Aug 29, 2022 So, I've been a smoker for the past 10 years. But it's getting worse and worse. I'm smoking close to 2 packs of cigarettes every day. I'm 35 and think there's still time to quit and in time recover my lungs capacity. I've tried before, but after a day or two I just give up. Also I don't want to trade the habit of smoking for eating. I'm a slim guy (1.75cm, 65kg) and I wouldn't want to start getting fat in order to combat the anxiety that comes with not smoking. I'd like some suggestions from those of you who have been smokers and been able to quit.
Aug 29, 2022 Don't use any quit aid like nicotine gum, vape, or patches. You're just setting yourself up for failure by putting the same substance you're trying to quit back in your body. Cold turkey all the way. Stay away from triggers like alcohol or places/people who you usually smoke around for at least 3 weeks. Drink a s--- load of water. Don't try to make any other big changes like diet or exercise until you're over smoking, but at the same time try to keep busy doing things where smoking isn't allowed. It only takes 3 days to get rid of nicotine from your body, after that it's all mental. You'll still get cravings, especially the first 3 weeks but they slowly go away until you get to a point where you don't even think of them again. Download one of those quit smoking apps that gives you a timeline of the changes you'll go through
Aug 29, 2022 Never smoked but from what I heard from people that did... just quit. Not smoke less, or look for replacements. Just quit all the way
Aug 29, 2022 Yeah I know, but I've always been like this. I do work out and all though. Thanks everybody. I'll try.
Aug 29, 2022 I was in the same boat as you years ago. 20-30 a day, for 15+ years of my life. One day I switched to vaping (this is nearly 10 years ago now - wow). But I purposefully smoked the strongest dosage of nicotine and only smoked tabacco flavour. I done this for 2-3 years and every 3-6 months I'd knock down the nicotine strength. I went from 24mg (too strong, gave me headaches) to 18mg within the first few weeks 18mg to 12mg about 6 months later 12mg to 6mg about 6 months later 6mg to 3mg (mixed 0 and 6mg together) about 3 months later Switched to 0mg about 3 months later Then 3 months later and until I felt ready to give it up entirely, I started playing around with different flavours. By the time I got to 3 month gaps in changes instead of 6 I knew the path I was on and it was easy. When I first changed dosage I'd be "smoking" like crazy for the first week or so but eventually my body got used to it. This journey is probably one of,.if not THE proudest moment of my life. Took will powerful, yes. But initially I didn't do it to quit. My mindset was to switch from cigs to vape - I genuinely had no intention of quitting. I'm a firm believer in the "marginal gain" mindset. Have an overall goal but measure it in small, fairly insignificant changes over time. Works every time.
Aug 29, 2022 Btw, I think it was March 2013 I smoked my last ever cigarette and some time in 2015 I would've been completely off everything vape wise. My trigger wasn't health though, it was money. I'd spent 2 years in a row on vacation to Mexico and 2 years of twice yearly visits to Poland so I was buying cigarettes at crazy-cheap prices. When that supply ran out and had to go from "spending" £2 on a pack to spending £10 on a pack I was like "nah, f--- this s---. I can't afford this". That was the main reason to switch to vaping - it was cheap.
Aug 29, 2022 If you couldn't go more than 2 days without smoking, that's a clue that you don't truly want to quit yet. You might insist that you want to quit, but it's probably more accurate to say you've only come around to the conclusion that quitting is something you ought to want to do. That's by no means insignificant, but at this intermediate stage advice on how to quit for people who actually want to quit won't be of much use to you. Sorry to say, but you don't have free will. Nobody does. That is to say, your will is not free from causality, and odds are being advised to "just go cold turkey" won't be enough to cause you to suddenly want to quit smoking after all those years. What you need right now is incentive to quit. Try combatting anxiety with anxiety, ideally by turning yourself off to the idea of smoking to the point of dread and disgust. To that end, plunging headlong into the Dr. Google rabbit hole of bad news and horror stories could do you more good than harm in the long term. The list of health risks associated with habitual smoking is almost endless, and some may surprise you. You'll feel like a piece of s--- after learning about all the havoc you've wrought on your body, and the anxiety from this alone might k--- you, but it may be just what you need.
