I chose to drink alcohol tonight because I want to quit nicotine but I still fiend for it, typically when I drink alcohol the feelings of wanting to smoke tobacco go away but because alcohol decreases inhibition I'm currently genuinely fieding for nicotine again and I don't know what to do, I'm very upset that I've gotten addicted to this substance and the old adage of "I only quit when I wanted to quit" is getting fucking sick because how the fuck are you supposed to quit if you only want to quit when you want to quit?!
I'm sorry for the slight rant, can anyone give me genuine actual advice of how to quit except for the bullshit "I quit when I wanted to" because at this point I'm actually desperate, I'm not sure if I'm desperate because I'm drunk or I really want to get off this substance that will kill me someday but please give me some advice on what to do and I will follow it as if it's the fucking path of Jesus Christ (I'm not religious)
I want to clarify that by "desperate" I mean I don't know what to do and I'm kind of scared because I figure I'll die if I keep doing what I'm doing, I don't need to be calmed down because I'm quite calm, I'm looking for advice and any at that

But I switched to vaping... Yep, lol sorry.

I'm a 22 year old man lol, not saying I should be ashamed but it was unexpected. Why do I feel so emotional. I've been a stressful angry asshole lately because of the withdrawals. Aggressively working out and shadow boxing, getting my dopamine from doom scrolling lol. Locked in this freeze until I get nic position haha

I’ve stopped smoking for a bit over 2 years now, but that’s only true if I don’t count the Odd Cigarette.

I sometimes fold when I’m in a social setting where everyone is drinking/smoking or when I’m extremely overwhelmed. This happens at most twice a month.

Idk why I’m posting this. I wish I didn’t revert to smoking when life gets too hard or too fun. It’s benign enough not to warrant obvious worry but I’m sure the harm compounds…

I (26M) am on day 11 of quitting cold turkey, haven't had a single puff since I stopped. I defeated the little monster easily, felt no physical withdrawal, but the big monster is absolute doing numbers on me. The mental strain is becoming unbearable at work.

For context, I smoked rolled tobacco for 3 years, and for the last 5 years I have been using IQOS (heated tobacco), averaging a pack a day. I have been working at my current job for 3 years, and the entire time I have been smoking IQOS right at my desk while working (small office, my 3 coworkers are all IQOS smokers).

On a recent 8-day vacation, I picked up Allen Carr's book. I had bought 4 packs of IQOS for the trip, but I ended up smoking only half a pack the entire time, and I did not even smoke at all for the last 4 days. I did not miss it. But the day I got back to work, I smoked 20 sticks, a whole pack, at my desk. That same day, out of spite I finished Allen Carr's book, threw everything away, and stopped.

When I am at home or on the weekends, I am completely fine. I am relaxed and I do not even think about smoking at all. But the second I step into the office and sit at my desk, it is a completely different story.

Work has been impossible. I take Vyvanse for ADHD, and right now my brain is hyperfixating on smoking for 8 hours straight instead of getting anything done. I cannot focus, I feel low, and I am so drained by the end of the day. When I left office, everything seemed to reset, but in the last 2 days I ended up taking that awful mood home and stayed that way until I went to sleep. Now I do not even feel like cooking or eating, which is something I usually love.

These intense cravings seem to align almost perfectly with the peak effect of my Vyvanse. I do not take Vyvanse on the weekends, which might explain why I feel so relaxed at home. I tried coming to work one day without taking it to see if it helped, but it was just as unbearable. I can't even tell if it was the craving itself or if I was just bored at my desk, seeking a dopamine hit.

My brain will not stop negotiating with me throughout the day. Over the past week I have thought about buying nicotine free vapes or even buying a pack to re-quit later using Cytisine just to make this stop. I have even been arguing with chatbots every single day, trying to get them to convince me not to smoke, but it is just pissing me off because they repeat the same advice, until I realized I am just waiting for it to tell me "JUST GO SMOKE", since no one else does.

The worst part is that I think I get all the theory from the book. I followed the instructions to the letter, and I know exactly what I am supposed to do when a craving hits. The theory goes right out the window the second I sit down to work. I just feel depressed and enraged.

I know I cannot quit my job, but I cannot function like this either. Has anyone on ADHD medication dealt with this desk hyperfixation after quitting? How did you break the loop and start working again when smoking was part of your daily desk setup?

Looking back, I keep wondering if this mental wall is happening because I quit out of spite rather than a genuine desire to stop. Since I forced myself into this, I feel like my brain is still resisting the decision instead of accepting it.

I am exhausted from fighting my own brain every single minute.

EDIT: Added that I smoked a pack a day.

I’ve been thinking about quitting nicotine, but not for the usual reason.

Honestly, I’m not that motivated by the health argument. I know nicotine isn’t good for me, but “you might get sick years from now” just doesn’t hit that hard for me.

What does bother me is how much control nicotine has over my day.

Thinking about when I’ll get my next hit. Making sure I have enough. Feeling irritated when I can’t use it. Spending money on something I probably wouldn’t even miss if I had never started.

And then there’s the weird part: sometimes I’m not even enjoying it that much anymore. I’m basically using nicotine just to feel normal.

So I started wondering:

If I completely ignore the health consequences, is there still a good reason to quit nicotine?

For people who quit, what actually made it worth it for you?

Was it the money? Freedom from cravings? Better focus? Not having to think about nicotine all the time? Or just wanting to prove to yourself that you could live without it?

