Asklemmy

From my experience, I would say it really depends on what kind of smoker you are.

I smoked on and off for over twenty years. I made strong associations with cigarettes in my college years. It was a way to get away, to be different, to meet new people, to relax, etc. Sometimes I smoked two packs a day, but more often a pack a week. I smoked the most while driving or after work or at the bar. My friends at the bar smoked, my girlfriends smoked, my coworkers smoked.

I read long ago that, for some people, nicotine fits like a puzzle piece into a receptor in their bodies. I believe I lack this receptor that causes biological addition and my smoking was due more to Pavlovian conditioning. I never had a morning craving. I never got "the shakes". I quit over a dozen times, sometimes for more than a year.

When I was finally ready, and I have to emphasize that you need to be ready, I actually went out of my way to not have a cigarette while doing the things I strongly associated with smoking. I knew I was ready and it was going to stick because I quit over the course of "Beer Week" (Beer Week is when all the bars in the city have beer specials and events and serve one-off or collaboration beers from around the world). It was the worst time to quit but also the best time to quit. It was a challenge. When my friends at the bar all went out for a smoke, I joined them - without a smoke. When I was done eating dinner, I'd go outside and just sit and think without the cigarette. I even went for a drive with a cigarette in my hand and pretended to smoke it without lighting it up.

Being ready to quit isn't about knowing it's bad for you. To be really honest with you, I quit because I was flirting with a super cute girl who happened to be a doctor (I still remember her name - Rose. Because Rose + Doctor Who). Everything was going great then I interrupted her so I could go outside for a cigarette. The disappointment felt by the both of us when I returned was the gut punch I needed. I still have that pack of cigarettes that I only had three smokes out of.

I've not had a single urge to smoke for nine and a half years now.

Or you could try hypnotherapy. Worked for my mom after smoking for over 45 years.

Just stop doing it. You won't quit until you really want to stop, and then it's actually kind of easy. You hear this from a lot of people who quit, that all the circumstances and programs and nicotine substitutes are kind of secondary to the mental aspect of it.

I vaped for quite a while. Got a bit addicted to the tinkering and the juice hunting. It can be a fun hobby which probably makes it a bad way to quit if you're anything like me.

I worked myself down on the nicotine levels until I was at zero.

Relapsed back to cigarettes after not having vaped for a few months due to stress.

Finally stopped cold turkey. Didn't go back to vaping just decided it was time.

Things that ultimately helped:

• Having a reason to quit that I could remind myself of daily as an affirmation.
• My partner was also quitting, I needed her to stop and needed to be there to support her efforts.

If I was going to do it again, I'd probably look into Fum or something similar. Probably add some nicotine gum at the start to ease the chemical addiction.

my accidental 2 step program: 1: switch to these "heets" and the "iqos" and smoking no normal cigs. 2: when i got sick and wanted to smoke i couldnt stand the taste of these things without vomiting. They basically ruined tobacco for me, i never touched a cigarette after that and i stopped smoking one and a half year ago :)

Find other ways to cope when you get the urge, ie vape etc

Or big balls daddy cold turkey it

Getting healthy is a personal journey. What works for some will not work for others. I hope you find your way.

As for how I quit tobacco cold turkey:

Every day, I would delay the first cigarette as long as I could. There was no limits to my smoking. There was no rules. Just me doing my best. No putting myself down for sparking one up, no goals to disappoint myself by missing.

Slowly over the course of months I got later and later in the day on average. Till one day I forgot to have one. Did I have a smoke the next day? You bet I did.

But eventually I made it a couple days. Then once I got past a couple days I tried to push for a week. Once you get past two weeks the cravings really dropped. It eventually become a "when I drink" thing. And then I abstained from alcohol to help that along.

I still drink, but I don't smoke (tobacco). It's been years since I actively smoked, although two years ago I did slip up when i was drunk tubing down a river and bummed like 5 cig from a friend who had a couple packs. It was a really good day. Next day, I didn't want to keep smoking. I felt really strong to be able to smoke some cigs and just drop it. Haven't smoked (tobacco) since then.