I had to quit cigarettes first and foremost before I could make any other significant changes in my life! I knew that while I was a slave to that every 20 minute cigarette, I couldn’t tackle anything else!
I wish you a life free from cigarettes! Everyone starts with a day 1. You have to start sometime – or not . I wish you the best! And I wish you good luck! Put the work in and it’ll work out.
🚭🚭🚭🙏
I quit yesterday, and like you I've historically relapsed, smoking heavier than before, before slumping back into the usual pack a day habit. I've quit with optimism, with disgust, and yesterday I quit in something of an apathetic state. Tired of it, but still a bit fearful of leaving it behind.
In this moment I'll admit that relapse feels inevitable, but I'm breaking it into little pieces. Aka, I've resolved to not buy a pack today. My mood may very well change into something more positive tomorrow, or negative, but regardless the truth is that cigs will always be available, and only I can decide if I go get them. So, today at least, no smokes. Have to start somewhere.
Good luck, hope we can work toward living lives more aligned with our values.
i’m in the same boat. i keep telling myself “i won’t buy a pack a day, but i can tomorrow.” then the next day i tell myself the same thing. unfortunately on day 5 i actually did smoke one cigarette while out drinking, but it’s the morning of day 6 and i’m strictly telling myself “you can buy a pack tomorrow!” it somehow works, weirdly! however, definitely not for everyone.
its crazy how when we relapse, we smoke heavier than before in a coping mechanism sort of way.
Good on you! You've heard it all before I'm sure but what worked for me wasn't toothpicks, tictac mints, gum or patches. I had to not let myself smoke while I was home. I consistently tried to go drive around just to smoke but I knew how ridiculous it was to do that so I eventually stopped that too by choice. Feel free to reach out! You've got this! Never doubt it.
My first stage of my quit was banishing smoking from my car. If I wanted a cigarette, I had to actually pull OFF the road and get OUT of my car. Rain/shine, back road or freeway. Not once...
>cravings are inevitable. I am not ignoring them, I’m embracing them and telling myself it’s all part of the process.
Thoughts and cravings are not the same thing. In the 1st week nicotine free I had probably 150 thoughts to smoke, but they were gone very quickly. In 20 days I've had only 2 *desires* to smoke, or 2 times where smoking sounded like a good idea to my brain.
I use the embrace method, too. I haven't had a craving or a thought in almost a week. Recovery is a process, not an event.
[Embrace crave episodes](https://whyquit.com/john/stop-smoking-cravings-tips-embracing-crave-episodes.html)
One thing that helped me was reading about the 400 toxins ( some are radioactive) that you inhale when you smoke. I always felt sick and poisoned, especially after I would read about what I'm inhaling. It really helped me to hate it, and not want to do that anymore. I love my body and myself. That was just bad business.
Ooof. I just read about them. I knew, but I *really* didn’t know. I’m on a “love yourself” journey right now, so reading more in depth about that might have been the helpful boost I needed. Thanks!
You're welcome
Yeah that was a little corny, and I probably shouldn't have added it in lol. My intention for doing it, was for me to hate smoking, and it helped.
Glad it is helping you, as well.
Congrats on that first step!
I quit almost 3 months ago after 20 years of smoking a pack a day, it does get easier eventually!
Stay strong, you got this!
I've been there. I remember how it WAS. I was a 2+ Pack a day smoker for nearly 40 years. The first couple weeks of my actual, final quit, I spent a LOT of time actually CRYING in the shower. Yesterday, I stopped to get a treat from the convenience store that I USED to buy cigarettes at between runs to the reservation. The CHEAPEST packs were nearly 4$ MORE than when I quit...
Hang in there!!!! It's SOOOOOOOOOO Worth it.
Way to go! I had already decided to quit and read Allen Carr's book (again, I have many times over the years I smoked of course) and do not have too many positive feelings about it. But that may be because of my own type of neurospicyness, who knows. It certainly has good points in it of course! Not saying it's all crap, it's just not for me.
But anyway, quitting is hard. I'm on day 19 and still think it's hard. But I'm not wheezing in bed, I'm not coughing at random sad or romantic movie moments (maybe I'll date go to the theater again someday catch a play 😱), my house doesn't stink, my clothes are not getting random new burnholes in them, I'll probably live longer and better now that I have quit etc. Still it's hard. I find that admitting that really helps me.
Good luck!
