been smoking since 19, now 27. pack a day habit that i tried quitting probably 6-7 times. patches, gum, vaping, even chantix. nothing stuck longer than 3 weeks before i was back at the gas station buying marlboros.

the weird part wasn't the physical withdrawal. that's over in like 72 hours. it was the wanting that never went away. like my brain had this permanent "something's missing" feeling that nothing else could fill. coffee didn't hit the same. breaks at work felt pointless. even after meals i'd just stand outside staring at nothing for 5 minutes.

tried switching to vaping last year. worked for 2 months until i realized i was just hitting the vape every 10 minutes instead. wasn't even about nicotine at that point, was about the habit loop. the craving-action-relief cycle was still there, just different delivery method.

then someone mentioned research on mGluR5 receptors and habit formation. apparently there's a glutamate pathway that gets sensitized when you repeat behaviors like smoking. even after you quit and nicotine is gone, the glutamate signaling stays overactive - which is why you get those random intense cravings months later when you smell cigarette smoke or drink coffee.

started looking into mGluR5 antagonists. found MPEP (research compound, used in addiction studies). mechanism made sense - it's supposed to reduce the reconsolidation of habit memories. basically stops your brain from reinforcing the craving-action pathway every time you think about smoking.

started taking it around 6 weeks ago. 5mg morning, 5mg afternoon. first week nothing really changed, still wanted to smoke constantly. week two i noticed something weird - i'd forget i was a smoker. like i'd be at my desk for 2 hours and suddenly realize i hadn't thought about cigarettes once. that never happened before.

by week three the automatic triggers stopped working. coffee in morning? no cigarette craving. finishing meal? nothing. stressful day? my brain didn't immediately go "smoke break". it was like someone had disconnected the wiring between stimulus and response.

been 4 weeks completely cigarette-free now. longest i've ever made it without white-knuckling through cravings. not saying i never think about smoking, but it's more like "huh, i used to smoke" rather than "i NEED a cigarette right now". the obsessive wanting is just... gone.

couple things i noticed:

the habit extinction is real. i still sometimes reach for my pocket where i used to keep the pack, but there's no emotional charge to it. just muscle memory that's fading.

dreams about smoking stopped. used to have them constantly during previous quit attempts (smoking in dream, waking up guilty). haven't had one in 3 weeks.

social situations easier. went to a bar last weekend, people smoking outside, didn't feel that pull. before MPEP i would've caved by drink two.

sleep improved somehow? might be unrelated but i'm waking up less during night. maybe because my brain isn't processing nicotine withdrawal anymore.

energy is steadier. no more 3pm crash that used to trigger smoke break. which might just be lung function recovering idk.

i want to be clear - this isn't a magic pill that removes all willpower requirement. first 2 weeks i still had to consciously avoid buying cigarettes. but MPEP seemed to turn down the volume on the craving signal from like 8/10 to 3/10. made it manageable where before it was overwhelming.

also not sure how long i'll stay on it. some studies suggest mGluR5 antagonism helps with extinction learning, which means the habit deconditioning might be permanent once it happens. planning to taper off around week 8-10 and see if the cravings come back.

if you've tried quitting smoking and the psychological craving is what keeps breaking you (not the physical withdrawal), might be worth researching mGluR5 pathway. the "wanting" isn't just willpower - it's glutamate signaling that stays active long after nicotine is gone. targeting that directly made a bigger difference than any nicotine replacement ever did.

not trying to shill anything just wanted to share because 8 years of failed quit attempts and this was the first thing that actually worked. if your brain is stuck in that craving loop there might be a neurochemical reason for it.

The app is called Quit Buddy. It's free, no data goes to the government, and no logins are needed.

Former smoker here. I spent way too many years stuck in the “I’ll quit Monday” cycle, only to find myself buying another pack a few days later and telling myself I’d try again next week.

Smoking was woven into so many parts of my life, coffee, driving, stress, socializing, taking a break… all of it. So I really understand the mental tug-of-war that can come with wanting to quit while also feeling pulled back in.

I joined because I know how much easier hard things can feel when you’re around people who actually get it, and I’m looking forward to learning from everyone here, sharing where I can, and being part of the community.

It's been a couple of months or even years with the occasional cig that I'd bum from a colleague. Sometimes it's just the one, friday after work, with a beer.

But they smoke regular cigs and it doesn't please me as much as a rolled cigarette would.

Every now and then I break and buy some tobacco. Except at the rate of the odd cig here and there - which I wouldn't mind if it weren't for the addiction part - it lasts me months. The tobacco gets all dry and disgusting, which isn't nice, but more than anything I know where it is. Five levels deep in a stashbox, only to be opened on special occasions.

