any piece of advice is welcome
P.S. Thanks to all the people that have taken their time to help me (and not just me, but others as well). It is much appreciated, and, from what I‘ve read, the „cold turkey“ method seems the most appealing to me. I‘ll quit smoking today, on the 7th of November 2024.
One day at a time. Every time you want a cigarette but don’t give in, you have built strength. Use that strength to better resist the next urge. Really internalize that what you are doing is strong and powerful. Each victory accumulates and supports those to come.
thanks ^^
I read Allen Carr’s book “easy way to quit smoking without willpower” and took a drug called Chantix (prescription drug here in Sweden and my first doctor didn’t want to prescribe it because all I needed was willpower according to him). The book helped with the habits, the drug removed the cravings and I’ve been cigarette free since then. It was my third or fourth attempt, and it was BY FAR the easiest. Ignore everyone telling you to quit cold turkey, to have willpower or whatever else, and get Champix prescribed to you.
might consider that, thank you
Nothing worked for me until Covid came and I’ve stopped seeing my friends who smoked. Best of luck on your endeavour!
Two ways.
- Get a crutch and pretend you quit.
This can either be vaping, snus, nicotine pouches, the patch, anything.
- Cold Turkey
Quitting one morning by just never smoking that day.
That’s all I know.
my accidental 2 step program: 1: switch to these “heets” and the “iqos” and smoking no normal cigs. 2: when i got sick and wanted to smoke i couldnt stand the taste of these things without vomiting. They basically ruined tobacco for me, i never touched a cigarette after that and i stopped smoking one and a half year ago :)
Getting healthy is a personal journey. What works for some will not work for others. I hope you find your way.
As for how I quit tobacco cold turkey:
Every day, I would delay the first cigarette as long as I could. There was no limits to my smoking. There was no rules. Just me doing my best. No putting myself down for sparking one up, no goals to disappoint myself by missing.
Slowly over the course of months I got later and later in the day on average. Till one day I forgot to have one. Did I have a smoke the next day? You bet I did.
But eventually I made it a couple days. Then once I got past a couple days I tried to push for a week. Once you get past two weeks the cravings really dropped. It eventually become a “when I drink” thing. And then I abstained from alcohol to help that along.
I still drink, but I don’t smoke (tobacco). It’s been years since I actively smoked, although two years ago I did slip up when i was drunk tubing down a river and bummed like 5 cig from a friend who had a couple packs. It was a really good day. Next day, I didn’t want to keep smoking. I felt really strong to be able to smoke some cigs and just drop it. Haven’t smoked (tobacco) since then.
I’m going to tell you what worked for me. There’s a very good chance you’ll hate it and I will get flak.
Cold Turkey.
You physically stop yourself from purchasing cigarettes and not ask for them in social situations. You make a line in the sand and never cross that point again.
Cold turkey worked for me. Took me 4 attempts. I wasn’t hard on myself for failure, I noted what happened (emotional trauma, stress, alcohol) and prepared myself for the next attempt.
I wanted to quit, so when I relapsed it’s not because I wanted to smoke but because those little cancer stick bastards were trying hardest to kill me. But if they were going to be tough, I could be tougher. I found it easier when I could see the cigs as my enemy.
Honestly, this is it. You have to want it, and you just have to do it. You’ll feel “sick” for a while but you just have to muscle that out.
I know it’s easier said than done, but it really is that simple. Just stop.
This is also the only thing that worked for me
This and a case of pneumonia for me. Grabbed my remaining cigs and vape accessories and threw them all away. Not one puff since.
I did the same and can confirm it worked. First two weeks will be the worst, then it’ll be easier. Just be stuborn and aware that your will is stronger then a habit and that it doesn’t have power over you. The urge to smoke will remain but at that point you need to be aware that even if you’re convinced you want a smoke, it will taste really terrible when you actually do it and you will regret you broke your streak of non-smoking days.
I do confirm that cigarettes taste awful now.
Cold Turkey. Yes. That’s exactly what I did, in 2014, after 20 years of smoking, and it works. You must decide, absolutely, NEVER AGAIN. Not even a brush close to smoking again. After a week, it was easier. After a month, it was a new way of life, and a much better one. You’ll see.
