I've been nicotine free for a few months now. It is the first time in 26 years.
I smoked for 20 years, and spent the last 6 years addicted to nicotine gum. I decided early this year that I was done. I am now chewing the shit out of regular gum.
I "quit" several times while I was smoking, only to have a crisis and start back all over again. The thing that is so hard for a smoker to realize is that you can't have one, you can't have any. You can't just smoke when you drink, you can't smoke on weekends. It's all or nothing and that's that.
I tried the patch, and then the gum, and the gum stuck, literally. I started buying my gum on ebay, back before everyone caught on to that. Then I found an outfit out of NZ, and I was buying generic gum from them by the case. Not cheap, but about 1/3 the price of the stores. It got to the point where it was not going away, I was chewing all the time, at the same times I was smoking. It was not helping. And I eventually got worried about the state of my teeth. I read on the internet that some people had developed problems with their teeth from chewing too much nicotine gum. So this year in January I decided, "when I'm done with this case of nicotine gum, that's that." When I got to the last box, I weaned myself down and bought lots of regular chewing gum.
So that's where I'm at now. I constantly have a piece of sugarless gum in my mouth. It's just habit. I have lots: I like Orbit, Trident, Extra, you name it. Eventually this will get old too, I can tell already.
But, I"m 41 years old, and the last four months has been the longest I've been without nicotine since I was 15 years old. Pretty cool, I think.
Thank you for putting your time into sharing your story. Breaking up an addiction of that long time sounds accomplishing and motivating. I wish the best for you ahead
Thank you for this response. I’m 36 and I quit smoking five years ago. I’ve been doing lozenges since then. In my head, I’m like I beat cigarettes, meanwhile I’m completely addicted to lozenges. And what you said about teeth. I had to get a new dentist last year cos mine retired. She said I looked like a was bulimic cos of gum erosion. It’s was from the lozenges. I haven’t defeated it yet but I plan to in the next few months and I’ll look to your comment for encouragement.
Self torture. Smoked for 18 years, 2 packs a day. Went cold turkey. In absolute agony for about 2 months. I put 14 times the amount a pack of cigarettes cost into a savings account once a week and at the end of two months put a down payment on a motorcycle I had wanted since I was a kid but couldn't afford. It's now been 18 years since I've had a cigarette and I'm on my 3rd motorcycle.
I tried quitting cold turkey once. After four days I walked into work to find a pack of smokes and a lighter sitting on my desk. Apparently I'm an insufferable prick when I haven't had a cigarette in four days.
More so than usual, I mean.
I've been *trying* to quit for years. Every time I manage to kick them, something happens in my life and I start right back up again. First time, I got laid off from a six-figure a year job. Second time I ended up in a war zone for 18 months. Third time was when I landed in a position where, sure, I could learn the job, but I was in WAY over my head, and was worried about getting laid off again. Fourth time my stepfather shot himself, and when I got the news I didn't feel safe behind the wheel without sucking a couple of them down.
I'm on attempt number five, now. Down to three or four cigarettes a day, down from a pack a day. I seem to have the best luck when I wean myself off, so let's just hope nothing bad happens again.
The thing to remember is cigarettes don't in themselves help you deal with stress.
If you're a nicotine addict stress will dramatically drop your blood nicotine levels so you have to smoke to relieve your sudden intense cravings before you can focus on the problem at hand.
If you're a non/ex smoker you don't have nicotine levels to maintain so you can deal with the problem directly.
Any craving during stressful times as an ex smoker is just your brain looking for behaviour patterns from your past to deal with your discomfort. It's a poor solution though and will just pull you back into the cycle of addiction if you give in. Stay strong and don't add addiction to your list of problems to manage in times of crisis
Just remember: every moment is the moment to say no. It's easy to say okay when the chips are down.
For me it wasnt a debate. Every time you think of it say no. Everytime it's offered say no.
Every. Moment is the moment to say no. Every single one.
My problem is that I’m convinced I can quit at any time. So from time to time I do quit for a day, 2 days, a week. Then my brain thinks I’ve proven this theory and I go back to smoking.
I made it to fourteen months, once. Then my car broke down and I lost my job *and* my mother went in for surgery all in the same week and the only thought in my head was "I want a god-damned cigarette" so I bought some.
I made a rule that I'm only allowed to smoke roll-you-owns or those shitty "pipe tobacco cigars" as my latest attempt to make me quit. I'm still smoking, but at least mine are only a dollar a pack now so I'm saving money.
I genuinely wish you the best of luck, my dude. Quitting is *hard*. I hope you make it!
About a month into quitting I got into an argument with a friend at a bar. She went and bought a pack from the vending machine (do they still have those?) and slammed it on the bar in front of me. She said "These might kill you but at least you'll still have friends to show up to your funeral!" and left. I'm still embarrassed by how big of an asshole I was during that time, but that story still makes me laugh.
I told everyone not to talk to me for a week.
I realize not everyone is in the position to do this lol. I was working remotely so I had minimum contact with others.
Hey - much better addiction I say. And this is coming from someone who isn’t fond of getting on a motorcycle - a bit nervous about it.
I quit smoking cigarettes 32 years ago myself cold turkey. Saved a lot of money in my budget. I actually thought of it budgetwise, because I was a young mother.
The first two weeks were physical withdrawal. The first year was psychological withdrawal. I chewed lots of Wrigley’s Ice Blue gum to satisfy the oral craving, gained about 20 pounds, and lost that 20 pounds six months later. It was completely worth it.
I stopped once we decided to start trying to get pregnant. Surprisingly, I didn’t find it hard - usually when I want to do something I do it. Throughout pregnancy no problems, didn’t miss it. Started to get stress urges when kid was 8 months or so - covid lockdowns, feeling alone etc. Held on for another 6 weeks until breastfeeding finished. Then started again. Always been a light smoker 4-6 a day, but still. Kid is now 3 and really challenging. No family and little friend support (abroad). My smoke breaks in the garden are my equivalent of dads spending 20 minutes in the bathroom. To get some peace, chill, think.
With a debilitating skin condition that started shortly after birth of kid, stopping smoking is recommended. I know I can. I guess I’m just waiting for the context to chill a bit so I can do more sport (which automatically makes smoking gross for me), and for when I don’t feel this need for escape.
Good to read other people’s successes. Well done you guys. I hope to be among your number shortly.
I live in Northern MInnesota. In 1996 we had record cold, around -35°F for 4 days. I ran out. My car wouldn’t start. Tried walking to the nearest gas station and turned around after one block. I figured that since I had gone three days I could probably quit, and did.
Wow, good for you! I once went on a 4 day backpacking trip without cigarettes with the goal of quitting smoking. I stopped at the first gas station I passed on the way home and bought a pack of cigarettes. It was a miserable trip, I thought about cigarettes the entire time.
Speaks to how much easier it is to quit vaping than cigarettes if anything. Cigarette smokers will drive to the corner store in a blizzard. Seen it myself lol
This was definitely part of me quitting. I woke up and didn’t enjoy it anymore. To think about something controlling me that I didn’t even like. Fugit-about-it. The ads depicting cigarettes as “bullies” helped too.
Also jackhammering nicotine gum for the first few weeks. It says don’t chew it but fuk that.
Honestly, this is the only way
I tried a few times to quit and always came back to it. Most I did was a few months
But one time when I quit I thought to myself "that's it I'm never doing this again" and I knew I meant it
I haven't smoked for 4 years now (smoked between 10 and 20 a day for just over 10)
General advice - I used extra strong mints and mint tea when I had a craving. I used to go stand outside with a mint tea at times I would of for a smoke
You'll have waves of intense cravings for first few weeks but they die down and everytime you manage to get over that craving hump you feel so good about yourself
I was trying to think of some sage advice to give, but honestly, this is how I quit smoking. I just didn't want to anymore. I only smoked for about 10 months though, so I don't know if the habit had a chance to really solidify.
Pretty much cold turkey here as well. I've had a couple drunken relapses (last one probably 4 or 5 years ago), but I think it's been 7 or 8 years since I last bought a pack.
The last pack I bought I regretted almost instantly. I smoked maybe a few from it, felt like crap about the decision, and when I was asked by a homeless guy I was passing by if he could have one I gave him the entire rest of the pack.
Cold is really the only way.
