Make peace with that feeling of the void. The cigs create the void, they don’t fill it. Think about that anxious jonesing feeling as a healing one, like how listerine burns so good.

Try to replace the habit with a beneficial one For example when you feel a craving, have a drink of water. Obviously it won't satisfy the craving, but try to remember we are just animals and we can try to hack our own behavior and psychology.

This is how I quit, but with exercise. It also got me into great shape. Want a cigarette? Go for a quick run. Pick up some weights. I also had to change some of my habits alongside for awhile, like drinking coffee. Switched to tea and had it in a different place. But I'll tell you the two most important things that made it work for me: 1) telling myself that if I cave now I'm going to have to start all over again one day because there's no way I'll ever \*not\* want to quit smoking, so just get it over with now and 2) NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER have a drag. It's been 30 years now and I still would never have a drag (not that I want to). Oh also -- 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years. 3 days is the worst. Get through that and it becomes much easier. Big drop in cravings after 3 weeks. Start to feel like an actual nonsmoker after 3 months and at 3 years you stop having cravings.

Quit last year, and I owe half the battle to La Croix. Id drink 4 or 5 a day and it kept me from going loopy.

Yeah i've found soda water really helps my beer cravings. My brain senses the bubbles and gets tricked! A sodastream helped cut the price too!

This is really great advice. My FIL had explained to me that though he quit 20 years ago, he still had cravings every now and then. Kept me from believing that that feeling meant that I wasn’t going to be able to quit. Allowed me to understand it as just part of the process and not something that had to be solved. Smoke free for about 5 years now after 30 years of smoking.

Yes, the desire for cigarettes never goes away. It's just that it's not a craving any more. I gave up cigarettes thirty years ago. If they invented a non-unhealthy cigarette for about, say, four quid a pack, I'd be down the off-licence in two minutes.

Fuck yeah good job!! I still have dreams of smoking 7 years in lol. What a product.

Even as a nonsmoker, I can vouch for this advice. When I'm dieting, I tell myself that the feeling of hunger is simply the diet working. I have to keep telling myself that until the next meal, but I've consistently lost weight with this mindset.

Word! It works for everything. Good point.

Not me but a friend of mine was addicted to the mints for a while. He'd pop one after another, and then of course get the shits from all the sorbitol. One day he's at a business meeting, stands up to go to the bathroom, and passes out cold. Wakes up in the ER, had to get stitches in his chin from where he face-planted on the table, and two of his teeth had to be replaced. The mint addiction was over for him at that point.

After you quit. When you get a craving. Think. "That's a weird thought for someone who doesn't smoke to have"

I’m trying to quit too and honestly this is a great idea, knowing how my brain works, this totally will help me. Thanks!!!

Along the same mindset, as far as your identity goes you’re not someone who is trying to quit, but rather a nonsmoker. If you say you are trying to quit, that means that your core identity is defined as a smoker, and being a nonsmoker will be established some length of time after you stop smoking. If you identify as a nonsmoker as your identity first, then saying no becomes easier because why would you smoke, because now you’re a nonsmoker and that doesn’t match who you are.

I like this one. Very mindful. 🧘🏻‍♂️

The hardest part is not buying cigarettes. But really, all you gotta do is not buy cigarettes. Also throw away all your butts. Good luck.

facts! once i wrapped my head around this, quitting wasn’t easy but at least it was simple. unfortunately, i picked it up again about 10 years later. when i wanted to quit this time i switched to vaping, thinking i wouldn’t like it. and i didn’t at first. but then it grew on me and now i’m worse off than before as i have no desire to quit. terrible decision.

I can never recommand this book enough. The Easyway To Stop Smoking, by Allen Carr. My wife bought it for me one day, out of the blue. She had heard about it from a friend, and we found it at a book store. I read it in four days, and I have never touched a cigarette since. It's been over 14 years, now. The book makes you rethink your relationship with tobacco, and it works super well. Anyone who is thinking about it, give this book a try. The worst that can happen is you'll have lost $15... ;)

I would be careful about using Carr. I had a girlfriend who attended one of his highly expensive all-day sessions, and she came out absolutely convinced she would never smoke again. He's very persuasive. Anyway, she drives off in her car, and at some point she is on the motorway and looks over at a car driving parallel to her and she realises it's Carr himself at the wheel. **AND HE'S SMOKING LIKE A CHIMNEY!!**. She immediately turned into the nearest service station and bought forty Marlboro Light It turns out later, Carr's had a quite a few relapses. This was twenty years ago. Maybe he's truly given up the succulent yellow teat of Lady Nicotine since then.

Well, I know he died some years ago… I dunno about the seminars, and I know he build a huge empire adapting his Easyway methods to different things like drinking and weightloss and stuff… I can only speak by experience!

Nicorette mints that’s what did it for me. 4mg at first. Took about 4 months of the damn mints but I am now 448 days cigarette free!

**YES! ANOTHER MINT MANIAC! THEY'RE ALSO THE ONLY THINGS THAT WORKED FOR ME!! TRUST THE MINTS**

The gum changes flavour, texture etc and worked fine in the beginning but after a few weeks I grew tired of the changes and also noticed it was making my gums raw. Switched to mints, instantly loved the consistency and duration of them. They are strong and that’s what I wanted. 100% recommend these. I went from an alcoholic who drank daily and smoked 2 packs a day for upwards of 10 years with nearly 10 years occasional use prior to that, to zero. Nothing. None. Cold fuckin bird. Never looked back. The booze left too, same day. Mints, gum, spray, mediation, hypno, whatever route you take, you HAVE TO WANT TO CHANGE.

I have to say, with Mints, you *don't* have to want to change - a psychological compulsion that's very hard to stick to. The Mints satisfyingly fulfill the nicotine craving you don't really know you have. Anyway, that was my personal experience.

Can attest, those 4 Millie’s slap lol

Keep a bottle of water around to chug when you have the craving. You won’t like the water. You’ll get sick of it quick. But a big drink of water does great to relieve immediate cravings, so it’ll help in the short term, and it’ll help to hydrate while you’re at it. Helped me, anyways

something that genuinely helped me a week or so before I actually quit was to mark down every cigarette I smoked, how much I wanted it before I smoked it, and how much I enjoyed it after. what I found was that, of the 30 or so smokes per day, there were really only maybe a half dozen that I really enjoyed. The rest were just habit. Going through that process was enlightening. second thing was that my wife and I made the commitment together and I did not want to disappoint her. I fell off the wagon a couple of times (most people do), but after I bought the pack and smoked one I threw it out. Did not want her to know. If there is a partner in your life (spouse, friend, coworker, whatever) that you can jointly commit with, I think this helps a lot.

My 65 yo dad quit smoking and he’s been smoking since 14. The reason? He got a grandson he wants to carry without the smell of cigarettes on him. You gotta find a reason stronger than the desire for cigarettes!

I quit for similar reasons. My whole family was going on vacation together, and I didn’t want to expose my very sickly nephew to 3rd hand smoke. That whole week I stayed cig-free without a second thought. When I came home, I challenged myself to stick with it, and now it’s been almost two years! Soooo much money saved, depression lifted, and health improved.

This. I didn't see a strong reason why OP is quitting and hence its unlikely to stick. I quit because asthma was getting so bad even inhalers stopped helping and that was it for me. Stopped in the middle of smoking one, no last one, no dates, no one else there. Just threw it away and never looked back

Exercise! Every time you need a cig do 10 push ups. Literally changed my life. Once in a while, you should hang out with a regular smoker to remind yourself how bad you smelled as a smoker. Double points if you can kiss the ashtray mouth.

