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Acceptance is the answer.
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I’m a former smoker. It was the longest addiction that I had and the hardest for me to quit. Even when I “quit” I kept going back to it for years. None of the alternatives (Nicorette or even vaping) were helpful. I never got the hang of substituting healthy habits, such as exercise. Nothing compared to the feeling of the first drag of a freshly lit cigarette. BUT, eventually, I think I finally just got tired of all the hiding and shame cycle of quitting and secretly going back to it. I did it for years and it was such a burden. Also, getting older made me really afraid of the damage I’ve done to my body having started smoking into high school and carrying it into my late 30s. It just became less and less pleasurable over time and guilt would take over.
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I quit cigarettes for good at the start of 2019. I’m totally passed it now and no longer have cravings or a desire to smoke. But I know if I took one drag I’d be back to square one. I used a vape to quit, not the juul or something like that though. One of the refillable tank ones.
I started at 18mg juice in my tank and then every week cut down to the next level until finally I was mixing 1.5mg juice with 0mg to dilute it and then finally was on straight 0mg. Once I got to that point I gave it a week and haven’t looked back. I was a severe nicotine addict for reference (2 packs a day, sometimes more, and would also grav bong 1/3 of a cigarette in a single rip at a time most days).
Yes, that was my advice as well! Definitely not the disposable ones because those are so strong and you can’t cut the nicotine levels down!
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Yes. I still succomb to a cig if I've got a stress-induced bad urge to drink (better than drinking) but for all intents and purposes I quit. I will say the mental obsession of smoking won't leave me the way the obsession of drinking was lifted. I visualize taking a puff several times a day. But when I actually do it my reaction is "eww these things are gross" - then I return to ruminating about how nice a cig would be rn. What works for me is just not having them in the house. Looking at my credit card statement that I don't need to spend $10+ on cowboy killers and exercise.
I tried it ALL. I quit for more than 2 years with hypnosis and started again when life went insane. I was allergic to patches and my cardiologist said not to use them. Heart attacks happen if you smoke while wearing them. Auriculothrapy made me quit but I cried… all the time. Chantix finally did it for me and it wasn’t that hard. I followed their online program to the letter even if I thought it was dumb. My family didn’t even notice I quit. After 8 days I asked them if they noticed anything different. Hair cut?? Shirt? Clueless, but I obviously wasn’t crabby. I had a car accident and had cigs in my car and still didn’t want one. I kept a pack for 10 years in case of nuclear war but finally threw them away. 😃 Now, 13 years later I still never want to smoke again. And am very grateful for that.
Assuming you’re in the US… Go to Europe, UAE, Japan etc, and buy your self a carton of really expensive cigarettes (eg Treasurer, Sobrani etc) and enjoy it + get accustomed to the taste and quality. You’ll never want to smoke what available over the counter in the US because they taste so bad. This is how I quit.
I vape which I guess is no better. The only pro I have found is you can lower your nicotine level until you get to 0 then it’s just getting rid of the hand to mouth habit. If you do try this don’t do the disposable vapes that come from the gas station. Get one from an actual vape shop because those are the ones you buy the liquid for and can lower the nicotine levels.
I also know a lawyer and she used the lozenges, she would get the 4mg one and break them in half. You put them in like you would dip and they slowly dissolve. She had success from those, I haven’t tried them but they’d be worth a try. My mom passed away last July due to having copd and emphysema but kept smoking and it killed her 😢 I continue to tell myself I won’t be like her so I have to quit as well. She did quit when she got pregnant with me and swore by the nicotine gum.
Quit for a year prior to getting clean and sober. Haven't been able to quit since getting clean and sober. I'm afraid if I fully give it up when I'm feeling desperately low I won't have that crutch and I'll drink instead.
Hi, as a former smoker who also gave up drinking, I have to say smoking is a difficult addiction to quit. I actually worked with my doctor and used Chantix and the patch and it worked, but it was difficult. It's been nearly 7 years now, and I am so glad to have that monkey off my back. Good luck to you.
The small nicotine lozenge works for me. I quit about 2 years ago and haven’t had a relapse. I typically have one lozenge per day now.
The only thing that ever worked for me was cold turkey. Granted I would have a smoke here and there socially but even that faded into smoking nothing.
I had to give up smoking because of the price of cigarrettes. I cannot believe how expensive they have gotten. But honestly it gave me an excuse to quit and that is what I really needed to do.
Nicotine lozenges. 4mg. I have one per day on average at the end of the day. Two years now and Better than half pack of cigarettes.