The Official Harley Spencer Discussion Thread! (AMA)

[Luu]

I've read the book, and I'm still smoking, so don't expect magic, heh. But yeah, as Larss says, it changes how you feel and, most importantly, THINK about smoking. So I certainly see how it can be an important key to those who really want to stop.

Good luck, and good riddance to tobacco.

 

[vodkazvictim]

I know, everyone raves about that book, so I have pretty high expectations for it. And I thought I lost it too! When cleaning. But I found it. What a coincidence! And same here, life happened. I feel like I'm making excuse after excuse not to quit at any given time.

First my excuse was that I'd quit after getting my teeth removed, but then someone told me that I should do it before I get them extracted since you're supposed to smoke while reading. But then I started smoking as soon as I could after going days without one.

Then my excuse was that I didn't want to take the time to quit because I had too much work to catch up that I didn't have time to sit and read and quit smoking.

And now my excuse is that my guy is coming back in a week from CA, we've got plans to see the fireworks, then we're going to Virginia for a week for vacation, and I don't want to be all grumpy and moody and miserable while he's around. I'd rather be grumpy and miserable alone, as I know I'd probably make him annoyed with me if I were all snappy around him and whatnot.

Ugh. Stupid excuses. That's all it is.

If it's the book I used to quit, it works like a deram. Just read it.

 

[jitna]

And now that you're a member, you get to see endless butt and tongue!

thank you for giving me endless butt and tongue

 

[Harley Spencer]

Just a quick line on the quitting smoking. If you do read the book and follow the instructions, there is no crankyness. The way the book seems to work (for me, anyway) is to change the way that you feel about not smoking, so that it is not a chore. So that when you get the feeling deep inside that you want a smoke, you change that feeling to one of relief that you no longer have to.

I did skim through it to get an idea of what the book is like, and it does seem like it's very helpful in that thinking process. I only read a few lines of the book, and the ones I read were something like, "How do I convince someone that smoking is easy? How do I explain that quitting is easy? How can I get that point across in a book?" So I know the book isn't necessarily about lecturing people to quit, which is what most people do by telling smokers all the shit they already know about the harmful side effects of smoking, but it's someone who understands what it's like and takes a different route in helping people quit. So that makes me happy.

I've read the book, and I'm still smoking, so don't expect magic, heh. But yeah, as Larss says, it changes how you feel and, most importantly, THINK about smoking. So I certainly see how it can be an important key to those who really want to stop.

Good luck, and good riddance to tobacco.

Of course it's not going to work on everyone since everyone is different. If there were one simple way for every smoker to quit, there wouldn't be all these options and there'd be far less smokers than there already are. I'm not expecting magic. Wish I could just use magic! A wave of the wand and poof, my cravings are gone, no mood swings, no urges, nothing. Ta-da! That'd be fantastic.

If it's the book I used to quit, it works like a deram. Just read it.

It's Allen Carr's book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

thank you for giving me endless butt and tongue

You're welcome

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

Of course it's not going to work on everyone since everyone is different. If there were one simple way for every smoker to quit, there wouldn't be all these options and there'd be far less smokers than there already are. I'm not expecting magic. Wish I could just use magic! A wave of the wand and poof, my cravings are gone, no mood swings, no urges, nothing. Ta-da! That'd be fantastic.

Hypnosis?

 

[Harley Spencer]

Hypnosis?

I don't believe in hypnosis. Think it's a bunch of crap.

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

Harley Spencer[/URL][/B], post: 7709973, member: 579739"]I don't believe in hypnosis. Think it's a bunch of crap.

I've never really paid much attention to it one way or the other, but supposedly some people have quit by using it. I mean, even if it's just a placebo effect... :dunno:

 

[Harley Spencer]

I've never really paid much attention to it one way or the other, but supposedly some people have quit by using it. I mean, even if it's just a placebo effect... :dunno:

I think that in order to quit via hypnosis, first you have to believe in hypnosis. If you don't have faith that the hypnosis will work, it's not going to.

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

I think that in order to quit via hypnosis, first you have to believe in hypnosis. If you don't have faith that the hypnosis will work, it's not going to.

It's all subconscious though. While I don't know a lot about hypnosis, I do know that it (supposedly at least) effects those that don't believe in it as well. Which I guess makes sense. It's just the idea of implanting a thought into the subconscious, which subliminal messaging has been doing for years with, according to studies, some degree of success. So, while I have personal doubts about whether you'd get the kind of dramatic results you see from it in fiction, there could be some type of benefit. Not sure I believe in it, the but the idea of it being somewhat helpful doesn't seem unreasonable to me in that respect.

 

[Elwood70]

I think it's funny - and somewhat annoying - that most of the "stop smoking aids" (patches, gums, etc.) cost as much as the fuckin' cigarettes.

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

I think it's funny - and somewhat annoying - that most of the "stop smoking aids" Patches, gums, etc. cost as much as the fuckin' cigarettes.

Well, most of them contain nicotine, which I'm going to guess is harvested from tobacco, so that sort of makes sense.

