Quitting smoking

[SendHelp999]

I've smoked cigarettes for about 13 years and todays the day I've decided to stop.

I genuinely think I won't be able to do it unless I vape occasionally when I get a strong craving but I don't plan on replacing the cigarette with a vape

Does anyone have tips and tricks to help quit for good?

& would it be any good me using nicotine patches if I'm vaping when I feel a craving?

It's 10:20am right now. I've been up since 7:30. Usually would have had 3 fags by now but haven't had a single one

I've been using an IQOS E-Cig for about 2 years. I can stop, but can't stay stopped! I feel load better, I've lost my smoker's cough and shortness of breath. I've tried gum patches and vapes, but none were any help to me.

The chewing gum did it for me but I'm addicted to that now 😁

I used lozenges, gradually went down in strength. Also avoided other people smoking, they like to drag you back in unfortunately. You will notice the awful smell and taste of them quite quickly after quitting. Life is so much better when you are jot smoking, and all the extra money! I also signed up to an NHS website that sent encouraging emails, but that was about ten years ago. Good luck.

Forgot to say I was 30 a day for 40 years....what a waste of my time, money and health.

I found the opposite. I’d tried patches, inhaler, lozenges, even zyban. What they did was they kept my mind on smoking after I’d smoked my ‘last’ cigarette. So when I was having a lozenge, actually I was just thinking how much it wasn’t as good as smoking and this kept it in my mind and routine, leading to the inevitable ‘sod it, I might as well just have a cigarette’. The mental battle is far longer and harder than the physical withdrawal battle, so that’s the one that got the most focus and effort.

Cold turkey eventually worked for me, because it was a definite hard stop/line in the sand. What I told myself was, in order to quit smoking, all I had to do was one thing- not put a lit cigarette in my mouth. That’s it. As long as I did that, I’d stop smoking. Not doing something is less effort than doing something -which explains my lack of running in recent months- so it’s technically easier to not smoke than to smoke, and I’m very lazy so it made sense. It was that thought which I hung on to, barely with my fingernails sometimes, but it got me through.

11 years smoke free now. I don’t think of it too often, but when I do, I tell myself I’m still a smoker, who just hasn’t had a cigarette in a while and needs to keep that up. It keeps my eye on the ball, so to speak.

I only managed to stop smoking when I got pregnant. I needed that "absolutely cannot under any circumstances have a fag". Prior to that it was the Allen Carr Easyway book that I had the most success with. You have to believe that you can live your life without cigarettes.

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Revised Edition by Allen Carr (2015-09-24) amzn.eu/d/fFS9EZW

Read this book! I gave up cold turkey 9 years ago and didn't think I'd be able to (heavy smoker for 15 years) but it was easy.
It's repeatitive and not that interesting but it seemed to hypnotise me! It really works.
You can do this!

Oh I also used a Forum called The Quit Train, the people were lovely! (Assume they still are but I don't go on there now).

www.quittrain.com/

There are basically two methods - use nicotine (whether vaping, patches, lozenges or a combination), or go cold turkey.

If you're using nicotine it's best to use enough to kill the cravings and use it for long enough to get used to not smoking. Then taper down the strength if you don't want to vape long term. This is a lot easier than cutting down smoking.

If you're going cold turkey then it's best to use absolutely no nicotine at all so you get it out of your system asap. Lots of people using this method find Allen Carr's books helpful.

I'm sure people will pop up and say they successfully quit by just using a vape when they had a very strong craving but IMO they made it harder for themselves than it needed to be.

Get in touch with your local stop smoking services for support and advice on all your options.

Be very wary of nights out drinking until you are confident that you have quit.

Good luck, you can do this!

Don't use nicotine patches while vaping unless you're vaping a very low mg nicotine liquid and using it very occasionally.

Your best bet is to get 20mg Nic salts. It sounds very high but they taste very smooth and really satiate a craving. Nobody really intends on replacing cigarettes with a vape but whatever keeps you off the cigarettes is a benefit, not a hinderance. Don't start this journey with both hands tied behind your back. Go into it knowing you'll be a full time vaper for a while and understanding that's a step forward and not a step back.

I quit with the vape a year ago after smoking 40-50 rollies a day for fifteen years. You can do this but be realistic. It's a very hard addiction to kick but every hour cigarette free is freedom.

I smoked 20 a day for 30 years.
I quit by using lozenges for the nicotine hit and I vaped 0 nicotine liquid for the habit.
I've not had a cigarette since October 21st 2016

Thank you all so much for your advice

I'm currently using the VuseGo disposable vape in mint as I find that to be the closest hit to a ciggerette.

I'm so pleased with myself I've been up since 7:30 and not had a fag all day and I actually feel ok. I think it's more the fact that I go in the garden for 5 minutes quiet time to myself away from DP & DS

I smoke about 15-20 a day. Not even bothered by saving money (although that is a bonus) it's more the fact that we've moved into a house now with stairs compared to our flat and to keep going up and down the stairs is leaving me so breathless!

And obviously it absolutely stinks. The constant hand washing after smoking makes my hands so sore too

If you can do it you'll never regret it. I went cold turkey as such. I wrote a mammoth list of all the little jobs that needed doing and every time I fancied a fag I changed a light bulb (or whatever).

I've got elf bars to substitute my smoking, on the 10mg ones and then will swap to 0mg in a week or two. I already feel like my lungs are recovering.
I find it's more about having something to do with my hands than actually wanting a cigarette.

So todays my 3rd day. No ciggerettes. We'll. actually that's a lie. Last night I was soooooo stressed out on the verge of tears I lit one had one puff and put it straight out. I didn't enjoy it at all. I thought that was it I'd caved and undone all my hard work so far.

But I had the one puff and threw it away and haven't wanted to light once since. However I have been vaping in replacement of smoking. But even still nowhere near the same amount I'd be smoking ciggerettes

@SendHelp999 you're doing brilliantly!

Well done, you're doing great. I realised when I gave up that smoking was actually causing me stress not alleviating it.

I keep having crazy nightmares though. I googled it and apparently it's nicotine withdrawal. I fall asleep and within 10 minutes I have a nightmare. I'm sleeping SOO deeply too and it's so hard to get up in the morning.

I'm due on my period so not sure if it's due to that or not smoking I've had serious anger issues this week. Everything is irritating me. People are just annoying me. I'm not hungry at all really gone off my food.

Hope it passes tho as I feel so miserable and really shit.

Don't have any cravings for a smoke though so that's good

After a while, I occasionally used to wake up having dreamed that I’d smoked.

The guilt I felt that I’d thrown away all the hard work and was back to day 0 was a good motivator- I didn’t want to feel that for real.

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