Congratulations!

I'm glad I caught it early, before I become a heavy smoker. I was a light smoker for 2 years, but no amount of smoking is good. During the last days I was starting to smoke more often and I knew I had to put an end to it. I've found better ways to deal with anxiety, depression and stress.

I barely feel any cravings rn. I don't even think about smoking most of the time. I felt them slightly when I was stressed, but it's nothing compared to how it was during the first weeks. This is the best decision I've made, and it has stopped most of my health anxiety around cancer, aneurysms, strokes, blood clots, etc. which is the main reason I wanted to quit. Smoking also made my body hurt.

After a scary and preventable visit to urgent care, I stopped smoking tobacco and weed! It’s been 30 days and I’m so proud of myself! Smoked weed 10 years and tobacco about 6 or 7. I haven’t had this long of a break from both willingly probably since I’ve started.

My biggest motivator is that I DO NOT want to depend on the American healthcare industry to help me! Staff is overworked and it’s so expensive I want to avoid the hospital as much as possible, and the biggest thing affecting my health was smoking. BYEEEE!!!!!

I’ve had that “thing stuck in my throat” feeling since I’ve stopped, and some psychological stuff, but holy shit I AM SO GLAD I AM FREE. I still have time to go, but I feel really solid. I think cigarettes smell nasty and I cannot stand to think of putting smoke in my lungs again. Like holy shit OUCH!!!! Literally hurts so bad to smoke! I would much rather burn incense. I miss it aesthetically sometimes, but it is so not worth the physical and mental toll it takes. I have become aware of my body again in a way I haven’t in years (to the point of anxiety but I think I can deal with that now). I feel more sensitive to things. I don’t have wild dry mouth when I wake up. Ahhh it’s just great yall.

I’ve hit a friend’s vape here and there, maybe 6 times throughout this month, but that is NOTHING compared to where I was at. I’d say in the past probs at least 10 hits when I had one available, plus cigarettes, so ya know what a few hits of a vape is nothing, and it’s been some weeks since that last hit anyways. I can tell myself “that vape/cigarette is gonna hurt and also give you nothing” and I LISTEN!!!

For a while I felt super dumb that I was a smoker. But hey, it’s okay! It probably prevented me from getting into harder stuff tbh. And also, I was so dedicated to smoking, I like to think I can be dedicated to my hobbies and other skills instead. Most of us who smoke are trying to cope with something. Have grace! It’s okay. AND it’s ALSO really cool to acknowledge that your old coping mechanism isn’t helping you like it used to. Say “thank you cigarette, thank you weed, thank you nicotine for your help. It is time for me to move on”.

My tips are: get rid of your smoking materials if you need to. Replace the oral fixation with something. I bought a ton of popsicles and ate those — helps with the sore throat too. And now I crave a delicious popsicle and not a drying cigarette. Get some fidget toys. Drink water. Remember your why. It’s easy for me to reject a smoke when I remember the hospital.

You can do it! Best shit ever dude.

You're probably right one occasional cigarette wouldn't probably undo the good work you have done by being on the break.

But..... It will set a foundation for you to start smoking occasionally, then weekly and then in a months' time you'd start smoking regularly.

So yeah, even if one occasional cigarette doesn't do anything, don't budge, avoid it.

I was a pack-a-day smoker (of American Spirits, if it matters) from the time I was 17 until I turned 24. I quit smoking 7 years ago in July. I quit using the Allen Carr method and was taken aback at how insanely easy it seemed.

Throughout the years, I’d occasionally have a smoke, while drinking or with other smokers. It usually just made me feel terrible, both in the moment or the next day, so abstaining further was always easy for me. I suppose this led to some overconfidence. Couple this with the fact that I came to enjoy cigar smoking, and I guess you could say the groundwork was laid for a relapse.