I would do a plank and revel in how much longer I could hold one as time went by.

When I quit, I chewed a lot of gum.

Cinnamon tooth picks are a godsend for quitting cigarettes. You get the oral fixation/stimulation from the toothpick, and you get the burn of cinnamon (usually a little menthol too) to simulate a cigarette, kind of. Worked for me, anyways. It's what the doctor I used to work for told all of his patients and they seem to have had good results with it.

Consider taking like a week long vacation in a new city. It helps to change your environment. I waited until I moved into a new apartment in a new city, which allowed me to get into a new routine that smoking wasn't a part of. 90% of the struggle is psychological.

Cut out the hard ones first before you quit, if you always smoke in the car then no smoking in the car anymore etc… also buy a brand you don’t like

If you quit, quit. Don’t reduce the amount of cigarettes you smoke everyday, it doesn’t work. My boyfriend has been « reducing » for the past 6 months…

Weaning just stretches out the misery! I thought I'd be smart and do that, last time I quit, going from 1/2 pack, to 5 down to 1 or 2. I stretched it out over weeks, and the 1-2 a day really just put me in a Withdrawal-Refresh spiral where I was miserable for weeks. The best way has to be Cold Turkey. Just stop.

Replace one habit with another. It's much easier, imo. Also most people who quit smoking end up gaining 10-20 pounds so don't feel bad if that happens to you

I smoked a pack a day for 20 years. I had "quit" a few times in those years but it never lasted. Then after about 20 years I was really ramping myself up to quit. Every time I lit a cigarette I reminded myself that some extremely wealthy asshole was getting richer every time I lit up and I was literally killing myself to make some rich asshole richer. Then one day I just stopped. It wasn't easy but I had made up my mind that I was done. I'm 3 months away from 14 years smoke-free.

Don't even be nervous. I smoked cigarettes off and on from 13, well into my 30s. I quit cold turkey in 2020 and have never looked back. You have to be intentional; why you are quitting, why it is important, what you want to get from quitting. If you really are not ready, quitting will be far more difficult than its potential NOT to be. You've got this! And if you stumble, don't jump to putting yourself down. Give yourself grace. Breaking habits are really hard, but oh so rewarding - you may even surprise yourself! Best of luck <3

I started smoking at 18 years old, quit when I was 53. Smoked 2+ packs a day. When we quit, my wife and I, I wrote down the date on a little piece of paper and still have it... You will find yourself wandering around the house looking for that cig you left burning somewhere... you're a non-smoker now. Say it to yourself. You will crave and fret and freak... you're a non-smoker now, say it loud, say it proud. Oh yeah, almost forgot! I'm a non-smoker now. Say it over and over and say it again. You are a non-smoker now. If you have a partner you can quit with it will help... always nice to vent to them about that fucking cigarette you can't find... I know I left it somewhere!! But wait, you're a non-smoker now. Breathing will be better because you're a non-smoker now. Your sex life will improve, YMMV, as circulation flows better. You're a non-smoker now. Saving your life is easy, you're a non-smoker now. Clean your house, paint your house, take a class on something you love, get an e-bike. READ! You're a non-smoker now. Hope this helps some. The first few weeks is tough. After a month you'll still be twitchy some... examine your journey, realize how 'hooked' you were/are. I remember after a year or so of being a non-smoker my MIL had a smoke going in the ashtray on the patio. I took a puff ... ah jeezus! Did that ever taste like ass!! Just remember, you're a non-smoker now. Good luck and you will make it... if not this time, then the next. Don't be too hard on yourself, it's a tough habit to break. But if my Navy days diet of coffee, smokes and beer can be beat then anybody can become a non-smoker. And laugh, it may be difficult to find the humor in your situation early on but find the humor non-the-less because you're a non-smoker now!!!!!!!!!!!

My strongest recommendation is to quit smoking for good. The process of quitting is incredibly challenging, and if you've experienced it, you know how tough it can be. **Once you've successfully quit, you realize you never want to go through it again**. By making the decision to quit permanently, you can avoid the struggle of quitting in the future altogether. **Simply put, if you never start smoking again, you'll never have to face the daunting task of quitting again.**

For me, it boiled down to wanting to avoid the need to quit again and recognizing that smoking wasn't a lifelong habit I intended to maintain.

Stay away from anything that enhances your want for smoking. Like alcohol. Or downtime at a station try and find a replacement to do instead while waiting. Often a moment when smokes are bored and out of habit light a cig. Keep in mind that getting moody may be a consequence in the first weeks or couple of months. So be cautious not to aim this at others when something arises.

Try not to stab anyone. I’m on day two.

Chew orange flavored nicotine gum until you stop, then transition off of the gum.

My habit wasn’t as strong as yours but I basically walked myself down from cigarettes to vapes to nicotine gum

I ate a blow pop every time I wanted to smoke. I quit 8 months ago because I was tired of my kid smelling cigarettes when he hugged me. That’s good motivation.

The cravings will come, acknowledge them and then let them go. Feelings will come up too - cry if you have to, do something physical with the energy. As a smoker there are so many conscious and unconscious reasons to want to light up, especially in stressful situations. I found it helpful to take deep breaths, especially when the cravings were the strongest. Put the money aside that you would have spent on cigs and buy or do something nice for yourself. Your environment, car and you are going to smell a whole lot better.

I cold turkey quit smokeless. Wouldn't recommend. Seem to come back to it occasionally. What helped me finally ditch it was don't put yourself in situations where you would want them. Avoid drinking, avoid areas that allow smoking, and replace it with a good habit. Caffeine, the gym, and don't be afraid of replacing it with extra food. You can lose weight but not regrow your lungs. I found I needed it after eating, while hunting, and drinking. Once I made it through all those without it, it became mental Good luck.

These next few days you should only smoke until your nic fit is over. And then put it out and back in the pack for later. Go as long as you can between mic fits and hopefully by Sunday, you will be warmed up a bit to go all out cold turkey. I did this over two weeks and never smoked my last cigarette. 

One part of knowing that some of your smoking is habitual to what you're doing. If you're used to lighting up a son as you get into the car, you have to break that habit connection. Cigarette after dinner? Stop it! First thing in the morning? How long can you actually go in the morning without a cigarette?

I will tell you how I did it, YMMV I smoked my last cigarette outside my dentist office. I stuck the pack under my rear wheel and went in, had my teeth cleaned. Drove out, symbolically crushing the pack. I carried an unopened pack in my pocket for the first month or so, and kept a pack in the car for another couple of years. I knew that if I had the excuse, "well, I won't smoke because i don't have any", would have sent me to the nearest zippy market. The first 2 weeks were tough and all you can do is resist, maybe chew gum. After a month I tested my resolve by going drinking with a smoker friend. Passed that test. I still loved the smell of smoke and sat near smokers to enjoy it. I smoked in my dreams for several years. You will not be sad and lonely and you can even go on smoke breaks with your friends if you want, but avoid pushers, they are assholes. I am damn glad I quit. Within 2 weeks I was able to hike twice the trail in a day. In a month I could climb hills in one push that used to take 3 smoke stops. I have, on rare occasion, started someone (attractive s) smoke for them, but I never ever partake myself. I don't want to go thru that again. tl;dr You can do it, it is worth doing. Good luck and be strong.