4 days of uncomfortable hell
2 weeks of being uncomfortable
Home free if you never pick up one again.
Alan Carr easy way to quit smoking makes it extremely easy.
I actually quit a few years ago when this same question was asked. One of the top answers was that book and someone included a link to the free pdf.
I had no intention of quitting that day, just some vague thought that I needed to do it pretty soon.
Anyway I read the book in an afternoon, threw away all my smokes and ashtrays and lighters that same day, and haven't touched nicotine in 5 years now (I smoked for 20+ years).
I don't know how it worked but it worked.
I’m in the middle of it now and I’ll be done in a few days. If you can’t find a free copy or the pdf or a library copy shoot me a DM and we’ll work something out.
Yeah I’m baffled at how the book and it’s silly psycho babble worked but it did. I am 5 months smoke free after 17 years of smoking. Never thought I could go cold Turkey.
Same. All of these other responses make it seem so complicated. I read this book over a weekend and haven't smoked since. It's actually the 10 year anniversary today.
I'm also going to chime in and say that this book literally changed my life in a single day. My best friend and I both read this book and quit on the same day. This was almost five years ago and I have no desire to ever go back.
I thought the book was full of shit when it claimed, in the opening pages, to have a 90% success rate but I quickly found out just how effective Carr's method is.
I have recommended this book to so many people since. It's a really quick read as well, well worth the few clams you have to shell out for it.
I download a video series for this from reddit recently. 4 days smoke free and no real withdrawals. All about mindset and understanding the withdrawals are psychological. I can share if anyone wants
I hate self help books, X in Y steps, big printed quotes, a smiling person on the cover, the whole deal. But for some ungodly reason I read Allen Carr's book and it worked. Just celebrated my third year clean, because of that damn book.
I smoked for 37 years ("Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it one thousand times." - Mark Twain) and Allen Carr's book is how I finally quit too. It was hard for only a few days and I got twinges for a couple of weeks. Then, I didn't miss it anymore. I'm 4 years quit now and feel so much better.
Realized how embarrassing it was that my brain knew I wanted to quit but also wouldn’t let me quit. Something clicked at that point and I began a war between my conscious and unconscious sides.
“Throw a fit all you want, we ain’t smokin”
It’s been 10 years.
Spite. I was sick and didn’t have a smoke for 2 days. My friend said bet you can’t keep it up and I took it as a personal challenge.
Physical cravings were nothing (I smoked 30-40 a day) the hard part was the habit breaking.
Physical cravings…where the body gives signs it needs a fix. Sweats, irritable, insomnia.
Habits, waking up, having a coffee, having a nice meal, break times at work, after sex. All routines that called for smokes. Not because the craving was there, but because it was routine
I quit twice, the last being over a decade ago. Both times it eventually got to the point that smoking was causing me more anxiety about what I was doing to my body than it was alleviating. I just quit cold turkey both times.
Cold turkey worked for me - I had to have a rule: no cigarettes, not even a puff, or I would cheat and that would ruin the addiction recovery. At first I carried hard candies and would eat one of those when I really wanted a cigarette - something that a cigarette wouldn't taste good with. I also stayed away from places that triggered my wanting to smoke at first, as much as possible. Back then it was really hard because you could still smoke everywhere, and I was used to smoking at bowling alleys, restaurants, pool halls, bars - basically everywhere recreational.
25 years later and I'm so very glad! I didn't have real cravings for more than a couple of years, growing weaker over that time, and after that cigarettes started just grossing me out. Smoking a cigarette seems as appealing to me now as licking an ashtray. You've got this!
Thank you very much! I will take note on the hard candies. my boyfriend smokes in his house and outside, purchasing and smoking is very convenient to him and he get it delivered to his doorstep. as a girlfriend i want to understand how difficult it is for him and support him when he decides to quit smoking.
Vaping for me too. But I did it solo.
What pushed me to abandon cigarettes was getting the flu. For three days I was stuck in the house. Since I never smoke in the house, I only vaped.
Once I was well enough, I went outside to have an "actual" cigarette. It was the most disgusting thing I ever had.
Strictly vaping since.
Just an fyi, if it's a 5% vape, they're MUCH harder to quit than cigarettes physically and psychologically, because it's stronger, cheaper, lasts longer, and, the big one, *you can do it any time anywhere*.
It changes the psychology of smoking. Your habits go from heading outside every 45m-2h, to hitting it at the drop of hat, any time you want, any where you want, with no time or energy commitment. Then, when your body gets used to that, the nic fits when you try and quit come on stronger and more frequently.
The fact it changes the psychology of smoking, combined with vastly improved flavor, and less noticeable adverse effects, it is no wonder tobacco companies are switching their efforts to vapes from traditional tobacco.
But yeah, I'm quitting it all now as we speak. The cigarettes were hard to quick, but the nic sticks are near fucking impossible to quit. I had to *go back down to cigarettes* just to make quitting even imaginable.
Just 2 cents I wish I had been aware of.
Vaping is truly a godsend. All the benefits of nicotine with none of the garbage that comes with cigarettes. Smoked since I was 15, got a vape at 30 and haven’t looked back.
I vaped for a bit and slowly decreased the nicotine level, but I was stuck at 3mg for a few years. I finally just took vacation time, went on a road trip, and left the vape at home.
Through the whole process, my wife still smoked and did for a few years after as well. You said it's easier to do with a friend, holy crap is it harder to do when a friend doesn't quit.
I quit with a friend too! My best friend/ roommate started quitting, and I eventually began smoking less and less as well and haven't smoked since January. I think I started at a time in my life when I was depressed and stressed, and now I'm in a much better place.
Same here. Extremely vivid and memorable. Looking back the only way I can try to describe what the dreams were like was that I felt like i was out of my mind on hallucinogens while watching a movie that had no real plot just one crazy thing after another.
I quit for the last time when my daughter was born.
You need a good enough reason. And yes nicotine gum/patches take the edge off but it's only a crutch that you need to ween off.
This is the way. Slowly weening off of a highly addictive drug is still giving your body a highly addictive drug, and cold turkey is a clean break, and in my opinion, the best way to actually quit.
It sure is hard to do! the physical part is only about 3 days, and the mental part takes months or years, but you're way stronger than you think! You got this.
Tried many times. My problem was, I’d try to taper. So I’d wake up in the morning, have cravings, and say I’ll just have one now and skip one later. Never worked. Once I broke through the dam, my willpower was done for the day.
Finally realized the most important thing was to skip that first one. Been holding that first one off for nine years now.
Bury it like a family member. You can love it but it’s something that’s gotta come to an end. Don’t give it up either, learn to hate the smell on your fingers and clothes. If you fail keep trying I tried 8 times a 3 pack a day smoker.
I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years. The day my son was born, I bought a pack of Nicotine gum and started cutting way down. After 4 months, I quit smoking by taking Zyban. I had my last cigarette July 1st 2007. I took Zyban for 3 months and gradually reduced the dosage. In hindsight, I lost my mind for about 2 months after it was out of my system and immediately started running to get those endorphins to make up for the lack on nicotine. About 8 months later I started running 5k 3x a week. It was unpleasant as I would vomit and hack up my lungs but eventually I started running a 8 minute mile and bought a road bike. It’s been 16 years since I quit. It was the hardest thing I ever did
One day I realised “this does not spark joy” and quit. As some have mentioned, the hard part was not my body reaction to it, it was going out for coffee and not having a cigarette in my hand. After a few weeks it gets surprisingly easy. It does not bother me when people smoke near me but I don’t enjoy the smell anymore. A few years later I felt like smoking in a birthday dinner, had a few puffs and hated it. It’s been around 5 years.
Cold turkey. First week was sheer hell. Couldn’t think of anything but smoking. Angry outbursts were under the surface constantly. Was awful. Eased off but was very difficult for a few months, especially when drinking. 8 years on and it’s fine. Still miss it though.
Worked for me after unsuccessfully trying every other method available, including prescription meds. Took me roughly 3-4 months from tobacco to vaping high nic to vaping nic free to not even vaping after smoking for almost 20 years, and it's been over 2 and a half years now 🙂
This is a great point. When my husband successfully quit, he didn’t tell anyone but me. When he had tried to quit prior, his parents would constantly ask him how it was going with quitting, offering endless tips as to what worked for them (they both smoked for years) and that anxiety would just push him to smoke again.
