To all those I have offended I hope you will understand that I never
considered your quit invalid because you used NRT or did not use the
Allen Carr method.
I can admit to being unclear with my wording but my intention has
never changed. I can assure you that anyone who checks my posting
history will find I have never specifically attacked anybodys quit or
stated that anyones quit is invalid because it involved NRT.
In summary:
*I believe it is im****tant to work towards what I define as a
'comfortable quit'.
*I don't believe that NRT products contribute to a comfortable non-
smoking mindset (i.e. they don't change our thoughts) BUT a
comfortable non-smoker may well have started their journey by using
NRT as a means to reduce cravings.
*If the ultimate goal is to be a comfortable non-smoker then any path
used to successfully achieve that goal (including NRT if relevent) is
great in my book.
Having said all that I still maintain that NRT does nothing to change
our thoughts about smoking and is therefore of dubious benefit and may
in fact be harmful (but not necessarily detrimental) to our efforts to
achieve a comfortable quit. The reason I believe NRT is potentially
harmful is because:
*Our ultimate goal is NOT to stop smoking (an activity), but to be a
non-smoker (a mindframe). When quitters reach for the NRT bottle they
are saying 'This is an alternative to cigarettes' or 'this is a
replacing the nicotine I would get from cigarettes'. A non-smoker does
not need an alternative to cigarettes because he/she is a non-smoker
already.
*A non-smoker suffering from withdrawal discomfort does not need to
reduce these feelings with nicotine, this is a repulsive thought to a
non-smoker. A non-smoker would rather deal with the minor physical
discomfort by waiting it out for two or three weeks. When suffering
from a withdrawal pang a non-smoker laughs at the sensation and
understands it will pass. A stubbed toe or a headache is infinitely
more difficult to manage than the physical sensation of withdrawal. We
all know that the true distress of withdrawal comes from our mind, not
our body, a non-smoker is not suffering mental distress or feelings of
deprivation.
*There is no reason that someone who uses NRT cannot become a
comfortable non-smoker, using NRT is simply a sign that there are some
unresolved smoking issues still lurking in the persons mind. There is
NO REASON that an NRT quitter can't eventually become a non-smoker,
but it's really not a good sign if the person is starting their
journey on the wrong foot. Think about when you've seen a gang of kids
huddled together near a railway station, perhaps taking drugs, maybe
yelling obscenities, you know what I'm getting at. When we see these
kids we hope they'll turn out to be responsible adults but you can't
help but think they're starting off on the wrong foot. That's what I
think about NRT, NRT users may one day turn out to be comfortable non-
smokers, but they're starting out on the wrong foot, their focus is on
non-smoking instead of being a non-smoker.
Anyways, I hope some of you choose to share your thoughts, I'd love to
hear them.
Cheers,
Burnerfan
Last cigarette approx. 5pm 17 December 2007
A non-smoker for probably 1 hour longer.
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