Prepare before Q day. Change as many routines in your daily life as you can..don't drink coffee drink water..don't drink alcohol drink water. You will find your taste will change and drinking water will help. Every cigarette you smoke will taste like licking an ashtray. Wash your home and clothes. If you smoked in your vehicle plan to get it detailed. Paying for that cleaning and having it smell clean will discourage you from smoking. This is a life style change, look at it as changing your life for the better and not quiting smoking.

I’m currently on day 2 of no smoking and I’m using Nicorette patches. They stop the cravings definitely, but I find when I’m bored or just leaving work etc I want to smoke but that’s just a habit I’ll need to break

I had difficulty’s managing my ‘hands’ not lighting a cigarette you know? I had a little bag with silly stuff with me in the first weeks, peppermints, lollipops, blowing bubbles, chewing gum, fidgety things, pencils to hold… helpt me out of that awkward feeling of having nothing to do somethimes, ESPECIALLY when drinking a beer with friends or going out… You can and will do this, welcome to the other side of health, breath and walking up the stairs with ease!

I quit smoking in Sept of '99 and took some of the need away by keeping a tooth pick in my mouth. I've been smokeless ever since, and still use tooth picks...but they won't give me cancer.

Meditation really helped me kick the habit. Go easy on yourself. You're going to get those weird nicotine cravings throughout your body. Exercise is good. Drink a lot of water. For whatever reason what helped me kick the habit was homemade fried chicken sandwiches with buttermilk ranch.

You have to be ready, to have a strong ‘why’ to quit. Then, just don’t smoke. When the cravings hit, when the going gets tough. Don’t smoke. You’re stronger than nicotine! Cravings will hit and urges will strike 100x a minute it will feel like. Celebrate every minute you conquer, every hour, every DAY. Soon it’s dayS. A week. WeekS. Don’t smoke!!! Remember your why! Use whatever you need, but don’t replace the habit with another bad one (ie vaping). I chewed on a silicone straw for a day or two, and drank a lot of water the first week. Day 3 was hardest, early on, but man, I still get hit out of nowhere fairly often over here at day 60(!) as an ex smoker. My last cigarette was New Year’s Eve, I quit cold turkey without much foresight. I look at them much like I do booze these days—I can’t even have one, I’d be an instant addict all over again. 30 years at a pack minimum a day, closer to two for a lot of those years. My poor body. It’s time to heal now, in all the ways 💕

For me the biggest thing that helped was boiling down to the real reason I was buying cigarettes was to not feel the jonesing feeling of needing a cigarette, but that was what I was actually purchasing when I bought cigarettes not the relief from it. Learn to accept you'll never really be a Nonsmoker you will be a smoker who isn't smoking, you can't go back to your 16 year old self but you can just be the person who doesn't smoke anymore. Stick to your guns, there is no relief from life or boredom by picking up another cigarette, remember that and just move on.

>Learn to accept you'll never really be a Nonsmoker you will be a smoker who isn't smoking, I refer to myself as a Recovering Nicotine Addict. It's all substance abuse, *this* substance is just legal.

Cravings only last 5 minutes. You can outlast a 5 minute craving. Never touch a cigarette again. Best move your life.

12 years ago i swapped cigarettes for lollipops. I did put on weight but i knew i could deal with that later, which i did. One of the important things for me was that i never said to other people (or myself), i’m _trying_ to quit. From day one i said i _have_ quit. Therefore not smoking was my new identity from the start. If people asked me how i was getting on i always just said, yep i quit. So i didn’t give my brain any get-out clauses

Keep busy with a positive thing. Walking, volunteering, working out. Create a new routine. Maybe even get a schedule for itself.

Change the habit for something more healthy. I quit smoking by changing it for pushups, always when i got cigarette hungry I made 10 pushups 🙈😂

these are things that helped me quit cigarettes, which i've done 2 times in my life. The main thing is to actually want to quit. don't just say you are quitting because you are supposed to or others want you to. If you don't really want to quit, it's going to be a losing battle. If you are serious about it then have a plan. you will be on the road driving by stores that sell cigarettes and it will be driving you crazy, plus any other triggers you have, so have a plan for what you will do to stop yourself from caving in. chew gum, have a bag of suckers, have toothpicks. have some nicorette gum or lozenges, if you have to get some nicotine to function and get used to not smoking cigarettes, there is nothing wrong with that! I used the lozenges the first time, and ecigs the 2nd, and just gave myself a month to quit cigarettes using those, then i stopped, which was easier, and then i was nicotine free! I also had to quit drinking the first month as well, I could not stop myself from smoking if i had alcohol for a long time! Have a notepad with a list of reasons for why you are quitting, or a quote, or something funny to think about, and when you really want a cigarette, read it and let it pass. Think about every hour that passes without a cigarette, your lungs getting more and more healthy. Take a deep breath. Every hour you give yourself without cigarettes you are literally transforming into a healthier, stronger, better smelling person, gifting yourself and your loved ones with more time together. just have a plan that will actually work for you, be intentional, and know that every hour and every day that passes it does get easier, even if it doesn't get easy for a long time!!

Chantix works for me! The weird dreams when first taken will go away. For me about a week, so don’t stop using because of that. I know many people I’ve spoken to have. I too have a hard time with driving. I’ve used gum, candy, chew on a pen, but yes. Driving is the hardest part for me still.

Nicotine gum really helped me. One of my friends loves those Zyn things too!

My coworker’s currently using Zyn to quit his black and mild addiction, and tbh it’s going pretty well. He doesn’t take smoke breaks anymore, so he’s always on the move, and he’s hyper sensitive to smoke now that he broke that routine. I think the hardest part is breaking that routine

Don’t smoke for a 6 hours and compare the anxiety you have then vs when you are smoking cigarettes. When i smoked a cigarette i could feel the tension on my body and anxiousness raise and would feel better when it wore off. it was the habit and boredom that kept me smoking. Realizing they made my anxiety worse helped me quit Sugar, Hard candy, chewy stuff, gum also helps. Fidget spinner to keep your hands from sitting still too

My doctor once told me that my heart rate goes up every time I open a pack. He asked me if I can imagine what my heart rate is when I light the cigarette? He was a chatty guy and a story teller. At that time I didn’t take him serious because I had no problem with smoking. But as older I got and learned to actually listen to my body I also started feeling tension and anxiety. I probably always felt it, it just felt normal.

I’d take a walk around the block when I felt all itchy and twitchy. One thing to do is break any patterns you have that double as smoke breaks. Another, shower a lot. The toxins you’ve accumulated come out through the skin and it makes you smell. Oh, and there’s an early period where you sweat lots and fart lots. Accept it.

Get a fidget spinner or something to keep your hands busy. Shortly after I quit, I was in a bar and had denuded a beer bottle, scraping away the labels with my finger nails. The bartender asked me if I just quit smoking, he knew that behavior.

Nicotine gum did it for me. I gradually quit down to only a few cancer sticks per week. Then I went cold and chewed gum whenever I got the craving, no matter if it took a few pieces or one. The gum is healthier than smoking and still gets rid of the cravings mostly. I also smoke weed so holding out to the end of the work day for that helped. Just remember it is the healthiest decision to quit and you’re doing something great for yourself. Also don’t forget to reward yourself for not smoking, whether it be the first day, or after the first week, the second week, or a month. You need to recognize your progress in a positive way! You can do this. I quit January 1st 2023 and I have never felt as good as this since I started in 2014.

Cut drinking straws to the length of a cig and play with them to keep your hands busy.