Because of my overconfidence, I decided to buy a pack of smokes during a vacation in late September. Since then, I have been smoking again, more or less. I’ve been struggling with buying a pack, throwing them away, going back to buy another pack…you know the drill. At this point I’m smoking daily, although not nearly as much as I used to.

I re-read Easy Way a two or three weeks ago, and while it certainly clicked with me on some level, it didn’t have the same effect that it had on me 7 years ago. I was “ready to quit” by the time I finished the book, but it didn’t stick. I’m beginning to feel like this time around I need a different approach, and one that hopefully keeps me mindful of how easy it is to fall back into the trap.

Does anyone have any advice for different methods of quitting? Any similar experience? I’m feeling very unconfident these days, because I know I can quit smoking—I’ve done it before, after all. And yet…I can’t quit, right now, but I don’t know why, exactly.

I want to go back to the good old days of feeling good and saving my money and not smelling like shit all the time. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post.

21 Days completed ✅

Yes 3 WEEKS I can’t believe it

No matter where you are on your journey to quit nicotine, keep going and stay strong. Every step forward is progress, and you’re not alone—we’re all in this together. Stay committed, keep fighting, and remember: every day without nicotine is a victory. You’ve got this!

Hey everybody. 28 year old male here. I've been smoking since I was 16 years old. I have already stopped drinking alcohol and had to give up a lot to lose just over 50 kilograms now. For me, smoking is my last guilty pleasure. I want to quit smoking for some time now. I made several (half) attempts.

What I actually run into is that in my mind, quitting smoking will not immediately yield anything, but I will immediately lose something. I have already given up so much, if I stop smoking I will no longer have anything to enjoy on a daily basis.

I have every reason to quit. Can use the money, predisposition to lung disease on both sides of the family and I live a double life for some people, because smoking is absolutely not accepted by everyone and I have to hide it and lie about it.

Yet all that is still not enough motivation to really give up smoking.

The attempts that I did went all very smooth. I used nicotine and/or normal chewing gum to distract myself and I had no big withdrawals during the day at all. I immdiatly started to feel more relaxed an happier. But at some point, I feel like I want to celibrate the happiness. With a cigarette.... that only comes in boxes of 20. That box has 0 left at the end of the night.

The urge that I feel does not go away with 10 minutes or so, it comes back evere day at the end of the day and it gets stronger every day. I believe if I can overcome that or fill that hole with something else that gives me great joy, there is nothing holding me back from quitting anymore. But I don't know how I could do that.

Does anyone recognize this, has experienced this themselves or have seen it happen to others? Does anyone have the top tip for me?

60 days free

can’t quite believe it. Longest I’ve been quit since I was 13 and I’m 35. Thanks everyone here for the support this groups been super helpful.

Wasn’t sure I’d make it through Christmas too and I have, no such things as having just one!

Did the nicotine patches up to day 4 then had an allergic reaction. Now I’m approaching day 8 and I’m miserable. Fighting every urge but I’m struggling 😭

I'm done with this bad habit for good i hope this time. I'm done with making my clothes and mouth smell worse than a garbage bin. I'm done with habing a hard time breathing (i have asthma as well). I'm done with feeling so bad about myself all the time for this cancer stick. Please guys give me as many tips as you can fir the withdrawals and the whole process if you can.

I’m on day three of my quit attempt. I attempted cold turkey but by the end of the first day, I knew that method would be too trying for me.

This is a Christmas present to myself. After watching my mother in law (whom I was very close with) suffer incredibly and ultimately lose her life to the big scary for smokers, I realized I have to fight this. I have to quit. I’ve got a kid. I don’t want her to see me struggle like that or lose me too soon.

Anyway, I’ve smoked since I was 15 and am now 37. I quit smoking when I was pregnant with my daughter and it was SO EASY. I stayed quit until she was about 6 months old and I was dealing with PPD. This time, not easy at all. I did have a quit that lasted about 9 months several years ago with vaping but found I vaped far more than I ever smoked cigarettes.

