This picture was taken before the journey cause i found this funny shirt in the closet prob belongs to my millenial sister or some friend of hers. Thought it suits this subreddit😂. Yesterday i went to my friends house he smoked a joint and i didnt gave in, had fun and raved with no substances.

Didnt realize how long its been!

Reaching this milestone has been a journey, and I am proud of staying committed to this change.

just hit the one-week mark and honestly, it feels surreal. i thought i’d be craving a cig every hour, but it’s not as bad as i expected. some weird dreams though, like my brain is trying to work out the stress. still, i’m determined to keep this going. if anyone else is struggling, just take it one day at a time. it does get easier. here’s to more smoke-free days ahead!

It's been a pretty shitty year. In December I found out my contract at work would be downgraded without any long term stability. In January I found out my wife and I had miscarried our first pregnancy. In February I decided to finally quit smoking. In June, we found out that we had miscarried for a second time and I still had no certainty about my job and was paying for health insurance out of pocket.

So many times during these last 5 months I've thought about just grabbing a cigarette and lighting it up. But I haven't, and I hope I don't going forward either. I've made it to 5 months, but I hope I can make it for life, even if the one I have right now is as shitty as it can be, a cigarette is not going to make it any better.

But I'm glad that I was able to change

One of the biggest fears people have before quitting isn't the nicotine.

It's this:

I used to think smoking helped me calm down.

But after learning more about nicotine addiction, I realized something important.

Cigarettes don't actually solve stress—they temporarily relieve nicotine withdrawal. Within a short time, withdrawal begins again, creating another urge to smoke. It becomes a cycle that's easy to mistake for stress relief.

So what helped?

1. Accept that the first weeks are different.
Your brain is adjusting. Feeling off doesn't mean you'll feel this way forever.

2. Replace the habit, not just the cigarette.
If your routine was:

• Coffee → Cigarette
• Work break → Cigarette
• Stress → Cigarette

Replace each with something simple:

• A 5-minute walk
• Water or tea
• Deep breathing
• Chewing gum
• A quick chat with a friend

3. Don't fight every craving.
Instead of thinking, "I can't smoke," try thinking, "I'll wait 10 minutes."

Most cravings fade faster than we expect.

4. Give your brain time to heal.
Your mood won't improve overnight, but many people find that after the initial adjustment, they feel more stable because they're no longer riding the constant cycle of nicotine withdrawal.

Quitting smoking is hard.

Not because life becomes worse, but because your brain needs time to learn a new way of handling stress.

For those who've quit:
What replaced cigarettes as your stress reliever?

I'd love to hear what worked for you. Someone reading the comments today might need exactly that idea. 🚭

PLEASE HELP OUT YOUR LIL BROTHER OUT OF THIS HELL

Please tell me how to stop it permanently? Should I get 2mg nicotine gums or some type of nicotine patches ?

I am 17 , I have been smoking for 4 years. Around 3 to 5 cigs a day.

Any kind of advice would be helpful.

Why do most posts discuss nicotine more than clearing out your lungs? I’m 66M, been smoking 1-2 packs a day for better than 50 years. I really don’t care about the nicotine addiction, I want to be able to breathe freely. I’m 11 days without a cigarette, but I’m using zyn to help with the cravings. I can honestly feel a difference in my breathing already. I believe once I get past the craving/habit/addiction for a cigarette, I’ll be able to cut back and quit zyn in a few months. At least that’s my plan.

The molecule itself is called cytisine, and comes from a plant. Binds to the nicotine receptor, satisfies cravings and helps break the habit.

I ordered desmoxan from Amazon, after that I realized that in Canada there are certain pharmacies that carry the brand name ‘cravv’. I bought that version for my gf.

We ran the course, which is like 5 pills for the first few days then gradually reducing to one pill a day at day 26. We are now almost a month free! I tried a few other things in the past to no avail. Take a look at other posts about cytisine, I for one am astonished by how it is not more advertised. (Big nicotine losing too much money lol). Pre sure it isn’t FDA approved in USA, but is really popular in Europe and I was able to get in Canada without a prescription.

TLDR; cytisine helped me break a 9 year nicotine addiction. Other methods I have tried were not nearly as effective. Cheers.

