I quit last year in September and have been working on my physical and mental health. Got into BJJ and go 4-5 times a week to train. It felt great. I had been smoking for over 20 years up to that point.

Two weeks ago, my wife informed me that our marriage is ending. I kind of saw it coming but it still hurt nonetheless. We've been together over 10 years, married for 6, own a home together, all the good things a couple should do. We just grew apart with changes in career and our kids (we each have a kid from a previous partner and her kid has moved out.)

She went away for the weekend to see a friend of hers back in her hometown so I bought a pack. I've been mostly alone in the house. I just had another one with my coffee this morning and felt disgusted so I threw the rest of the pack away. I have to stay strong for my health and for my 11 y/o son.

I'm not here to get sympathy or anything like that. I just wanted to post to get some thoughts out as I've lurked this community for so long and appreciate hearing stories of others' struggles and realize we're not perfect. So thank you, everyone.

TL;DR: Broke because of some tough life changes, but getting back to being a non-smoker.

I actually quit smoking for my New Year's Resolution on 12/31/23, almost. I began vaping and was cutting back to a pack a month with the aim of quitting completely within the year. I am a few months out from the end of the year and planning on making my goal of completely quitting nicotine usage.

Background: I have been smoking since the day I turned 18, it was a local gas station where I purchased a pack. I had been smoking for over 20 years since then (21); I was 39 when I started this process, 40 now, and was up to 3+ packs a day.

I am starting to workout again now that I am quitting vaping. It seems like a good idea for a wealth of reasons. I have been walking over 12 miles a day for about 6 years since a difference New Year's Resolution, but, now, I am moving on to ideally doing cardio (running) and using a rowing machine. In the past few days since quitting vaping I felt the cold for the first time in a long time... I don't mean on my skin, or to the bone, but, in my lungs. My mind flashed back to being a kid AND that it is normal to feel the cold on your lungs in the morning.

I have, by quitting smoking, been able to afford a lot for myself that I wouldn't have normally (on a limited budget), and am planning on spending a little extra cash for Christmas.

TLDR: Quitting smoking will, if nothing else, improve your health and save money.

P.S. Congratulations, to even be this far you have taken interest in improving your life, or learning what could be different in yours.

P.P.S If anyone has suggestions on android apps (Samsung Galaxy Watch6 LTE) for Indoor Rowing (non-Bluetooth device) and Running, I would love suggestions.

Ich finde es krass, dass Nikotin als Droge so wenig ernst genommen wird (in meinem Empfinden) im Sinne von: Gehen Menschen zur Entgiftung bei Nikotin? Würde man deswegen in eine Suchttherapie aufgenommen? Gibt es in der Breite Selbsthilfegruppen wie für andere Substanzen? Dadurch wird der Eindruck noch verstärkt, dass es eine Substanz ist, die irgendwie ok ist.

Going cold Turkey after almost 20 years of smoking. It's time to reclaim control, we can do this!

I've been eating sunflower seeds since I woke up. When in withdrawal even hearing the sound of a lighter makes my ears perk up and my cravings worsen. Doesn't help that everyone around me smokes and cigarettes are so often included in movies this shit is inescapable...

I'm mostly venting here because I need another way to cope with withdrawals... Sunflower seeds work great but I can't have digestion issues I'm trying to cure a pelvic floor disorder here and constipation would be really bad.

Rant over!!! Despite all this stuff I'm not giving up and I'm looking for different ways to deal with this. If anyone has suggestions please let me know!

Congratulations!

We all have something to celebrate! We will not be smoking for the next 24 hours! What are you using to cope with cravings? How many days smoke free are you? Please discuss your progress and feelings in the comments!

Discord Group: As a reminder, meetings are held on the discord group: Monday through Friday at 5-6pm EST. An additional meeting will begin at 10am EST starting 9/18/2023. Invite Link

More meetings will be added in the future to support more time zones.