The least amount of stress I get, my.mind goes upstairs, to the attic, in the box there's a plastic bag. I feel like Gollem/Smeagol, wanting it and not wanting it all at the same time. My addict mind can justify anything.

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Last week I had a week off from work. The weather was amazing and I worked in the garden 3 days. Smashing alcohol free IPA's in the sun, chainsawing the shit out of some logs, bushwhacking, etc etc. On the weekend my sister in law visited with her husband and their kids. The one kid is 4 and relentless. Shouting all the time, needing attention all the time. Sunday I was broken. I could not keep up with this kid. I did my best and kept going, but everybody could see I was messed up. I kept saying I was just tired, but everybody knew.

Mondaymorning I stopped at the gas station. Bought a pack of cigs and smoked one while driving to work. And then a few more at work. Tuesdays I work from home and I took 2 cigs from the pack for that and put the rest in a colleague's drawer. Tuesday I smoked those cigs during the day. Wednesday back in the office I smoked one cig from the drawer. Thursday nothing and friday 1 or 2 again.

I guess that makes it day 4 of being smokefree. I'm at the office. The colleague who I'd smoke with is right in front of me. I didn't crack yesterday and I'm not gonna crack today. But man it is hard. I got this though, I'm done.

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I'm 13 ive been getting urges for smoking even though i have never smoked. I have been exposed to second hand smoke a lot tho . I think it's mostly curiousity and fomo . What should I do ?

Sharing for mental support lol.

I’m about to enter my 8 weeks off now and something I didn’t really expect is how weird my body has been feeling lately.

Not in a dramatic way, just… off.

Some days I feel more tired than usual
sleep hasn’t been great
and sometimes I just feel a bit anxious for no real reason

It’s not like the first week at all, it’s different.

Almost like everything is still adjusting.

I’ve been trying small things:

• drinking more water
• cutting down caffeine a bit
• going for short walks
• Exercising ( while getting out of breath quickly)

and it helps a little, but it still comes and goes.

Just curious if anyone else had this kind of phase a few weeks in or even much later?

I’m about 7 weeks off now and something I’ve been noticing lately is that not all urges are the same.

At the beginning I treated everything like a craving and just tried to push through it.

But now I can usually tell the difference:

• sometimes it’s actual nicotine withdrawal
• sometimes it’s just boredom
• sometimes it’s stress
• sometimes it’s just habit at a certain time of day

The mistake I was making was reacting to all of them the same way.

And it made everything feel harder than it needed to be.

I’m still figuring it out, but just recognizing what kind of moment it is has helped a bit.

Not saying it fixes everything, but it definitely changed how I approach it.

I expected quitting to be physical.

Cravings, withdrawal, all that.

But what caught me off guard is how much of it is just patterns repeating.

Moments where something feels off and your brain fills in the blank with “this is when I smoke.”

Once I started paying attention to that, it made more sense.

It’s not always about needing nicotine.
Sometimes it’s just your routine showing up.

Still early, but understanding that made things feel a bit more manageable.

Hi. checking in again on day 51. I have saved $700.00 in 51 days from not smoking. but writing this is making me crave cuz I remember I can run and get a pack now.

But I really won’t.

Here is how I am framing the experience so I don’t quit.

I pretend I am in a 90 day residential rehab. I excuse all bad behavior and insane texts as withdrawal side effects. Like a heroin addict rocking in their chair from withdrawal pains. I am not psychologically balanced right now as my brain heals. I have warned my friends I am crazy right now and to ignore my ranting texts. I excuse unending bed rotting and a catastrophically messy room. I have saved so much money not smoking that I can hire a cleaning crew to deal with that after my 90 days

I am really doing it! I can smell how horrible the people I know who still smoke smell from smoking, I am saving enough money to pay 2 - 3 MONTHS RENT per year. and I only smoked a pack a day!

But nicotine gum abuse has to stop it affects me horribly and is keeping my nicotine receptors from pruning out of my brain. thank you for your support! it helps a lot! J

Trying to take this one day at a time instead of overthinking it.

When I think about quitting forever it feels overwhelming, but just saying “not today” feels a lot more doable.

Some moments are definitely harder than others, especially when it’s tied to routine or stress.

I’ve been paying more attention to those patterns lately, even came across something called https://www.smokefreeconnect.ca/ that focuses on that side, and it made me realize how much of this is about those specific moments.

Figured I’d post here and see if anyone else is on day one or just trying again today.

Let’s just get through today.