I decided I’d pick up Nicorette gum for this attempt and tried it today (on day 3) it def takes the edge off but FUUUUUUUUCK! This sucks. I’ve read Allen Carr, I’ve watched videos on YouTube, I have the QuitSure app and still, I don’t feel all “yipee” about this. Just needed to share somewhere.

On Christmas Eve my boyfriend was seriously ill and I had to take him to the hospital. It was a nightmare 12 hours as we were told he was in alcohol withdrawal. I am sharing here because there was a moment where I thought about smoking. Immediately following that moment I realized how terrible it would be if I had to keep running outside or worrying about when I could smoke. I am so grateful that it has been 1.5 years since I quit. My boyfriend is obviously going through a tough time right now. He's feeling the loss we all face when we give up our drug of choice. Who am I without this? What am I going to do when I'm bored? Sad? Happy? Not realizing that this is the fun part. When you are not so focused on this one thing you can do anything you want to do! Nothing has control over my life anymore. That is something he will, hopefully, have to discover in his own time. So, I hope my share motivates and inspires you to keep going. You can do this.

We all know it's bad for our health. But it's that what made you quit? Were there other things that you were tired of?

I’ve decided to quit today after my last two cigarettes. Been listening to Allen Carrs book which gave me 4 months smoke free four years ago. Just turned 30 a month ago and been smoking for half my life. Only thing I dread is going to bars where smoking is allowed, because I love those places but being there without smoking is hard.

I haven’t told anyone about my current quit attempt. I thought I was destined for failure quitting around the holidays but I’m one week nicotine free today! Something feels different this time and I’m very optimistic. I’m not even missing nicotine pouches/vapes and it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

We've previously seen chatgpt roasts, with New Year's Eve approaching let's have a thread where we roast the action of smoking for some quit motivation and comic relief, I'll start by roasting my former self:

You think you're a rebel, very punk and anti stuff but imagine paying billionaires to give yourself anxiety at the cost of not only your money but your health as well. You think you're making a statement but nobody cares, their pockets are still getting filled and the only thing you're saying is "I'm dumb and I can't make decisions for myself". You can't sit still for more than 1 hour without craving your cancer pacifier, yea, a pacifier. Because you have the same emotional regulation capacity of a baby crying for one, except yours is worse because instead of simply crying you go "Can I have a pack of cigs please?" and then you pay for it. What about deep breathing is so hard? You can cut a straw in half and achieve the same effect you get when you smoke, without all the shit. It's a silly picture right? Only because you haven't seen cool people in movies doing it otherwise you'd probably be doing that as well. You treat your own body like a vacuuming housekeeper to whom you throw more garbage to the floor. Then you wonder why the hell you feel so miserable but have you ever thought about starting to actually love yourself and treating yourself with the respect you deserve? No one else will do it for you. if you don't and can't even do it for yourself... and nobody really cares either so what are you trying to achieve exactly? Keep throwing a tantrum and smoke yourself to death, or don't, it's your own call.

Made a new account. Lost my old badge. But I've made it enough time I'm comfortable not knowing. Posting to keep an idea of the timeframe. Too lazy for badge bot. Not too lazy to spam you with my thoughts tho. If you're lurking: start today. If you make it 8 hours that's great! 1 day, 1 week, even if you cave that's a net positive for your health. Try and try again. It's the last time that counts. You're in this sub for a reason. Highly recommend nicotine replacement therapy but it's not magic, you still need will power. I still vape and use pouches which some people frown upon (do not whine at me) but it's much less detrimental imo. Plan on giving that up eventually too. But for now I'm enjoying not smelling/tasting like an ashtray, no butts, no worry about cigarette burns/fires. Thanks and I wish you the best of luck

I'm on 23 ish days, very fatigued. I do have several underlying conditions and am nearly 60 but I have slowed down significantly since I stopped smoking.