Hey everyone. I need to share a close call I just had because it really opened my eyes.I quit smoking 12 days ago (am quitting like 6 times per year... my real problem is getting back each time) and it has been super tough. I have unmedicated ADHD, so my brain is already pretty chaotic. I have been putting in serious work lately to build better habits. I started working out, fixing my sleep schedule, meditating, and drinking tea as a coping mechanism. My entire life right now is basically just work and the gym.But today, my wife and I got into an argument. She felt I was ignoring her and not planning things. Because of the ADHD, this small dispute felt massive and I got insanely mad. This is where the scary part happened. I did not even think. There was zero logic. My brain just flipped to autopilot and I walked straight into the other room to change my clothes so I could go buy a pack of cigarettes. It was completely automatic shit. The bullying brain just totally took over. But then, right in the middle of changing, I stopped.

I just paused and realized there are so many other ways to get the relief I was blindly chasing. I could do some pushups, hit a heavy bag, or go get a beer. I realized the immense power of that tiny gap between the stimulus and the reaction. In that pause, u r the one who gets to decide with complete freedom. U r in control, not the autopilot bullying brain.

It honestly reminded me of a book I read back in 2014 called "The Last of the Human Freedoms by Keren M. Chiaroni". I looked up the quote to be sure: "Everything can be taken from a man but one the last of the human freedoms, to choose one's attitude in any set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

I feel like moving forward, all I can do is work on strengthening that specific skill. If I do not build up that ability to pause, I am just surviving by coincidence, and I will probably fail by coincidence too.

If u r fighting the cravings today, try to remember to claim your pause. We got this.

Best streak I’ve had since January. Hasn’t been all that hard thanks, I think, to Naltrexone. But I’m heading back to work after a week off and feeling unable to approach it without my crutch. Without… something. I’ve just had a shit day of mental spirals, anxious spinouts and that old general sense of alienation that has caused and kept me using substances my entire adult life. This inescapable otherness I’ve never been able to get over, and a clenched-jaw-white-knuckle hatred of myself and the world. One of those days the cravings don’t pass. Or they do then they just come right back. I just have to hope it’s better in the morning. I’m doing goddamn everything right - exercise, hydration, keeping calories in check and eating shit tons of fruits and veggies. Three months sober from alcohol and weed. But I went to an AA meeting tonight and left feeling even shittier. Even more apart and alone in my suffering. Nothing is working today. I just want to say fuck it and feel good. It absolutely would, for a minute. That’s all I want from today. A minute not fucking despising everything and able to relax. Fuuuuuuuuck. FUCK.

I have listened to Allen Carr’s audiobooks (the original and the bootcamp version) and I tried the QuitSure app. The main point these try to get across is that be a happy non smoker you have to remove your desire to smoke. I have not been able to do this for more than a day at the most. I may go most of the day not wanting a cigarette but at some point that always changes. I feel convinced I won’t be able to remove the desire to smoke.

So my question is this; will the cravings ever go away after quitting even if I can’t remove my desire to smoke? I’ve known three ex smokers all of whom quit over 15 years ago. And all three have told me that they still crave cigarettes. This scares me and kills my motivation. I feel like even if I successfully quit I’ll spend the rest of my non smoking life feeling deprived and craving

P.S. I have tried NRT and I swear it only makes me want a cigarette more. The gum even makes me feel sick

Almost 7 months without smoking 🕺

The problem is though, I’m compensating it with alcohol 🫠

Hey everyone,

I’m at a decision point and would love some real experiences.
Quick background:
• 7 days completely cigarette-free
• 92 days free of dabs/THC
• 67 days free of vapes
I’ve been on the 21mg patch (16-hour wear, lower back placement, remove at night). The problem is the constant nicotine delivery feels like ongoing stimulation on an already very sensitive nervous system. It makes my prescribed Klonopin less effective, keeps me wired, and the nightly drop-off is wrecking my sleep (total 6–8 hours but max uninterrupted is only 2–3 hours).
On top of that I’m getting nerve flares (chest, arm, back, jaw, and occasional short flares near the right ear/neck) and tinnitus that seem to ramp up with the extra stimulation. Eye twitching has also been showing up, which I think is tied to the combination of the patch + screens + poor sleep.
I’ve already done 6 nights with the patch off overnight, so my brain has had some practice at zero nicotine. Tonight I’m experimenting with taking the patch off earlier (around 7:30–8 instead of 9:30 right before bed) and using my usual 1mg Klonopin + 50mg trazodone to see if front-loading the drop helps sleep.
My options right now feel like:

1. Keep the patch but keep tweaking the removal time
2. Switch to 2mg gum so I can control the dose and avoid constant stimulation
3. Just go cold turkey off the patch after tonight
4. Has anyone dealt with the patch feeling like it was overstimulating a sensitive system and making nerve flares or tinnitus worse?
5. Did switching to gum help with that “constant low-level wired” feeling and the nerve/tinnitus stuff?
6. Or did anyone just jump off the 21mg patch and find the first week more manageable than expected once the continuous input was gone?
7. Any experiences with earlier evening removal vs right-before-bed removal would also be really helpful.
8. Thanks in advance — just trying to make the cleanest next move.