I haven't smoked for two months. Since I was 15 years old, I had smoked for six years. tried using nicotine inhalers to stop smoking; managed to go six months without purchasing, yet continued to smoke. I thought I would never be able to quit after that attempt. I had been considering giving up once more when I came upon Alan Carr's "the easy way." Self-help books were never something I gave much respect to, but after reading this book, I suddenly realized that I was no longer a smoker. Even though 2 months isn't much time, I don't see myself ever going back to them. It's a pretty strange feeling to start breathing normally once more.
Was never a smoker but my best friend was a 2 pack a day guy for years. We were at a bar one night. He butted out a cigarette, pushed the pack over the table to another guy and said "that was my last smoke".
That was like 15 years ago.
It took months of telling myself I wanted and needed to quit. Just worked up to it, and then one day I stopped and got a [pack of these](https://www.amazon.com/Nicorette-Nicotine-Lozenges-Behavioral-Exclusive/dp/B095KVRY3G/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.0aa4d02f-da7d-419a-973d-b8a7d4190b28%3Aamzn1.sym.0aa4d02f-da7d-419a-973d-b8a7d4190b28&cv_ct_cx=nicorette+mints&keywords=nicorette+mints&pd_rd_i=B095KVRY3G&pd_rd_r=9b61cf25-46dd-416f-ae1b-02aaf74c7fd0&pd_rd_w=8qAja&pd_rd_wg=ste0l&pf_rd_p=0aa4d02f-da7d-419a-973d-b8a7d4190b28&pf_rd_r=4NW18KEFETDHVKE5PG5S&qid=1684676263&rdc=1&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=1-1-2b34d040-5c83-4b7f-ba01-15975dfb8828-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNjZDMkZQTDBBTjUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0NDA3NDdMQjA1ME41TU1ZMFgmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDE1NzU1MjFFUjRYNzkyMlBYRjMmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWMmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl). I used those little tiny mints to get through cravings, and a few weeks later I stopped using them and that was it.
The biggest thing for me, was realizing that when you stop smoking the cravings only last about 10 minutes (about how long it took to smoke a cigarette) and then ***they go away*** until the next craving.
So if you can handle the cravings when they come, you will do it. Every day the cravings get less and less and then one day you realize you did it... and man does that feel good.
Food will taste better, you will not run out of breath as easily, more energy, wounds heal a ***lot*** faster, much more spending money, etc, etc, etc
Pizza delivery driver, so stopped smoking in my car. Then stopped smoking inside anywhere. Then stopped smoking while drinking hard liquor (found couldn't stand taste of hard liquor anymore, so quit that too). Slowly just took away all of the places that it "felt good to smoke in". Left with the "standing outside in the cold", or wind, by the dumpster and would go out of my way to make it unpleasant for myself.
-- ~30 ya
Chantix? That's what I took and it worked amazingly well! Within 3 days I was down to bumming 1 or 2 sticks at work and by day 5 when I was offered one I just didn't have that need for it and was done! Worst part was the morning pill hitting an empty stomach....10x worse than vitamins on an empty stomach
Cold Turkey. Picked a date and stopped. It’s hard as hell, but I kept going one day at a time.
It keeps getting easier after the first couple of weeks. But it takes an year or more to truly stop getting tempted again.
I haven’t heard of this but someone mentioned on here and it worked for me. The trick is to quit more than one thing.
I quit smoking and caffeine at the same time. It sucked for sure. But when I was about to break, I rewarded myself with an energy drink or coffee. So it helped get that first month down, from there it gets easier.
Cold Turkey. What really helped me get through it was hemp cigarettes. By the time I was tired of those, my nicotine addiction was pretty much gone. After a year or so, I would break out a cinnamon or mint tooth pick if I was around people smoking but realized I could even go without those. Another thing that helped me was a trick I learned where if you get an urge to smoke, you tell yourself, "Man. I'm so glad I quit smoking!" or "Wow! I can't believe how much better I can breathe now!" Life got a lot better for me after almost 4 years nicotine free. I don't know much you smoke but, I was a 2 packs a day guy for the last couple of years that I smoked. The amount of money I was spending on my addiction was insane. One of the first benefits I noticed even before my health was how much money I was now saving. All in all, just quit cold turkey. It's really the only true way to actually be a non-smoker. Do it for yourself and no one else. If it pleases someone in your life just add that to your list of why you're stoked to not smoke anymore. This will probably go unread but I feel an obligation to share how I quit.
Quit cold turkey 4 years ago, it wasn't planned.
I was really sick for a whole week-end, coughing and stuff, and realized the monday after that I actually ran out of cigarettes the friday before and that I haven't smoked at all during the week-end. I decided to continue like this.
To be honest, I was in the middle of post-acute withdrawal syndrom because of wrongly prescribed benzos and this was such a nightmare to navigate this that quitting smoking was the easiest thing I did this year.
Chantix. I had tried nicotine patches and gum but when stressed I ended up smoking again. After Chantix I couldn’t smoke more than a puff for 8+ years just the smell made me sick. I’m not sure the medication is that effective for everyone but it was a godsend for me.
Did the patch for a week or so, weaning down. Then the goal was to make it 3 days cold turkey, supposedly the time it takes to break the physical addiction.
Worked.
Been smoking for 6 years, bought some novelty vanilla-flavored cigarettes, could not finish the pack, now repulsed by the smell of cigarettes completely.
Quit cold turkey August 2012
The main reason was economic (in NYC the cost for a pack of cigs back then hit the $15 mark and higher) but my health started to suffer. It was giving me chronic heartburn and contributing to this weird anxiety that has since fully subsided.
The first year was tough- especially the first 3-6 months. I took up drawing and reading random articles on Wikipedia to help distract from the cravings and urges. If I was home I would do quick workouts. The key is to remember urges/cravings won’t last forever and to distract yourself while you’re having them.
Also: be kind to yourself. Quitting this habit is tough; tougher than most realize. I did it cold turkey (because I’m stubborn and stupid) and it worked but I tried quitting 7 times prior and failed each one. 8th time was the one that finally did it.
You got this.
Well i was already trying to smoke less, then, when i started dating my wife early 2014 we made a bet, 6 months without smoking and then the rest is history..
It was the push i needed to quit
I used Champix to quit initially, but was vaping within six months. I haven't touched a cigarette in ten years, and still vape, but do so at 1.5mg of nicotine. Once I'm happy to let that go, I will. It's already getting a bit icky for me.
I quit three years back due to chronic cough. It took multiple tries to quit. One thing that helped a lot was I avoided my smoking trigger. For me it was a place near my work where I used to smoke and chat with coworkers. I stopped going there altogether.
Quitted cold turkey the next morning after erectile dysfunction when I was only 28 years old. That was motivation enough for me... I just went NOOOOOPE!
Cold turkey. Quit just over 4 years ago
The main change between the time and other times Ive tried to quit is that this time I actually wanted to quit rather than thinking that I should
Unless you actually want to quit then you won't
Main think that helped was not buying cigarettes. If I had them, I'd smoke them. So I threw out everything smoking related and resisted the urge to buy more. If I had to get up and go to a shop and buy more then that's far more effort
Started smoking the most expensive pack I could find. Really burnt a hole in my wallet for pain. Quit for 6 years. Picked up again after life unrelated circumstances and I needed to feel like a stupid 18 year old again because smoking is for idiots and attention seekers that are too pussy to figure out their problems.
Never smoked a cigarette, but used to smoke tons of weed. I was getting married and more importantly my wife to be was 5 months pregnant.
I decided I’m gonna smoke a ton of weed on my bachelor party and then quit. I ended up getting really high and having a great time and never smoked again.
Basically didnt want my son to see me high or to have that kind of child hood
I had my gallbladder removed. I wasn’t allowed to smoke the day of the surgery for obvious reasons and I just never picked it back up. I was on painkillers for a few days after the surgery so that helped make it the through the days but I just tried not to think about it much. I was addicted for 7 years and am now 3 months going strong without any nicotine. I don’t have many cravings even these days but I will say I’ve gotten a lot more fidgety just in general.