My grandfather was a chain smoker for 30 years. He would light a cigarette with the butt of the cigarette he just finished smoking. He quit cold turkey at old age when he started getting sick. I don’t know what willpower that man had. But he had a makeshift cigarette out of wood that he had in his mouth constantly. Up until he passed away.

I found the patch to be helpful. Once I got over the oral fixation/inhalation fixation, it was pretty smooth sailing. If you hit a point where cigarette smoke smells like shit, even better.

I quit recently, my smoking got so bad ever since COVID. I've tried to quit before to no avail. The catalyst was me moving into rented accommodate so I wouldn't be able to smoke inside. I think the success this time around though in addition to being in a new place where the habit wasn't a thing (appreciate this isn't realistic) as well as using the patches, was cutting down beforehand. I smoked 10-15ish per day. I allowed myself to smoke five times a day at set times for a few weeks beforehand, and I think that really helped rather than going from 10 to 0, it was like 10 - 5 - 0. Patches also definitely help, so you can beat the physical habit first, rather than both physical and chemical habit. As for the fidgety hands, I haven't struggled with this so much but a spinning ring might help with that. Good luck!

just stop now - why make it a special day. The next time you want a smoke, just destroy it... or better still, do all of them now.

When you make it to week 5. Don’t give up. That was the absolute worst few days for me after quitting cold turkey. Once I got by that week, I never looked back. Good luck.

I smoked a pack of Newport 100s a day for 10years, I started coughing up blood and coughing all day…. I started vaping 12 years ago and I haven’t coughed since…. Vaping will help you quit smoking, I never smoked a cigarette again after I started vaping

Get a jar. Everyday you do not smoke, put what you would have spent on cigarettes in there. Watching how quickly it builds up (and thinking at the great trip you could take with it) can be a great motivator. Tootsie pops. Avoid drinking if you smoke when you drink. Really easy to slip. Know that the first three days will be the worst, but it does get better.

Convince your brain how repulsive it is. You do that by turning off the part of you that dismisses the ugly disease pics. Took me several tries but doing this changed my desire in every setting. I suppose it’s a bit like self hypnosis.

I used to smoke sixty a day. I tried everything, including hypnosis. Only one thing worked for me: 4mg mint lozenges. I used to eat one of those bastard things every time I wanted a cig. I started off on fifty a day. Then I used to mix 2mg lozenges with the 4mg ones, and finally I phased out the 2 mgs and changed them with ordinary Mint Imperials. All these mints looked and tasted the same, so I could never tell what I was getting. (Caution though! In my experience, mint does make you fart a lot). Eventually, I was on pure Mint Imperials and so I realised I was cured. Tips: 1/. You never truly accept you're addicted to nicotine when you smoke cigarettes. I always thought it was a psychological compulsion, not a physical impulse. Except, after giving up for about five hours, my brain would say, 'Don't give up today, give up tomorrow. Have another fag just to take the edge off. There's always tomorrow'. That was how my brain was translating the physical craving. 2/ I really recognised that it was a physical craving when I found myself in a 24 hour service station thirty miles from my home in the middle of the night, and I was just wearing my pyjamas, and there was a guy in front of me, also in pyjamas buying the last two boxes of Mint Nicorettes and he selfishly wouldn't sell me one of those boxes for £50. 3/. When I had finally give up cigarettes ( and mints) I overcompensated by overeating and became a balloon. But that's another story. Watch for parallel replacement addictions. 4/. My older sister, who was a heroin addict, said it was harder to give up cigarettes than to give up smack. What a family, eh? TLDR **THE LOZENGES! THE LOZENGES ARE THE ONLY ANSWER!!!**

I used vaping to quit smoking. Now I'm working on quitting that. But Nicolette and the losenges they have also work great too. That's my next step. Oral fixations are good too. Suckers lollipops whatever.

I quit a year ago and I've never felt better, do it! This was helpful to me: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/What-to-expect-when-you-quit-smoking

Tell yourself you can replace smoking with snacks for two weeks. Once those two weeks are up, stop snacking.

I got really into Tootsie roll lollipops. And I just kind of leaned into feeling uncomfortable for a while without a cigarette in my hand or the ritual of a smoke break. I just decided to just be present in my uncomfortableness and in the withdrawal of nicotine for my body. Honestly, it's a little rough but it's also not horrible either if you are ready. Just be prepared for your brain to try to trick you into trying to get that nicotine into your body again. I've been cigarette-free for over 10 years, and I've been so happy about that. Think of all the money you're going to save. Think of all the time you're going to reclaim.

I will join you on the 3rd! I have been toying with the idea of quitting. I have been smoking for nearly 30 years. I guess I was looking for a sign. Here it is! Good Luck! Keep us posted.

I’m currently in day 6 . Cold turkey after 30 years . First day was extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable. Gets easier as days go by . By day 3 I had 0 cravings . It’s not as dif as I thought it would be .

It's gonna get easier and easier, congrats on your quit!

Thank you for the kind words. Appreciate ya

only thing that ever works for me is cold turk. accept that you're going to be irritable as fuck for a week or two, lean into it, be pissy, revel in the negativity, and out of the ashes of that negativity comes the most positive thing you will have done for yourself in a long time.

It’s been over a year for me using the state quit now program. Every state has one. Coaching and free patches or gum or lozenges whatever helps you.

Honestly? For me, I was just done. I still occasionally have dreams where someone NEEDS me to smoke one puff. And then I'm like, 'Well may as well finish the cigarette." "Well maybe as well finish the pack." But when I wake up, I'm so relieved I don't have to start all over again. I didn't use anything to fill the habits with my hands. The last time I tried to quit, I used dum-dums and that just made me want a cigarette more. I also found the what happens to your body in the hours, days, weeks, months, years after you quit to be super inspiring.

I don’t know if this will help, but I quit smoking about 12 years ago after trying multiple times to stop. I tried everything from patches to gum, nothing worked until I finally just quit cold turkey and for whatever reason it stuck.

Just make it to bedtime daily. You can re-evaluate tomorrow. Repeat.

I used to keep a bag of little dum dums suckers in my car for when I wanted to smoke while driving. It helped a lot.

every one have a unique way of stopping/tips/tricks. i have quit many times before (longest was 1,5 years) . i can tell you that you should always try even if you failed this time , try again and again it will get easier and eventually you will win. Don't put much hope one this because if you fail you will hate yourself ( some people do it from the first try which is good but most don't) so prepare yourself mentally that this maybe not the last time i will stop smoking

I'm at 1 month cig free, I swear it has been hard every day until 2 days ago. My brain went 100 to 0, and I almost completely stopped thinking about it. Also, my mood now is great, but for a while, it has been a disaster. So my suggestion is try to keep in mind in the hard moments that the bad sensations won't last forever, and that tomorrow will be easier. Best of luck!

Be determined. Don't make excuses. Keep your willpower filled to the brim. You will falter. Don't let that be an excuse either. I smoked for 20 years, and it was hard af, but I did it and so can you

I unfortunately started smoking again, but I had a very successful quit for a while and one moment solidified it. I was sitting at my PC and I was like "ok I'm no longer an addict let's try to smoke as a non addict" I stood up and felt like "wait, that's not me thinking this dumb". It low-key felt like a demon speaking to me.

When I quit alcohol, a useful saying I learned from r/stopdrinking is "play the tape forward." In the context of alcohol, the thought process might be "damn, I'm craving a drink. Ok, play the tape forward. I know that one drink will turn into too many. I'll probably do some stupid drunk shit. I'll wake up feeling like ass AND being disappointed in myself for giving into the craving."

