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The Secret to Kicking Your Smoking Habit
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My name is Jacinda and I’m an ex-smoker.
From the age of 15 I was addicted to smoking. I had been since I was conceived because my mum smokes (she started at a girl guide camp). When it came to quitting I had the usual excuses ready - ‘I’ll put on weight’, ‘I’m only a social smoker’ and ‘I’ll quit when I’m 20'.
20 came and went and I was still happily puffing away.
I can still clearly remember the day I started smoking. I was with two friends and we were bored so we bought a pack of smokes. We sat, on a towel, in the garden and shared one cigarette. My first taste was truly awful. One of my friends threw up but before you knew it we were all full time smokers.
I became a fierce protector of smokers’ rights and to be honest, I really enjoyed being part of that special social group of smokers. You’ll find them at every party, standing outside in the wind, rain and even snow finding solidarity in the discomfort.
I managed to quit for a couple of months in my early 20s, but I gave in to the nicotine monster and quickly picked up the habit again. At work, it was a great excuse to sit outside in the sun and chatter with my friends.
Then I got engaged. In the midst of the celebrations I had a vision of myself smoking on my wedding day and burning a hole in my veil just before walking up the aisle! It wasn’t a pretty picture. It was then I decided I had to grow up and really quit.
 A few days later I got a copy of the book by Allen Carr The Easy Way to Quit Smoking and I can quite honestly say this book changed my life. It was the most addictive read and the only book (apart from Harry Potter) I literally couldn’t put it down.
When I broke the news to my smoking mates that I was reading it, they looked horrified. One told me that she’d begun but had been too scared to finish because she knew then she’d really have to quit.
This book is magic – it encourages you to smoke while you read and gets rid of the mental addiction. I couldn’t wait to finish the book because the further I read the more disgusting the cigarettes tasted. It isn’t your usual quick-fix nicotine patch or gum solution – because you are quitting without the help of nicotine you beat the addiction faster.
I won’t lie to you – it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Unlike previous attempts, my mind didn’t let me down during the early stages of quitting, but my body experienced  quite a shock from the instant loss of nicotine.
A year after quitting, I got married and didn’t need to worry about smelling like cigarette smoke! Almost two years on, I haven’t touched a single one and the smell repulses me.
From my many achievements, topping smoking is the one I’m most proud of. If you are thinking about quitting you need to buy this book. Trust me, it works.
Jacinda |
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