This is another myth about smoking, spread mainly by smokers who, when attempting to stop on
the Willpower Method, substitute sweets, etc., to help relieve withdrawal pangs. The withdrawal
pangs of nicotine are very similar to hunger pangs, and the two are easily confused. However,
whereas the pangs of hunger can be satisfied by food, the withdrawal pangs of nicotine are never completely satisfied. As with any drug, after a while the body becomes immune and the drug ceases to relieve the withdrawal pangs completely. As soon as we extinguish a cigarette, the nicotine rapidly leaves our body, so that the nicotine addict has a permanent hunger. The natural inclination is eventually to
chain-smoke. However, most smokers are prevented from doing this for one, or both, of two reasons.
1 Money - they cannot afford to increase their intake.
2 Health - in order to relieve the withdrawal pangs we have to intake
a poison, which acts as an automatic check on the number of
cigarettes we can smoke.
The smoker is therefore left with a permanent hunger that he can never satisfy. This is why many
smokers turn to over-eating, heavy drinking or even harder drugs in order to satisfy the void.
(MOST ALCOHOLICS ARE HEAVY SMOKERS. I WONDER IF IT IS REALLY A SMOKING
PROBLEM?)
For the smoker the normal tendency is to start by substituting nicotine for food. During my own
nightmare years I got to the stage where I cut out breakfast and lunch completely. I would chainsmoke
during the day. In the later years I would actually look forward to the evenings only because
then I could stop smoking. However. I would be picking at food all evening. I thought it was hunger,
but it was really the withdrawal pangs from nicotine. In other words, during the day I would
substitute nicotine for food and during the evenings I would substitute food for nicotine.
In those days I was two stone heavier than I am now and there was nothing I could do about it.
Once that little monster leaves your body, the awful feeling of insecurity ends. Your confidence
returns, together with a marvelous feeling of self-respect. You obtain the assurance to take control
of your life, not only in your eating habits but also in all other ways. This is one of the many
great advantages of being free from the weed.
As I have said, the weight myth is due to using substitutes during the withdrawal period. In fact,
they do not make it easier to stop. They make it harder. This is explained in greater detail in a
later chapter dealing with substitutes.
Provided you follow all the instructions, weight gain should not he a problem to you. However,
if you already have weight problems, or find that your weight does become a problem, I would
recommend that you read 'Allen Carr's EASYWEIGH to Lose Weight' (Penguin) which is based
on exactly the same principles as 'EASYWAY' and makes weight control a pleasure.