I was a huge smoker, and I thought I would never quit. It was how I met people, how I relieved stress, got out of situations I didn’t want to be in, and way more. It was a huge part of me. I never even tried to quit, but I’ve not smoked one for well over a decade. This is what happened. I developed severe psoriasis as an adult. I have no reason to think smoking was connected to this, I have non-smoking family members who also have psoriasis. I tried lots of things to get rid of it, and eventually, I tried a prolonged water fast, about a week. During this week, I couldn’t smoke because I was only consuming water. After that week, the thought of breathing smoke into myself repulsed me, it just seemed like keying my own brand new car. This was never my intention, I’m so glad it happened, though. Good luck!

I quit cigarettes and currently moving away from smoking weed. A lot of it is the habit rather than the substance. I went cold turkey with cigs and struggled for two weeks before the habit went away. Weed is a different case because I still like the stuff but I want to move away from smoking specifically. I have taken to making my own infused butter and baking my own edibles. That lets me enjoy without killing my lungs. This also countered my habit of smoking as a crutch for dealing with stress; the delay from eating to effect killed that behavior. I’m also not a fan of the smell since I’m around kids more often, which is also driving my change.

On a psychological level, the reason I do this is to regain my sense of control. I’m not a fan of letting habits in the driver’s seat. I partake because I want to, not because I need to. I apply this with other aspects of my life as well.

Try the book the Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allen Carr, you can listen to it as an audiobook. It just helps you reframe your thinking about smoking in a way that will make it easier to quit. Good luck!

Do you always grab a cigarette because you want to satisfy a thirst or do you just do it absent-mindedly/out of habit?

If it’s the first one, then you could try replacing it with something else that does the same job but is healthier. I’ve tried for years to find something that fills my hole; tried alcohol, porn, medication, but what really satisfied me was tea. I can do a whole gong-fu session, keeping myself and my mind occupied for a while and I get some amazing tea as a reward for my work. It completely replaced my desire for any of those other, harmful things.

And if it’s the second one: Maybe you could use some little trick to keep you from grabbing your cigarette box. I used to be a really bad nail-biter (still am technically) and tried to stop it for years, but because I always did it unconsciously while watching movies, etc. I just couldn’t. The thing that helped me, what made me stop completely from 100 to 0, was simply to paint my nails. I was really surprised by how effective it was. I still hold my fingers to my mouth but I don’t chew on them anymore because nail polish just tastes bad and well… it’s also pretty toxic.

So maybe you could try something to stop your habit? Heck, maybe you could do the exact same and just coat every cigarette you have in nail polish and just not buy any new ones. Worth a try.

I’m going through a similar thing with alcohol and nic vapes. I finally convinced myself that continued personal growth was impossible (for me) if I couldn’t get a handle on them. I realized these things were a crutch and inhibiting me from living the life I wanted. And I finally refused to allow that any longer. I know it’s not the same as nicotine but alcohol was a huge part of my identity. But … so many aspects of my identity have already been discarded from my life… some withered away and some I had to intentionally destroy. Getting rid of one more is no big deal.

Perhaps you could search inside for a neglected part of your identity to tend to. That’s what I’m doing. Long-forgotten shoots are sprouting and it feels good to cultivate them instead of spending my precious time reinforcing the self-destructive parts of me. I know it’s easier said (and thought) than done. Best of luck.

PS - this is day 4 of no alcohol for me and while I’ve gone longer without it in the past, I’ve always kinda known I’d eventually drink again. This is the first time I’ve really felt like: if I never drink again that would suit me just fine.

Talk to your doctor about welbutrin. It’s usually prescribed as a mild antidepressant, but off label it can help stop smoking. it absolutely crushed my smoking craving, like day 1 or 2. I never picked it back up, even after being off it for a while now.

If meds aren’t your thing, vaping actually helped me stop (one of the many times I quit) prior to welbutrin. I started with normal levels of nicotine and each refill I got a lower amount. Eventually was virtually zero nicotine and I just quit. Just be careful, it’s easy to increase your nicotine intake and get even more addicted if you’re not actively using vaping to quit.

I struggle with not starting it lol, I often wonder if it would be a good thing to try one just to get the curiosity dealt with

Become a stoner or double down on smoking weed/hemp!

Hey. I did this last year. It was incredibly hard I managed to keep 100% cig free for about 6 months but now Ill let myself have one with drinks etc. but I don’t buy them myself. Overall I have no cravings and could go indefinitely without a cigarette.

I know this sucks to hear but literally you just have to go cold turkey. No vape. I got a 0 nic juice and just puffed on it constantly for like 3 months until the cravings went away. It was incredibly hard but I almost never think about cigs anymore unless I smell one at the bar.