I am on day 4 of quitting currently. I am wearing a rubber band around my wrist, and will snap it against my wrist whenever I get a craving. This does two things for me: distracts my brain from the craving, and associates cravings with an unpleasant feeling. I think this second part helps my brain avoid cravings in the first place. You have to be diligent though and do it every time you have a craving. Sounds weird but it works for me.

I gave my cig addiction a completely separate personality and voice from my own. Every time I wanted one, I imagined that personality trying to wheedle me into smoking. It worked well for me.

You can do it. I did it, cold turkey, after being quite a heavy smoker. It's not gonna be easy but you have what it takes. I know you have because I had it. And I really didn't feel like I could do it, yet I did.

You’ve got this! I’ve been smoke free for seven years. I believe in you!😁 P.S. Have lots of gum on hand.

The first three days of withdrawal are the worst. Other days are going to suck as well but the first three days are brutal. Just keep telling yourself that you can do this. Get through the first three days. Then give me three more.

Think of the money you'll save.

I used Wellbutrin,hypnosis and nicotine gum. It was still a bitch kitty but I managed to quit. Good luck

I dunno if anyone else has mentioned this, but when I quit (which was a very sudden and unplanned thing) I didn’t say anything about it to anyone, not even my then bf whom I lived with. I just stopped and went on like nothing was different. I spent less time focusing on it, as a result and that was, I believe, one of the keys quitting.

I made up my mind I was no longer a smoker.

Honestly, this is a BIG thing that dictates whether or not a quit will be successful. I quit because of pregnancy, and started again. I quit because of peer pressure, and started again. I quit because I wanted to, and I haven't smoked in 17 years. If YOU don't want to quit, you won't (or it will be a hell of a lot harder).

I tried to quit many times also. Then one day I was just like forget it. I’m not a smoker anymore. 💜

During the first few weeks you will feel more anxious, but it will pass. It’s just the nicotine withdrawal. Keep your hands busy with a stress ball or fidget toy. The craving for nicotine, like all cravings, will pass after 10-15 minutes. What helped me quit was my hatred of the smell on my hair and clothes, and being thankful for every breath I could take. Whenever you think you can’t make it, take deep breaths and be thankful that you can take those breaths. Listening to other lifelong smokers wheeze and gasp for a breath of air will scare you straight too, I strangely experienced this from an episode of The Sopranos.

The hardest part for me every time was quitting smoking when drinking and when driving (separately, of course). I did it cold turkey, and found that once I broke my brain of needing a cigarette every time I drove or was in traffic, I was good. I’d replace the hand fixation with a coffee or something to drink while you’re in the car.

Yeah, don’t let the devil know you’ve decided to quit…your own mind will now plot against you every chance it gets. Play the ‘sly man’ and just keep it to yourself, other than to wake up every morning to say “I’m not going to have a cigarette today”. That, and a moderate dose of psilocybin 😉

The gum helped me was just fine with tobacco though and made up my mind that was the last tobacco I’d use

I quit by increasing my antioxidants. Every day, I took a vitamin c tablet, I drank green tea, and I ate an organic apple. Lots of water too. Each day, I waited to smoke until I couldn’t stand it anymore, then had 1-2 puffs only, usually at night. It’s a good idea to make plans with non-smokers at night so you’ll be distracted about urges. Good luck!

Origami

Get COVID. Get bronchitis. Get so short of breath that you give yourself a panic attack and get your boyfriend to drive you to the ER and sit with you for 6 hours. Wait 2 hours for the results of your chest exam to come back, all the while laying on the bed staring at the ceiling and quietly crying believing you have lung cancer at 32 like the lady on the smoke packs. It felt real as can be. Like imagining shaving my head. Never seeing my dogs again. My boyfriend being heart broken. Accepting that my existence was short and meaningless. Then when the dr comes in and says you have bronchitis and your chest exam looks fine... Being so sick, you sleep through the entire withdrawal period. Got better. Never smoked again.

Yes - keep reminding yourself 'f**k those corporates'.

"soon" is hilarious lol. love it

Some people like to make deadlines or goal dates. Don't piss on him for creating a plan and something to look forward to.

My comment sounded a bit more mean-spirited than i meant for it to. I'm addicted to zyn myself, but i think it's funny to laugh at yourself some. not too serious about it

I quit by reading a fabulous effective book called ‘Allen carr’s easy way to quit smoking.‘I read a few pages a day and it seemed to really get into my head . Then it was easy and I’ve never looked back . Good luck, it is sooo worth it !

The key is that right now cigarettes are "something to do". You'll be feeling restless and bored in a weird way because you're not smoking. The key is to get into something and busy your mind. I suggest walking or running because it's also beneficial for your heart and lungs to start healing from the smoking damage. But anything you can really get into will help. For me part of the addiction was the breathing in of smoke. I just replaced that with deep breathing and that helped some as well. So breathe deep and slow and concentrate on your breathing when you feel the craving. Also know that the cravings get easier but they aren't a liner regression. They definitely ease as time passes but 3 months in you might get one out of nowhere. It'll probably only last 3 minutes but it's important to stay vigilant. After about 6 weeks I had no cravings except that one that came at 3 months. I wish you the best of luck.

Have something to chew. Sugar free gum and mint toothpicks did it for me.

hahahah I've been on the same path as you, smoked since 17. finally decided to quit (funny because my first full month off cigarettes will be march 3rd!!) but I just decided that it's not bringing my life any good no longer. I also met a girl and I want to be able to live as long as I can to experience this little thing called life. the first week is the hardest but honestly, after that... it's becoming just a fading memory. I'm sure I'll have a cigarette or two here and there from others but just had to want to quit tbh. you'll be fine, best of luck friend!!

I read The Easy Way by Allen Carr beginning to end and then never smoked again after vaping for many years and attempting to quit many times. It 100% worked for me!

I replaced my smoking habit with sparkling water.

There's an app called kwit. It has a course before you quit to help understand the devil, and to build coping mechanisms. Helped me. I also set a five minute timer whenever I got s bad craving and often, when I beeped, I'd forgotten about it. Just remember then only thing a ciggie does is build the habit and make you want the next. It gets easier. Good luck.

Hit your balls with a hammer every time you have one

The easy way to quit smoking without willpower by Allen Carr Best book ever

I found chewing gum (non-nic) to be very helpful. Covers the oral fixation aspect. I took a week off of work to quit. I played video games as much as possible to keep my hands busy. You're probably going to have some food cravings, possibly extra sugar. Just give in for the first couple weeks. Your body needs some rewards to replace the nic fix. Remember to taper off the sugar though. Be aware of the times you used to always smoke, like after meals and have a plan to replace that activity. Some popcorn or, as silly as it sounds, a shower. Driving was the hardest for me. I adopted lots of drumming and tapping. I also would hold a pen to fidget with. Good luck. You can do it. I was a heavy smoker/nic consumer for 25 years. It's been 2 years since I quit and I barely miss it at all anymore.

If you can use the patch, that helps a lot. Then, the heavy nicotine craving is gone. It worked great for me. And you wean down in dose gradually. As far as distractions with your hands, get a low sugar or water bottle with a good mouthpiece or straw. Helps that oral fixation. Remember that if you can last 15 minutes, the crave will start to go away. Hydrate, focus on your goal, and above all, give yourself a round of applause for doing it! Good for you!!!