I've been smoking for almost 6 years and from past 2 years I've been smoking around 2 packs(20 pieces) everyday, I've tried quitting like a million times,I've also been depressed for past few years(prolly I am abusing ciggerate and alcohol for coping)idk whatever the reason, but the fact that I can't control the addiction is making me more depressed, also I am feeling pain in my left lung, I am so fed up, I am 24, even my eating habits are bad(I eat very less). So how did you guys quit? Help me I am in desperate need of hope Sorry for my bad english

I´ve been smoke free for over two weeks now. My first attempt to quite after being a 20 a day smoker for almost 14 years. The journey so far has not been easy, and just like everyone of you trying to quit, I´ve gone through hell.

However, now that I`m through two weeks and it´s becoming a bit easy to control/ignore cravings, I´m worried about relapse. I´m reading so many stories about folks staying smoke free for weeks, months even years and relapsing. So I decided to do a bit of study, discuss it with my doc, observe my own experience, and come up with some key metrics that would help me avoid a relapse. Here is what I learnt:

1. Stress: Sudden stress, shock, etc. are very dangerous when you are trying to quit. Try to avoid stressful situations as much as possible. We all know how our brain tricks us into thinking that a ciggie will help get rid of the stress, and we all know that´s a huge lie. If you do end up in a stressful situation, then breath, drink water, wash your face, and tell yourself ciggie will only make it worse because then apart from the stress, you will also feel guilty of smoking.
2. Overconfidence: This is something that my doc stressed upon. People dont smoke for a while and then come up with a stupid excuse to smoke - to challenge yourself, telling yourself that I´ll smoke 1 to prove that I´m over it. That´s stupid. Plain stupid. It´s not you trying to challenge yourself, it´s that nicotine receptor in your brain making a desperate attempt to get you back in the fold. I tell myself everyday not to get overconfident, not to be stupid and to be a bit fearful. That helps me.
3. Support: I cannot stress enough how important this metric is. My wife and I live together, she is not a smoker and is my pillar of strength. Every time I feel an urge that I know I´ll have trouble controlling, I talk to her. We both work from home so it´s easier to do that. Just hearing her say how proud she that I´m doing this makes all the pain and suffering worth it. Even when I´m alone outside on the road and get a craving, just the thought of disappointing her keeps me away from ciggies. I dont think I´d be able to do this without her support. Find someone, anyone, who you trust and who has the bandwidth to support you - you just need one good person by your side.

I hope these points help me avoid a relapse, and I also hope they help anyone else out there who is thinking of smoking JUST ONE.

I always want to stop but i always procrastinate. I really want to live smoke free, but at the same time my habits are too linked to the cigarettes, for example. The first thing as i wake up, is to drink a glass of water, then a coffee and a cigarette.. if it's not the first thing, whatever I do first, is always linked to a cigarette afterwards....

Somebody else had the same issue? How did you solved it?

Hi, I'm a 21-year-old college student, and I started smoking a year ago when my friends introduced me to cigarettes in April 2023. Since July, I’ve been smoking regularly—usually 2-3 cigarettes a day, except when I'm with my family, which gives me breaks of around 20 days. Now, I’m planning to cut back and eventually quit, making smoking only an occasional thing.

I’d appreciate any tips on how to achieve this goal. I also have a question: are people more addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes, or the act of smoking itself? Personally, don't experience the nicotine "rush" or sense of relief that some people talk about. I don’t feel an intense urge to smoke; it's more of a habit than a need. I've been home for the holidays and haven't smoked for about 6 days now.

Get the mods to create user editable flairs, or at least flairs with creative ideas, some examples include:

1. FUCK MARLBORO

2. (custom quit date) that shows the no of days smoke frew

3. Any activity people may do to stop the cravings, such as "Running enjoyer", "Heavy Muncher", or "Avg Air Enjoyer", or "I love breathing".

4. "Eat shit (Cigarette company name)"

5. Looking to quit (at a certain date)

Please mods, this community has helped me and other a lot. Having this may be beneficial for somebody else quitting as well. Having a personal touch to your presence in the community may be essential.

