Dee,
I only offer this comment in the hope that it might help someone. Between ages 19 and 30 I smoked a pack a day and tried to quit on many occasions. You probably know the routine. Crumple the pack and throw it away, only to un-crumple it later, straighten out a cigarette (sometimes using scotch tape) in order to satisfy the craving. Nothing worked until I studied something about the mind, visualization, subconscious perception of reality, etc. I prepared a side-by-side list of pros and cons to smoking versus not smoking, and began to visualize myself as a non-smoker. This means that I practiced seeing myself as a non-smoker, and began to imagine how well I would feel, how much nicer I would smell, how much more "in control" I would be as a non smoker. You have to do this exercise for about two weeks before the subconscious mind accepts the new image of yourself and can support any decision to stop smoking. All other efforts are difficult and often impossible because we are using will power, chemicals, gum, etc. in a fight against what we really believe about ourselves, which is that we ARE SMOKERS. The subconscious is always stronger than the conscious will power. This technique is well known and practiced by athletes in a variety of disciplines. Only when the visualized "new self " (Non-smoker) was accepted as real in my subconscious mind, was I able to just quite suddenly, and never crave it again, because only then did the subconscious mind agree with my decision to quit smoking and the fight was over. On rare occasions, over the years, I have indulged in a few cigarettes or a cigar, along with some beers when I was in the company of smoker friends. But the next day it was all forgotten (even regretting the after-taste of cigars) with no cravings for tobacco. I perceive myself as a non-smoker in my conscious and subconscious mind so I can smoke on very rare occasions and never be hooked on it again. I hope that I offered something worth considering. Peter