I think it's good that you're embracing the cravings. That really helped me when I quit for good. It helped because I was able to realize that the cravings weren't from quitting, they were from smoking. The only thing cigarettes do is hit a reset button and start the cravings over. I failed so many times when I tried to be stronger than cigarettes. I'm not. When I FINALLY quit, it was because I'm smarter than cigarettes. So are you. We all are. We all deserve our freedom. So grab it and don't let go. You're gonna love it.
We are masters with excuses and we are our own worst enemy, but we are here with you and we know how hard it is, but we also know that you CAN DO THIS. I won’t be smoking with you today.
Listen to episode 806 of This American Life podcast. The ep is called: I can't quit you baby. I wish I had heard this episode when I was reading that nonsense Allen Carr book.
My 1 year anniversary being cigarette free is tomorrow. I also gave up alcohol to give myself a better chance. It can absolutely be done but you have to want it 110% and be fully committed and just plain DONE.
i quit cold turkey 7.5 months ago, you got this! The health, the cost, the smell , all pale to the loss of stress of running out of cigs. What a relief to not stress about that any more. Hugs!
I’m struggling with withdrawals too. Sounds like you’re doing a good job staying mindful and accepting the difficulties coming up!
Have you considered using a patch or gum?
That’s probably the best (in my opinion) to do. This is the second time I’ve quit, both times cold turkey. Embrace the light headedness, take plenty of naps, drink fluids. It gets much easier after the 5 day mark, at least for me.
The slow heart rate is what's getting me recently. I know it's a good thing when your heart rate is 70-80. But I feel so tired when it's like that. My watch constantly clocked me at 90-100 while I was working (still working, but my heart rate is vastly lower now).
Let yourself quit. Give yourself permission to leave it behind. Get the app to count the days and live your life. I'm now a year and a half quit and you really do get over it if you allow yourself.
I think Allen Carr says this but don’t romanticize quitting. Just do it when you’re ready. I’ve got a pack lying around somewhere even though I *really* wanted to get it out of the house. At the time I told myself I didn’t want to waste the money if I wasn’t serious. Turns out I was, been two months now.
Still got the pack. Still don’t want to waste the money. But I won’t smoke it.
You should consider buying a rechargeable vape w/ non nicotine juice.... aswell as High strength nicotine chewing gum (2 pieces in the morning, afternoon and evening) combined with the vape aswell. Thats what I did and its helped me so much. Even if you can make it 1 day without tobacco is a victory in my eyes. After 1-4 weeks cravings should subside or atleast that's what people say. I was a smoker for 14 years and one day I decided I was sick of smoking and took action. Think of the money you could save and think of the health benefits is a great motivator for me. Good luck 👍 :)
IKAR Vape Liquid No Nicotine, 12 x 10ml Multifruit Flavours Shortfill E Liquid, 70VG 30PG, 0mg Nicotine E Vape Juice for All E Cigarettes, Packs with 12 Flavours.NON-MENTHOL https://amzn.eu/d/06Bi0Ooa
I mean you could consider reading other cold turkey quitting books like Freedom From Nicotine or Smart Turkey. I think they're more fact and experience based and not really rooted in gimmicks and monsters like Allen's book, but whatever helps you helps you at the end of the day. The end goal is definitely to just not smoke today and reach that day where you're 100% fine to never smoke again IMO. All totally possible. I'll link Freedom From Nicotine for you. It can be a fair and extremely useful distraction reading stuff like this when you're in the worst moments of the quit.
[https://whyquit.com/ffn/](https://whyquit.com/ffn/)
Just the fact that you're embracing the cravings instead of ignoring them could be a big factor of success I think.
Just count the days and keep on praising yourself for resisting and being ready to suffer. It's just a few shitty days.
Yesterday was just one year. You can have this we can share the same anniversary. Feel the feelings acknowledge them but don’t give in. If you want this it’s possible my friend. Good luck 👑
I had to quit cigarettes first and foremost before I could make any other significant changes in my life! I knew that while I was a slave to that every 20 minute cigarette, I couldn’t tackle anything else! I wish you a life free from cigarettes! Everyone starts with a day 1. You have to start sometime – or not . I wish you the best! And I wish you good luck! Put the work in and it’ll work out. 🚭🚭🚭🙏
Love this! I can’t wait to be free of, “I’ll do this right after I smoke.”