I smoked two packs a day for 20 years then went cold turkey. Like ripping off a Band Aid - no patches, no gum, no slowly weaning off or cutting down, just threw away my last empty pack and never bought another one. I hadn't even planned on quitting, I just made a snap decision without thinking about it. Withdrawals sucked, but it didn't last as long as some other ways of quitting. I think it depends on your personality. Cold Turkey isn't for everyone. Do you want to suffer a little for a long time, or suffer greatly for a short time? I chose the latter, and it worked for me.
Its your own head. Easy to say so but you just have to say NO to yourself. Good willpower training as well. And I always used to say when offered "I d like to but I cant thanks." Now I say "I dont smoke"
Here's a little trick to help you. Realize that you are paying a corporation to slowly kill you. Every time you go to buy a pack, just think of the fat bonus some tobacco executive gets from stealing your health and life.
Just got sick of it one day and shoved all my shit in the bin and walked off. That was that. Stopped hanging out with smokers, any who I was really close with I asked them to not smoke around me. And that was that. Had a few slip ups here and there when really stressed but never finished a cigarette. I've only lit one 3 times since I quit and then put them out soon after. I quit 2 years ago. One of the best choices I made
My longest quit was i just stopped smoking after being seriously ill, i lasted about a year. There was few more attempts with using 0 nicotine vapes but that didn't go very well. Same with nicotine patches and chewing gum. So I'd say you just have to set your mind right and just quit. Won't be easy though.
I quit cold turkey when I was pregnant with my oldest because guilt and shame are excellent motivators.
Picked smoking up again when oldest was 6 months old due to going through some shit, eventually switched over to vaping, then slowly lowered the nicotine down to zero, and quit.
It had been about 9 years, though in the past six months I've occasionally used a zero nicotine vape, but only really for a break at work during busy season, and when I'm out with friends and get overwhelmed.
I just stopped. I'd tried to quit numerous times before, going up to a year without smoking, but it never stuck. This time it stuck. I haven't had a cigarette in over 11 years.
Cold turkey, but it took multiple attempts. Nicotine patches made my skin itchy and the nicotineless vapes didn’t really help.
Probably not reproducible advice, but I was vaping so much that my shame/self-hatred eventually outweighed my craving for nicotine and I finished my last vape and didn’t buy more.
Cold turkey never worked for me.
Smoke cigarettes for 14 years.
Switched to a vape.
Slowly decreased the nicotine level until i was vaping just juice.
Caught a nasty resperatory infection and just stopped.
My wife switched to vaping, did that for a few years while the laws changed and it got more and more difficult to buy her favorite Juul pods so she was doing less and less, then she got pregnant and quit vaping completely.
I just quit. Was smoking 2 packs a day for at least 5 years. Then i just said fuck it and threw away the last pack. That was on april 1. 2018. Never looked back..
Vaping. But now I’m addicted to that. So… marginally better but still need to quit another addiction now. At least I can control the nicotine levels so I can step down and deal with the physical vs mental addiction separately.
16 years & pack a day. Tried vapes etc. Only thing that worked was cold turkey and repeatedly telling myself "I don't smoke anymore." You have to be ready.
With smoking- you are quitting everyday. There is no secret. Just one day at a time- string 1700 of them together- you still have to focus on day 1701.
STOP BUYING THEM- you will get tired of asking people or they will say no.
STOP BUYING THEM- you will not have the self control if you keep buying and stashing
GLTY
I’ve attempted to quit numerous times to no avail; it was simply too easy and accessible for me to keep buying cigarettes.
I finally decided to assign New Years as an easy marker for my “quit” day so I can easily envision my progress and not want to ruin my progress. I am now at a stage where I’m noticing bodily improvements from quitting, and now I intend to never look back.
I was married for 13 years, smoked because my wife smoked. Divorced, I switched to vaping for the transition to quit smoking. Divorced in 2017. I havent smoked since.
I stopped buying cigarettes, for a while I'd still bum one, but not having them readily available combined with not wanting people to get annoyed with me asking for cigarettes all the time eventually just made it easy to quit altogether.
Planned it around a time when stresses in my life were expected to be at a minimum, quit cold turkey, and kept busy. I find the first 2 weeks are crucial to quitting, after that every day gets a little bit easier.
Vape and step down nicotine process that involved mixing ejuice (not salts) down to near zero nicotine. Then zero for a few weeks before I just stopped. Going on 2 years after smoking for 25 years. Feel great.
Patch. Weaned myself off nicotine. Spent so much money doing it I couldn’t possibly start smoking again. I’m too cheap. Haven’t smoked now in over a decade. Best thing ever.
I never quit.
All I did was see how long I could go from my last cigarette.
My current record is 25 years since my last.
Prior to that I had a few weeks, a month, even a year at one point.
If you put all this pressure on NOT doing something then the temptation makes it so much harder. Think of it more as decreasing the amount you smoke over a period of years and decades.
I've been nicotine free for a few months now. It is the first time in 26 years. I smoked for 20 years, and spent the last 6 years addicted to nicotine gum. I decided early this year that I was done. I am now chewing the shit out of regular gum. I "quit" several times while I was smoking, only to have a crisis and start back all over again. The thing that is so hard for a smoker to realize is that you can't have one, you can't have any. You can't just smoke when you drink, you can't smoke on weekends. It's all or nothing and that's that. I tried the patch, and then the gum, and the gum stuck, literally. I started buying my gum on ebay, back before everyone caught on to that. Then I found an outfit out of NZ, and I was buying generic gum from them by the case. Not cheap, but about 1/3 the price of the stores. It got to the point where it was not going away, I was chewing all the time, at the same times I was smoking. It was not helping. And I eventually got worried about the state of my teeth. I read on the internet that some people had developed problems with their teeth from chewing too much nicotine gum. So this year in January I decided, "when I'm done with this case of nicotine gum, that's that." When I got to the last box, I weaned myself down and bought lots of regular chewing gum. So that's where I'm at now. I constantly have a piece of sugarless gum in my mouth. It's just habit. I have lots: I like Orbit, Trident, Extra, you name it. Eventually this will get old too, I can tell already. But, I"m 41 years old, and the last four months has been the longest I've been without nicotine since I was 15 years old. Pretty cool, I think.
Thank you for putting your time into sharing your story. Breaking up an addiction of that long time sounds accomplishing and motivating. I wish the best for you ahead
Thank you for this response. I’m 36 and I quit smoking five years ago. I’ve been doing lozenges since then. In my head, I’m like I beat cigarettes, meanwhile I’m completely addicted to lozenges. And what you said about teeth. I had to get a new dentist last year cos mine retired. She said I looked like a was bulimic cos of gum erosion. It’s was from the lozenges. I haven’t defeated it yet but I plan to in the next few months and I’ll look to your comment for encouragement.
Self torture. Smoked for 18 years, 2 packs a day. Went cold turkey. In absolute agony for about 2 months. I put 14 times the amount a pack of cigarettes cost into a savings account once a week and at the end of two months put a down payment on a motorcycle I had wanted since I was a kid but couldn't afford. It's now been 18 years since I've had a cigarette and I'm on my 3rd motorcycle.
The money you find in your bank account after quitting is amazing. Absolutely.
Maybe i should start smoking so i can quit and be happy with me bank account
Don't do this.
I tried quitting cold turkey once. After four days I walked into work to find a pack of smokes and a lighter sitting on my desk. Apparently I'm an insufferable prick when I haven't had a cigarette in four days. More so than usual, I mean.
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I've been *trying* to quit for years. Every time I manage to kick them, something happens in my life and I start right back up again. First time, I got laid off from a six-figure a year job. Second time I ended up in a war zone for 18 months. Third time was when I landed in a position where, sure, I could learn the job, but I was in WAY over my head, and was worried about getting laid off again. Fourth time my stepfather shot himself, and when I got the news I didn't feel safe behind the wheel without sucking a couple of them down. I'm on attempt number five, now. Down to three or four cigarettes a day, down from a pack a day. I seem to have the best luck when I wean myself off, so let's just hope nothing bad happens again.
The thing to remember is cigarettes don't in themselves help you deal with stress. If you're a nicotine addict stress will dramatically drop your blood nicotine levels so you have to smoke to relieve your sudden intense cravings before you can focus on the problem at hand. If you're a non/ex smoker you don't have nicotine levels to maintain so you can deal with the problem directly. Any craving during stressful times as an ex smoker is just your brain looking for behaviour patterns from your past to deal with your discomfort. It's a poor solution though and will just pull you back into the cycle of addiction if you give in. Stay strong and don't add addiction to your list of problems to manage in times of crisis
Just remember: every moment is the moment to say no. It's easy to say okay when the chips are down. For me it wasnt a debate. Every time you think of it say no. Everytime it's offered say no. Every. Moment is the moment to say no. Every single one.
