The Official Skank Quitting Smoking Thread

[timouse]

so this book changed my life and helped both jennifer and i to quit smoking. that was almost three years ago now.

the download link contains the audio book and a pdf of the print book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by the late Allen Carr.

have at it.

[bouche]

I'll be glad to share that. Certainly, people SHOULD be encouraged to share stuff like this for free. However, the best methods end up being products to make someone else rich...rather that being out there to help the masses.

[Velvet]

It astounds me the lengths people will go to to avoid reading that book.

I too highly, highly recommend The Easy way To Quit Smoking by Allen Carr.

[Hal Johnson]

Thanks Tim, I think I'm ready to give it a shot!

Velvet, what astounds me is the amount of credibility this book is given. A good friend of mine said she had to turn it off not even half way through because she realized it would definitely 100% make her quit, and she didn't want to yet! She then went back to the book a few weeks later and finished it, and hasn't smoked since.

I'm afraid of this book, I think.

Edited April 14, 2009 by Guest

[mousepad]

It astounds me the lengths people will go to to avoid reading that book.

I too highly, highly recommend The Easy way To Quit Smoking by Allen Carr.

Ditto! Almost 2 months smoke free for me with not a hint of craving and almost no effort on my part. Thanks for changing my life Timouse!

[TheSloth]

Thanks for the great timing Timouse. This is Day One of my very serious attempt to quit (survived my first waiting for the bus smoke urge and my first coffee in the morning smoke break - not so bad really).

I will start reading the book when I get home from work.

[jayr]

Thanks. I'll read it.

[Basher]

Next Friday will be 2 months smoke-free for me. I didn't read the book though (wish I had tried that).

If you find the book is not successful, I highly recommend you speak to your Doctor about Champix.

[MamaPink]

Holy crap, that's great timing! I'm smoke-free, day 2. This is my 3rd time quitting. Most times I can quit for a couple years at a time, but that's not good enough... I never want to smoke again! I'm going to read that book, thanks Timouse!

[Velvet]

Basher, you should still read it.

A lot of people who quit persist in desiring cigarettes. The book helps you not desire them anymore. Allen Carr shows you that you're not actually giving up anything.

[jay sanislo]

I downloaded the book. Ive been really thinking of quiting lately. The thing that kills me is that I never smoked a day of my life through highschool. You think if you can make it past that you should be gold. So I really kick myself for starting. Im gonna give this book a try. I am a little scared of it and wonder if im really ready but I think to myself thats just the addiction talking.........

Thanks for the book!

[c-towns]

this thread makes me want to go have a smoke.

[Velvet]

this thread makes me want to go have a smoke.

Allen Carr discusses this commonality in the book. He argues that the warning signs on cigarette packs actually make people smoke more. I know whenever I saw a heavy anti-smoking message I always lit one. The idea is that smokers smoke when they feel stress, and any reminder that you're killing yourself with cigarettes causes stress.

Strange, but pretty much undeniable. There is so much about smoking that goes against logic. It's an insidious drug. Good luck getting off of it everyone.

[c-towns]

Ya, good luck to all that try, I've never actually tried, but for the amount that i smoke, I don't feel like quitting.

[boiler]

If you find the book is not successful, I highly recommend you speak to your Doctor about Champix.

My buddy at work went on Champix. He got really weird and aggresive. Mood swings, the whole nine. Made me decide against trying it, especially because he's back on the smokes again.

I think I'll try the book, thanks a bunch timouse. Doobs will still be ok though, right?

[Calamity Jane]

Tim,

I bought the "playing cards" version of this book to lend out to my students, when you recommended it a few years ago. I've had a few students REALLY appreciate it, and want to share it with their friends.

I, too, salute those who are ready to tackle the addiction....good to hear you decided to kick it, too, Joni!

On a slightly tangential note, the foundling-kitty from Jen has been re-named "Smokey" and I'm trying to avoid sliding into the nickname transmutations of "Smoke-Smoke ... Smokers ... Smoker-ino ... Smoke-city... Smoke-butt" ... you get the idea :-)

[Basher]

My buddy at work went on Champix. He got really weird and aggresive. Mood swings, the whole nine. Made me decide against trying it, especially because he's back on the smokes again.

