any tips on how to quit smoking?

19 comments

1. Do you drink alcohol? Because let me tell you, that was the hardest part about quitting smoking. I could quit pretty easily, one beer/cocktail I was buying a pack of cigarettes. I had to cut alcohol to finally cut cigarettes

2. I smoked for about 24 years. I tried to quit seven times. I used nicotine replacement therapy, hypnosis…nothing worked.

   Many of the former smokers I would encounter told me they all quit cold turkey. The idea terrified me!

   But hypnosis is a scam, and nicotine replacement therapy…well, that’s like telling a heroin addict to wean himself off smack by using pharmaceutical grade morphine – what sense does that make?

   So…I emptied an overfilled ashtray into a sandwich bag… pretty much locked myself in a room for a week. Anytime I had a crave, I’d take a deep wiff of that nasty-ass butts bag which would almost make me puke.

   ….and I read and read the whyquit.org website learning everything I could about nicotine.

   An educated cold turkey quit worked for me. I’ve been smoke free for almost 12 years now.

   If I can do it, you can do it! Good luck, I am rooting for you!

3. Make a note card that says something to this effect: I can smoke anytime I want, but freedom is also a choice” and tape it to your cigarettes.

   Remember you have the freedom to smoke, but freedom from dependency is worth more than more nicotine and health issues.

4. I just cold turkey.

   Literally one day I said it was enough and never picked them up again.

   If I had a craving I did pushups/situps until it went away, or took my dogs for a walk. Maybe a motorcycle ride. Just literally anything else.

5. The first tip is not to try to quit smoking gradually. The second advice is not to use a substitute for smoking, only coffee when necessary. The third tip is to stay away from everything that tries to make you angry or make you feel sad. The last tip is if you can quit smoking for a certain period and decide to go back to it. You will regret the first cigarette you put in your mouth

6. Drink instead! 😃

7. The Easy Way by Allen Carr. Don’t be put off with it being a self-help book, or fear of the unknown, I started reading a friend’s copy as a hardened smoker not even thinking about quitting. I just found it really clicked, I read each page seeing myself and what my brain was telling me when smoking. The psychology of it is fascinating. At the end I just threw away my pack and that was that. A positive take on it is useful, don’t be sad about quitting or feel down if you get any pangs or cravings. Laugh at it, it is something you no longer do. It is out of your system in days.

8. There’s some supplements that help reduce addiction cravings such as NAC, Magnesium, Ashwaganda.

9. Don’t think about quitting, think about cutting back to 3 a day instead. If I had to guess, you don’t actually want to “quit” but feel like you have to because other people say you should, which is outdated thinking. You’ll have a challenge either way. But if you enjoy smoking, then just be mindful of the amount. One pack a day? Way too much. 3 a day? No better or worse than anything else.

10. Smoke free since July 2019! I quit using the drug Zyban, it makes everything taste like shit, but it works. I only took it for two months. I did gain quite of bit of weight but I’ve got that off and gone now through a strict daily routine of exercise and diet.

11. Don’t buy them.

12. The Easy Way to Stop Smoking – By Allen Carr

    Buy the book. I went from 20 a day to zero a few days after finishing it. No withdrawal, not fighting urges that I needed one. It was as if a switch was flicked and I just didn’t smoke anymore. It actually happened while buying a pack one morning; I asked for a packet, the girl in the shop asked for payment and I just said out of nowhere that it didn’t matter and I didn’t want them anymore and left. That was maybe 15-16 years ago. Have a I smoked since? If you count a cigar at someones wedding then yes, but even that didn’t make me want to continue.,

13. i tried almost everything before following my brothers advice of replacing my nicotine addiction with caffeine, but it worked. Every time I wanted to hit my vape, I drank coffee instead. not ideal, but for me personally i’ve successfully quit caffeine before but not nicotine except with caffiene

14. Talk to your doctor. Mine prescribed a medication for a month, I think was $50. At one point I realized I hadn’t had a smoke for like 10 hours but I didn’t care. Just didn’t need a smoke.

    It’s been like 7 years though so I can’t remember the name of the prescription. Pretty sure it was Chantix ’cause it came with some pretty weird dreams. There are multiple prescriptions though, so your doctor can help.

    If you don’t have a primary care physician or can’t see a doctor or whatever, [the CDC has a site](https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/quit-smoking/quit-smoking-medications/which-quit-smoking-medicine-is-right-for-you/index.html) with lots of options and ways to help you get prescription for little or no cost to help you quit.

15. Switched to vaping, 2% vapes. 10 puffs instead of a cigarette, no vaping in my house or in the car or when I’m walking somewhere.

    Then switched to 0% vapes half the time, then all the time, then bought nastier flavours of 0% until I couldn’t face it any more.

16. Smoked for 10. I cheated with a juul also, but I looked in my calendar for a date about 5 months from now, and said after that date I am no longer a smoker. After then, I can’t call myself “a smoker.” It was a tip given to me by a guy who smoked his whole life. It helped tremendously because I would actually be like “oh yeah I’m not a smoker anymore” after telling myself that for five months.

17. Addictions are the result of unhealed trauma – I’d suggest focusing on finding what that was for you and going through it with a therapist. Once you heal the pain you have no reason to escape.

18. Stop buying them

19. I should start by explaining that I was never what you could consider “addicted” to smoking, it was only ever really social smoking and boredom/something to do smoking for me.

    What I did to stop smoking was do quick calculations of the yearly cost of my smoking, saw it was more than I’d prefer, and switched to chewing/bubble gum (regular, not the ones with nicotine).