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Hi all, I hope everyone is well.

I am on day 17 of quitting smoking/nicotine and have the standard withdrawals (sweating, insomnia) but my brain fog may be the worst of the withdrawals.
Can you please share your experience with brain fog and when it lifted for you?

Thanks everyone

Just quit for the third time yesterday, this time using the patch and honestly I think it is the best of everything out there. The first time, I used the gum but still had urges to deal with. I had quit for three months but having a truck accident, I used that as an excuse to start back up. The second time was a month ago and got that spray that goes in your mouth. It always landed on my tongue, needless to say it didn't work. This time, I'm using the patch and so far no urge to smoke. I feel very confident this time that this is it. Just letting people know. Cheers,

John

I’m down to only a few cigarettes per day. Maybe three. I no longer smoke in the morning. Haven’t craved one after waking up and refuse to drink my coffee outside.

My cravings are shrinking. I just don’t think about smoking as much. I no longer need one when leaving a store or eating a meal. Such a great feeling.

Off to a great start, but need to get that number down to zero!! I’m not there yet, but so close.

Today is my DAYY!

6 hours with out a cig!

Used this last night, seemed to help more than I ever thought it would https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbC0j53q4Gk

Hi everyone. I have a partner who smokes. She vaped when we first started dating, but is now back to cigarettes.

The cigarettes are probably the biggest source of tension in our relationship due to the sensory overwhelm of the smell and my fear of losing her the way I lost my grandma. We used to be much more physically affectionate, and due to the smell I just can't do it as much, and when I do I have to keep my head turned away from her face. Even when she brushes her teeth, there's still a strange rotting metallic smell. And the smell is in the house, even though she doesn't smoke inside, and it makes it hard to be home sometimes. But at the end of the day, the smell is an emotionally charged reminder -- she is my world, and I want many years with her, and I feel such ire toward those addictive stinky shitsticks robbing me of years spent with her. A long life with her is my motivation for losing weight myself - down almost 20 pounds!

She's tried quitting cold turkey before, but we live across the street from a corner store, so the second the cravings get too bad or a stressor arises she gets more cigarettes. Right now I think she's working through a program where she smokes one less cigarette a day each week. If she quits, I made a deal with her that I'd buy her a fun gift of her choice. I have no idea how it's going though and whether she's stuck to it.

I'm wondering how I can check in to offer accountability and support without adding additional stress. I'm always worried about me adding additional stress and then hindering her efforts to quit. We both struggle with ADHD and depression, which I think can make things harder on both of us for different reasons -- the cigarettes are a source of dopamine for her, a source of overstimulation for me. But I try to appear very emotionally neutral when it comes to her smoking because I don't think shame tends to help anything, and I'm worried if we get into it I'll show what a barrier this is for me and it'll make things worse. I just try to seem like "it's okay, it's no big deal" when she's smoking, but I've also tried to offer support like "Hey I can go pick up vape juice for you anytime, just let me know." Same with nicotine gum, patches, anything. I will do and buy anything to support her in this if it means the cigarettes will eventually be out of the house for good. If that means being very chill about it for a few months while she works through this program, I can and have been doing that, but I'm wondering if it is actually helpful for me to make it clear how this has been impacting our relationship. The reality is that if the cigarettes are here to stay, then I can't be. I watched my grandmother die a slow, gruesome death over the course of six months of my childhood and I don't think I can do that again. But I don't know if her knowing this will help anything, so I don't say it.

Former smokers -- what role did your partners play in helping you quit? What was helpful, and what wasn't? Did knowing their desire for you to quit help you quit, or add unnecessary pressure that made things harder? What can I do? What shouldn't I do? Should I check in about the program? Maybe if I know the different milestones and how it's going, we can incorporate little celebrations and rewards.

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. And best of luck to all of you in your quitting journeys!

i am going to quit because ____

for me it was health and living up to my higher self!

how about you??

I relapsed again, and kept hitting my vape for the past week impulsively somehow, it creeped up on me and now my addiction is stronger than ever . I didnt even know I had a problem until today when I needed to go outside to run some errands and everything felt so foggy and off like I was watching life from spectator mode, I can only describe it by: HORRIBLE. I used to get a buzz a long time ago but now it seems like I need nicotine, I need it to not feel insane. The realization makes my skin shiver, now that I'm hitting my vape I still feel empty but somehow more normal. This is hell, nicotine is a hell of a drug. I need to do it all over again, go through the withdrawals, feel like im getting cucked, tbh it feels easier to keep on vaping, but I know deep down I need to quit, i'm back at square one...