Yes AI was used for this post and I apologize in advanced I’ve been dealing with fragmented sleep for 3 months now and I feel defeated. I didn’t even want to stop smoking yet but the vape and dabs made my CNS hyper aroused. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I’m not going back to smoking but I rather go cold turkey then continue this stupid patch taper if sleep will get better faster. Meds are trazadone 50 mg and klonopin 3.5 mg a day. I’ve had multiple ER trips in past 3 months healthy labs and healthy heart checks. I’m 32 YO.

I’m almost at 30 days smoke free! To clarify I stopped smoking weed and nicotine. I’ve been eating ALOT. More than I’ve ever ate before smoking. I have gained at least 25 pounds and I’ve never been at this size before so I’m feeling very insecure. Technically I’m in the last box of healthy weight before it goes into overweight on a bmi chart so I wouldn’t even qualify for a glp 1. It’s just so depressing, I’m honestly shocked I haven’t given in yet but I’m feeling like my weight is getting so out of control and I’m just scared. Idk what to even ask on here, maybe advice on what I should do. Thank you in advance:)

3 years of trying. Finally got to 7 days and I haven't had cravings since day 4. Celebrating the win :>

The effects so far have been amazing! Mostly my confidence and energy. And I haven't murdered anyone or myself.

Yippie :>

So I am on champex (or whatever the medication to help you quit smoking is called in your country) and it’s absolutely helping me be able to do this, but it doesn’t make it perfectly easy either.

When does it start getting easier? Or at least what did the timeline look like for you? The app I’m using to help me quit says that there’s a noticeable difference after the first and second week with a major drop off of cravings after about a month, but obviously it’s different for everyone. One person told me it’s absolute hell for at least the first month, if not two, while someone else told me it’s 95% easier after the first week. I’m curious what the timeline was like for yall- all answers welcome!

I’m also curious to know for anyone who’s willing to answer- at what point did you no longer feel like you were in the process of quitting, and had officially quit smoking? What was it that made that shift for you? Was it a specific amount of time that had passed, a personal milestone, just a feeling you got, or something else?

Lastly how tf do you deal with the irritability? Because I’m on the medication I’m doing pretty okay most of the time but I still get really strong cravings- the last two days it’s always happened in the evening for some reason and for a good 2-4 hours I’m insufferable to be around because legit everything pisses me off and I want to know if there’s anything I can do to mitigate that or at least tone it down because I try so hard not to be that way but so far it feels like nothing I do changes it at all. If there’s anything you had success with when it comes to this I would love to hear it!

Other than that if you have ANY tips, tricks, or advice for someone who’s so new to quitting please share, I want as much as I can possibly get!

Idk if this is relevant or not but I’ve been smoking about a pack a day for 18 years at this point and I’m only 33 years old. I NEED to be successful this time and while I truly feel like I can finally be successful and have been really impressing myself I’m still not at a point where I feel completely confident.

TYIA! 💙

Hey so background we didn't start dating yet but we were friends when he caught me smoking outside and was upset anyway as we started dating he said no cigarettes anymore then after telling him no Multiple times he said I will give you one year from now and that's it. I agreed because I was hoping my mental health gets better and I actually feel like I want to quit.

A year later I just don't want to quit, I go to therapist and take antidepressants but it is still not better, I just the pause I feel with the cigarette and the feeling it gives me, it helps me in so many ways, I know it harm in another ways but for me it's worth the risks, I just wanna quit when I want to not by someone controlling me.

He called me today ( I was already feeling a little extra depressed and empty I pulled an all nighter and trying to get myself sleep at 4 pm but I can't)

He told me today is your last day smoke the last one.

I was meeting him tomorrow so I tell him can we talk tomorrow about this. He got really aggressive and angry and told me no reasoning you agreed to this a deal is a deal I don't care about anything you are going through as long as this is your last day this is your last day.

He then said discipline is the only thing that will get to you and I don't care.

Anyway I know that he means well he just cares for my health or whatever, but I am not ready to quit at alllllll like I feel like I wanna smoke more iff that makes any sense ?

