In the book I describe each moment in detail. All the fears, anxieties and self doubt, then on to the tips on how I handled each situation, the honesty and the distractions and on to the moment I realised there was no going back, then the euphoria of knowing I will never smoke again.

There are a number of so called aids to quitting smoking, with hypnotherapy, nicotine substitutes and nicotine patches among them. However, I advocate none of these.
 
We would all love to know what it feels like to set about making the decision to quit and actually choosing the moment to do so. We would all love to know how long the craving lasts before it gets easier, and when and if it actually does completely leave us. We would all love to know what is likely to happen next. We would all love to know how difficult it gets and how to overcome the difficulties. We would all love to possess the magic word to make the reliance on nicotine simply disappear. And, we would all love to know, unequivocally, that all the claims by ex-smokers are true, that the craving actually no longer remains, that the preoccupation no longer exists, that the fear of running out of cigarettes no longer exists, and that the overall desire to smoke actually leaves us.

A nagging doubt is often all that is required for any attempt at quitting to be avoided, aborted or deemed a waste of time, for fear the battle will be a lifelong one. This book does not provide the magic word, but does unlock the secret. It is simply brutally honest about the fears, anxieties and self-doubt on a moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, week by week basis. It is written with an honesty only achievable knowing that the only reader might be the writer, should failure be the outcome. 

This book will be far more helpful than any patches or hypnosis or counselling. It gives the ex-smoker something to aim for in the very short term, then onwards in a step by step fashion to ultimate success. It gives an insight into what will be happening slightly further ahead, just around the next corner and highlights the benefits of the comparisons with varying periods of time. It removes many of the surprises one might encounter. It is also written in such a way as to allow the embarrassment, the fears, the anxieties and the self-doubt to be more acceptable, and indeed an integral part of the process, being, as they are, shared.

It is a simple, honest account. Something I wish I’d had access to while quitting smoking.

I do not believe there is an easy way to stop smoking. However, I did it, and with the help of my book, you can quit smoking too.

I believe that the best way to quit is to simply prepare yourself, carefully choose the moment, then extinguish the last cigarette and just stop smoking. It is an uncomfortable experience, which requires a deal of willpower, but is inordinately rewarding and satisfying. And the sense of achievement at being free of tobacco, after decades of being imprisoned by the addiction to it, is almost indescribable. I still take great joy in being able to say ‘I Quit Smoking. I no longer smoke, I am an ex-smoker, and I will never smoke again.’

I do not believe that prolonging the agony by substituting the nicotine with nicotine patches helps in any way. All that is required is for the body to be rid of the addiction, and the best way of doing it is to deprive it until it no longer craves the nicotine.

Good luck.