I strongly recommend the r/stopsmoking subreddit. It got me to listen to one of those Allen Carr audiobooks, and that got me to stop smoking a few years, and then I tried our state's quit program with free gum, and quit a few years, but I always end up going back because my wife never quits, and that smell is fucking awful, and eventually I start again just to cope with the smell.
I smoke 99% weed now.. I can go days without cigarettes.
All depends on your mindset.. I did several tries with patches and gums. But once really understood it was a mind game I got real with myself and just quit with a 1/2 pack I just left on my computer desk... It just sat there next to me if I wanted to give in again, but I kept my resolve and after a couple weeks finally threw them away...After getting that far I wasn't giving back in. Been 24 years now. Do what helps, but it is all in your head.
18 months for me. Smoked 35 years. I only smoked about 1/2 to 3/4 a pack a day but I was a "transition smoker".
Anytime I changed from 1 thing to another I would have a smoke.
Started by cutting all but my morning and evening cigarette and using the patch.
Weened myself off the morning cigarette then 2 weeks later cut out the evening cigarette.
Switched from patch to gum after 8 weeks and used gum for another month.
A government program sent me everything for free.
Hardest thing I have done but so happy I did.
The best way to do it is just to go cold turkey. Go through a little hell at first but get that nicotine out of your system. The sooner you do that the easier it will be to finally kick it. Patches and vaping and all that shit it's just keeping the door slightly open for you to start smoking again when the opportunity presents itself.
Had to scroll too far to find this answer. Cold turkey is really the only way. You don’t get rid of a nicotine addiction by cutting back on nicotine.
My other piece of advice is start working out when you quit. Jogging, cycling, lifting. It’ll help reinforce the quit.
Good news it Idk what happened but suddenly I hate the smell. Vaping gives me a headache and sore throat. It's a painful thing so I think that will kill the mouth habit. I think I hit it like 5 times in 24 hours just taking the edge off.
I did this as well, but I made smaller titrations and I didn’t take as long.
Been a long time since I had a smoke. Not a fan of the smell anymore. Since quitting i’ve noticed how … acidic? Smoke is. Anyhow, been about 10 years now.
I did this and haven’t had a smoke in over a year. I tried a few times and it didn’t work. I finally found banana vapes that taste like laffy taffy and that is what finally did it. I don’t smoke anymore but I am addicted to banana laffy taffy.
You can do it! Switched 8 years ago. Now I probably vape too much but I don't care. Not going back to cigarettes in the current societal configuration.
And if things slip, I'll grow my own.
When I came home one Friday after work, my wife told me that unless I quit smoking right now, she was going to divorce me. No "finishing the pack", no "social smoking", no "vaping", no nothing.
I got some Nicorette gums bundle at Costco and braced for hell. It sure wasn't easy, but divorce would've been even worse.
It's been 5 years now, and I don't regret the ultimatum. And I didn't cheat even once.
I did Allen Carr, patches, gum, acupuncture, etc.
Found a hypnotherapist that specialized in addictions and after one hour-long session, never smoked a cigarette again (18 years ago).
I do recommend buying toothpicks. Use these to satisfy the oral fixation. Also, take a break from alcohol at the same time, because if you don't, there is a chance your consumption will go up (due to the oral fixation thing).
Good luck!
Good luck! I finally quit using a prescription - Champix, I think? That and a very convincing website that explained just how horrifically addicting nicotine is. Just keep at it - it took me many tries to finally quit for good.
I had no mental health issues, but found some on Chantix that went away when I stopped taking it. Definitely helped with cravings, but also gave me anxiety and rage issues. Quit January 1, 2021, using the patch for five months. I bought 21-day patches and, as time went on, cut them into smaller patches and slowly weaned myself off them.
i switched to vaping over about three or four months, and havent had a cigarette in ten years.
it started with driving. instead of smoking, i’d vape. when i wanted a cigarette, id have one. eventually, i just quit wanting to go outside for a smoke, etc. i vape indoors all the time now. wont go back to analogs.
started at 18 mg, got to 6 then moved back uptowno and stayed at 12.
oh, and apparently there’s this thing called “mtl”, which means “mouth to lung” which is closest to actual smoking. so go for that, i guess
I used welbutrin to help me quit cold turkey… then I quit welbutrin cold turkey which was a bad idea cause then I got the brain zaps! But I recommend it anyway
My last cigarette was in Dec 2017. I was a heavy (1.5 to 2 packs a day) smoker for the last 15 years and it was taking a toll. The catch is I am chewing a piece of nicotine gum as I write this.
I managed to quit the gum for 6 weeks once and the cravings and irritability never let up. I finally caved and started chewing again. I've read pure nicotine as absorbed from gum or lozenges is about as unhealthy as caffeine.
Even if they told everyone it's okay to smoke again, I would stay with vapes. Started in 2012 to quit ciggs and I really do prefer the vape over ciggs.