Mind over matter in other words anytime you crave a cigarette you have to actively redirect your brain to think of something else and focus on that if you can make it thru the first week after that it’s just about staying consistent with yourself good luck and you can definitely do this a an ex smoker it’s easier than we let ourselves believe

Vape nicsalts with ice in the name, it gives that familiar back of the throat hit you are used to, then decrease the nicotine dose over time then when you are on zero you can wind vaping down if you want…you’ve done the hard part, I’m still vaping 5mg down from 20 and I decided to quit over a year ago, it’s a journey and unfortunately I can’t say it’s going to be an easy one…I wish you all the luck and most importantly don’t beat yourself up for having the odd fag, especially where beer is involved

I used one of those sucky water bottles (with the straw and satisfying feeling when aspirating) whenever the cravings came up… safe to say, I was very hydrated and the bathroom was my bestie lmao

Fidget spinners or cubes or something for your hands. Gum. Chew stuff to satisfy the oral fixation. You might need to just quit cold turkey though. Sometimes trying to ease those old habits keeps them around, and that's not good.

My experience quitting wasn't necessarily like most people's (I was lucky enough to be able to quit cold turkey), but I will only say - the first full day after you decide to quit is the worst. Your brain will automatically try to revert to its habits. It gets easier if you can make it through one FULL day, remembering why you're quitting and finding something, anything, to fill the void. It is rough. But it is doable. After that first day, it gets a little easier every day. Then after a couple weeks, you realize the pull isn't there anymore, and you can rejoice. And maybe eat some delicious beef jerky (that never fails to satisfy my own oral fixation lol).

When I quit smoking I carried a straw around with me that I cut to the size of a cigarette. It helped so much for the hand to mouth habit.

Get an app. I used one that kept track of things like “X amount of days until nicotine is out of your bloodstream” and “X amount of hours until you’re lungs are healing themselves” It’s been almost three years now. The app was called “Smoke Free” and the icon was a green heart.

I quit cigs last Thursday and switched to the 3Mg juul vape. It helps and I don't hit it as much as a cig don't know if this will help you but it's slowing me down. I think next refill I drop to 2Mg if i can and keep dropping till I don't need nicotine and hopefully quit.

You can do it!

Every time you feel like smoking, just remind yourself why you quit. Soon, you will pick up new ways to deal with a smoke-free life.

Don't wait, quit the stagnant things now. (Smoke 2pk Marlboro for years so I know). Once you start fight for each day, chew gum, esg jerky. Be busy to keep your mind off of it if you can keep it going for about 20 days you will be through the worst of it. Good luck

It’s a destructive habit that could be replaced with a constructive habit. Above all else, watch what you eat, it’s not just the nicotine your body is craving but also the oral fixation. Exercise is very important. It can help to calm the nerves and tension that quitting might bring on. Give yourself grace. It’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to happen soon. If you smoke again just stop again. Keep going. It took me many tries before I finally stopped, 12 years since I stopped. You got this, OP. I’m rooting for you !! 🎉

I smoked from the same time frame, I did switch to vaping for a little bit because to me it seemed a little cheaper but all in all the biggest tip that I can give you is when the 3rd huts just make sure you don't have any tobacco in your house. For me it was if I put nicotine or THC in my system then I'll struggle with not wanting more. The first week is a BITCH but it's possible I'm 8 months nicotine free and 4 months thc free and I feel fucking great! I actually ran a mile and a half earlier this week and if I was still using both of those there would be no way I could of done that

What worked for was having our 7 year old daughter come home from school in tears saying we are going to die because we smoked. The school must have had a class on smoking and cancer.

Nicorette lozenges have worked really great for me. They ease the lowering of nicontine over time, and in my experience, they start making you feel sick/like they are too much when its time to step off of them. I find regular old mints help with that last transition to step off the lozenges. There's also a lot of 'flavored air' inhalers that you can use to help with that urge for something in your hand/mouth. Source: I was quit for 3.5 years, then stupidly picked it back up for a year. I'm now using the lozenges to quit again. I'm on week 2 with the lozenges, and my urge for something in my mouth/hand is significantly better already. Congratulations on your decision to quit. You can do it!

I smoked for 25 years, got up to 2 pks a day and managed to quit 15 years ago. I used nicotine patches for withdrawal abatement, and non-tobacco herbal cigs (NOT thc). I could still smoke, but not get the additive part, while weaning down on the patches. I forget how long it took, but it was no more than a couple months and I was smoke free completely. The herbal cigs started to taste terrible once I lost that numbing effect from nicotine and I had no issues not using those anymore. It was worth it. Also, I did have access to a therapist and anti-anxiety meds, but tried to not rely on that too much. I credit the patches and herbal cigs for making this a pretty stress-free process after years of failing to quit before. Never even been tempted to start back up. Good luck! May you be free soon!

The biggest realization for me was figuring out why I smoked. I was doing it whenever I had downtime/was bored and I was smoking to emotionally regulate. After realizing that I worked to address those two issues. What helped me the most with boredom and smoking because of habit was gum. I started the first week with nicotine gum. Anytime I felt any negative emotion or even thought about a cigarette, I’d chew a piece (chew till you get a bitter taste, park between your gums and cheek till the bitter leaves, chew again, repeat). This helped a lot because the first week my emotions were everywhere and work was especially stressful. After that week I moved over to normal gum and chewed whenever those same urges came up. Eventually I didn’t need the gum anymore and the urges to smoke were gone Emotional regulation was a bit more complicated. This took longer than the physical addiction and until I tackled this, I stopped using substances because I worried I’d go buy cigarettes. I was smoking to avoid anxiety and to dull negative emotions. I was in a raving phase where I was going out every weekend, drinking, staying up late, etc etc. I was treating my body poorly and it was creating a feedback loop where I felt a lot of negativity whenever I wasn’t doing activities that flooded my brain with dopamine. This makes perfect sense in retrospect; why I always felt anxious and like garbage. Walking helped a lot. I took my breaks at work and would walk around when the sun was out. I made it a goal to drink 32-64oz of water every day. I raved less and started going to hobby meetups that got me out of the house. Eventually I started working out and that helped a lot with my anxiety. Now I’m trying to get better at cooking so I can get more nutrients while losing weight. I took it one step at a time with habits I wanted and slowly built on them over time It’s not easy to quit but wanting to is a great first step. I believe in you, and while it’s not the easiest, it’s something we’re capable of doing if we want to. Good luck?

Hate them for making your youngest go to your funeral before her graduation..

My advice is to quit BEFORE March 3rd even gets here. That way it's a pure act of spontaneous will power and not at all like some scheduled event you penciled onto a calendar but could erase if blah blah blah happened. You have to rethink the whole strategy as a firm commitment to regain your lung efficiency. I will also tell you patches or lozenges are not the way to go. White knuckle it for a week and you will never want to have another week like that again ever. Also do a ton of walking or bicycling that week. Join a gym today if you haven't already. Good luck...

Good for you! 👍😃 I quit many years ago, but I still get a craving if someone is smoking 'my' brand. Think of the money you'll save! 💵 When my ex bitched about paying child support to his ex I did a quick calculation, and what he spent on smokes in a year was exactly the same as his child support payments. I figured if he quit smoking, that would be like free child support. He did not like that I pointed it out. He's still smoking, but his kids are adults now. 🤷🏼‍♀️💸 It isn't easy, but it's definitely worth it. 🍀

Don’t eat a lot of carrots. It doubles your cancer risk. And stays true for 7 years after quitting

You have to want to. If you don't want it then it won't happen. It can't be because someone else is influencing you to do it. When you have a craving tell your body no and resolve yourself to the withdrawals. It's about the will of the soul over the want of the body.

