Deborah: Welcome to True Quit Testimonial Stories. And today, I’ve got with me, Chris. Hi, Chris. Thank you for joining me.
Chris: Okay, Deb, how are you?
Deborah: I’m going really well, thanks. I’m excited to hear about your quit smoking journey and I was wondering if you could share a little bit about that with me.
Chris: Yeah, I could share a little bit about it. Approximately in 2011. This is when my journey first started. I was a heavy smoker smoke pack a day, probably a little bit more, sometimes some days, who also smoke found this system. So we saw Doug Walters on The Current Affair and we booked into the treatment. And also we were given a technique over the years. I got to about five years and I think I might have started. What happened was I always had in my mind that if I liked smoking and I wanted to go, if I had to go back to it, and I think that’s where I went wrong or using willpower a little bit here and there. So I was in a period where I just stopped using the technique and was told to use more power and I started taking up vaping about five years ago. So five years went by and I decided in February this year, I decided I’d had enough of being chained to a vaping device. And I know that the True Quick Method has worked in the past. So I decided to contact True Quit and go through the system and learn to quit again.
It’s very different to how it was all those years ago. There’s a lot more information and a lot more resources to guide you through each step of the way I feel now, that I’ve got a lot more confidence than what I did the first time. And I’ve also changed my attitude towards smoking and vaping. I don’t want to go back to it again and keep doing the technique, keep using the technique. And I’m still about halfway through the programme at the moment. So I quit for three weeks. My quit date was on the 1st of April. I just chucked the device into a bin and walked into my appointment and haven’t looked back.
Deborah: Well, how does that feel?
Chris: It feels good. Yeah. I also had the same family members that quit with me back then, also quit with me this time around as well. And that person’s given up for a few weeks longer than me. But they’re using Willpower, so it’s a bit different for them. But I did just also help that person out as well because there are complications of smoking and all that. But I feel free from that device. And you don’t have to carry batteries around that way that I’m blowing up in your pocket. And don’t worry about the juice. You have to worry about the machine breaking. As soon as the vape machine broke, I’d get a massive fight or flight. I do have fixed it straight away, but don’t have any of that anymore. That’s good.
Deborah: So you’re good with the Fight/Flight at the moment?
Chris: Yeah, I’m good at the moment. There have been some challenges, but there’s always support available. If you come across challenges, we can go through the materials, you can contact support or you can contact the mentor. I’m quite happy. I’m looking forward to the last video. I plan to keep going to the end just to get the retraining of a non-smoker smoker completed. I believe that you got to get to the last video for that to happen. It’s a good investment given vaping. The cost of April is quite cheap, but there’s the unseen cost to your health that are worth more than a priceless, so it’s worth the investment to get rid of vaping. I think it’s more difficult to get rid of quit vaping than it is to quit smoking. Based on how many times I’ve tried to quit it in the past. I’ve tried to quit about two or three times in the past and it’s just impossible. You can’t even get a day of quitting without the problems, without the cravings. Pretty much the cravings are actually worse than smoking cravings, in my experience. But in this programme, you can eliminate them.
That’s why I’ve seen it. It’s just been amazing. It was easier than I thought it would be. To be honest, the first time I got smoking, it was actually easier than I thought it’d be as well back then, ten years ago. And that’s why I came back and I needed help again. I always talked about the backup. Ten years ago, I talked about the backup, your backup solution. I thought I’m going to do the full programme. I’m not going to go just to get the treatment because it probably won’t fix the underlying cause of what made me relapse, you know what I mean? So just go through learning it all again and it’s good. The extra content that’s in this, there’s a few bits and pieces of the actual added value this time out.
Deborah: Fantastic. I’m so pleased to hear that it’s gone so well for you, Chris.
Chris: Yeah.
Deborah: It sounds like you’re completely on track.
Chris: I think so, yeah. I still get a bit of flight or flight here and there because I still get challenges, but it’s getting there. The first time I went in to get the treatment, I was told we throw the packet into the bin and then a lady did the treatment. She said you can try green tea and water helps in the first week or two. And that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been following that again as well. And basically, I can do anything. Basically, just go through my normal routine. I don’t change anything from my routine because you’re not using willpower. Maybe change something using willpower. So I still go outside, and drink tea instead of vaping. I feel it changes. It does change your brain a fair bit. I know this a lot of my brain was a lot clearer after two or three days of not vaping I felt my brain was clear and things were just a lot calmer everything I do is a lot calmer now so I don’t get as much flight of flight if anything so if an event happens I don’t react as much you know what I mean?
Isn’t that interesting because you think when you’re vaping you would be thinking of vaping to calm down yeah vaping you’re actually a lot of calm yeah when you’re vaping you’re just smoking it all day long because you don’t run out like you don’t run out of it’s not like a pack of cigarettes it just runs out you just keep filling it up with more nicotine so I think you’re smoking a lot more heavily on a vape than what you are with a pack of cigarettes that’s what makes it dangerous and I don’t know what’s going to happen to people are just vaping nonstop for many years who knows what the ramifications are on people’s health it’s quite scary to change that happens after compared to smoking the things you notice when you quit smoking is the change of sense of smell there is a little bit of change in the mind as well in the brain as well but it’s not foggy your mind is not foggy if you know what I mean? I just have a better concentration so much stuff there’s so much positivity out of it I also don’t know how many people have actually I don’t know if it has been who have actually successfully quit vaping there’s not much evidence out there.
I don’t know what the chances are it’s just some interesting stuff and maybe I could test some more all the time.
Deborah: Thank you so much for sharing all that with us.
Chris: That’s all right.
Deborah: Yeah I’m so pleased to hear you’re doing so well.
Chris: Thank you. Bye.