You'd think with the amount of health issues tobacco causes though, and the impact that has on the healthcare system, that the government would provide some sort of subsidy or tax break on those types of products to make them more accessible... :dunno:

 

[larss]

I think it's funny - and somewhat annoying - that most of the "stop smoking aids" (patches, gums, etc.) cost as much as the fuckin' cigarettes.

And they do not help you with the addiction to nicotine, as they are just another method of delivery.
Allen Carr's book is around the price of a single pack of 20 cigarettes (UK), and you don't have to buy more than 1 copy. That has to be a bargain.

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

And they do not help you with the addiction to nicotine, as they are just another method of delivery.

Honestly, I found the addiction to be less an issue than the habit (nicotine withdrawal, really, only lasts about a week). I think most of the "cures" are more meant to treat the habit via placebo effect than they are the actual addiction to nicotine. The nicotine is mainly there so you concentrate on one, instead of having to tackle both at the same time.

That said, after a pack a day for about a dozen years, when asked to quit my method was just saying "fuck it" and not buying smokes. That was about five years ago now. Maybe more.

I miss it. I mean, I don't crave it. I just miss it. Dammit I liked smoking.

 

[Harley Spencer]

Honestly, I found the addiction to be less an issue than the habit (nicotine withdrawal, really, only lasts about a week). I think most of the "cures" are more meant to treat the habit via placebo effect than they are the actual addiction to nicotine. The nicotine is mainly there so you concentrate on one, instead of having to tackle both at the same time.

That said, after a pack a day for about a dozen years, when asked to quit my method was just saying "fuck it" and not buying smokes. That was about five years ago now. Maybe more.

I miss it. I mean, I don't crave it. I just miss it. Dammit I liked smoking.

Agreed. For me it's the habit, not the nicotine itself. You could give me cigarettes without nicotine, which don't exist, and I'd smoke those and be just as happy.

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

Harley Spencer[/URL][/B], post: 7710198, member: 579739"]You could give me cigarettes without nicotine, which don't exist, and I'd smoke those and be just as happy.

Actually they do; herbal cigarettes. They don't smell or taste much like actual cigarettes though, so they're kinda shit. Or at least they used to be (maybe they've gotten better). Knew someone who tried to quit that way back in high school.

 

[Harley Spencer]

Actually they do; herbal cigarettes. They don't smell or taste much like actual cigarettes though, so they're kinda shit. Or at least they used to be (maybe they've gotten better). Knew someone who tried to quit that way back in high school.

Right. Well the main problem isn't the nicotine, it's the tobacco, so simply switching to herbal cigarettes wouldn't really help the cause. I think too many people who think about quitting focus too much on the nicotine withdrawal instead of breaking the habit of it, which, IMO is the hardest part.

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

I've often wondered how a short medically-induced coma would effect habitual activities.

I mean, I'm not recommending putting anyone in a coma to quit smoking... it's just something I've wondered about. Probably because I'm strange.

 

[Harley Spencer]

I've often wondered how a short medically-induced coma would effect habitual activities.

I mean, I'm not recommending putting anyone in a coma to quit smoking... it's just something I've wondered about. Probably because I'm strange.

Nah, I've wondered about that too, at least in a similar way. I think that one of the best ways to quit is to make sure you have a few days to do absolutely nothing but lay in bed, watch tv, play video games, and sleep, that way you can avoid certain activities that are triggers, like drinking, going out for coffee, going to work, driving, or something as simple as hanging out with friends. A coma might work even better since you'd be sleeping for god knows how long. That'd certainly help beat the nicotine addiction since you'd go through withdrawal while being asleep. However, I don't think it would break the habit. It's not like you have a sense of time for how long you've been asleep. Could be hours, days, weeks, months, and when you wake up, you'd more than likely have the same habits and do the same activities as you did before.

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

Nah, I've wondered about that too, at least in a similar way.

So you're saying that means I'm not strange? Huh, I would have taken that to mean that maybe you're a little strange too.

I think that one of the best ways to quit is to make sure you have a few days to do absolutely nothing but lay in bed, watch tv, play video games, and sleep, that way you can avoid certain activities that are triggers, like drinking, going out for coffee, going to work, driving, or something as simple as hanging out with friends.

That's how I managed the first week. I figured what with both the physical addition and the habit working at me it might be best to play hermit for a few days.

A coma might work even better since you'd be sleeping for god knows how long. That'd certainly help beat the nicotine addiction since you'd go through withdrawal while being asleep. However, I don't think it would break the habit. It's not like you have a sense of time for how long you've been asleep. Could be hours, days, weeks, months, and when you wake up, you'd more than likely have the same habits and do the same activities as you did before.

I'm not sure if it would help with the habit or not. That's sort of the interesting part to me. There's definitely neural activity going on, and a lot of people apparently dream while in a coma (you know, barring severe brain damage). So even without a sense of time, there's still stuff going on upstairs. While your conscious mind might not be aware of it, your subconscious should be, and that's where habits nest. So... I dunno. Maybe? It's an interesting questions (but then most questions about the mind are ).

 

[Harley Spencer]

So maybe I should volunteer myself for a medically induced coma and see what happens. Seems like the best way to settle this matter.