View Poll

I used to vape and now I do zyns. I’m 23 and started when I was a sophomore in high school. The only time I ever stopped was when I tried to quit a week or so it did not last long. This morning, I got all 4 wisdom teeth removed and I obviously can’t put a zyn in my mouth. I was supposed to stop a day before my surgery but I couldn’t do it. Now I physically can’t so that’s the only thing stopping me. I’m thinking about using this as an opportunity to quit. Because I remember the one time I tried, after a few days I slept better and felt better overall. But the cravings NEVER WENT AWAY. I think I made it a few weeks actually and I could vividly remember what I felt like to have nicotine running through my system and the relief it gave me. I’m not interested in quitting if that feeling will never go away cause what’s the point. So to anyone that has been completely nicotine free for a long time, do you ever finally forget what it feels like and live a life like you did before it?

Wondering how long I will last this time lol. Just having my last cig as I write this.

Guys,

I have a question, please share your thoughts.

I quit smoking cigarettes a week ago or so,

A few days ago I started feeling really sick, like ill,

Pain in the neck, nauseas , weak , weird ear sensations, also blocked, dizzy and all Sorts of weird symptoms, like I’m sick with a virus.

What the hell is going on?

Am I ok?

Help please, I'm 21 since I was 14, I tried it for the first time since I was 17, smoking every day I have problems, you must have since I was 19, I'm starting to smoke and I'm 21 and I'm almost 22, I haven't been able to, I feel like I'm seriously damaged, I feel so sad.

Help please, I'm 21 since I was 14, I tried it for the first time since I was 17, smoking every day I have problems, you must have since I was 19, I'm starting to smoke and I'm 21 and I'm almost 22, I haven't been able to, I feel like I'm seriously damaged, I feel so sad. What can I do? Tell me the best advice. I exercise, I always try to eat healthy. I train boxing. I run. I go to university and all that. I don't have the best performance because I smoke but I can't stop smoking. I got into this, as they say, curiosity killed me. cat

Hello hello!

So I began vaping when I was in college. I’m 24 now and the last few days I can feel an odd heaviness in my chest. My lungs feel heavy and I’m taking this as a sign. It’s time to quit.

Is anybody else interested in quitting cigs/vapes? I’ve been heavily addicted for a while and it’s time. Nobody irl knows I do this.

I have had a lot of stress over the last several years. I was a full-blown alcoholic and finally decided to quit drinking in February of 2023.

I picked up smoking again when I was at rehab. I hadn't smoked a cigarette in probably 5 years, and I justified it because I was stressed and thought I'd just quit when I got home.

Nope. here I am and am still smoking. and I am a worse smoker than I've ever been before in my LIFE. because I'm stressed but I can afford cigarettes now!

I realized I am at almost a pack a day now. Today I thought i saw something on my fingers, tried to rub it and wash it away, nope. they are stained with nicotine!!! literally yellow!!!

Tomorrow I'm doing 5 cigarettes for a week, 4 a day for a week, etc until I'm down to nothing. I've already rationed out the rest of my cigarettes and will only keep the "allowed" daily amount on me. I'm so nervous. but if i don't do this now then it's only gonna get much worse from here. I'm so disgusted with myself. I'm a 30 year old woman, i don't wanna shrivel up into ashes and butts and carcinogens!!!

words of advice or solidarity are welcomed and appreciated btw. you can also just bitch with me about how much anxiety sucks 🫠

I quit vaping high levels of nic (50mg) 4 months ago. It was basically my pacifier. I was hitting it allllll day long. It was every other breath.

My gut is jacked up. Inflamed. Pissed off. Still. 4 months later. I’ve got gnarly bloating, back and forth between constipation and diarrhea, excess gas. The bloating is my biggest complaint.

And it’s connected bc it started at the same time.

Did anyone else deal with lingering digestive issues after quitting? I’ve cleaned up my diet, I drink plenty of fluids, I’ve tried everything. And to no avail.

I need to stop smoking! I have gastritis with intense bloating and some pain + a lot of heartburn , also an ulcer in the esophagus for the last 2 months .