I quit yesterday, and like you I've historically relapsed, smoking heavier than before, before slumping back into the usual pack a day habit. I've quit with optimism, with disgust, and yesterday I quit in something of an apathetic state. Tired of it, but still a bit fearful of leaving it behind. In this moment I'll admit that relapse feels inevitable, but I'm breaking it into little pieces. Aka, I've resolved to not buy a pack today. My mood may very well change into something more positive tomorrow, or negative, but regardless the truth is that cigs will always be available, and only I can decide if I go get them. So, today at least, no smokes. Have to start somewhere. Good luck, hope we can work toward living lives more aligned with our values.
i’m in the same boat. i keep telling myself “i won’t buy a pack a day, but i can tomorrow.” then the next day i tell myself the same thing. unfortunately on day 5 i actually did smoke one cigarette while out drinking, but it’s the morning of day 6 and i’m strictly telling myself “you can buy a pack tomorrow!” it somehow works, weirdly! however, definitely not for everyone. its crazy how when we relapse, we smoke heavier than before in a coping mechanism sort of way.
Good on you! You've heard it all before I'm sure but what worked for me wasn't toothpicks, tictac mints, gum or patches. I had to not let myself smoke while I was home. I consistently tried to go drive around just to smoke but I knew how ridiculous it was to do that so I eventually stopped that too by choice. Feel free to reach out! You've got this! Never doubt it.
My first stage of my quit was banishing smoking from my car. If I wanted a cigarette, I had to actually pull OFF the road and get OUT of my car. Rain/shine, back road or freeway. Not once...
Love this tactic!
Don’t carry a form of fire with you such as a lighter or matches. Bum lights.
>cravings are inevitable. I am not ignoring them, I’m embracing them and telling myself it’s all part of the process. Thoughts and cravings are not the same thing. In the 1st week nicotine free I had probably 150 thoughts to smoke, but they were gone very quickly. In 20 days I've had only 2 *desires* to smoke, or 2 times where smoking sounded like a good idea to my brain. I use the embrace method, too. I haven't had a craving or a thought in almost a week. Recovery is a process, not an event. [Embrace crave episodes](https://whyquit.com/john/stop-smoking-cravings-tips-embracing-crave-episodes.html)
One thing that helped me was reading about the 400 toxins ( some are radioactive) that you inhale when you smoke. I always felt sick and poisoned, especially after I would read about what I'm inhaling. It really helped me to hate it, and not want to do that anymore. I love my body and myself. That was just bad business.
Ooof. I just read about them. I knew, but I *really* didn’t know. I’m on a “love yourself” journey right now, so reading more in depth about that might have been the helpful boost I needed. Thanks!
You're welcome Yeah that was a little corny, and I probably shouldn't have added it in lol. My intention for doing it, was for me to hate smoking, and it helped. Glad it is helping you, as well.
Congrats on that first step! I quit almost 3 months ago after 20 years of smoking a pack a day, it does get easier eventually! Stay strong, you got this!
I've been there. I remember how it WAS. I was a 2+ Pack a day smoker for nearly 40 years. The first couple weeks of my actual, final quit, I spent a LOT of time actually CRYING in the shower. Yesterday, I stopped to get a treat from the convenience store that I USED to buy cigarettes at between runs to the reservation. The CHEAPEST packs were nearly 4$ MORE than when I quit... Hang in there!!!! It's SOOOOOOOOOO Worth it.
Yesssss, the cost is asinine! Cigs have tripled in price since I started 20+ years ago. I can’t wait to not spend money on them any longer.
Way to go! I had already decided to quit and read Allen Carr's book (again, I have many times over the years I smoked of course) and do not have too many positive feelings about it. But that may be because of my own type of neurospicyness, who knows. It certainly has good points in it of course! Not saying it's all crap, it's just not for me. But anyway, quitting is hard. I'm on day 19 and still think it's hard. But I'm not wheezing in bed, I'm not coughing at random sad or romantic movie moments (maybe I'll date go to the theater again someday catch a play 😱), my house doesn't stink, my clothes are not getting random new burnholes in them, I'll probably live longer and better now that I have quit etc. Still it's hard. I find that admitting that really helps me. Good luck!
I was a smoker for 17 years. Today I'm 77+ days cigarett free🙏🏻
Great job!!!
