Phoenix, firstly I should congratulate you on your moth anniversary - awesome!
Personally, I followed Allen Carr's instructions to the letter - smoked the whole way through the book, have not used any NRT (patches, gum etc..) and have basically tried to ride the storms as best as I could without offending too many people in the process!! However! That being said my husband quit 5 years ago (hasn't smoked 1 cig since) and the only way he could do it was using the patches. Now, like you, I believe it is all a mind game - if the patches convinced my husband he could cope then it worked, for me Allen Carr's "Little Monster slowly dying" is working for me - I guess each to his own is what I am trying to say. (I am still int he very early days of my quit, but I have found the last few days so much better than the first week.)
Without a doubt, the days I have woken up thinking to myself "Aghh! Today is going to be tough" have been just that - likewise the days when I have consciously said to myself "you know what, I think today is going to be easier than yesterday" have been so much better. As I say, each to his own!
Britt
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 8
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 70
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $9.6
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 39 [B]Seconds:[/B] 19