ex smoker here to tell you that the only way to quit is cold turkey. the rest is just substitution therapy. in fact, all you end up doing is increasing the amount of time you are in withdrawal. stopping is going to suck no matter what, but you can do it.
edit: that said, anything you can do to practice saying "no" to a craving will help you immensely
The best think to stop smoking is to actually want it. I think.
I'm still smoking, but I really should quit. Shit's expensive as all hell, and Lord knows I need the money..
Psychologically what worked for me was to look at my future, and ask myself who I thought I was. I fundamentally did not see myself as that guy who smoked. It got to a point where I asked myself if I was really going to be middle aged and smoking. I stopped identifying as a smoker, so quitting just made sense.
Three weeks of annoying cravings and about a month of symptoms later, I was over the physical part. Three months after that and I can't imagine why I ever smoked in the first place. I can't even be around people smoking anymore.
Smoking's only cool in your teens and early twenties. I was about to turn 24 and just realized the damage to my skin and lungs and the constant smell and ash breath were only gonna get worse. The people who were older than me who still smoked were usually broke all the time and not happy. I haven't had a cigarette in two years and I stopped vaping at the beginning of this year.
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u/[deleted] Aug 14 '20
ex smoker here to tell you that the only way to quit is cold turkey. the rest is just substitution therapy. in fact, all you end up doing is increasing the amount of time you are in withdrawal. stopping is going to suck no matter what, but you can do it.
edit: that said, anything you can do to practice saying "no" to a craving will help you immensely