New quit plan

If you've been reading my other posts, you'll know my smoking and quit-smoking stories... But I realised that I should do a quit plan.

Instead of quitting now (yesterday), I'll wait until June 19th (that's two weeks from today). Why? First of all, from the 11th to the 19th I have a lot of horrible final exams and an horrible final project about tourism. That will be stressful, and I'll get really mad with our teachers because I hate them :P

So it will be easier to quit the 19th, when school ends and the summer vacations start.

Second, I'll go to Germany with my grandparents from July 10th to 17th. My original plan was to quit the 10th, because I won't be really able to smoke there, but that would be the first stressful week and I wouldn't enjoy the vacations... And I don't want that, because they might be the last vacations I have with my grandparents (hope not).

Also, it will be more difficult to smoke during the summer, because I will be only able to smoke during the mornings, so that would be a very stressful summer.

So that's my plan. Probably, the first weeks until I go to Germany will be stressful due to the smoking cessation, but going to Germany will be a stress relief, since I will have already passed the first horrible days.

And, since I tend to be very stressed due to school, quitting in summer is a good idea. Do you think so?

And also there's another plus; I'll have two weeks to plan my quit. What to do if I have a slip up, how to manage the stress... It'll be easier if I plan all of that before it happens. If I quit now, I will have to plan it meanwhile it happens.

Lana's Smokefree Journal II - Day 0

So yes, I had a slip up yesterday. I had another one today, I bought a pack of Benson & Hedges. Had 2 cigarettes.
Then, after being motivated thanks to About's Quit Smoking Forum, I decided I should quit again, from the beggining. And I had another cigarette, being aware that it was my last cigarette. Tomorrow will be a wonderful smokefree day!
I give you a tip. Your reason to quit must be unexcusable. If you quit for the health, you'll have the "we all die." With an unexcusable reason, like "not being a slave," or "not being stressed because you want to smoke," you'll handle your cravings much better. That's how easy it will be!
Remember, it's better to be a month craving that all your life dying (literally or not) for a cigarette because you can't smoke in certain places.
Also, find support, like About's Quit Smoking forum! I'm LanaDelRey there.

Lana's Smokefree Journal — Day 6: "HORRIBLE"

Horrible day. I don't want to write a lot. I had a horrible slip up. I smoked 3 cigarettes of a friend because he came to my house to smoke, and encouraged me to smoke too. And I was that stupid I did. I'm idiot. Then I bought a stupid pack and smoked one. I'm an asshole.
It was just a slip up, I can do this, I can do this... I won't set all my applications like if I quit today I think though, because it was just a slip up...
I HATE SMOKING

Lana's Smokefree Journal — Day 5

I started the day pretty well. But then, my father's wife mother came to have launch with us. I get kinda stressed in that kind of "semi-familiar" events, especially when it's not a real member of my family.
Anyway, it was good. I didn't really think about smoking again... Until we went to a bar. There were three people smoking next to me, and as I'm obsessed with brands, I began to "research" about the ladies' brand (Nobel). I never tried it. At that moment, I connected to QuitNow! chat and I realised that seeing those poor smokers motivated me!
Until afternoon. When I was having my after-launch coffee, I thought a lot on smoking, until now. A very big craving, during about 4 hours! I was about to smoke again (I have a new fresh pack), but I didn't. Luckily, I always "want" to smoke but finally I don't. This didn't happen the other times. I think I won't throw my cigarettes, because one of the parts I prefered of smoking was to buy my cigarettes... And the temptation is bigger if I have to go buy them!
I think the reason I don't smoke is because of the flavor. I can remember my last half cigarette. It tasted horrible. Gosh. And I used to love Camels.
Ten minutes ago I took a Diazepam (Valium), and it really works, although I only have two more Diazepams but plenty of Atarax (Hydroxycine 2HCl) which is for allergies AND anxiety.

What did we learn today? Well, I learnt that Diazepam can really help me. I also learnt that I'm strong enough for some reason; I thought I could never "ignore" those huge cravings. And you, friend, you learnt that you can do it if I can!

Quitting Tip #1 — About the Torture

So you need a bit of help with your motivation? Here you have another little thing to think when you've a bad craving.

Quitting isn't torture; not quitting IS torture.

Remember this...

Quit with Lana del Rey — Lesson 2: How to survive to your first smokefree day

Now you have read the book, you aren't another victim of Big Tobacco's brainwash. You've had your last cigarette, and it was disgusting. And now, today, is your first day without smoking. Isn't it beautiful?
Each lesson with the How to survive style will have some points like Motivation, Facts, What to do... So we can focus in each one of your problems, and solve them. Let's begin then!

Motivation & What to do

This is very important for your first day. Even the first thought you have in the morning can decide whether you'll success or not. If you think "Oh, I can't have a cigarette, dammit. I want to smoke so bad," you won't success. It's your first day being FREE. You're no longer a slave of the nicotine. See it this way: the Nicotine monster thinks you're still his slave, but you know you're free, so until the monster realises you won't be his slave again, it will try to remove your freedom again with the cravings.
So don't think that. Think: Oh, this is going to be a wonderful day. I won't smell like smoke. Everybody will notice I smell pretty now. I won't have to smoke! I won't have to spend $6 in a pack! I won't lose 100 minutes of my life smoking!
Therefore it will be a wonderful day. Breathe clean air. Feel the smoke air going into your lungs. Feel your flood having oxygen, not CO. Feel your lungs cleaning themselves. Cough a lot so you put all the rubish out of your lungs.