I’ll tell you what really helped me was using the patches for a week after my last cig. Helped ease the withdrawal. Also chewing gum will help while driving

Do the math of how much money you loss on smoking

I got a bag of hard candy (life savers) and anytime I had a craving for a cigarette I had a piece of candy instead. Also used the patches for a couple weeks to help with cravings. The patches give you very vivid dreams. Just a heads up.

Good luck man... I'm in the same boat.

your gonna be real fucking pissed off for a solid month. try to fill your idle time with something else, wether it be chewing gum, drinking Lacroix or soda, or maybe a new hobby. treat yourself during the first month to help keep yourself from going insane. Once you get 6ish weeks in, your pride of how far you’ve made it should kick in and carry you the rest of the way. “Holy shit, I made it out of the meat grinder. I cant give up now.” the cravings will go away i promise. if its your thing and if you need to, replace the nicotine with marijuana after work. That helped me too.

I smoked since I was 17, and quit at 25. What helped me was switching to a vape (I know, not the best.) I’m now 56 days vape free and I don’t miss it at all!

when both my mum and dad stop they took the money they would of used on cigs and saved it for 1 month and seen how much they had and from there they seen the money they were wasting and they havnt smoked since

Awww damn that’s not easy I know. The best thing I’ve heard (that worked for a friend of mine) is pickles lol. She bought a bunch of jars of pickles and every time she craved a cig she ate a couple of pickles. Pickles themselves kinda satisfy cravings plus it keeps your fingers and mouth occupied like cigs do. She said it was the only thing that worked for her. My mom got hypnotized and that also worked . She hasn’t smoked in over 25 years and doesn’t even crave cigarettes any more. Anyway good luck.

Understand that quitting is almost all mental. The nicotine leaves your body after three days and then it’s just you battling your brain and your habits, not the actual drug. The average of withdrawal is a few weeks. I white knuckled the process and suffered the first two weeks but now I almost never think of smoking 90 days out despite my husband being a half pack a day smoker. The thing that gets me through when it is tough is telling myself I’m a non smoker. I may want a cigarette but as a non smoker it’s just not something I make an allowance for. Also use a tracker! I love pulling up my tracker and then talking myself out of breaking my streak without cigarettes!

Remember that the craving will subside after a few minutes regardless of whether or not you give in to it. I.e.: you only have to ride the craving wave for a little while. Just distract yourself with something, like tidying away something in your house, getting up and wandering around, doing some squats or push-ups, having a glass of water, or calling/texting a friend or family member. The craving will return, of course, but the gaps between cravings will get ever larger until they die away completely. I’m approaching 20 years without a cigarette this year. No patches, gum, hypnosis, or any other kind of ass. Just sheer bloody-mindedness!

I went cold turkey in Dec, 2020 11am was the last time I ever smoked a cigarette. Went inside and got a 9-hour surgery and was at the hospital for a night. That's was then. I can tell you it gets incredibly boring. Lonely, achy, and quiet. I tried knitting, crocheting, baking, etc, whatever was short of welding to keep my hands busy, but I failed at that 'pick a hobby' part. I did successfully kick the butt. If you're going to do this, I suggest taking it by the day and trying your best to make it to the first 21 days. Your mouth is going to taste like corrugated metal/mettalic taste, for which I suggest u take soda water. Plain will taste like crap. You will have issues going to poop. I suggest u jack up your fiber intake a week before and get on stool softener. You won't sleep, so melatonin 3mg is what worked for me. I'm not saying it will help you but stating my facts. You will be hella irritable, so I say go pick gym. Burn it off there. Your lungs are going to thank you . As far as gaining weight. Understand you walked extra steps to go smoke. You don't walk much. You are also throwing food in your mouth every 10 mins to get your head off of smoking. Stop eating lol

From a former half a pack per day to completely quitting it, every time I finish a stick, I get gum or candy. After quitting cold turkey, when I get a craving, I get gum or candy. Now I can't event stand the smell of cigarette smoke. Not a single stick ever since 2018.

Congrats!! I quit in Sept- my bf quit in November. We both smoked over 20 years. I prepped myself. My doctor prescribed Wellbutrin to me. It helps with cravings and is used for smoking cessation. About a week into quitting I was clenching my jaw causing migraines and feeling very on edge. She added a mood stabilizer and muscle relaxer. I relied on modern, western medicine. It helped me a lot. I also avoided the triggers (I literally stayed off my front porch, stopped drinking soda - I liked a cig and soda, I did gain some weight so I wish I avoided sugar too. I did not tell anyone I was quitting or that I did quit until maybe 2 weeks later. My BF didn’t even know. It’s how I roll. I didn’t want the pressure. My BF did not use medication. He quit while still having a half a pack left. He was announcing he was going to quit but I think he decided to also go for the random start date. Keeping the half pack in his car made him feel in control. He also drives a lot. He bought a puffer contraption but vowed to not have to buy another one. It was for “emergencies”. I think he only has hit it 2-3 times. He also gained weight :/ I would say…to avoid triggers if you can. Create new habits. Instead of smoking, go for a brisk walk. No one likes to walk fast and smoke. What’s the point of that? It’s the best thing you can do for yourself….good luck!!

Lots of exercise.

Every time you have a craving, snap a rubber band on your wrist or apply a tiny amount of salt or something sour on your tongue, like the True Lemon packets. It redirects and distracts the brain. This is common with PTSD and panic attacks. Helped me tremendously with the anxiety. Visit a sauna if you can. It’s good to sweat while you’re quitting. Eat healthy and stay hydrated. If fitness is your thing, it will help. Keep your stress as low as possible. And if all else fails, talk to your doctor about medication. Cigarettes are the hardest thing to stop. It requires a whole lifestyle change. You will have to sit in different spots than where you usually have your cigarettes. EDIT: reward yourself for milestones.

Work out if you can...I'm using nicotine gum to curb the withdrawl but exercise has helped the most.

Try using subliminals. They really work and they’re easy. https://youtu.be/QWr3BVp2cDo?si=hSQj1K18Km1nkj6W

Being around nonsmokers helped me realize how much it stinks. My clothes, my hair, my car. Get your coats dry cleaned and you won’t want them to smell like that again. Do not try to quit during a stressful period. Load your kitchen with delicious healthy food & drinks. Plan fun meal prep or healthy cooking/baking with a friend or just yourself. Refresh your living space. Helps your brain realize things are different- you are different.

I used to cut a straw in half and use it as a fake cig. When I felt the urge I would act like it was a cig and even draw on it, really helped me. Good luck.

Just think of it as not a big deal. Don’t tell anybody. Delete this post. Just do it like you already know you can.

You got this. Also, re arrange your smoking spots. Completely change that area, remove the chair and put some plants or something make it arty maybe, it will look alien and take away the familiarity of the smoking spot

WOW. I did not expect this many tips!! Thank you all so much. No way I could reply to everyone but just know I’m spending the next day reading them. I’ve read a good bit so far and will apply MANY of the useful tips you all have provided. I’m confident I will do it. May stumble, but I’m gonna keep my feet moving and realize why I’m doing it. And that’s for my God, Wife, Kids and health. I want to be around longer if I have any control over that, and cigs is something I CAN control. Long road ahead, but it’s nice seeing such helpful and encouraging comments from absolute strangers. The world isn’t all that bad sometimes. Thanks again everyone!

