It's more important to learn what you CAN DO than to push yourself into torture to see what you can't.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

If you have not yet quit but are just starting out and you are tracking your smoking and learning about when and why you smoke

Make it a game.

Never push it past the point of uncomfortable.

You just need to begin learning you don't need to smoke every time you want to smoke.

This builds confidence, not FEAR.

If you intend to wean down your smoking before you quit (and I highly suggest it in the way I've described above) you will eventually force yourself into withdrawal. When you start getting down to 5 or less and you feel a little frantic, be prepared to actually stop smoking and begin your quit.

This applies whether you are using an NRT as an aid or not. I did this for the 4 weeks before I quit and there was never a fear, any stress or any negative buildup before I quit. I went from 20 a day to 5 a day and wouldn't have even known except I wasn't going to buy cigarettes every two days and there was money in my wallet. LOL

The physical withdrawal and nicotine leaving your body takes about 3 days. Why prolong it?

🙂

[ladybug21]

I see your point, but i still think the cutting back creates fear because each one you smoke when you cut back is that much more important to you. If you cut back less and less then each of the cigs you smoke falsly appear to be that much more enjoyable because you are craving that nicotine fix more than you normally would. better to just smoke normal until quit day and then bam, don't smoke any more like i did. and according to allen carr. and i think he makes sense. 

[helenb208]

you are just the best, I read you blogs everyday, so my not smoking days are just stacking up 2 months tomorrow, thanks for all of your help. Helen.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

i think you missed the point. lol

it didn't cause fear because i wasn't dwelling on it. i just let it happen.

i didn't set a quit date either until the friday before i quit. If i had thought about quitting on a certain day fore a month, that would have  built anxiety.

alan carr isn't around to say i'm wrong.

[GreenThumb3]

I would buy your book befor his I'm still wondering if he was a smoker after his watching his video saying I never had one crave not even the slightest once REALLY 

[JonesCarpeDiem]

he died of lung cancer 23 years after he quit but he said those 23 years of not being a slave to nicotine were the happiest years of his life.

[moody_9-18-13]

I cut back by prolonging the time between smokes and I think it helped me to see I would not DIE if I just quit smoking. I scaled back over 6 days and quit on the 7th day. I didn't feel tortured or deprived because I embraced the craves, knowing I had to go through it in order to quit. I really wanted to emerge victorious from nicotine addiction.

Whatever works!