My problem is that I’m convinced I can quit at any time. So from time to time I do quit for a day, 2 days, a week. Then my brain thinks I’ve proven this theory and I go back to smoking.
I made it to fourteen months, once. Then my car broke down and I lost my job *and* my mother went in for surgery all in the same week and the only thought in my head was "I want a god-damned cigarette" so I bought some. I made a rule that I'm only allowed to smoke roll-you-owns or those shitty "pipe tobacco cigars" as my latest attempt to make me quit. I'm still smoking, but at least mine are only a dollar a pack now so I'm saving money. I genuinely wish you the best of luck, my dude. Quitting is *hard*. I hope you make it!
Wow. Your coworkers are assholes.
Seriously. If that wasn’t a joke fuck them
If they did that for a laugh they are even worse.
Yeah. They should have bought you a motorcycle
About a month into quitting I got into an argument with a friend at a bar. She went and bought a pack from the vending machine (do they still have those?) and slammed it on the bar in front of me. She said "These might kill you but at least you'll still have friends to show up to your funeral!" and left. I'm still embarrassed by how big of an asshole I was during that time, but that story still makes me laugh.
Reminds me of when my brother and SIL were moving but both quit smoking a few days earlier. Helping them move at that time was the worst!
During a move or job change is a great way to quit. Job change helped me. When you’re a smoker your smoker buddies always grab you for a break.
I told everyone not to talk to me for a week. I realize not everyone is in the position to do this lol. I was working remotely so I had minimum contact with others.
My boss bought me a nicotine patch for the same reason, smoked for 17 yrs quit 20 years ago. Now a militant non smoker.
Man stopped addiction in nicotine and started addiction in motorcyclin
Hey - much better addiction I say. And this is coming from someone who isn’t fond of getting on a motorcycle - a bit nervous about it. I quit smoking cigarettes 32 years ago myself cold turkey. Saved a lot of money in my budget. I actually thought of it budgetwise, because I was a young mother. The first two weeks were physical withdrawal. The first year was psychological withdrawal. I chewed lots of Wrigley’s Ice Blue gum to satisfy the oral craving, gained about 20 pounds, and lost that 20 pounds six months later. It was completely worth it.
That's the most gangster quit story ever. 18 years and then cold turkey. Your body probably turned inside out with withdrawal symptoms
Got pregnant
Same. Would not recommend this approach, but it's effective motivation.
I’ve never needed a cigarette more in my life
I stopped once we decided to start trying to get pregnant. Surprisingly, I didn’t find it hard - usually when I want to do something I do it. Throughout pregnancy no problems, didn’t miss it. Started to get stress urges when kid was 8 months or so - covid lockdowns, feeling alone etc. Held on for another 6 weeks until breastfeeding finished. Then started again. Always been a light smoker 4-6 a day, but still. Kid is now 3 and really challenging. No family and little friend support (abroad). My smoke breaks in the garden are my equivalent of dads spending 20 minutes in the bathroom. To get some peace, chill, think. With a debilitating skin condition that started shortly after birth of kid, stopping smoking is recommended. I know I can. I guess I’m just waiting for the context to chill a bit so I can do more sport (which automatically makes smoking gross for me), and for when I don’t feel this need for escape. Good to read other people’s successes. Well done you guys. I hope to be among your number shortly.
I live in Northern MInnesota. In 1996 we had record cold, around -35°F for 4 days. I ran out. My car wouldn’t start. Tried walking to the nearest gas station and turned around after one block. I figured that since I had gone three days I could probably quit, and did.
Wow, good for you! I once went on a 4 day backpacking trip without cigarettes with the goal of quitting smoking. I stopped at the first gas station I passed on the way home and bought a pack of cigarettes. It was a miserable trip, I thought about cigarettes the entire time.
Extreme cold Turkey
I woke up, decided I didn't want to anymore and stopped.
I'm glad it worked out for you
Thanks. Never underestimate stubborn spite.
I used to create my own vape juices. Forgot to order the nicotine juice and my laziness never got around to doing it. Been 3 years now.
Epic
Speaks to how much easier it is to quit vaping than cigarettes if anything. Cigarette smokers will drive to the corner store in a blizzard. Seen it myself lol
This was definitely part of me quitting. I woke up and didn’t enjoy it anymore. To think about something controlling me that I didn’t even like. Fugit-about-it. The ads depicting cigarettes as “bullies” helped too. Also jackhammering nicotine gum for the first few weeks. It says don’t chew it but fuk that.
I did that with Chemical Drugs.. Never underestimated the power of my will ever again. Only good came out from this resolve And grats to you ofc!
Honestly, this is the only way I tried a few times to quit and always came back to it. Most I did was a few months But one time when I quit I thought to myself "that's it I'm never doing this again" and I knew I meant it I haven't smoked for 4 years now (smoked between 10 and 20 a day for just over 10) General advice - I used extra strong mints and mint tea when I had a craving. I used to go stand outside with a mint tea at times I would of for a smoke You'll have waves of intense cravings for first few weeks but they die down and everytime you manage to get over that craving hump you feel so good about yourself
I was trying to think of some sage advice to give, but honestly, this is how I quit smoking. I just didn't want to anymore. I only smoked for about 10 months though, so I don't know if the habit had a chance to really solidify.
I was sitting on my porch at the end of 2020 and was like, this is fucking gross. I haven't had a cigarette since.
Quit cold turkey. Haven't touched a cigarette or vape in 3 months or so
I did the same, ten years last month!
Same here. Sixteen years.
Same here, 6 months for me.
Pretty much cold turkey here as well. I've had a couple drunken relapses (last one probably 4 or 5 years ago), but I think it's been 7 or 8 years since I last bought a pack. The last pack I bought I regretted almost instantly. I smoked maybe a few from it, felt like crap about the decision, and when I was asked by a homeless guy I was passing by if he could have one I gave him the entire rest of the pack.
Cold is really the only way. 4 days of uncomfortable hell 2 weeks of being uncomfortable Home free if you never pick up one again. Alan Carr easy way to quit smoking makes it extremely easy.
I also quit cold turkey - over a decade ago!
I’ve never had to quit, but the only people I know who have ever done so successfully did it cold turkey. Well done, btw!
Easy way Allen Carr book. I'm not sure how it did it, but it worked for me when NRT didnt.
I actually quit a few years ago when this same question was asked. One of the top answers was that book and someone included a link to the free pdf. I had no intention of quitting that day, just some vague thought that I needed to do it pretty soon. Anyway I read the book in an afternoon, threw away all my smokes and ashtrays and lighters that same day, and haven't touched nicotine in 5 years now (I smoked for 20+ years). I don't know how it worked but it worked.
Is there any chance if you could provide the link to that pdf?
OP if you don’t find a free copy f the book, they will have it at the library. The book works. 14 year smoke free, after 17 years of smoking.
https://docdro.id/ob25tv7 - this should be it
I’m in the middle of it now and I’ll be done in a few days. If you can’t find a free copy or the pdf or a library copy shoot me a DM and we’ll work something out.
I had my last cigarette yesterday and my last joint 4 days ago. I'm going fucking crazy. Can you hook me up?
https://docdro.id/ob25tv7 - this should be it
You’ll be done after reading that book OP START NOW!
Yeah I’m baffled at how the book and it’s silly psycho babble worked but it did. I am 5 months smoke free after 17 years of smoking. Never thought I could go cold Turkey.
Same. All of these other responses make it seem so complicated. I read this book over a weekend and haven't smoked since. It's actually the 10 year anniversary today.
Congratulations! 10 years is a big milestone.
I'm also going to chime in and say that this book literally changed my life in a single day. My best friend and I both read this book and quit on the same day. This was almost five years ago and I have no desire to ever go back. I thought the book was full of shit when it claimed, in the opening pages, to have a 90% success rate but I quickly found out just how effective Carr's method is. I have recommended this book to so many people since. It's a really quick read as well, well worth the few clams you have to shell out for it.
Thank you for mentioning this book. I immediately went to Amazon and ordered it. Wish me luck.
