Let's talk about ideas that do not work to people who are hurting, shall we?
Nicotine gum has a 7-13% success rate. That means 87-93% of the people who try it will fail to stop smoking.
The unfortunate many for whom the gum or the patch don't work, they have to drop hundreds of dollars for a three month program... and when they start smoking again, they remember how well the gum or the patch worked last time, and spend another several hundred dollars for another 3 month program. Or maybe they get hooked on the gum, spend a few more hundred dollars, until they remember that a pack of cigarettes is far less expensive than a pack of 100 pieces of nicotine gum, and go right back to smoking. Hell, 5 packs of cigarettes are less expensive than a pack of 100 pieces of nicotine gum
How about side effects?
Let's take a look:
Some of the side effects of Nicorette Gum:
Abnormal dreams; diarrhea; difficulty sleeping; dry mouth; joint pain; muscle pain; nervousness; sweating; weakness.
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); fast or irregular heartbeat; mouth, teeth, or jaw problems; pounding in the chest; severe diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, or weakness.
Some of the side effects of Nicoderm CQ:
Abnormal dreams; headache; mild dizziness; mild redness, itching, or burning at the application site; nervousness; sweating; trouble sleeping; vivid dreams.
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); blurred vision; fast or irregular heartbeat; nausea; severe or persistent dizziness or headache; stomach pain or vomiting; swelling or persistent (more than 4 days) redness at the application site.
Some of the side effects of Chantix:
Constipation; gas; headache; increased appetite; nausea; stomach upset; taste changes; trouble sleeping; vivid, strange, or unusual dreams; vomiting.
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, throat, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); behavior changes; chest pain; fainting; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; hallucinations; memory loss; new or worsening mental or mood problems (eg, aggression, agitation, anger, anxiety, depression, nervousness, thoughts of hurting other people); persistent trouble sleeping; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; seizures; severe or persistent nausea; suicidal thoughts or actions; vision changes.
These lists are incomplete. I hate to think what else could possibly go wrong. Of course the obvious side effect not listed is becoming addicted to these products.
Now about something that does work....
The Easy Way to Stop Smoking
Allen Carr's clinic has at minimum a 53% long term success rate, and as high as 80%... and that's measured not by anyone affiliated with the Allen Carr Easyway program, but by independent studies. The book is basically what you hear at a clinic session.
For the unlucky few for whom the book doesn't work on the first shot, they could always just read it again, or perhaps refer to a few chapters that address whatever issues that person is having. Once you own the book, it's yours to refer to at any time.
There are no side effects to reading a book. You don't have to consult a physician to read a book. You don't have to avoid reading the book if you're pregnant, have a heart condition, or have allergies. You can spend less than the cost of a pack of cigarettes to buy the book, which is a once in a lifetime cost, and even if it doesn't work (which is unlikely), you're no worse off than before.
I get upset when you dismiss something which is proven to work to people who are trying it, especially when they may have been hurting from their previous unsuccessful attempts.
That is your experience. You are not every addict in the world. You are not every smoker in the world. Allen Carr figured out a way to make quitting smoking easy, painless, and permanent and has helped millions of people to become ex-smokers using his method.
They were people who were hurting before they came to Easyway, and for you to call them liars, frauds, dismiss the fact that they were addicts, is more upsetting than you know.
But you like calling ex-smokers liars, making light of (or worse, denying) their pain and suffering before they found a method that works.
How dare you? I don't believe for a moment that you have the guts to walk up to someone who quit using Easyway and tell them to their face that they were never addicted.
And how dare you discourage people who are trying to quit by telling them they're being lied to?
What you're doing here in this thread is the worst possible thing a person can do for people who need help.
You don't know the program. You are in no position whatsoever to pass judgment.
A healthy skeptic says "sounds too good to be true" and reads the book for himself and THEN passes judgment.
You have a problem. Maybe an axe to grind, I don't know. But whatever it is, it's a terrible attitude.
It was hard for you. You are not every smoker in the world.
Just because you did it the hard way does NOT mean that all ways are hard.
Your remarks are uninformed, hurtful, false, and immensely unhelpful.
And not just for people who have used/are using/know others who have used Easyway... but also for anyone like Draka, UltraViolet, and others like them who quit EASILY.
Telling addicts who quit easily that they weren't really addicted?
Shame on you.
This goes both ways. If someone finds it difficult, then THEY find it difficult. The insisting that it's easy is no different that the insisting it's hard.