Facts

  The first day is decisory. If you act like we told you, you won't have any difficulties. You will have cravings, yes. But look at the clock. Cravings won't last for more than three minutes. When you have a craving, think This is the nicotine monster going outside of me. How wonderful it is to be free! I don't have to smoke again so the nicotine monster goes inside me again!
And again, look at the clock. If it's a hard craving, breathe deeply for three minutes. Then, think: The craving is gone. I'm free and I even enjoyed it, I don't mind if I have another craving sooner or later!

If you keep this attitude for the first weeks or months, the "smoking habit" will be replaced by the "quit smoking motivation habit," so you won't have to think in all that stuff. If you have cravings, you won't mind. You will be free...

I KNOW YOU WILL BE FREE, BECAUSE YOU AREN'T WORSE THAN ME

Lana's Smokefree Journal — Day 4

My fourth day being smokefree. It has been horrible. It all began yesterday, May 31st. I was so happy to not have to smoke May 31st (I never smoked a May 31st and never will), but I was really stressed. Even though, I remembered that smoking would stress me even more. Lucky me, if I smoked, I'd be much more stressed!
But then my stupidness came. When the stress was gone, I began to revisit old vintage cigarette ads... Stupid me. I chose a brand to buy today (tomorrow), just because of the advertisment. I wanted to smoke again, poor me.
And today, I went to the shop and I bought a pack of Winstons. Lucky me. I was about to light one up, but the lighter didn't work. And I didn't smoke it. If the lighter had worked, I'd be a smoker again. Lucky me.
And now, I'm with my dad, and he likes me to smoke, so I'm really pissed off because he allows me to smoke in his home... But I survived. Then I went to the American Cancer Society page, and my cravings disapeared.

I'm so happy I didn't smoke today!

I really am. I have more cravings than never, but if I survived to today, I'll survive to tomorrow. I won't smoke again. Tomorrow, I'll just throw everything to the trash. Yes, I will. I didn't want to for some stupid reason (e.g., I'll fail and I'll have to buy everything again), but now I will. The other times I failed I didn't last more than a day. Now I've lasted 4 days and going.

I'M SO HAPPY I DON'T HAVE TO SMOKE NEVER AGAIN!

So then, why would I want to have a pack of cigarettes, a cigarette box, a rolling tobacco box, a rolling machine and a lighter? A non-smoker doesn't have those things. Let's throw them!

TIP FOR THE NEW EX-SMOKER: Throw everything away. An ex-smoker doesn't have cigarettes, lighters... Why would you want to have them then? 

Quit with Lana del Rey — Lesson 1: How to read the book

So, you have the Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking book. What's next? Well, you actually have to read it. But follow our instructions to read it, and while you read it, it's very important to follow book's instructions. Else, you'll fail (I'm the proof!).

Basic rules 

1. Do NOT Quit BEFORE the "Your last cigarette" chapter — This is VERY important. That's where me and most people failed. Why? I'll explain it later, just remember that you have to read the whole book before quitting, even if you don't "need" a smoke.
2. Do NOT create new fake reasons (illusions) — As you'll learn when you read the book, our "reasons" to smoke are illusions created by our addiction. The thing is, the book will show you how they work, and you won't have any other reason to smoke because you know they're illusions. So you MUSTN'T create more fake reasons if you want a smoke. Make a list with the reasons exposed in the book, and you'll be always smoking due to one of them. If you create new fake reasons, the book won't work. So, if you have any reasons that aren't explained on the book, write them down in a list as well, and attach an explanation on why they're illusions (e.g. "smoking is cool," it's not, it was the last century, but now you can't smoke even on a pub).
3. NEVER smoke again after your last cigarette — Well, this seems hard, but it isn't. You will hate smoking, just take care of don't smoke because all my friends do or some stupid action like that.

 Why not quit before the last cigarette chapter?

Well, the first and more obvious reason is, your last won't cigarette won't be as it should be — that chapter tells you what to do while smoking your last cigarette. So, if you've already quit before reading it... You won't have that perfect last cigarette!
The second, more important and more tricky reason is... A bit complicated.
Imagine you want a smoke because you're stressed, and you're reading the book. You read that smoking doesn't really relax you but it stresses you more than a non-smoker. Now you've removed the "relax/stress" reason from your brainwash. Now you don't want to smoke anymore, so you quit. Ok, that looks perfect.
But, tomorrow, you'll want to smoke because you're bored. And you won't know why boredom is also a fake reason yet. Or, if you've read it after quitting, you won't have had that last cigarette, so you'll perhaps create a million more excuses to smoke, because when you smoked your last cigarette, you didn't know it was your LAST cigarette. It's important for your subconscious to know it's your last cigarette and you said STOP.
But, if you wait until the end of the book, your brainwash will be already removed and you will experience an horrible last cigarette.

Some exceptions

Well, I think cases like mine are a bit expectional. I tried to quit 6 times with the Easyway method, and since I didn't follow the instructions above, I failed. But the 7th time, I did that. I removed my brainwash, but I quit before reaching the "last cigarette" chapter. The thing is, I had already read it. And even though I didn't know it was my last cigarette when I lit it, when I smoked a half I knew. It was disgusting. It was horrible. It tasted like crap. And I thought, "Why the hell am I doing that? I'm damaging me, I'm wasting money, and I don't even ENJOY this!" So I quit.
I encourage you guys to follow our method! The next lesson will be on How to survive to the first smokefree day.