I would like to quit smoking however not sure I can right now. Usually when it comes to my bad habits I'm very realistic. I know when my environment is too toxic and I need the crutch. And so I quit drinking alcohol 3 months ago. I would've tried to quit smoking at the same time as I've done before but I know this time it wasn't realistic. I smoke mini cigars. The black and mild types. 2-3 a day usually. Sometimes one on the drive to and from work and one at home after work. Especially in the most overwhelming moments during the day is when I get cravings. The last one, sometimes two, in the night are to decompress/when insomnia kicks in. (Often). I'm working up to try and knock this habit however I've vowed to not drink again. I've had a very problematic history with alcohol. Back in 2021-2022 I did 10 months sober of both and was in the best shape of my life and made a ton of money. I experienced a lot of grief and loss since then. It's going to be hard to not have anything to turn to when I get an overwhelming feeling. I guess this is a rant. But I'll be quitting smoking too. I guess I'm mentally preparing to do it for the new year. Also, my health is going to force me to quit sooner than later. Alcohol had adverse affect there too.

We have a live discord chat running right now: https://discord.gg/3pYVykQHJG

We run 1-hour meetings at 10am and 5pm EST Mon-Fri. Can't wait to see you there!

19 year old male here.

today is the day im cigarette free for exactly 1 week and i couldn't be happier, i know its not much but i believe this is just a small jog within a huge marathon, ive been smoking for 3 years every single a day, about 10 to 30 cigs depending on financial situations (or if i could take some from family members or not)

you'd probably think a week is too little to already be feeling benefits, but that is not the case, i'll now name what i have experienced so far

• better bloodflow
• hair seems to feel and look better already (which i didnt expect to happen so soon)
• breathing feels a whole lot better, but i believe it still has improving to do
• my smell and taste have improved massively

and now for my favourite benefit....

freedom.

i dont feel like a slave to these chemical sticks no more, my whole mood/day used to depend on a cig, couldn't walk to the shop without one, couldn't listen to music without one, couldn't even shower before i had one, you start to realize that a cigarette isn't a necessity, it is nothing more than just a ritual we made for ourselves because we dont feel like encountering our emotions head on, deal with your emotions yourself brothers and sisters, i believe in you all.

i'll keep you updated.

(also apologies if i made spelling mistakes, my english isn't perfect)

I want to quit smoking for good, currently I'm 3 days smoke free but I've noticed my energy levels are super low to the point getting out of my bed is a struggle. I've been a heavy smoker for the past 14 years (started when I was 14) smoking one pack a day. From your experience, when does the energy get back to normal & is there anything I could do for the time being to be able to function? I'm currently on antidepressants but it doesn't really help with quitting smoking - cravings, tiredness etc are the same.

But never forget I still tell something to myself every morning like never take another puff today so it's important how you think about it for don't getting relapses.

I(29f) will try again to stop smoking tomorrow when i got these last 3 smokes done from my pack. I have tried to stop smoking because 7 have a kid and i dont want to be a parent who smokes. Also because of money problems.

I have quit many times, but always came back to smoke when i feel down or stressed. I was without cigarettes when i gave birth and some time after that when i breastfed, but then when i quit it(because of reasons) i started to smoke because new parent stress.

So i have always had bodyimage issues and have had eating disorders (bulimia and anorexia when it got bad) and had been recovered (kinda) for sometime before i got pregnant in accident. Then the pregnancy and giving birth triggered severe depression and disordered eating again and i have been losing weight and my bodyimage is shit. Now im worried i will gain weight when i stop smoking. Its giving me anxiety. I dont want to gain weight, i want to lose it. And i always got hit with a very bad constipation too at first.

I'm also worried about my mentalstatus because usually when i have tried to quit, my mood will be shit in day one, two or three and i will want to kill myself very bad. I dont know how im being able to handle that. But i know it will become better if i just stick without smoking.

I know i will need to go through this but i needed to just vent to somebody or somewhere.