Are we self brainwashed?

[nsd_user663_7235]

I was lying on the couch as I often do and thinking which I'm not very good at when this thought came upon me.

Are we self brainwashed? I can remember when I was a smoker I would stand outside with a cig in my hand and look at it and think I would love to stop smoking but I can't. I don't know how many hundreds of times I told myself that "I can't stop smoking" and I did believe I could not. How many of you have told yourself the same thing and has this brainwashed us into thinking "we can not stop!!" Just like we always decided we would like to to stop when we were smoking a fag "but I can't I would love to stop but I just can't do it" so did we brainwash ourselves into believing we can't.

This happened to me many times and here I am now nearly 3 months stopped. I think that in the early stages of quiting we have to take away the brainwash words and instead of "I would love to but I can't" change it to "I would love to and I can".

Just my thoughts

Jack

[nsd_user663_7673]

Hmmmm, interesting thoughts! It's a bit the same as Allen Carr's theories isn't it? He also thinks we are brainwashed into believing that quitting should be painful if not impossible! I don't know to be honest, but what I do know for a fact is that your frame of mind has a heck of a lot to do with how successful you will be. If you believe it to be an un-climbable mountain - then it probably is..............but if you believe that it is something you are capable of beating - then it probably is too.

Most of all, you need to really want it.

......I could see this thread getting quite long!

My tuppenceworth anyway.

Jenni xx

[nsd_user663_7235]

Jenni, your tuppenceworth makes a lot of sence. I'm about to leave the computer so I wish you and everyone on this forum a very good night.

I'll go and see if I can have more thoughts,

Jack xx

PS I should not admit to this but I didn't read Allen Carr yet so it's my own thoughts. Maybe I should write a book hmm.

[nsd_user663_7673]

. Maybe I should write a book hmm.

I do believe we had this conversation before.......just write the thing will you?!!

Jenni xx

[nsd_user663_7469]

Hi Jen

I'll buy one LOL

And I agree with every thing you all said LOL

[nsd_user663_1658]

Suppose we possibly are brainwashed into thinking we cant smoke..like you said jack if we tell ourself enough times we cant do something or that we will neve do something... we either never attempt it or we attempt it & alway at the back of our mind thinking we cant continue it........maybe thats why some of us fail our quit..Most of us struggle in the early days...A very interesting post jack, Thanks for sharing x

[nsd_user663_6327]

That is a very good post Jack and thought provoking too.

Its very similar to my thoughts about NRT and all the aids there are these days. I think the pharmaceutical companies that market these things only do so because we have all successfully brainwashed ourselves into thinking we cant stop. We couldn't possibly do that. NOT without a tremendous amount of help, aids, counseling, etc., etc., IMPOSSIBLE we cry!!

It was certainly the thing that stopped me even trying to quit for years and years, the thought that, I cant cope without my fags. I cant think without them, I cant solve problems without them, I just cant function at all without them. What a load of old bollards we tell ourselves, dont we?

It must be a very common human thing to do though, I'm not knocking it Jack, just saying that I was exactly the same but its not true is it?

I'm at just over 3 months (with a blip) and I can cope without fags, I can solve problems, I can function fine without them. In fact, I do all the things I want to do just fine now, exactly the same as I did before!!

How about that!! Your post, as usual Jack, is brilliant. Thank you for helping me to crystallize my thoughts on these points, you are a star and a half you are, my twin. xxxxx <--------- (secret kisses just for you) lol xxx

[nsd_user663_3728]

I think you're right jack about the self brainwashing thing and may well be why some of us fail so many times times

[nsd_user663_7235]

That is a very good post Jack and thought provoking too.

It was certainly the thing that stopped me even trying to quit for years and years, the thought that, I cant cope without my fags. I cant think without them, I cant solve problems without them, I just cant function at all without them. What a load of old bollards we tell ourselves, dont we?

It must be a very common human thing to do though, I'm not knocking it Jack, just saying that I was exactly the same but its not true is it?

I'm at just over 3 months (with a blip) and I can cope without fags, I can solve problems, I can function fine without them. In fact, I do all the things I want to do just fine now, exactly the same as I did before!!

How about that!! Your post, as usual Jack, is brilliant. Thank you for helping me to crystallize my thoughts on these points, you are a star and a half you are, my twin. xxxxx <--------- (secret kisses just for you) lol xxx

I'm happy that this thread may help others to quit and as you can see from Viviennes' post it must be true. If a long time ago we believed we could stop would we have done it or carried on slowly killing ourselves and paying out a fortune to do so?

I think not I just know I told myself for years I can't stop smoking and if I had believed I could I would have.

It's now 12 weeks today so I must have lied to myself for many, many years.

Hey twinny secret kisses just for you too xxxxxxxxxx just don't tell.:rolleyes:

Thanks to you all for your comments.

Jack