So I read this book... and 530+ days later I'm still smokefree

I was a 30 a day smoker, started when I was 13.  22 years later and I had tried everything to quit. I mean everything - zyban/champix/patches/lozenges/gum/hypnotherapy/laser acupuncture/cold turkey/electronic cigarettes. I couldn't quit the smokes, but I wouldn't quit trying.

Out of the different things I tried, I had varied results from a few minutes, to a few weeks.  I would always come up with some excuse to start again.  And then a friend gave me a book to read 'The Easy Way to Stop Smoking' by Allen Carr.  I had actually heard of this book about 10 years earlier, but thought it was a load of crock to be honest.  By the time it was given to me, after everything else I'd given a go, I figured why not.

The book sat on the dresser for about a week.  I didn't read it straight away.  I was too busy.  The kids needed my attention, things needed to be done.  Until they didn't.  Until I sat myself down and figured I should just open the damn thing and give it a go.  One of the first things it said was to get comfy, grab my smokes if I wanted them and smoke away as I was reading it.  It was enough to get my attention and put my mind at rest that it wasn't just going to be a preachy thing going over the normal stuff you always hear, that all smokers already know, that almost no smoker can be bothered listening to again, let alone wasting good hours reading about.

First thing I will admit here is that I am a fast reader, so it didn't take me that long to finish the book - only a few hours.  But I am a fast reader, and it is a decent sized book - not a huge novel, but definitely not a short story so don't be put off or expect something quick.  My husband read about 4 chapters in the time it took me to finish.  Just saying this because some folk will think it's a good idea to have a go, but be daunted by the size of it.  I have since given this book to a friend's dad who is reading a chapter or so a day and it is still having the desired effect on him, so you don't have to be a speed reader like me.  Just take it at your pace and give it a go.  It definitely can't hurt, and you've put hours of dedication into being a smoker, so throw a couple at becoming a non-smoker!

Anyway...  I read the book.  I finished the book at lunch time and stopped smoking right then.  Has been 18 months now.  Something just clicked.  It explains things in a different way.  It makes sense.  I have not had a single craving.  I didn't substitute smokes with anything, or get cranky, or get the shakes, or anything else. It was seriously like flicking a switch.

My husband carried on smoking for a few months.  It didn't bother me in the slightest.  I didn't want one and was quite happy sitting outside with him while he had one.  Clincher - we had a party on day 2 of my quitting and I drank as normal, and still didn't even want one.

To this day, I sit outside with the smokers at tea and lunch break.  Easy as.

Worth a try I reckon!  Even better you can borrow the book from the library so it won't even cost anything.

Good luck with however you do it.  Everything's worth a go.  Something will work!