Been smoking a pack a day for 15+ years and thinking of switching to vape first. I tried quitting cold turkey before but unfortunately never succeeded.

For those who switched from cigs to vape, was it very hard? Did you notice any positive impacts?

Title

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

As the title says , this is my first time considering to quit smoking ciggaretes and I'm going for it also. I touched last one around 30 hours ago and yeah , it's rough not gonna lie. The crave is there and I'm just trying to keep myself busy working at the house and trying to do things to keep my mind busy , in considering to try nicotine chewing gums to try and tame my craving a little at least. Has anyone here tried them and felt like its helping and can give me some advice or should I stay away from them ? Thank you guys and good luck to everyone there trying to quit smoking , I feel how hard this bitch really is..

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.

Hey everyone. I’m looking for start my quit on Wednesday with a couple of people. Are there any apps that allow for collaboration with people (3 people) so we can keep each other honest. I’m really just looking for something like a check-in feature that we can see for each other. Obviously it’s every individuals responsibility, but I think it would be helpful to keep each other accountable.

I did not smoke for last 2.5 months until last Saturday. On Saturday, I bought a pack and smoked 2-3 cigarettes, felt guilty and I wasted all the cigarettes.

Next day , Sunday I met with a friend who was smoking and I smoked 2-3 cigarettes again with him.

I hated the taste and I was not even able to get the same buzz that I used to get and even it was difficult for me to inhale because of the taste. (maybe it was because a different brand)

Now today, I have been having cravings since morning and I am thinking to buy a pack of the brand that i used to smoke before quitting again. I know a single cigarette will lead to many more but I don't have the energy now to fight those cravings again and I am feeling very emotional that I will have to go through all this again.

I am 60 years , several attempts to quit and starting again. When my wife is not around I smoke. When she is I don’t. Sometimes several days or only one a day. She told me everything she does is pointless when I keep on smoking. She wants to quit her job and side thing she is making money with. We are financial independent, we work for fun or luxery. The pressure she is giving me has the opposite effect . What can I do to calm this down??.. of course I know quitting is the answer but my addiction keeps on pushing as soon I am alone .

Thanks for the open feedback. You are right . I need to change my point of view and stop. Will make the decision within a couple of days.

I'd just like to know that I'm not alone in this. Everytime someone says cravings go away after a few minutes I start wondering if I'm screwed with cursed genetics or something. Because that's absolutely not been my experience.

After maybe 8 hours (it varies) I get cravings that just slowly build up where I get more and more agitated. I'll find myself pacing around, catch myself muttering random crap, elevated heart rate, and being twitchy. My brain just won't shut about smoking and this continues to escalate until I'm not thinking straight anymore and cave in. Longest I've lasted like this is maybe 3 or 4 hours trying to distract myself.

I suspect its psychological but its not like I can just turn it off. I've tried just about everything to deal with this with no success walks, shower, working out, brushing teeth, video games, tv, alcohol, caffeine, water, etc.

Advice wouldn't hurt but I'd also just like to know I'm not the only person that gets cravings like that.

Hello everyone! I wanted to discuss something with everyone today. For those that don't know me, I am a clinical hypnotherapist and ex (734 days) smoker. Quitting with the help of a hypnotherapist was one of the things that fascinated me and pushed me to become one myself. Hypnotherapist is not swinging pocket watches, etc. It is evidence-based, safe and effective enough the many insurance companies have begun at least partially covering it.

That said, my work with smoking cessation is based upon my own journey. It is one of the few services that I offer a purpose driven package for; it includes something many programs don't offer: Accountability. Many times, when we slip, it is because we lose sight. We struggle and lose sight; no one is there to hold us accountable. I needed someone to touch base with me, to encourage me and keep me on track when I felt uncertain. Though effective and rapid, hypnotherapy is rarely an instant solution.

