for it. We used to post this Churchill's post a lot: if you're going through hell, keep going  good luck and stay strong