Yes, there are possible side-effects from Champix, which is why I said you should speak to a doctor about it. Once you have completed the 3 month program, you have quit smoking. No drug or book can make you decide not to smoke again in the future. That's all on the individual. The act of quitting is the elimination of the chemical and habitual dependencies. That's it.

[Basher]

Also note that the psychological side-effects are VERY rare. When I was a teen I had a bout of depression, so I was a little worried about that too, but I have had no such side-effects.

[Velvet]

The only side effect to the book is that people quit smoking.

When he did the audio version of the book the recording engineers all ended up quitting too. You don't even really have to want to quit.

Edited April 15, 2009 by Guest

[AD]

i quit cold turkey on august 8 2006 and it was the best choice i ever made. there is no upside to smoking. that alone should make you quit. then you can think about the downside... and then you should definitely try to quit

[timouse]

When he did the audio version of the book the recording engineers all ended up quitting too. You don't even really have to want to quit.

that's hilarious.

Tim,

I bought the "playing cards" version of this book to lend out to my students, when you recommended it a few years ago. I've had a few students REALLY appreciate it, and want to share it with their friends.

I, too, salute those who are ready to tackle the addiction....good to hear you decided to kick it, too, Joni!

On a slightly tangential note, the foundling-kitty from Jen has been re-named "Smokey" and I'm trying to avoid sliding into the nickname transmutations of "Smoke-Smoke ... Smokers ... Smoker-ino ... Smoke-city... Smoke-butt" ... you get the idea :-)

excellent. how about naming him non-smokey?

[mattm]

I quit cold turkey. It was really hard. Do what you have to do but if you care about yourself, quit. If you have kids, then even if you don't care about yourself, care about them and quit. That's it. Lots of things in life are hard, quitting smoking is near the top as far as I'm concerned, but as with anything else it just takes effort. If you get a craving and start heading to a store, stop, turn around and go somewhere else, hell call in sick for work that day so you don't pass said store. Take a vacation for the first week so that you can completely change your routine around (best thing to do I think).

The main thing is, when you feel that urge, just don't go for it no matter how hard it is. It will get easier (although I don't think the cravings will ever go away, it's a lot easier to ignore them now and takes way less effort or way less of a creative excuse to myself to accomplish).

Good luck to those that try but really it boils down to hard work. How hard, or how much crap can you put up with...

[mousepad]

I quit cold turkey. It was really hard. Do what you have to do but if you care about yourself, quit. If you have kids, then even if you don't care about yourself, care about them and quit. That's it. Lots of things in life are hard, quitting smoking is near the top as far as I'm concerned, but as with anything else it just takes effort. If you get a craving and start heading to a store, stop, turn around and go somewhere else, hell call in sick for work that day so you don't pass said store. Take a vacation for the first week so that you can completely change your routine around (best thing to do I think).

The main thing is, when you feel that urge, just don't go for it no matter how hard it is. It will get easier (although I don't think the cravings will ever go away, it's a lot easier to ignore them now and takes way less effort or way less of a creative excuse to myself to accomplish).

Good luck to those that try but really it boils down to hard work. How hard, or how much crap can you put up with...

Wow! That sounds so different than my quitting trip. For me, quitting this time felt as if it was almost accidental. I've stopped smoking a few times years ago and remember it being just like you described it mattm, but the difference this time was listening to Alan Carr's audio book. It's so weird that after 20 years of heavy smoking I honestly haven't spent more than a few fleeting moments in the past 2 months thinking about smoking.

mattm, or anyone else that's already quit but are still haunted by cravings, maybe try reading Carr's book. It could be the magic pill that takes away the constant 'hard work' of quitting.

[Velvet]

So true. A lifetime of cravings is totally unneccesary.

The book is $20. If you've ever smoked, just read it. What do you have to lose (except $20)?

[Booche]

That book works incredibly well as a sponsor.

I know, sounds queer but it aint. I actually felt like a non-smoker reading it even though I was still smoking.

I am now a non-smoker.