There is one born every minute
It was wonderful to hear this story from Janne Strom at Allen Carr’s Easyway Helsinki, Finland. A client desperate to stop smoking when she became pregnant travelled 800KM to attend an Allen Carr’s Easyway To Quit Smoking Session. Here is Sanna’s story in her own words….
When I went in secondary school 2004-2007. I was a “good girl”. I never tried alcohol or cigarettes at all. I hated both and tended to look down on smokers. I remember thinking that the quitting smoking could not be so difficult – what was wrong with these people?
However in 2007, everything changed. I had cardiac surgery because I had a hole in my heart. In addition, I was diagnosed with a chronic disease, that revolutionized my life once and for all. I was angry and astonished, what had I done that was so bad I had to be punished with these diseases?
And then my life start to go downhill; for the first time, I started to rebel against my mother. I got to know young people who had been on a bad path for a while: alcohol overuse and of course smoking. I decided to experiment with cigarettes. It tasted awful and I thought I’ll never get used to the taste – I can never get hooked to this. Gradually, smoking increased and one month after first cigarette, I bought a pack of cigarettes for the first time myself.
When I wanted to stop smoking – I found stopping to be really difficult. I never survived more than two days. Finally I accepted my destiny, I had become addicted to cigarettes.
In 2011 I heard a book called Allen Carr’s Easyway to Quit Smoking. I bought the book and I was so excited that I read it in a few days. And I quit, just as easily as the book promised. Despite my good feeling, I had that twisted thought, that I could smoke one or two every now and then, because it was so easy to stop and if I get hooked again, I could easily stop again. SO I smoked first, second, third and so on…. I was hooked again and I could not quit again. I read the book, but that certain spark which I had received in first reading was gone.
A year later in the summer of 2012, I got married and started to try to get pregnant with my husband. The desperation was terrible, because I knew that smoking must end. I could not be so selfish that deliberately harming my own child. I got pregnant right away, but I could not quit smoking. The pregnancy went very badly wrong and partially I blamed my smoking.
In October, I was pregnant again and this time it was clear, smoking must end – by any means. I had been visiting Allen Carr’s Easyway (Finland) website for some time checking seminar price’s. I dreamed that I would be able to finance myself to attend a seminar. Then (on the website) there appeared an offer of a discount for pregnant women and I didn’t doubt for one moment longer. I booked a place on the seminar and purchased the airline tickets.
Three weeks later, Saturday November 24th 2012, weeks of pregnancy 7+4, I flew about 800 kilometres south and I arrived at the seminar. I sat there for about five to six hours, which time we had regular smoking breaks. When the time came to smoke my final cigarette I had a great tribulation, extremely heavy feeling. When I stubbed out that cigarette my anxiety faded, and I wanted to travel the world to tell how great feeling I have and how lucky I am.
The relaxation exercise at the end (hypnotherapy) was important to me, it brought an additional impetus for stopping and I was sure it would help my subconscious mind. It all happened without nicotine substitutes, drugs and treatments. Best of all, without any withdrawal symptoms. It was EASY!
The first three days without tobacco were the easiest and in a sense the most difficult days. I was very worried about lapsing again. The most wonderful was when days and weeks began to run, all of a sudden I realized that I had been a non-smoker for a long time – it was as if I had forgotten that I was once a smoker.
How wonderful it is to be aware of the fact that the baby is doing well inside of me. He is able to breathe freely and certainly not exposed to diseases that smoking can cause. I am free of guilt, which so many smoking expectant mothers experience, when they are not able to stop smoking. I know I am lucky.
Love to live my life the fullest without cigarettes. I will never smoke again, because the desire and need to smoke are gone. I do not miss cigarettes at all, unlike the previous attempts to quit. I don’t want to smoke anymore and that is what all smokers want – for the desire to smoke to disappear.
I (and my baby) will always thank Allen Carr’s Easyway – the method – and the organisers – especially Janne Strom at Allen Carr’s Easyway Helsinki.
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