Anyone try Nicotine Anonymous?!
Question:
Anyone try Nicotine Anonymous?
Thanks for reading. I'm a smoker who has been planning to quit (quit date: 6/19/07). Determined to make this my final (and successful!) quit, I've been preparing for a few weeks. I've bought and read books on quitting, joined a few different online smoking cecession communities, and have joined the Tobacco Quitline.
Doing research, I found that there are Nicotine Anonymous meetings (not a whole lot in my area, but 2 or 3 that I would be able to attend on a weekly basis).
Has anyone ever been a member (either current or former) of NA? I'm just looking to see if the program is helpful, and worth checking out. I have a lot a friends in Alcoholics Anonymous, and it has worked wonders for their addictions (as well as life as a whole).
Just looking for some feedback on the NA program, if there is any. Thanks!
Answers:
If you're a spiritual person, NA might be just the thing for you! It focuses on relying on a higher power and group support to help you quit. If you're not into the idea of a higher power, there may be other groups available that do not use this method. You really have to buy into the principles of NA for it to work.
I'm not sure what else you've tried, but other great methods for quitting are Quitnet (http://www.quitnet.com/ ) and the book Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking. Quitnet is great because it explains the biological effects of smoking and gives you tips on how to reduce withdrawl. It also provides you an online support system. Allen Carr's book is great because it really restructures how you think about cigarettes and smoking.
I've been a non-smoker for 3 years now, and from experience I will say that you need to get a good social support system and new coping mechanisms (e.g. going for a walk when you're stressed instead of smoking). It's also WAY easier to quit 'cold turkey' than to use any nicotine replacement product. I also found it useful to remember that the cravings will pass. If I was really craving, I would meditate through it, thinking of how I was gaining a lot more than I was losing by quiting.