Chapter 21
STAY FREE
IN THIS CHAPTER
• Finally • Congratulations!
Well done! You are now a happy non-smoker and a happy non-nicotine addict! As you begin your new life, these simple tips will help to ensure you are never tricked into falling back into the trap. Don’t wait for anything. You are already a non-smoker, a non-addict. You became one the moment you got rid of that final cigarette, e-cigarette or other nicotine product. You’ve cut off the supply of nicotine and unlocked the door of your prison.
- Don’t let a bad day at work or an argument with your partner break your stride
- accept that while having nothing to do with having quit nicotine, you will have good days and bad days. That’s all part of the stress and strain of life. However, because you will be stronger physically and mentally, you’ll enjoy the good times more and handle the bad times better. Don’t ever be tempted to blame a bad day at work or with your partner or with the kids, on the fact that you’ve quit smoking.
Enjoy noticing the differences: be aware that a very important change has happened in your life. Like all major changes, especially those for the better, it can take time for your mind and body to adjust. If you feel different or disoriented for a few days, there’s no need to worry. Just accept it. Feel it. A sense of quiet. A sense of peace. It might seem a little weird for a while. Have you
ever seen a film when someone has been released from a dark, dismal dungeon? As they emerge into the bright sunshine and feel the breeze on their cheek, they shield their eyes for a moment. Eventually they stop squinting, open their eyes and sense their freedom. This is where you are. Enjoy it.
Get out and enjoy life right from the start: you’ve quit nicotine; you haven’t quit living.
On the contrary, you can now start enjoying life to the full. Don’t alter your lifestyle in any other way, unless you want to. Carry on taking your breaks from work. Take ‘non-smoke’ breaks. Why miss out on the gossip and the chat of the smoking area just because you quit?
Don’t avoid friends who smoke: do not try to avoid smokers. Go out and enjoy social occasions and handle stress right from the start. If your partner or best friend smoke, don’t avoid them, don’t preach to them and don’t interfere with their smoking. You’ve been released from a terrible ordeal, so have compassion. Soon they’ll see how cool, calm and collected you are about the whole thing, their curiosity will eventually overcome their fear of stopping, and they’ll be tempted to emulate you.
For anybody trying to stop smoking, I heartily recommend reading Allen Carr’s wonderful book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking . I know so many people who turned their lives around after reading Allen’s books.
Sir Richard Branson
You don’t need to quit drinking: in the past when you tried to quit smoking you may have lost your resolve after having a few drinks. That’s what normally happens with the willpower method.
If you’re hanging on for grim life, a couple of drinks loosens that grip. For this reason, with the best of intentions, people who attempt to quit smoking sometimes also decide to quit drinking for a period as well. You simply don’t need to do that. Don’t start drinking if you don’t drink already, but just do what you normally do, when you normally do it. If you normally go out for a drink on a Friday night, carry on doing so.
Never envy smokers: when you’re with them, remember that you’re not being deprived. They are. They will be envying you because they will be wishing they could be like you: FREE.
Don’t use substitutes: forget substitutes like patches, gum or vaping kits. You don’t need them and they just keep people addicted to nicotine. Even apparently harmless substitutes, such as chewing gum, or eating a carrot stick or sweet, will cause a problem. You don’t need a substitute – you have gotten rid of a disease, not given something up. Any substitute can create and perpetuate a feeling of deprivation and soon awakens the Big Monster. Enjoy and cherish your freedom without substitutes.
Never doubt your decision: never be in any doubt over your decision to quit; you know it’s the right one. If you find yourself thinking ‘I want a cigarette’, don’t panic. Remember the parking place analogy. The feeling is just an echo from your smoking days. That’s a wonderful moment to remind yourself how lucky you are to be free. A moment when you brush that piece of fluff off your shoulder and smile and enjoy the death throes of the little monster.
Remember, there is no such thing as ‘one cigarette’. Be prepared for the offer of ‘just one cigarette’ or ‘just one puff’ from a friend, a colleague or even a stranger. Keep in mind that one puff on a cigarette is enough to drag you back into the nicotine trap. Remind yourself that you have no need for it, and if you’re
offered ‘just the one’, remember, there is no such thing as one cigarette. See reality, a lifetime’s chain of filth, disease and misery. See a hundred thousand cigarettes – because there is no such thing as one.
Get rid of your leftover cigarettes and nicotine: never carry cigarettes with you or keep them anywhere in your house. If you do, you open the door to doubt and almost certainly guarantee failure. Would you advise an alcoholic to carry a flask of whisky in his pocket? That said, if your partner smokes or vapes, it really isn’t a problem; you don’t need to ban them from the house. Understand that there’s a huge psychological difference between them keeping their cigarettes or nicotine in the house and you keeping some of yours. Get rid of yours; that’s all you need to do.
