El Bandito

Quit Date: 27/01/2014

Posted November 5, 2014 

Now then, let's be perfectly clear

My only expertise is a little experience in smoking and quitting smoking. I have watched some videos, read some books and shared with some fellow quitters. I have zero medical experience or expertise, in fact I look away when they show operations on medical dramas. No knowledge whatsoever of brain chemistry. 

There is some true expertise knocking around on the forum - and a lot of it is pinned to the top of the boards - this however is just me shooting the breeze, sharing some experience and some observations.

People choose to quit smoking for a variety of reasons. Some of them are deeply tragic personal experiences. The loss or debilitation of a loved one for example. Some are scared into it. Some just make a rational decision.

Some people quit Cold Turkey. Some use NRT. Some use acupuncture, hypnosis. Some use Vaping. Some read books.

I believe that it matters not a jot why someone chooses to quit or how they quit.

Allen Carr, Joel, all sort of people have said this many many times - I am amazed at how long it has taken me to truly understand it. (Quite a thick head :rolleyes: )

One thing matters.

Understanding the con.

Every single one of us believed that we enjoyed smoking, that smoking gave us a benefit of some kind. Allen Carr covers this in depth - he calls it the key.

We spent years convincing ourselves that we liked stinking, liked poisoning ourselves and those around us, liked impoverishing ourselves, liked being slaves to a drug addiction. Even when we stop - we yearn for the 'carefree' cigarette.

BOLLOCKS!

The moment that one realises that smoking does not give us any benefit and NEVER did, that it was all an elaborate con trick, then the Quit is done. It sticks.

The con has worked for decades. People have made millions, no billions, of Dollars - and they continue to do so in the developing world.

Perhaps the strongest testament to the power of the con - is that they are doing it again - and new generations of people are falling for it.

"Here, take a strange looking pen shaped object, suck it and enjoy some vapour. Yes! Vapour. It's cool. Look you can have coffee flavoured vapour! To make the vapour even better, we have added a special ingredient called nicotine - this nicotine is brilliant as an insecticide, at fooling receptors in your brain and here is the real kicker.....nicotine is an absolute superstar at addicting you - guaranteeing that you personally will pay US a fortune for the rest of your life. 10% off if you buy an extra pack!"

People are queuing up to suck this stuff in.

I see them interviewed on TV

"why are you vaping?"

"it's kinda cool yaknow? Relaxes me innit. I enjoy it"

Really? Sucking a pen is cool? You enjoy it? What the flavour? The coffee flavour? Here's an idea - HAVE A COFFEE!

A quit fails because a little part of us clings onto the idea (an idea being pushed all around us) that smoking was enjoyable.

It wasn't.

It is a con.

Understand this, really understand it and come to rely on it when you feel the siren call of a cigarette -  and whether your quit started a year ago, a month ago, yesterday, today or even tomorrow - your quit will stick.

Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/3345-why-a-quit-sticks/