I’ve done it! 30 days no smoking!

[u/strosemary]

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.

[u/Soggy_Substance4705]

Congratulations! Ill be there in two weeks.....I'm two weeks no smoking cold turkey.....keep leading the way for me...lol.

Again Congratulations, you are awesome!!!!

[u/strosemary → u/Soggy_Substance4705]

Yaayyy. Eat those popsicles bro !!!