Don’t try ‘not to’ think about cigarettes or smoking: don’t try to block the thought of smoking from your mind. It’s impossible to make yourself not think about something. By trying to, you will make yourself frustrated and miserable. The thought of smoking doesn’t have to make you miserable; it can be a source of great joy. Instead of allowing yourself to think: ‘I mustn’t have a cigarette’ or ‘I can’t have one’, remember how lucky you are to be free.
‘Yippee! I’m a non-smoker! I’m free!’
Make a written record: What was it about your life as a smoker or nicotine addict that made you want to quit? Write a page about it. Make sure you write it in the past tense. It is what you escaped from, so it must be in the past tense. Be sure to expand upon it also. For example, you could say: ‘Life as a smoker smells’ – which is true… but it is probably more accurate and truthful to say: ‘Life as a smoker – my body, my breath, my clothes, my home, my hair stank and made me feel dirty.’ It is important that you say what sm
elt, how it smelt and how it made you feel – all in the past tense because it is what you have escaped from. Obviously, aside from smell there are other things about vaping or JUULing or dipping or chewing or snusing that you can write about.
Do this with all the aspects of your life as a smoker/nicotine addict. For example, you could say, ‘It controlled my life, what I did, when I did it, and how I felt when I was doing it, and that made me feel weak.’
Once you’ve done that for every aspect of your life as an addict, please keep that record to hand, in your purse or your wallet, where you can take a look at it every now and then.
The idea isn’t to be scared of going back to the addiction; it’s a case of genuinely celebrating and cherishing your freedom.
Don’t wait to become a non-smoker or non-nicotine addict: don’t wait for anything to happen. You don’t need to wait to become a non-smoker or non-addict.
You already are one!
You became one the moment you went through the ritual of your last cigarette, e-cigarette or nicotine product.
FINALLY
What you have achieved is incredible, but remember, you are not alone. Tens of millions of smokers have quit with Easyway. Don’t hold back from telling the world about your achievement. You won’t be bragging; you’ll be helping to dismantle the Big Con and enabling and inspiring tens of millions more smokers and nicotine addicts to escape to freedom and happiness. Also be sure always to put smokers at ease in your presence – remember how ‘holier than thou’ smokers used to make you feel. You won’t be one of those
.
If you ever have any doubts or concerns or questions that arise, please don’t hesitate to contact your nearest Allen Carr’s Easyway centre. Every single member of our therapist teams around the globe quit smoking with this method, and they’re always delighted to hear from anyone who has joined them in freedom.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Last of all, congratulations on being free. Enjoy life, free from the nightmare of the life of a smoker; free from the nightmare of the life of a nicotine addict.
The Instructions
First Instruction:
FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS
Second Instruction:
OPEN YOUR MIND
Third Instruction:
THINK POSITIVELY
Fourth Instruction:
BEGIN, NOT WITH A FEELING OF DOOM AND GLOOM, BUT INSTEAD WITH A FEELING OF ELATION AND EXCITEMENT
Fifth Instruction:
IGNORE ANY ADVICE THAT GOES AGAINST EASYWAY
Sixth Instruction:
HAVE NO DOUBT ABOUT YOUR DECISION TO QUIT
Seventh Instruction:
DO IT FOR YOURSELF, NOT ANYONE ELSE
Eighth Instruction:
HAVE YOUR FINAL CIGARETTE/NICOTINE SHOT
Allen Carr’s Easyway Centres
The following list indicates the countries where Allen Carr’s Easyway To Stop Smoking Centres are currently operational.
Check www.allencarr.com for the latest additions to this list.
The success rate at the centres, based on the three-month money-back guarantee, is over 90 per cent.
Selected centres also offer sessions that deal with alcohol, other drugs and weight issues. Please check with your nearest centre, listed below, for details.
Allen Carr’s Easyway guarantees that you will find it easy to stop at the centres or your money back.
JOIN US!
Allen Carr’s Easyway Centres have spread throughout the world with incredible speed and success. Our global franchise network now covers more than 150 cities in more than 45 countries. This amazing growth has been achieved entirely organically. Former addicts, just like you, were so impressed by the ease with which they stopped that they felt inspired to contact us to see how they could bring the method to their region.
If you feel the same, contact us for details on how to become an Allen Carr’s Easyway To Stop Smoking or an Allen Carr’s Easyway To Stop Drinking franchisee.
Email us at: join-us@allencarr.com including your full name, postal address and region of interest
.
SUPPORT US!
No, don’t send us money!
You have achieved something really marvellous. Every time we hear of someone escaping from the sinking ship, we get a feeling of enormous satisfaction.
It would give us great pleasure to hear that you have freed yourself from the slavery of addiction, so please visit the following web page where you can tell us of your success, inspire others to follow in your footsteps and hear about ways you can help to spread the word:
You can “like” our facebook page here www.facebook.com/AllenCarr
Together, we can help further Allen Carr’s mission to cure the world of addiction.