I really feel like it bothers me because i stopped it for 2-3 days and felt a bit better. I have changed my diet a lot i eat only what the doctor suggested , i go on walks and stuff but the only thing i cant do is stop smoking. Every damn night i say i will stop everymorning i smoke when i wake up . I have reduced it from 20+ cigarettes to 10 or so but i saw no difference. I can go 2-3 days without it then i really need a cigarette and if i have 1 then i smoke the whole pack saying that i feel better.

Can you give me any methods or anything to stop smoking cause i feel really bad especially at night , went to the hospital 3-4 times cause of pain and anxiety attacks when i had intense bloating and severe heartburn + some pain in chest. I really dont know what to do here. i loved smoking a lot and i never imagined me quitting this young , but i really have to now . i am 28 and i feel like a 95 year old in my stomach .

Any suggestions about how to quit will be perfect , no nicotine products cause they also hurt the stomach so i cant try nicotine gum/patch etc. Anything that helped with gravings if you quited . Most of the day i stay on my Pc working and then gaming ... and when i do that i usually smoke a lot , its what triggers it the most .. hell i am having a cigarette as i am writting this... any suggestions would do , cause i dont see my stomach getting better anytime soon.

Hello i am a turkish teenager with a smoke addict father, he is 55 years old and i fear for his health, he had asthma attacks in recent months yet he did not stop smoking afterwards.

He is a very stubborn and lazy person and never listens to his family's suggestions on quitting smoking.

I don't know what to do and i don't want to watch him slowly die out from lung cancer like my grandfather.He always talks about how his fate is sealed and how he can't recover.

Been a year since I quit smoking cold turkey now, still smoke weed but out of a bong or vape instead of with tobacco, been drunk many times and still managed not to smoke tobacco or cigarettes even though I want to, I think the main thing stopping me is how disappointed I'd feel in myself after this much time.

Drinking and just coming out of the sauna / steam room are the only 2 times I miss smoking now.

Feel so much better for it though

I read Alan carrs book, the one everyone always suggests.

It took me 2 weeks to read it. I followed all the rules and would re read chapters if I felt I didn’t understand something fully or didn’t get anything out of it. I treated it like a Bible. I finally finished it Tuesday, and put my “final cigarette” out on the last page where you sign your name and date it. I was so excited. So confident. I woke up the next morning with a slight craving, as I always had a smoke before brushing my teeth and heading out the door, but I didn’t. I didn’t have a smoke all day at work actually, however, this turned out to be, no joke, the worst day at work I have ever had.

I’ve had quit attempts before, and had put up with a lot of bs during those times, and handled myself nicely, but nothing compared to that day. I got jerked around all day and then to top it off had a 4.5 hour drive to add on. I could cope with myself until I had that long drive, but the drive was just too much for me to handle. I was so anxious. Resenting myself and my job and gripping the steering wheel and screaming. I smoked when I got home that day. And have smoked when I wake up and get home everyday since, along with regular evening cigarettes.

I feel so beaten. I was so confident but I just let everything get to me and couldn’t refer myself back to what I had just spent 2 weeks reading and dedicating myself to and I chanced myself and ruined it. If I could have just held myself out and made it through that day I’m sure I could have made it through anything. I don’t know where to go from here. Has anyone here read the book twice? How did it go? I feel almost as if it’s too soon for me to try and quit again. I guess I just need some encouragement or advice. Sorry for the rant. I’m very proud of you all who were able to kick this toxic weed, but at this point I myself do not feel strong enough.

I was doing well then the craves became more at day 30 or so. I turned to sugar. I don't even like sweets. Now I feel like I crave that but past few days I am feeling a very strong urge to vape and have a drink. Like, it's really bad today.

We have a live discord chat running right now: https://discord.gg/3pYVykQHJG

We run 1-hour meetings at 10am and 5pm EST Mon-Fri. Can't wait to see you there!

Many people ask me how to quit smoking without experiencing cravings. They want to know what they should do, eat, or drink to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Let me tell you straight away, that’s impossible. You’re going to feel some symptoms; it’s just a matter of which ones, and this varies from person to person. No one can tell you exactly what you’ll go through.