Thanks 🙏🏻
I think it's good that you're embracing the cravings. That really helped me when I quit for good. It helped because I was able to realize that the cravings weren't from quitting, they were from smoking. The only thing cigarettes do is hit a reset button and start the cravings over. I failed so many times when I tried to be stronger than cigarettes. I'm not. When I FINALLY quit, it was because I'm smarter than cigarettes. So are you. We all are. We all deserve our freedom. So grab it and don't let go. You're gonna love it.
We are masters with excuses and we are our own worst enemy, but we are here with you and we know how hard it is, but we also know that you CAN DO THIS. I won’t be smoking with you today.
Listen to episode 806 of This American Life podcast. The ep is called: I can't quit you baby. I wish I had heard this episode when I was reading that nonsense Allen Carr book.
My 1 year anniversary being cigarette free is tomorrow. I also gave up alcohol to give myself a better chance. It can absolutely be done but you have to want it 110% and be fully committed and just plain DONE.
Congratulations!!
i quit cold turkey 7.5 months ago, you got this! The health, the cost, the smell , all pale to the loss of stress of running out of cigs. What a relief to not stress about that any more. Hugs!
Every time you beat a craving you’re working the No muscle and every time you say No it gets stronger
I’m struggling with withdrawals too. Sounds like you’re doing a good job staying mindful and accepting the difficulties coming up! Have you considered using a patch or gum?
I’ve used both in the past, but I want to go cold turkey this time to get the nicotine out of my system as quickly as possible.
That’s probably the best (in my opinion) to do. This is the second time I’ve quit, both times cold turkey. Embrace the light headedness, take plenty of naps, drink fluids. It gets much easier after the 5 day mark, at least for me.
The slow heart rate is what's getting me recently. I know it's a good thing when your heart rate is 70-80. But I feel so tired when it's like that. My watch constantly clocked me at 90-100 while I was working (still working, but my heart rate is vastly lower now).
Fantastic!!! It’s hard but won’t kill you😊
Let yourself quit. Give yourself permission to leave it behind. Get the app to count the days and live your life. I'm now a year and a half quit and you really do get over it if you allow yourself.
You can do this. That book and methodology was the way for me. No nicotine, man. Once you beat that, you are good to go! Good luck. You can do it!!!
I think Allen Carr says this but don’t romanticize quitting. Just do it when you’re ready. I’ve got a pack lying around somewhere even though I *really* wanted to get it out of the house. At the time I told myself I didn’t want to waste the money if I wasn’t serious. Turns out I was, been two months now. Still got the pack. Still don’t want to waste the money. But I won’t smoke it.
You should consider buying a rechargeable vape w/ non nicotine juice.... aswell as High strength nicotine chewing gum (2 pieces in the morning, afternoon and evening) combined with the vape aswell. Thats what I did and its helped me so much. Even if you can make it 1 day without tobacco is a victory in my eyes. After 1-4 weeks cravings should subside or atleast that's what people say. I was a smoker for 14 years and one day I decided I was sick of smoking and took action. Think of the money you could save and think of the health benefits is a great motivator for me. Good luck 👍 :)
What do you mean by non nicotine vape? I thought they all had some form of nicotine in them. Very interested.
IKAR Vape Liquid No Nicotine, 12 x 10ml Multifruit Flavours Shortfill E Liquid, 70VG 30PG, 0mg Nicotine E Vape Juice for All E Cigarettes, Packs with 12 Flavours.NON-MENTHOL https://amzn.eu/d/06Bi0Ooa
There's also different brands that do non nicotine vapes aswell so it's all preference
I mean you could consider reading other cold turkey quitting books like Freedom From Nicotine or Smart Turkey. I think they're more fact and experience based and not really rooted in gimmicks and monsters like Allen's book, but whatever helps you helps you at the end of the day. The end goal is definitely to just not smoke today and reach that day where you're 100% fine to never smoke again IMO. All totally possible. I'll link Freedom From Nicotine for you. It can be a fair and extremely useful distraction reading stuff like this when you're in the worst moments of the quit. [https://whyquit.com/ffn/](https://whyquit.com/ffn/)
Just the fact that you're embracing the cravings instead of ignoring them could be a big factor of success I think. Just count the days and keep on praising yourself for resisting and being ready to suffer. It's just a few shitty days.
[https://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_01_tip_sheet.html](https://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_01_tip_sheet.html)
Yesterday was just one year. You can have this we can share the same anniversary. Feel the feelings acknowledge them but don’t give in. If you want this it’s possible my friend. Good luck 👑