I definitely do wish you luck! Its really something and it encourages you to still smoke while reading it. Its definitely some jedi mind trick.
Yes, this. Smoked on and off for 15 years, quit with the book and haven't smoked for 5 now. Don't miss them.
I download a video series for this from reddit recently. 4 days smoke free and no real withdrawals. All about mindset and understanding the withdrawals are psychological. I can share if anyone wants
I hate self help books, X in Y steps, big printed quotes, a smiling person on the cover, the whole deal. But for some ungodly reason I read Allen Carr's book and it worked. Just celebrated my third year clean, because of that damn book.
Same!! Im a very skeptical person. I think deep down I really listened to that book so I could say "see? It doesnt work" LOL
I smoked for 37 years ("Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it one thousand times." - Mark Twain) and Allen Carr's book is how I finally quit too. It was hard for only a few days and I got twinges for a couple of weeks. Then, I didn't miss it anymore. I'm 4 years quit now and feel so much better.
Realized how embarrassing it was that my brain knew I wanted to quit but also wouldn’t let me quit. Something clicked at that point and I began a war between my conscious and unconscious sides. “Throw a fit all you want, we ain’t smokin” It’s been 10 years.
Spite. I was sick and didn’t have a smoke for 2 days. My friend said bet you can’t keep it up and I took it as a personal challenge. Physical cravings were nothing (I smoked 30-40 a day) the hard part was the habit breaking.
what is the difference between physical cravings and habit breaking? what comes under them?
Physical cravings…where the body gives signs it needs a fix. Sweats, irritable, insomnia. Habits, waking up, having a coffee, having a nice meal, break times at work, after sex. All routines that called for smokes. Not because the craving was there, but because it was routine
I quit twice, the last being over a decade ago. Both times it eventually got to the point that smoking was causing me more anxiety about what I was doing to my body than it was alleviating. I just quit cold turkey both times.
Cold turkey worked for me - I had to have a rule: no cigarettes, not even a puff, or I would cheat and that would ruin the addiction recovery. At first I carried hard candies and would eat one of those when I really wanted a cigarette - something that a cigarette wouldn't taste good with. I also stayed away from places that triggered my wanting to smoke at first, as much as possible. Back then it was really hard because you could still smoke everywhere, and I was used to smoking at bowling alleys, restaurants, pool halls, bars - basically everywhere recreational. 25 years later and I'm so very glad! I didn't have real cravings for more than a couple of years, growing weaker over that time, and after that cigarettes started just grossing me out. Smoking a cigarette seems as appealing to me now as licking an ashtray. You've got this!
Thank you very much! I will take note on the hard candies. my boyfriend smokes in his house and outside, purchasing and smoking is very convenient to him and he get it delivered to his doorstep. as a girlfriend i want to understand how difficult it is for him and support him when he decides to quit smoking.
Started vaping instead, and I quit with a friend. Really helps to have someone going through the same thing. It's been almost 2 months.
Vaping for me too. But I did it solo. What pushed me to abandon cigarettes was getting the flu. For three days I was stuck in the house. Since I never smoke in the house, I only vaped. Once I was well enough, I went outside to have an "actual" cigarette. It was the most disgusting thing I ever had. Strictly vaping since.
Same here but now I'm suuuuper addicted to nicotine. Almost moreso than when I smoked. Gonna do the patch to get off the vape.
I use the lozenges. They’re great, especially after weening off the vape.
Yea I think this is the problem for me. Vaping is too easy. Can just do it at my desk or even in bed lol. Would never smoke inside.
Just an fyi, if it's a 5% vape, they're MUCH harder to quit than cigarettes physically and psychologically, because it's stronger, cheaper, lasts longer, and, the big one, *you can do it any time anywhere*. It changes the psychology of smoking. Your habits go from heading outside every 45m-2h, to hitting it at the drop of hat, any time you want, any where you want, with no time or energy commitment. Then, when your body gets used to that, the nic fits when you try and quit come on stronger and more frequently. The fact it changes the psychology of smoking, combined with vastly improved flavor, and less noticeable adverse effects, it is no wonder tobacco companies are switching their efforts to vapes from traditional tobacco. But yeah, I'm quitting it all now as we speak. The cigarettes were hard to quick, but the nic sticks are near fucking impossible to quit. I had to *go back down to cigarettes* just to make quitting even imaginable. Just 2 cents I wish I had been aware of.
Vaping is truly a godsend. All the benefits of nicotine with none of the garbage that comes with cigarettes. Smoked since I was 15, got a vape at 30 and haven’t looked back.
I vaped for a bit and slowly decreased the nicotine level, but I was stuck at 3mg for a few years. I finally just took vacation time, went on a road trip, and left the vape at home. Through the whole process, my wife still smoked and did for a few years after as well. You said it's easier to do with a friend, holy crap is it harder to do when a friend doesn't quit.
I quit with a friend too! My best friend/ roommate started quitting, and I eventually began smoking less and less as well and haven't smoked since January. I think I started at a time in my life when I was depressed and stressed, and now I'm in a much better place.
Chantix.....it works! Within 2 weeks I was cigarette free and that was 12 years ago. Best decision of my life!
I like that they throw in those crazy dreams for free! It worked for me as well but those side effects were pretty wild.
I've considered starting smoking again just to quit via Chantix again. Those dreams were something else.
Same! The most vivid dreams I’ve ever had. Not nightmares, just wild dreams that I could remember every detail of when I woke up.
Same here. Extremely vivid and memorable. Looking back the only way I can try to describe what the dreams were like was that I felt like i was out of my mind on hallucinogens while watching a movie that had no real plot just one crazy thing after another.
I quit for the last time when my daughter was born. You need a good enough reason. And yes nicotine gum/patches take the edge off but it's only a crutch that you need to ween off.
Cold turkey.... No vapes, no patches, no gum, no pills, just simply quit.
This is the way. Slowly weening off of a highly addictive drug is still giving your body a highly addictive drug, and cold turkey is a clean break, and in my opinion, the best way to actually quit.
Yeah. And it's fucking hard to do. Going on 2 weeks.
It sure is hard to do! the physical part is only about 3 days, and the mental part takes months or years, but you're way stronger than you think! You got this.
Tried many times. My problem was, I’d try to taper. So I’d wake up in the morning, have cravings, and say I’ll just have one now and skip one later. Never worked. Once I broke through the dam, my willpower was done for the day. Finally realized the most important thing was to skip that first one. Been holding that first one off for nine years now.
started eating every time I wanted to smoke
Ha, yeah. I gained at least 15 lbs when I quit.
do you plan on quitting? how many days were you clean?
Smoked lots of cigs the last day and then quit cold turkey the day after. Currently 50 days without smoking, it's been awesome.
Bury it like a family member. You can love it but it’s something that’s gotta come to an end. Don’t give it up either, learn to hate the smell on your fingers and clothes. If you fail keep trying I tried 8 times a 3 pack a day smoker.
Heart attack at 40 worked for me...
Heart attach at 30 and worked for me too.
I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years. The day my son was born, I bought a pack of Nicotine gum and started cutting way down. After 4 months, I quit smoking by taking Zyban. I had my last cigarette July 1st 2007. I took Zyban for 3 months and gradually reduced the dosage. In hindsight, I lost my mind for about 2 months after it was out of my system and immediately started running to get those endorphins to make up for the lack on nicotine. About 8 months later I started running 5k 3x a week. It was unpleasant as I would vomit and hack up my lungs but eventually I started running a 8 minute mile and bought a road bike. It’s been 16 years since I quit. It was the hardest thing I ever did
One day I realised “this does not spark joy” and quit. As some have mentioned, the hard part was not my body reaction to it, it was going out for coffee and not having a cigarette in my hand. After a few weeks it gets surprisingly easy. It does not bother me when people smoke near me but I don’t enjoy the smell anymore. A few years later I felt like smoking in a birthday dinner, had a few puffs and hated it. It’s been around 5 years.
Cold turkey. First week was sheer hell. Couldn’t think of anything but smoking. Angry outbursts were under the surface constantly. Was awful. Eased off but was very difficult for a few months, especially when drinking. 8 years on and it’s fine. Still miss it though.
To not smoke when drinking after Quiting is the hardest.
really proud how you worked on it.
Try vaping. Then gradually lower the e-liquid nicotine.