Based upon my program, my personal experience and my work, I would like to offer everyone a couple pieces of insight in the hope that someone reads something they've been needing to hear:

​

1. Quit for you: And you alone. This is not selfish, at least not unhealthily so. What it means is that your choice must be for you. You cannot force someone to quit, and another person cannot, long term, get you to quit. The desire to stop must, at its core, be your own. Not your wife, your boss or even your kids. You started for you, and you have to stop for you too.

2. Perfection is unrealistic: We all slip. The important thing is that when and is we slip, we recover without shame or guilt and continue forward. One mistake doesn't ruin anything, nor should it lessen your pride in the wonderful thing you are doing.

3. Growth can't be rushed: Many believe we are responsible for our growth, and this isn't actually true. Consider a farmer growing his crops... does he grow them? No. He tends the soil and the earth, feeds his crops and ensures, to the best of his ability, that the crops have ideal conditions to grow. Sometimes outside factors can hard or help those conditions and much like that farmer, you can only tend to your own soil and grow.

4. Why did you start: Understanding why you began smoking is very helpful in the process. Not in terms of the literal event, but rather the association and when. For example, associating cigarettes with acceptance, a loved one, etc... the list really goes on. It's very important to figure out what inside of yourself that you are soothing with this habit so that you don't leave it unchecked and the space open for anything.

You all got this. I have all the faith in each in every one of you that you can do this if you truly want to. With my help, without it or with someone else's... I know you can. I did; I see people free of the habit for the first time so often than I can say that with confidence.

To any of my fellow quitters out there that made it through another day I say congratulations and I'm so happy for you. Keep being a good example for those that are struggling like me. If like me you are struggling today and you broke and had a smoke or two, please don't feel like a failure or like you just can't do it. Lighting up a couple does not need to be an excuse to chain smoke a pack and declare you just can't do it. Please don't go right back to that horrible old habit and keep trying. Realize that even if you didn't make it through all of today that you did make it through some of the day. We're humans and need to allow ourselves the grace to fall a little short of our goal and keep trying for better.

I joined a “ quit for life” program through work where you pick a quit date, have a quit coach. They supply you with patches and basic support and encouragement during the process. I recently had major lung surgery where my pleura (protective lining around the lungs) was removed. It wasn’t directly smoking related it was RSV to pneumonia, I was seriously at deaths door as the bacteria was resistant to antibiotics. Had 4 surgeries in 3 weeks and was in ICU for a month.

That was a month without smoking but as soon as I got out of the hospital I smoked. I tend to smoke like it’s not bad for you but know I have true medical issues that are motivating me.

Anyway, anyone try these quit for life. I’ll use patches etc at the start, I know some are against nicotine replacement therapy but my goal for now is to stop inhaling burnt plant matter. 

whether it’s cigarettes, a joint, blunts, vapes, shisha, roll-ups, pipe. I love to smoke. I love it. There is no replacement for inhaling something and blowing it out. So my previous attempts of “just drink water” or “exercise” obviously won’t stop me (personally) from smoking again because it’s not the same thing.

I accept that it’s just going to be a bitch and that’s that. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, sorry brain you’re just going to have to spiral in your own shit for a few days. No substitute because nothing compares. And you know what? I trust it will get easier. It’s not meant to be easy otherwise everyone would be doing it right. So whatever. No fun here I come.

Hi everyone,

I have been smoking for around 7-8 years now. Tobacco and marijuana mixed is my thing. I am coughing up some crazy stuff and just really need to stop. I’ve tried so many times before and I keep failing so I thought I’d try this new approach. Just looking for some support, motivation, encouragement, really anything. Hard for me to stick to my word and hold myself accountable but really want to do this for myself.

I smoke just about every hour of the day and a little less during work, so almost a pack a day. But I’m getting so tired of it and hate the feeling and the taste.

I can’t get past the cravings tho. When I finish a cig I tell myself I hate it and I don’t want another. But then a half hour goes by and I can’t wait for my next one.

How do I get past those cravings?

For the most part quitting smoking was one of the best decisions I made. Im 26 and smoked for 7 years, its been about a month nicotine free and two months vape/smoke free (used those little nicotine mints for a month) My question to you all is when am I going to stop feeling so fricken anxious waking up in the morning ? Until mid day I wake up feeling completely panicked. Any advice ?