Cold turkey worked for me. But it wasn’t this big thing. One day I didn’t want to go to the gas station to get more and that turned into, how long could I go? And now I smoke once a year on my friends birthday and HATE the taste.
Same for me. I quit, but I didn’t change the things I did in order to quit. I still went to the same bar with the same friends and hung out with them outside while they smoked. It sucked, but kept getting easier.
The one thing I did do was buy an ozone generator and used it to get rid of the smoke smell in my cars and the house. Everything seemed cleaner.
3 years later, I still always want to smoke. I just don’t.
I quit by switching to vaping and then working the nicotine level down to nothing and then quitting that. Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck (and stick with it!)
Same here. Fuck the naysayers who say cold turkey or nothing. Do what works for you.
For OP: One caveat to the vape plan is you’ll likely need to get a vape that’s refillable so you can customize the nicotine level. Juul/vuse/disposables typically only come in one, or at best, 2 nicotine levels, which prevents effective tapering.
Also, don’t fall into the trap of vaping places you wouldn’t have smoked (e.g. in your house/car). That can increase your nicotine dependency.
Good luck!
thank you
If you don’t have the willpower or don’t really want to, you will fail. It’s nearly all willpower.
*Crys in depression which fuels smoking more
Ahh, poor Crys
I switched to a vape and progressively got lower nicotine amounts until I was at 0 and then stopping was easy.
Same. I just kept diluting the liquid with 0% nicotine until, months later, I realized I didn’t even want to vape any more.
I think I bought 1 bottle at 0% and decided I’d rather have the money.
Yes. This worked for me as well. Smoked a pack or more a day for 14 years, within a year I just put the vape down. 10 year anniversary of last cig coming up!
Here’s my advice on how to really and actually quit: make the decision to quit, and keep making that decision. Every time you feel yourself thinking “just one more…” remake that decision to quit. This was the only way I was successful. Keep making that decision and keep reminding yourself about your decision. You can do it.
great advice, thank you
The way I implemented this strategy was to make sure I had a single cigarette and lighter on me at all times. I named the cigarette, which psychologically helped prevent me from smoking it. I stuck that out for a few months until a friend smoked it in desperation. At that point I felt confident I’d quit because I wanted to, not because of random circumstance.
Hmm… That‘s an interesting way of quitting smoking. Thanks for sharing.
Regular re-affirmation. Yes
You have to want to stop. I smoked 13 years, stopped several times, but the final real stopping was not that hard.
What also worked quite well for me as a crutch were nicotine free cigarettes. I decided I’d smoke as many of those as I wanted. Started with 20 at the first day and it slowly reduced by itself over time, till at one point o completly stopped without even realizing it.
Say what. I feel like I’m addicted to the feeling of smoke being inhaled. Vapes reck me and I can’t stop coughing.
What are these things you speak of
Oh, apparently they are called herbal cigarettes. Consist off some non tobacco leafs. Here in Germany they are sold in pharmacies.
My grandma quit using a program that basically attempted to break your habits.
She did things like:
-if you normally have a smoke break at noon, wait til 12:30. Tomorrow do it at 11:30 instead
-If you normally use a lighter, switch to matches, tomorrow use a lighter.
-On Monday, Wednesday,Friday switch to a different brand of cigarettes … next week go the opposite days.
-Smoke, but every other drag put a pen in your mouth instead.
-Only allow yourself to smoke half a cigarette and then chew a stick of gum for the rest of the time you would normally smoke
-Alternate smoke breaks between smoking and chewing nicotine gum or using the patch (I don’t think she used the patch so I’m guessing on that one).
And just a lot of things like that that didn’t specifically stop you from smoking, but attempted to stop it being a mindless thing that you just do on reflex without much thought and made it so before lighting up she’d have to think about what the current rules are … at a certain point, the habit has been broken and you don’t seek it… it worked great for her. Was a 6 month or so process and then she never went back once she finished her last pack.
There was a whole program around it with those types of rules and things you’d do and time restrictions on certain days and stuff … sorry, she passed a few years back and I can’t ask her the name of the program.
Good luck! Just remember that even if you lapse, any length of time that you’re able to smoke less or stop smoking all improve your overall health! Even if you have a setback, any time that you stop is still a win!
bvahahahahajaahdas
IRL social network is a major factor.
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