THE WITHDRAWAL PERIOD

"The physical pain is non-existent. Do not worry about withdrawal. The feeling itself isn't bad. It is the association with wanting a cigarette and then feeling denied that is the problem"

Allen Carr.

At this stage, let us bring together all that we have learned.

You have decided you want to stop smoking. 

But what will it be really like.... and how will you cope when your body starts demanding it's dose of nicotine ?

Remember what we said earlier: the Withdrawal Period consists of two different factors:

(1) The chemical addiction - the withdrawal pangs of nicotine which are little more than a craving which come in the form of an empty insecure feeling - a feeling that is experienced physically as if something is missing .

(2) Our psychological addiction and the special occasions that trigger this addiction.

Again - and we promised we would repeat this again and again - the chemical addiction is easy to cope with. 

There is no physical pain. 

Just an empty feeling. 

A temporary feeling of discomfort and lack. A feeling that you are depriving yourself of something special. 

Please do not worry about or fear this craving when you stop. In fact, welcome it. 

I really mean this. 

Open yourself up to all these feelings - because when we have the confidence and the knowledge to stand up to and face this chemical addiction we will discover it's true nature. 

It is nothing.

KEY IDEA:

The misery that smokers suffer from has nothing to do with the withdrawal pangs. Sure, they trigger them off but the actual agony is in the mind and is caused by fear and doubt.

Although the withdrawal pangs from nicotine cause no physical pain - do not underestimate their importance. 

It is they who trigger off and energize our psychological addiction to smoking, i.e. our deeply-held belief that it is enjoyable and that life will be intolerable if we stop.

But the physical withdrawal symptoms, by themselves, are nothing.

At this stage I want to quote from another one of our students - Sondra.

SONDRA'S STORY.

"Even though I read the course and was well-prepared intellectually, I still had a certain amount of fear and apprehension when the time to finally give up arrived.

Can it be really true ? Will I really be able to cope easily with the physical withdrawal symptoms that used to terrorize me in the past ?

I decided that I would follow exactly the course instructions.

I would not try and repress these feelings, when they came.

I knew for the first few days, I would have these cravings again and again but I just did what the course advised - I opened myself to them. 

I said: 

'So what......... this is only my body craving nicotine.....the feeling in itself is not bad.............it is only the little monster saying........give me my nicotine or if you don't I'll wake up and trigger off all your old fears and beliefs................

But I did not allow myself to react emotionally to these feeling ( I imagined I was a top scientist clinically observing an experiment )...

"Come on you guys," I said to the cravings, "Do the worst you can. It all makes no difference. I am not going to respond to you. I am calling your bluff. You have been exposed.........."

.........and that was it. 

All those terrible withdrawal terrors that had put me off giving up smoking for years were just empty, insubstantial temporary feelings. 

I remember that day when the thought - the simple truth just popped into my head....

"These feelings, that I am experiencing now are the so-called dreaded ' withdrawal pangs'. That is it. There is nothing else to wait for - AND THEY REALLY ARE NOTHING. I CAN EASILY COPE WITH THEM. I CAN EASILY TOLERATE THEM UNTIL THEY DISAPPEAR FOR EVER. The feeling itself is not bad."

And at that MOMENT - three days into stopping I KNEW I had done it. I could easily cope with these feelings....just my body demanding nicotine......soon they will only be a distant memory.......

I also realized that it was only this fear AND THIS FEAR ALONE that I would suffer terribly if I gave up that had kept me like a prisoner chained to this addiction for nearly twenty years."

I HOPE YOU CAN GET THIS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GIVE UP.

IT IS VITAL INTO GETTING YOU INTO THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND SO THAT WHEN YOU DO EXPERIENCE THE WITHDRAWAL PANGS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST THREE WEEKS, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH AND YOU WILL NOT BE AFRAID AND TRY TO DENY OR REPRESS THESE CRAVING.

The only power they have is to trigger off your psychological dependency, especially at specific times of the day when you are particularly vulnerable..........................

PSYCHOLOGICAL TRIGGERS

DO you know that you have conditioned your nervous system to expect a cigarette at CERTAIN times of the day.

Have you ever observed smokers after they have finished a meal - or if they are in a pub drinking? 

After the meal, they will automatically smoke a cigarette, without even thinking about it. Next time you are in a restaurant........ observe them closely.

The vast majority of them are unconscious of what they are doing. 

They have been doing it for so long now that it has become an almost unconscious action pattern. They have learnt to relieve their withdrawal pangs especially at these times.

In our psychology of non-smoking, we refer to these occasions as 'trigger mechanisms'.

We have all linked certain events of our day with the act of smoking.

So much so that even the mere thought of not been able to smoke at these times will fill us with dread.

My own trigger mechanisms were having a drink in the pub and, of course the old favorite - relaxing after a meal. 

I also found that if I had a difficult problem to solve, or something to worry about -- this could also trigger an unconscious desire to smoke.

It was at these times that I had to face........ my psychological addictions.

KEY IDEA

It is these occasions that cause most people to fail - to succumb to temptation.

They are the dangerous times. 

For the first six months, we must be especially AWARE of them.

Be patient with yourself. 

How long have you been smoking? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?

That means you have spent all that time telling your subconscious all those lies about smoking.

So don't be worried or upset if the subconscious mind continues to prompt you, especially at those trigger occasions to smoke.

KEY IDEA

An emotional need for comfort, security or a desire to relieve boredom or tension may trigger 'I need a cigarette'. Your cigarette has become emotional prop, a crutch - a false companion.

May I give you an example to illustrate more clearly this concept of what a 'trigger mechanism' is ?

Imagine you visit a country that drives on the opposite side of the road than you normally do. 

For the first few days, you have to consciously remind yourself of this new reality - don't you ? 

Because the subconscious mind is used to doing things in a certain way when you get into your car, you will automatically drive your normal way. 

You must TAKE TIME to consciously remind yourself of the new way and after a time, it too will become automatic. You won't have to remind yourself.

Likewise after a meal, in a pub or if someone offers you a cigarette - unless you constantly remind yourself that you are now a non-smoker - you will feel a subconscious desire to smoke. 

You must begin at once to counter this brainwashing.

Like the example of our driver, just gently remind yourself of the new reality - you don't NEED that cigarette.

It is nothing - just dead lifeless material. 

Relax. Don't allow yourself to feel empty. In fact, feel like rejoicing. You are free.

Watch the people who are still smoking. Watch them carefully and you will realize that most of them are actually unconscious of what they are doing.

And never forget that all these people are smoking - not because they want to - BUT BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO. 

They are addicted to nicotine and they have fallen prey to the illusion that it is essential to their daily happiness and well-being. Deep down they also believe they will have to face untold agony if they try to stop.

So don't think it is unfair that they can smoke and you can't. 

In fact, you should feel pity for them and rejoice in your own freedom.

But remember whether the craving is caused by the chemical addiction or prompted by a trigger mechanism - don't worry about it - just accept it as a temporary phenomena that will soon pass. Treat it as game.

Yes, you will feel a slight trauma in your body as it attempts to get rid of this terrible addiction, but remember something GREAT is happening.

In three weeks time, 99% of the nicotine will have left your body and you will no longer be physically addicted. 

Your health will be transformed and you will literally change the course of your life - not to mention the thousands of dollars you will save every year.

In the next lesson, I want to answer some of the most common questions and worries that you might  have as you prepare yourself make that final decision:

I AM  NOW A NON-SMOKER.