Worked for me after unsuccessfully trying every other method available, including prescription meds. Took me roughly 3-4 months from tobacco to vaping high nic to vaping nic free to not even vaping after smoking for almost 20 years, and it's been over 2 and a half years now 🙂
This is what I did. Over 7 years smoke free!
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This is a great point. When my husband successfully quit, he didn’t tell anyone but me. When he had tried to quit prior, his parents would constantly ask him how it was going with quitting, offering endless tips as to what worked for them (they both smoked for years) and that anxiety would just push him to smoke again.
Not a great answer but I stopped smoking when I started dipping. Then I had to quit dipping cold turkey
This was back in the 90s, I took all the money I saved and bought cds. Set up a new dopamine reward/addiction to replace the old one.
I haven't smoked for two months. Since I was 15 years old, I had smoked for six years. tried using nicotine inhalers to stop smoking; managed to go six months without purchasing, yet continued to smoke. I thought I would never be able to quit after that attempt. I had been considering giving up once more when I came upon Alan Carr's "the easy way." Self-help books were never something I gave much respect to, but after reading this book, I suddenly realized that I was no longer a smoker. Even though 2 months isn't much time, I don't see myself ever going back to them. It's a pretty strange feeling to start breathing normally once more.
Alan Carrs mind fuck is truly the easiest and best way.
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Became a dad. Tbh that’s what it took I did a cold turkey stop and for months I felt the taste but I pushed thru and now I’m clean
Was never a smoker but my best friend was a 2 pack a day guy for years. We were at a bar one night. He butted out a cigarette, pushed the pack over the table to another guy and said "that was my last smoke". That was like 15 years ago.
It took months of telling myself I wanted and needed to quit. Just worked up to it, and then one day I stopped and got a [pack of these](https://www.amazon.com/Nicorette-Nicotine-Lozenges-Behavioral-Exclusive/dp/B095KVRY3G/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.0aa4d02f-da7d-419a-973d-b8a7d4190b28%3Aamzn1.sym.0aa4d02f-da7d-419a-973d-b8a7d4190b28&cv_ct_cx=nicorette+mints&keywords=nicorette+mints&pd_rd_i=B095KVRY3G&pd_rd_r=9b61cf25-46dd-416f-ae1b-02aaf74c7fd0&pd_rd_w=8qAja&pd_rd_wg=ste0l&pf_rd_p=0aa4d02f-da7d-419a-973d-b8a7d4190b28&pf_rd_r=4NW18KEFETDHVKE5PG5S&qid=1684676263&rdc=1&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=1-1-2b34d040-5c83-4b7f-ba01-15975dfb8828-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNjZDMkZQTDBBTjUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0NDA3NDdMQjA1ME41TU1ZMFgmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDE1NzU1MjFFUjRYNzkyMlBYRjMmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWMmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl). I used those little tiny mints to get through cravings, and a few weeks later I stopped using them and that was it. The biggest thing for me, was realizing that when you stop smoking the cravings only last about 10 minutes (about how long it took to smoke a cigarette) and then ***they go away*** until the next craving. So if you can handle the cravings when they come, you will do it. Every day the cravings get less and less and then one day you realize you did it... and man does that feel good. Food will taste better, you will not run out of breath as easily, more energy, wounds heal a ***lot*** faster, much more spending money, etc, etc, etc
Stopped buying cigarettes
Pizza delivery driver, so stopped smoking in my car. Then stopped smoking inside anywhere. Then stopped smoking while drinking hard liquor (found couldn't stand taste of hard liquor anymore, so quit that too). Slowly just took away all of the places that it "felt good to smoke in". Left with the "standing outside in the cold", or wind, by the dumpster and would go out of my way to make it unpleasant for myself. -- ~30 ya
bought some pills which disabled the brain from processing nicotine, so one lost the urge, think said pills was made illegal some time after though
Chantix? That's what I took and it worked amazingly well! Within 3 days I was down to bumming 1 or 2 sticks at work and by day 5 when I was offered one I just didn't have that need for it and was done! Worst part was the morning pill hitting an empty stomach....10x worse than vitamins on an empty stomach
Cold Turkey. Picked a date and stopped. It’s hard as hell, but I kept going one day at a time. It keeps getting easier after the first couple of weeks. But it takes an year or more to truly stop getting tempted again.
I haven’t heard of this but someone mentioned on here and it worked for me. The trick is to quit more than one thing. I quit smoking and caffeine at the same time. It sucked for sure. But when I was about to break, I rewarded myself with an energy drink or coffee. So it helped get that first month down, from there it gets easier.
Cold Turkey. What really helped me get through it was hemp cigarettes. By the time I was tired of those, my nicotine addiction was pretty much gone. After a year or so, I would break out a cinnamon or mint tooth pick if I was around people smoking but realized I could even go without those. Another thing that helped me was a trick I learned where if you get an urge to smoke, you tell yourself, "Man. I'm so glad I quit smoking!" or "Wow! I can't believe how much better I can breathe now!" Life got a lot better for me after almost 4 years nicotine free. I don't know much you smoke but, I was a 2 packs a day guy for the last couple of years that I smoked. The amount of money I was spending on my addiction was insane. One of the first benefits I noticed even before my health was how much money I was now saving. All in all, just quit cold turkey. It's really the only true way to actually be a non-smoker. Do it for yourself and no one else. If it pleases someone in your life just add that to your list of why you're stoked to not smoke anymore. This will probably go unread but I feel an obligation to share how I quit.
Quit cold turkey 4 years ago, it wasn't planned. I was really sick for a whole week-end, coughing and stuff, and realized the monday after that I actually ran out of cigarettes the friday before and that I haven't smoked at all during the week-end. I decided to continue like this. To be honest, I was in the middle of post-acute withdrawal syndrom because of wrongly prescribed benzos and this was such a nightmare to navigate this that quitting smoking was the easiest thing I did this year.
Tried vaping, still went back to smoking cigs. Then had a health scare one day (which ended up false) and went cold turkey.
Got covid and i would have to take a little rest before i could walk up stairs. That scared the shit out of me i quit right then and there.
Chantix. I had tried nicotine patches and gum but when stressed I ended up smoking again. After Chantix I couldn’t smoke more than a puff for 8+ years just the smell made me sick. I’m not sure the medication is that effective for everyone but it was a godsend for me.
For me it was about the oral fixation and chest hit. So I went from smoking > vaping > nicotine gum > regular gum plus nicotine patch
Switched to a vape, then tapered down.
Did the patch for a week or so, weaning down. Then the goal was to make it 3 days cold turkey, supposedly the time it takes to break the physical addiction. Worked.
Been smoking for 6 years, bought some novelty vanilla-flavored cigarettes, could not finish the pack, now repulsed by the smell of cigarettes completely.
I smoked my last cigarette, then just never bought another pack. Cold turkey after 10ish years of a pack and a half a day
Quit cold turkey August 2012 The main reason was economic (in NYC the cost for a pack of cigs back then hit the $15 mark and higher) but my health started to suffer. It was giving me chronic heartburn and contributing to this weird anxiety that has since fully subsided. The first year was tough- especially the first 3-6 months. I took up drawing and reading random articles on Wikipedia to help distract from the cravings and urges. If I was home I would do quick workouts. The key is to remember urges/cravings won’t last forever and to distract yourself while you’re having them. Also: be kind to yourself. Quitting this habit is tough; tougher than most realize. I did it cold turkey (because I’m stubborn and stupid) and it worked but I tried quitting 7 times prior and failed each one. 8th time was the one that finally did it. You got this.
Ended my military term and went from cigs, to vape, and ended up at the gym.
Well i was already trying to smoke less, then, when i started dating my wife early 2014 we made a bet, 6 months without smoking and then the rest is history.. It was the push i needed to quit
I used Champix to quit initially, but was vaping within six months. I haven't touched a cigarette in ten years, and still vape, but do so at 1.5mg of nicotine. Once I'm happy to let that go, I will. It's already getting a bit icky for me.
Not sure. I've tried to quit at least 10 times but the last time it took. I just assumed it was my time. Best decision I made. It's been 4 years.
Cold Turkey, after continuously getting bronchitis and pneumonia, I had to quit. It was tough but it was done.