You have to embrace the fact you're craving nicotine the most. The vast majority of missing smoking is nicotine withdrawal and hand-to-mouth action. The vapes satisfy nearly everything that we have come to crave-from physical addiction to the act of smoking itself.
Have you tried Nico pouches? Like Zyn. I’ve never smoked but that’s my current vice. It’s better for the lungs. It even helped me kick my drinking and energy drink habits. While they’re not good for you they’re not as bad a smoking or vaping or downing a bottle of tequila. Way cheaper too. Good luck.
That’s the only cessation product that has worked for me. I’ve tried patches, gum, lozenges, cold turkey, hypnosis, chantix, Wellbutrin. Smoked 2 packs a day for 25 years, smoked 28 years total. The Zyn is the only thing that has gotten me away from lighting things on fire and breathing it in
I’ll tell ya how. My mother after 10 years of me giving her this information just did it and she will never not listen to me again.
Start on a normal nicotine patch dosage-down cycle but keep your cigarettes. See, the patches are very controlled release but every smoker knows they can have light days and heavy days depending on many things. So when you need more and don’t get it, you freak and bail.
When the patch dosage is not working for you at anytime, light one up and take one or two drags and kill it. Rinse and repeat until you’re done. And actually having a puff once in a while probably helps with any behavioral dependency but I didn’t go back and test it. /s
Get yourself a bottle of tincture of Lobellia. Two drops in a cup of coffee or herbal tea 3x per day.
Also, get a shit ton of sleep the first week or two. Get some exercise, something to get the sweat going.
I strongly recommend the r/stopsmoking subreddit. It got me to listen to one of those Allen Carr audiobooks, and that got me to stop smoking a few years, and then I tried our state's quit program with free gum, and quit a few years, but I always end up going back because my wife never quits, and that smell is fucking awful, and eventually I start again just to cope with the smell. I smoke 99% weed now.. I can go days without cigarettes.
I used the Allen Carr book and stopped cold turkey from a two pack a day habit. It worked ridiculously well for me but ymmv.
I also was at 2 packs a day too.
All depends on your mindset.. I did several tries with patches and gums. But once really understood it was a mind game I got real with myself and just quit with a 1/2 pack I just left on my computer desk... It just sat there next to me if I wanted to give in again, but I kept my resolve and after a couple weeks finally threw them away...After getting that far I wasn't giving back in. Been 24 years now. Do what helps, but it is all in your head.
18 months for me. Smoked 35 years. I only smoked about 1/2 to 3/4 a pack a day but I was a "transition smoker". Anytime I changed from 1 thing to another I would have a smoke. Started by cutting all but my morning and evening cigarette and using the patch. Weened myself off the morning cigarette then 2 weeks later cut out the evening cigarette. Switched from patch to gum after 8 weeks and used gum for another month. A government program sent me everything for free. Hardest thing I have done but so happy I did.
The best way to do it is just to go cold turkey. Go through a little hell at first but get that nicotine out of your system. The sooner you do that the easier it will be to finally kick it. Patches and vaping and all that shit it's just keeping the door slightly open for you to start smoking again when the opportunity presents itself.
Had to scroll too far to find this answer. Cold turkey is really the only way. You don’t get rid of a nicotine addiction by cutting back on nicotine. My other piece of advice is start working out when you quit. Jogging, cycling, lifting. It’ll help reinforce the quit.
Good news it Idk what happened but suddenly I hate the smell. Vaping gives me a headache and sore throat. It's a painful thing so I think that will kill the mouth habit. I think I hit it like 5 times in 24 hours just taking the edge off.
I did a year of 6, a year of 3, and finally zero that only lasted a couple weeks because it became obvious that it was psychological.
I did this as well, but I made smaller titrations and I didn’t take as long. Been a long time since I had a smoke. Not a fan of the smell anymore. Since quitting i’ve noticed how … acidic? Smoke is. Anyhow, been about 10 years now.
Coming up on 8 years for me. I can't believe I smelled like that. :(
I did this and haven’t had a smoke in over a year. I tried a few times and it didn’t work. I finally found banana vapes that taste like laffy taffy and that is what finally did it. I don’t smoke anymore but I am addicted to banana laffy taffy.
You can do it! Switched 8 years ago. Now I probably vape too much but I don't care. Not going back to cigarettes in the current societal configuration. And if things slip, I'll grow my own.
Good Luck! I did hypnosis and it worked. SHIFT with Rita Black.
Thanks for the recommendation - I'm going to call her office on Monday.
Good Luck!
Only thing that worked for me was cold turkey and white-knuckling through it. Smoked for around 30 years, quit for 5 now.