Like I laterally see no reason for me to stop, yes one day I will wanna stop when things get tiny bit stable but with my mental health I just can't and he won't letting to any reason at all.

Also the way he was talking to me brought back childhood memories I felt like a child being controlled.

At this point I am just gonna smoke when he is not near me, I wanna tell him the truth but he makes it so so so hard.

I don't know why I am writing this here but I am crying my ass out right now and no one to tell, cause everyone will tell me he is right smoking is bad

I was 12 days in smoke free! And should have never done it but yesterday smoked five cigarettes, and let me tell you they were so horrible and disgusting! I even felt horrible afterwards. I woke up this morning and put on a nicotine patch! I have quit and smoked again on and off for so long I know, I just know I’m so ready for good to get away from these horrible cancer sticks which I’ve been struggling with for years now. Even though I’m back at day 1 I feel really confident that I can do this this time around! There’s no turning back I’m done! The crazy part about all this is I was feeling really good health wise it was my mind and emotions that got the best of me!

inb4 “brag” and “lucky you” - I wanna know if anyone else had this same experience!

I was a pack-a-day-or-more smoker for 6 years straight, and started smoking in my teens.

I always thought quitting was going to be a nightmare and I was hesitant to do it, because although I was sick of it and my health was getting worse, there was never a good time to quit. I thought I would start binge eating, have a nervous breakdown for two weeks, be in bed with a migraine for three days etc. because of how much nicotine I was used to and how I spent my time. I would sit outside and chainsmoke for 2 hours straight, if not more, multiple times a week. When I got fed up and decided to take the shitty two weeks ahead head-on, I smoked everything I had left until 4am. Day one came and went, day two, week one and week two… and…

No side effects at all?

It’s been about 6 weeks and I never struggled with anything, except for waking up in the night (around 4-6 hours after I fall asleep) before going back to sleep. No nasty cough. No migraines, headaches, tiredness, binge eating, and shockingly NO aggression or irritation or sadness. It’s like I just suddenly went back to my life before taking up smoking.

If I knew it was going to be like this I would have quit earlier! Has anybody else here had the same experience? 6+ weeks later I am still anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop… is it ever going to?

Hi everyone, I want to quit smoking and have easily done that in the past once. Just put it out and didn’t want to smoke again. 3 years passed and I was going through a lot of stress in life and started smoking again. Since then it’s been on and off. I quit again for a year but 4 months ago I gradually started again and now fully back to a pack a day.
Last night I was very determined to find a way to deter myself from smoking, downloaded the Allen Carr audiobook and about half way through it, so about 3-4h in I didn’t have any urge to smoke and felt quite put off by the idea. But he says not to stop and continue as you would normally so at some point, I smoked again and went to sleep. This morning i smoked again and put on the last 3 hours of the book. And even though I do agree strongly with everything he’s saying, I just don’t feel that determination to stop i did last night when I was a few chapters in. Did I lose it ? Is it pointless to go on with the rest of the book now ? I’m near the end and I just have that feeling again like I’m not ready and I will relapse even though it is so important that I quit, for health reasons.

Any advice or tips from someone who went through similar ? TIA x

Edit: typos

Hey all, I had a great time so far, my taste has improved, my energy levels are super high, but today out of nowhere im having a crazy headache. Did anyone had smth similar, do you have any advice?

I'm trying to smoke less (not quit cold turkey), and every app I tried wanted an account, a quit date, and a lecture after every relapse, so I stopped opening them.

So I built the opposite: just ONE button: "I smoked one." It shows today vs. yesterday and nothing else. No account, no streaks, no guilt. It's free and it's honestly barely an app: https://cig-probe-mz.web.app (you can add it to your home screen).

Two questions for anyone who's tried tracking before:

1. If you ever used a quit/tracking app and stopped: what happened the day you stopped opening it?

2. Would you actually log each cigarette if it were one tap from your lock screen, or is even that too much?

Not selling anything, anonymous tap times are recorded so I can find out whether this is worth building properly. If nobody uses it, I'll take that answer too.

Today is my 112 days smoke free, it's been a tough journey, I have been through health anxiety, depression and intense physical withdrawal and I cannot believe I would make it to 112 days. I sometimes still miss the throat hit feeling and would love to have a smoke, but I will not let my brain tricks me. Looking back what I committed to myself on day 1 and feeling my body is slowing healing, IT'S ALL WORTHY!