Aug 29, 2022 @icecube Thank you for taking the time to explain to me how you've managed to quit, step by step. Very detailed. I've never payed much attention to vapes but I'm going to start looking for one. @BigBoy2 Thank you too. I appreciate it. You might be right. Although there are days I feel sick of it. The smell on my clothes and my skin (no amount of perfume can get rid of that horrible smell), days I have tremendous headaches after smoking so much. And then, there are days when I don't even think about it, I just light one after the other. I have no other addictions. I've smoked weed hundreds of times but never had any problem with it. In fact I haven't smoked weed in about 5 months. I only drink alcohol when I'm with friends or at parties. Never when I'm alone. So this seems to be that thing I can't seem to walk away from and it makes me feel like an idiot. There are only 2 or 3 people who smoke cigarettes in my circle of friends (about 20, counting both males and females) which makes me feel even more of an a------. Thank you both!
Aug 29, 2022 eh I tried quitting by replacing it with vaping. It's not the same as smoking a cig so you don't treat it like one and keep hitting it, getting more nicotine then you normally would. Vaping also wasn't the same "reward" for me, so after trying it for awhile I went back to cigs and was smoking way more due to the tolerance I got from vaping. While it might be better for your then cigs, you're still addicted and honestly look like a bigger loser (although less smelly) It makes you so mentally weak having to plan things around when and where you'll be able to take a smoke break. If you're serious about quitting pick a start date and finish your last pack before that day and then quit. Set a goal of 3 weeks. If you can make it that far you're already done with the hard part. The rest is just getting over the queues of when you would usually have one, like after food, a drink, waking up, etc
Aug 29, 2022 Thanks. My problem is I have A LOT of free time. It's not like I'm inside of an office all day so I can't smoke. No. I can smoke whenever I want to, as much as I want to. I have no limitations. So I could set a date, like "OK, Monday next week I'll quit". But then, with all that free time between my hands, I just think about it more and more until I end up buying another pack. This is exactly why last time I tried to quit, it didn't last. And you will probably say "try to find something to do to keep your busy", yeah I know. But it's not that easy. Honestly. I'm f-----.
Aug 29, 2022 My advice differs from a lot of the replies here, but what I'd say is don't make your only goal to be sober as that's just pretty much prohibition and will make quitting any vice or drug x10 more miserable. Focus on improving your life and make quitting smoking a part of that plan, start exercising and work towards achieving goals that will better the quality of your life. You can start slowly and small with these things, especially depending on how you're feeling while withdrawing from the nicotine, but incremental improvement will get you further than you can believe in no time.
Aug 29, 2022 yeah I mean you have to want to do it...it sucks but once you're over it you're good. Should read this in the meantime https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155
Aug 30, 2022 I think with quitting any addiction/bad habit, this is def a key moment. Like SM said, it's kinda an intermediate stage/crossroads where you're like "OK, I know this is having a negative effect on my life. I want to quit in theory, but I'm not sure I'm ready yet." You might not be ready for a number of reasons — maybe you still enjoy it, maybe you're not sure how to go about it, maybe it's just something you've done for so long you don't know how to live life without it. Some people have success with tapering or slowly changing habits, but I'm with @Worm in that cold turkey is the only thing that's ever worked for me with. For me, making a quit date or saying "I'll stop after I do X" never helped, it's always just a "f--- it I quit" moment where I start changing my habits in that very moment. If you have one of those moments, don't let it slip because they can be fleeting — throw all your s--- away and stop at that very instant. You have to truly WANT to quit or it's not gonna work.
Aug 30, 2022 You need to preoccupy your self while quitting. Get into a new activity or something. You also need to separate your self from other smokers, even if it means socializing less with your friends.
Aug 30, 2022 There are professionals who help thru these, some countries provide it for free to their citizens. I have never been a guy who was addicted to anything. Smoking never really appealed to me. It's not like I don't ever smoke, I smoke few cigarattes a year on some occassions but that's it, I have no idea how someone can like to spend money on those tasteless things lmao. Never ever bought or paid for a cigaratte ever... So obviously, you're not like me in that sense. Some people can just be determined enough to stop smoking and stick with it but I think it's not for most of the smokers...
Aug 30, 2022 I was over a pack a day for 11 and quit over 2 years ago and never looked back. Patches do help if you use them right. I was on a a 3 step system that reduced it over time. Also chewed lot of game and kept tooth pics (flavored) .. I think the most important step is understanding a craving is only 3 minutes at a time.. I did push ups and random bs during these periods. Maybe have some kids too because they were my main inspiration..
Aug 30, 2022 Op please think about it again what if you want to go clubbing next saturday and the hennesy kicks in. I need cigarettes while clubbing if not i am done bruv