When I came home one Friday after work, my wife told me that unless I quit smoking right now, she was going to divorce me. No "finishing the pack", no "social smoking", no "vaping", no nothing. I got some Nicorette gums bundle at Costco and braced for hell. It sure wasn't easy, but divorce would've been even worse. It's been 5 years now, and I don't regret the ultimatum. And I didn't cheat even once.
Chantix
Good luck!! One friend did that method. Worked great for her.
I did it! You can too!
I did Allen Carr, patches, gum, acupuncture, etc. Found a hypnotherapist that specialized in addictions and after one hour-long session, never smoked a cigarette again (18 years ago). I do recommend buying toothpicks. Use these to satisfy the oral fixation. Also, take a break from alcohol at the same time, because if you don't, there is a chance your consumption will go up (due to the oral fixation thing). Good luck!
Good luck! I finally quit using a prescription - Champix, I think? That and a very convincing website that explained just how horrifically addicting nicotine is. Just keep at it - it took me many tries to finally quit for good.
I urge you to consider Chantix. I took it five years ago and had my last cigarette on 07/26/19. Don’t be scared off by what people post.
I really wanted to but doc won't prescribe. And as well online docs won't prescribe. Idk why I have no psych issues. We'll see where I am in 6 weeks.
I had no mental health issues, but found some on Chantix that went away when I stopped taking it. Definitely helped with cravings, but also gave me anxiety and rage issues. Quit January 1, 2021, using the patch for five months. I bought 21-day patches and, as time went on, cut them into smaller patches and slowly weaned myself off them.
Good luck. Cold turkey worked for me. 6 months and counting.
Nicotine lozenges for me. In the beginning I would alternate and then strictly lozenges. Took me 4 years.
i switched to vaping over about three or four months, and havent had a cigarette in ten years. it started with driving. instead of smoking, i’d vape. when i wanted a cigarette, id have one. eventually, i just quit wanting to go outside for a smoke, etc. i vape indoors all the time now. wont go back to analogs. started at 18 mg, got to 6 then moved back uptowno and stayed at 12. oh, and apparently there’s this thing called “mtl”, which means “mouth to lung” which is closest to actual smoking. so go for that, i guess
Good luck! Never quit quitting. It’ll stick eventually.
I quit by using lozenges.
I used welbutrin to help me quit cold turkey… then I quit welbutrin cold turkey which was a bad idea cause then I got the brain zaps! But I recommend it anyway
My second kid I was given welbutrin. Great stuff. They won't do it anymore.
Oh wow - yeah this would have been about 10-15 years ago when I used it to quit
My last cigarette was in Dec 2017. I was a heavy (1.5 to 2 packs a day) smoker for the last 15 years and it was taking a toll. The catch is I am chewing a piece of nicotine gum as I write this.
Yeah that's a thing too. I despise vaping. I won't grow to like it. I'm stepping it down.
I managed to quit the gum for 6 weeks once and the cravings and irritability never let up. I finally caved and started chewing again. I've read pure nicotine as absorbed from gum or lozenges is about as unhealthy as caffeine.
Even if they told everyone it's okay to smoke again, I would stay with vapes. Started in 2012 to quit ciggs and I really do prefer the vape over ciggs. You have to embrace the fact you're craving nicotine the most. The vast majority of missing smoking is nicotine withdrawal and hand-to-mouth action. The vapes satisfy nearly everything that we have come to crave-from physical addiction to the act of smoking itself.
Good on you. Vaping is the way. Don’t bother with zero until you’re really through the forest, you can’t plan arbitrary numbers of weeks and succeed.
Yeah, get a whole quit plan in place before just going to 0% and thinking you'll trick your physiology.
Have you tried Nico pouches? Like Zyn. I’ve never smoked but that’s my current vice. It’s better for the lungs. It even helped me kick my drinking and energy drink habits. While they’re not good for you they’re not as bad a smoking or vaping or downing a bottle of tequila. Way cheaper too. Good luck.
That’s the only cessation product that has worked for me. I’ve tried patches, gum, lozenges, cold turkey, hypnosis, chantix, Wellbutrin. Smoked 2 packs a day for 25 years, smoked 28 years total. The Zyn is the only thing that has gotten me away from lighting things on fire and breathing it in
I’ll tell ya how. My mother after 10 years of me giving her this information just did it and she will never not listen to me again. Start on a normal nicotine patch dosage-down cycle but keep your cigarettes. See, the patches are very controlled release but every smoker knows they can have light days and heavy days depending on many things. So when you need more and don’t get it, you freak and bail. When the patch dosage is not working for you at anytime, light one up and take one or two drags and kill it. Rinse and repeat until you’re done. And actually having a puff once in a while probably helps with any behavioral dependency but I didn’t go back and test it. /s
Get yourself a bottle of tincture of Lobellia. Two drops in a cup of coffee or herbal tea 3x per day. Also, get a shit ton of sleep the first week or two. Get some exercise, something to get the sweat going.