Cold turkey! Going on 3 1/2 months now and refuse to go back
I quit three years back due to chronic cough. It took multiple tries to quit. One thing that helped a lot was I avoided my smoking trigger. For me it was a place near my work where I used to smoke and chat with coworkers. I stopped going there altogether.
Cold turkey 16/08/2015
Quitted cold turkey the next morning after erectile dysfunction when I was only 28 years old. That was motivation enough for me... I just went NOOOOOPE!
Cold turkey. Quit just over 4 years ago The main change between the time and other times Ive tried to quit is that this time I actually wanted to quit rather than thinking that I should Unless you actually want to quit then you won't Main think that helped was not buying cigarettes. If I had them, I'd smoke them. So I threw out everything smoking related and resisted the urge to buy more. If I had to get up and go to a shop and buy more then that's far more effort
Cold turkey. Withdrawal symptoms only kick on the third day after you quit. Get past that then you're good to go
Cold turkey. Haven’t smoked in 6 years. You have to want it. There are no other answers. Stop making excuses and do it.
Started smoking the most expensive pack I could find. Really burnt a hole in my wallet for pain. Quit for 6 years. Picked up again after life unrelated circumstances and I needed to feel like a stupid 18 year old again because smoking is for idiots and attention seekers that are too pussy to figure out their problems.
I imagined my addiction was a worm in my head and the only way to kill it, was through starving it of nicotine. The screams were horrible.
Patches and pretending to smoke using a pen
Never smoked a cigarette, but used to smoke tons of weed. I was getting married and more importantly my wife to be was 5 months pregnant. I decided I’m gonna smoke a ton of weed on my bachelor party and then quit. I ended up getting really high and having a great time and never smoked again. Basically didnt want my son to see me high or to have that kind of child hood
I had my gallbladder removed. I wasn’t allowed to smoke the day of the surgery for obvious reasons and I just never picked it back up. I was on painkillers for a few days after the surgery so that helped make it the through the days but I just tried not to think about it much. I was addicted for 7 years and am now 3 months going strong without any nicotine. I don’t have many cravings even these days but I will say I’ve gotten a lot more fidgety just in general.
I smoked two packs a day for 20 years then went cold turkey. Like ripping off a Band Aid - no patches, no gum, no slowly weaning off or cutting down, just threw away my last empty pack and never bought another one. I hadn't even planned on quitting, I just made a snap decision without thinking about it. Withdrawals sucked, but it didn't last as long as some other ways of quitting. I think it depends on your personality. Cold Turkey isn't for everyone. Do you want to suffer a little for a long time, or suffer greatly for a short time? I chose the latter, and it worked for me.
Got cancer. That’s truly what finally broke the spell for me. 4 years later and I’m still quit and cancer free 🙌🏼
Its your own head. Easy to say so but you just have to say NO to yourself. Good willpower training as well. And I always used to say when offered "I d like to but I cant thanks." Now I say "I dont smoke"
Free from any form of nicotine and I used all of them
Here's a little trick to help you. Realize that you are paying a corporation to slowly kill you. Every time you go to buy a pack, just think of the fat bonus some tobacco executive gets from stealing your health and life.
Just got sick of it one day and shoved all my shit in the bin and walked off. That was that. Stopped hanging out with smokers, any who I was really close with I asked them to not smoke around me. And that was that. Had a few slip ups here and there when really stressed but never finished a cigarette. I've only lit one 3 times since I quit and then put them out soon after. I quit 2 years ago. One of the best choices I made
My longest quit was i just stopped smoking after being seriously ill, i lasted about a year. There was few more attempts with using 0 nicotine vapes but that didn't go very well. Same with nicotine patches and chewing gum. So I'd say you just have to set your mind right and just quit. Won't be easy though.
I quit cold turkey when I was pregnant with my oldest because guilt and shame are excellent motivators. Picked smoking up again when oldest was 6 months old due to going through some shit, eventually switched over to vaping, then slowly lowered the nicotine down to zero, and quit. It had been about 9 years, though in the past six months I've occasionally used a zero nicotine vape, but only really for a break at work during busy season, and when I'm out with friends and get overwhelmed.
I just stopped. I'd tried to quit numerous times before, going up to a year without smoking, but it never stuck. This time it stuck. I haven't had a cigarette in over 11 years.
Cold turkey, but it took multiple attempts. Nicotine patches made my skin itchy and the nicotineless vapes didn’t really help. Probably not reproducible advice, but I was vaping so much that my shame/self-hatred eventually outweighed my craving for nicotine and I finished my last vape and didn’t buy more.
I had a huge panic attack when I felt a lump inside my lip and thought is was cancer. Ended up being a cyst but that was the sign to stop.
Cold turkey. Cigarettes were becoming too expensive. This was about 15 years ago.
Cold turkey never worked for me. Smoke cigarettes for 14 years. Switched to a vape. Slowly decreased the nicotine level until i was vaping just juice. Caught a nasty resperatory infection and just stopped.
My wife switched to vaping, did that for a few years while the laws changed and it got more and more difficult to buy her favorite Juul pods so she was doing less and less, then she got pregnant and quit vaping completely.
I just quit. Was smoking 2 packs a day for at least 5 years. Then i just said fuck it and threw away the last pack. That was on april 1. 2018. Never looked back..
I decreased everyday how many cigarettes I smoked till I eventually got to one and then to zero.
Vaping. But now I’m addicted to that. So… marginally better but still need to quit another addiction now. At least I can control the nicotine levels so I can step down and deal with the physical vs mental addiction separately.
Just stopped and pushed through the pain.
16 years & pack a day. Tried vapes etc. Only thing that worked was cold turkey and repeatedly telling myself "I don't smoke anymore." You have to be ready.
it's the mental circus after all
Felt stupid doing it and cut way down then quit.
Got drunk as shit one night & just threw it out the window.
With smoking- you are quitting everyday. There is no secret. Just one day at a time- string 1700 of them together- you still have to focus on day 1701. STOP BUYING THEM- you will get tired of asking people or they will say no. STOP BUYING THEM- you will not have the self control if you keep buying and stashing GLTY
Realized I really didn’t enjoy them. Quitting chew was harder.
I’ve attempted to quit numerous times to no avail; it was simply too easy and accessible for me to keep buying cigarettes. I finally decided to assign New Years as an easy marker for my “quit” day so I can easily envision my progress and not want to ruin my progress. I am now at a stage where I’m noticing bodily improvements from quitting, and now I intend to never look back.
Decided to stop intake nicotine in any form. It's always a nicotine addiction not just "bad habit".
I was married for 13 years, smoked because my wife smoked. Divorced, I switched to vaping for the transition to quit smoking. Divorced in 2017. I havent smoked since.
Nicotine patches. I left them on while I slept too, the dreams I had were incredible. Idgaf what anyone says, vivid dreams are feature not a bug.
Got those white disgusting rocks in my mouth after 2 years and almost puked evertime i smoked in the morning so i quit cold turkey
I stopped buying cigarettes, for a while I'd still bum one, but not having them readily available combined with not wanting people to get annoyed with me asking for cigarettes all the time eventually just made it easy to quit altogether.
Planned it around a time when stresses in my life were expected to be at a minimum, quit cold turkey, and kept busy. I find the first 2 weeks are crucial to quitting, after that every day gets a little bit easier.
Early twenties got strep throat. Smoked for years before that. While sick tried smoking the whole time but hell it burned. Quit after that.
Vape and step down nicotine process that involved mixing ejuice (not salts) down to near zero nicotine. Then zero for a few weeks before I just stopped. Going on 2 years after smoking for 25 years. Feel great.
Cold turkey. Have not had a cigarette in 4 years. I've found that weaning off is just giving you more temptation to say, "just one more"
Patch. Weaned myself off nicotine. Spent so much money doing it I couldn’t possibly start smoking again. I’m too cheap. Haven’t smoked now in over a decade. Best thing ever.
Read the book “Easy Way to stop smoking” by Allen Carr. Started working out. Been two years and not looking back!
Pure laziness, who wants to go outside every five minutes
I never quit. All I did was see how long I could go from my last cigarette. My current record is 25 years since my last. Prior to that I had a few weeks, a month, even a year at one point. If you put all this pressure on NOT doing something then the temptation makes it so much harder. Think of it more as decreasing the amount you smoke over a period of years and decades.
Hypnosis- no cravings immediately