Most people who ask these questions have never even tried to quit smoking. They’re so afraid of how they’ll feel that they never actually give it a real shot. Or they try once, feel the first symptom, and immediately decide they can't do it and light up a cigarette. That’s the voice of the coward within,I know because I was once that coward myself. I wanted to quit smoking but wasn’t willing to put in the effort, using the slightest discomfort as an excuse to light up again.

However you feel when you quit, remember one thing: you’re not going to die from this, you’re not going to go crazy, and no one is holding a gun to your head, forcing you to smoke. Whatever symptom you have, it won’t be as painful or terrifying as the illnesses smoking can cause. You have to understand that you’re stronger than any symptom, any restlessness, any craving.

Here’s what you can do to make it easier on yourself: replace a bad habit with a good one. Physical activity is essential, as well as proper nutrition, staying hydrated, and regular sleep. The second thing is that when you feel a symptom, don’t immediately reach for a cigarette like a coward. Instead, say, "Okay, let’s see what’s the worst that can happen," and in the meantime, go for a walk or engage in another activity. The third tip is to tell yourself, “No matter what happens in the next hour, I won’t light a cigarette.” By the time that hour passes, the craving will likely have faded. Lastly, don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself all day. Get up, move, do something – anything that will take your mind off smoking. If you just sit and mope, you won’t last, and you’ll end up lighting a cigarette.

Nothing changes if nothing changes, and only you have the power to change your habits and quit smoking. Hang in there, and you’ll see how beautiful life can be without cigarettes. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

I’m on day 16, physical and most mental withdrawals have gone and my persistent low mood has diminished somewhat; however I have an underlying anxiety that feels like imm missing something or whatever i’m going to do or done i have forgot something. Its really annoying cause its making me repeat over what i’ve done or need to do an UNNECESSARY amount of times. simple shit like packing my bag for work that i’ve done 100000000 times, i now have to imagine and visualise my morning routine in the morning multiple times to know i haven’t forgot something. To then do it an hour later cause i’m stressing that i’m still forgetting something.

FYI, I’ve never been like this, tbh more the polar opposite and overly relaxed about it.

Also I’ve broke many vaping habits where I used to always vape like waking up, walking to the bus, on my break etc etc. but one that seems to stick is my post gym vape, Its the only thing where i finish/go through an old habit and I still crave nicotine? Does anyone know why? It’s making me feel less rewarded after the gym.

But before you comment, yes i will still go gym cause i love the process and have gone 4-6 times a week for 4 years now. I’m just curious if theres a reason as to why this is the only habit that causes a craving. It wasn’t even a major one when I did vape. Waking up and hitting my vaping was the strongest habit by a country mile.

Hi all, I recently joined this community because I really want to quit. Here’s a little about my journey.

I started smoking at around 2015. I quit for 4 years then started back up again. I quit again in 2019 for 18 months. Fast for are to today I’m vaping and smoking cigarettes. I want to quit but when I do quit I feel like anything can set me off (make me angry). I work a job that requires a lot of patience. Im wanting to start today but I need to be prepared for what is going to come. How did you quit forever? Is it normal to get urges from time to time? Even years after?

I have not smoked a cigarette’s for a year now, I used vapes to quit which I now know was a bad idea! But I am ready to come away from them. I’ve been in a battle with myself for the past month on wanting to quit. I think i am ready to come away! I have slowly cut down on vapes. One can last me 2 days before dying (I use the disposable ones) … I’m looking for advice on what people did ti come away? Did you just go cold Turkey? Did you replace your habit for something else? Did you use any other nicotine replacement?

Please I don’t need to be reminded that I should had not used vapes to quit I am aware of this myself.

I just realized snus (nicotine pouch) meant so much for me. Now it’s gone i thought first day will be easy … it isn’t. Nicotine withdrawals shouldn’t affect me / anyone phisically although i feel pain. IT IS JUST HORRIBLE. I was using killa / velo for 3 years.

How did you quit?

I know it’s possible to quit but it’s way harder than quitting cigarettes (at least for me)