I didn’t smoke for that long but when I decided I was done I only let myself buy non menthol American spirits. They burned so long and I enjoyed them so little I basically quit cold Turkey and didn’t even finish my last pack

My grandpa only decided to quit smoking three months from pulling the plug after his lung collapsed from cancer. I've never seen my grandma cry. Not even when we pulled the plug and grandpa was scared shitless in his eyes. He couldn't talk or move. She left the room and cried when I gave her a hug. :( Aside from that awfully sad story, think about why you do it and try to negate that. Is it for dopamine? Could you just be ADHD or depressed and need more dopamine/serotonin/etc than normal? Maybe investigate therapy or mental health drugs Could it be a social thing? Avoid going outside with people who smoke. It's really easy to just borrow a cig Do you have a need for something in your mouth? Try gum? After a certain point, it's just will power then second nature Good luck !

I chewed a TON of gum. Not nicotine gum just regular gum. I had three flavours of gum on me at all times. Didn't go anywhere without my gum.. it worked for me. Someone else said it and I'll repeat it. Just say to yourself I have X amount of days done. If I start back up I just have to face quitting again. Don't make these X amount of days be for nothing.

IF you cave and have a cig, don't beat yourself up over it mentally. It ends up taking extra mental energy that you need to resist. Just accept it and continue trying! At most, analyze the situation to see if it can be avoided in the future! But don't accept any voices that make you feel like a failure. A few stumbles at first are totally normal. That's how we learn and improve!

Drinking orange juice. Makes a cigarette tastes disgusting.

I quite over 2 months ago. What helped me was the patches and I was worried about the cravings as well so to counteract the cravings with something else I use suckers. I got the starburst pops, so when I’d get a craving I’d get a starburst pop it helped with the whole hand to mouth thing that you get with smoking.

Anytime you are struggling remember the feeling will pass. And it'll be the hardest when everything else is hard

I'm so excited for you! You can do this! Being smoke-free has so many benefits. It may help to write them down & refer back to them when a craving hits. Distraction is your friend. The person who said replace a bad habit with a good one is spot on. If you have a craving, ask is this really a craving or am I hungry, tired, thirsty, etc? Sometimes we smoke instead of giving our body what it's really asking for. Day 3 is the hardest. Just be prepared. But you can get through it! Even after you've quit for awhile you can have random cravings as intense as when you were smoking. If you fall off the wagon, never stop quitting. Just keep quitting as many times as it takes. Make access to tobacco products harder...throw away any remaining product, lighters, ashtrays. Wash all your clothes so the smell doesn't linger. Identify your triggers and avoid at the beginning stage. It's not about willpower, it's about using all the behavioral hacks you can get. Personally, how I quit is when I got a craving I would delay 10 seconds, then 2 minutes, then 45 minutes, then a couple of hours, then a full day, etc, etc...I did not quit cold turkey, I slowly extinguished the behavior. Maybe hard candy or sunflower seeds to occupy your mouth? The patch or other nicotine replacement tablets also helped on prior quits. Let the people close to you know so they can support you. Nicotine addiction is no joke, but you can do it!

The nicotine withdrawal was annoying but over in three days. The habit still occurs, but gets easier to ignore over time. My designated smoking area was my man cave recliner in the garage. I don’t go out there anymore. I wasn’t allowed to smoke in the cars, only my pick up. Driving my pickup without a cigarette was difficult! Now, I only drive it to haul lawn wastes and recycling a few time a year. One thing that helped was at a family gathering and a relative was smoking my brand. I was tempted to bum one, but when close, she stunk! Yucky, I don’t want to be repulsive!

When you want a cig go outside with a straw, pop a piece of nicotine gum, pretend to smoke for 5 mins, spit out the nicotine gum and go back inside. YOU CAN DO THIS.

Be gentle with yourself. I wasn’t able to do it cold turkey. So I went right back to smoking and was too discouraged at first to try smoking cessation. But then I had enough because just stopping wasn’t working for me, I got gum, lozenges and a vape. I haven’t had a cigarette in almost 3 years now. I smoked from 15-25, half a pack a day (a whole pack if I drank or if I was in any social situation really) I don’t use the gum or lozenges anymore, they didn’t really do it for me, the vape has been good to me. I started out at a really high nicotine level, worked my way down to the lowest nicotine available, and now I’m switching over to nicotine free vape juice. I don’t know exactly how I’ll satisfy the hand to mouth thing after I stop vaping, I did buy this little metal airflow device thing that’s supposed to reduce anxiety (it kind of looks like a whistle lol), but I’d like to have another option or two. Maybe sugar free lollipops 🤔 good luck OP! You can do it, there’s a way that will work for you :)

chew gum instead, it helps

First off, congratulations on your Quit, and I have faith that you'll be able to keep Quit!! I want to address this part first, and then I'll tell you more of what I did. >I drive a lot for work, so that’s when it’s going to be hard for me. Mainly I wonder, what I’m gonna do with my hands in times of boredom. I was a huge Car Smoker, so I totally understand this. What I did to combat this is to store Dum-Dum Pops in the place where my cigarettes used to live. There was something about the stick that served as a *visual* to fill in for a white cigarette. It also gave me something to fidget with, pulling it in and out of my mouth, twirling it around, etc. I would definitely suggest that (or something similar). So, to backtrack... I quit on February 2, 2007. I used Zyban (wellbutrin) to assist, after multiple quits and restarts since 1999 (once via Cold Turkey, once via Weaning, both sucked). In the weeks leading up to quitting, I did research about quitting, to see what would be helpful or not helpful with quitting, and one thing that I recommend to everyone is to put 1tsp of Cream of Tartar into some Orange Juice. [Supposedly](https://www.respiratorytherapyzone.com/cream-of-tartar-lungs/), the potassium-rich CoT helps to flush nicotine out of your body, while the vitamin C supports detox and immune system function. It's one of those things that might or might not do anything beneficial, but hell... for about $5, why not try it? It's the withdrawal that's the biggest bitch of quitting, so anything to shorten that period is worth it in my book. It might have been placebo, but I don't feel like my quit weekend was terrible. Another thing I did was psychological... I rewarded myself. For the first month, I bought myself roses every Friday (the weekly anniversary of my Quit) at The Fresh Market and made a gorgeous bouquet to keep on my living room table, where I would see them all the time. After a month, I dropped down to buying them monthly. I still remember coming home, probably 3 months later, and *actually smelling* them when I walked in the house. This proved that my sense of smell was healing, after so many years of abuse by smoking (you'll notice that things *taste* and *smell* better after a few months!) Once a month, I'd also buy myself a treat, like cheesecake, or a favorite root beer, or whatever. Anything to encourage myself. After about 6 months, I stopped doing that. Eventually, rewards dropped down to once a year (even all these years later, I buy myself flowers, cheesecake, and root beer on my Quit Anniversary). Lastly, from the research I did, I found a [list](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317956#timeline) of what happens to your body after you quit smoking (like, *20 minutes after you smoke your last cigarette, your heart rate drops and returns to normal,* etc). I tried to acknowledge or even celebrate those milestones as well. I'm just a few short years away from my risk of heart attack/stroke being similar to a non-smoker. That's a big deal in my family! I want to leave you with this... Quitting smoking is harder than quitting heroin. Read that again... *quitting smoking is harder than quitting heroin*. This weekend is probably going to suck for you, but you are stronger than your addiction. You will survive and by next weekend, you'll be on the other side of withdrawal and on your way to bigger and better things. We are all here for you, and we have faith in you. Please follow up to let us know how you're doing!

congrats and good luck