Genuinely curious, especially from people who weren't motivated by the health side of quitting.

It is crazy to me to think that it’s been 10 years since I quit smoking. I remember my first day reading through the 1 year, 5 year, 10 year… heck, even 10 day anniversaries and wondering how I was going to get through it. I’m so thankful to have made it to the other side and am able to make my own post!

My last quit happened at 32 years old. I had been smoking a pack a day for 10 years and knew I had to push through as I knew my health was going to suffer. I grasped every crutch I could, slowly weening my was down through the nicotine patch strengths, vape nicotine strengths, and made it to that day where I was free and clear of it all.

Since then, I have received an associates, bachelors, AND masters degree. I started 3 jobs, working my way from a student IT intern to my current position as a platform architect. I picked up running and have run two 15ks, a ton of 5ks, and even ran a marathon this past January. Last year I hiked to Everest base camp, which would have been impossible if I was still smoking (half the oxygen as sea level is no joke!)

I’m so proud and thankful to have made it to this milestone. This past June my father passed away, and on his death certificate the cause included his smoking history even though he had been quit for the last 8 years. He had just done too much damage before then. I’m hopeful that I stopped early enough and am taking the right steps to protect my future.

Sorry this turned into a bit of a ramble, but if my story helps keep even one person from smoking today, it’ll be worth it. 💙

Hi, I'm m19 and recently quit smoking by using snus.

I had planned on just using it sparingly to negate cravings especially because I was going through some things in my life.

I would have been considered a heavy smoker, smoking 20+ a day before I stopped. I had been smoking since my early teens.

Now I want to quit snus completely, I'm using 30mg pablos 4-6 times a day and I know I need to get rid of the crutch before it gets worse.

Just thought I'd post here to ask is it better to taper or go cold turkey? And what to expect as the nicotine is much stronger using snus. Any help or advice is really appreciated!

Thank you guys!!

Attempted going cold turkey today after extremely heavy vaping and smoking without cutting down before, I'm still pursuing giving up, I'll do it with nicotine replacement therapy as clearly cold turkey won't work after being on such a high amount and suddenly stopping, I didn't even make it half a day.

I'm 26 and never smoked so often in my life

Some months ago i used to hang out of the office with my friends (who do smoke) at least 3 or 4 times a day, we took 5-10 minutes breaks where they smoked and chat and i used to borrow one cigarette from them once a week or even none

Now i moved to a new job, the new office complex have this beautiful smoking place with flowers and a koi pond but now i don't hace any smoking friend to hang out there, i felt weird just standing there so for the first time this year i bought a pack of cigarettes

Honestly i dont have any craving for them i just want to relax there but i felt weird and observed, what can i do instead of smoking?

Enjoying my first nicotine free month after a 20 year smoking addiction. Quit a million times until I came across CBQ Method and finished all the modules end to end. Can’t be more happy with my decision to quit

Hey everyone! I quit smoking and it’s been 53 hours since my last cigarette. 🎉

I used to smoke around 3–5 cigarettes a day, and sometimes 7–8 when I was drinking. I’ve been smoking for about 5½ years, so quitting has definitely been a challenge.

Every now and then, I suddenly get a strong urge to smoke, especially when I’m outside or when I have some free time. I’m trying my best to keep myself distracted and take it one day at a time.

For those of you who have quit:

• What helped you get through the urges?
• What did you do when you had too much free time or were in situations where you normally smoked?
• How did you stay motivated during the early days?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences and stories. How did you quit smoking, and what helped you stay smoke-free?

53 hours down , hoping to keep going.

I’m 20 days post-op from rhinoplasty and I’m really struggling to quit smoking. I’ve been smoking again after the surgery, and I feel like I’m making my recovery worse.
I’m considering taking prescription smoking-cessation pills (varenicline/Champix). Has anyone taken them around 3 weeks after rhinoplasty? Is it generally safe, or could they affect healing or recovery?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

I haven't been smoking for 2 years but then I got into the classic addiction trap.

It was a trip back home (I live abroad) and my friend invited me to smoke hookah which is highly popular in my country. I hesitated but decided that if I allow myself to smoke hookah when I'm traveling it won't be a big issue. Nicotine is terrible, but smoking with friends one or two times per year seemed fine for me.

That was a huge mistake. Before my next trip I was already anticipating smoking hookah. And I smoked a lot there. "One-two times per year" turned into "Smoke hookah when I'm traveling"
Next time I traveled to Vietnam, I asked my friend a self-rolled cigarette. "Hookah when I'm traveling" turned into "Smoking when I'm traveling". And when I got tired of asking him to smoke I just bought a vape.

The thing is that each time I got back home, it was easy for me not to smoke. I didn't even think about it at all. It made me believe that everything was under control.

At the same time I realized that I started to wait the next trip not just because I love to travel but because I will be able to smoke something - hookah, vape or even cigarettes. Yes, I started to buy them and smoke even when travelled, not to another country, but to another city!

So today is my "Day Zero" again. I'm traveling right now, and I just threw a pack of cigs (not event the first one) in the trash. I'm pretty sure it will be a little easier to quit than it was the first time, since I smoked periodically, but it won't be easy for sure.

Don't rely on rules that allow you to smoke; don't slip off the path. If you're quitting - quit forever. Any dose of nicotine will bring you back into the addiction.

Hey everyone. I’ve been smoking for about 10 years, with the last 2 years being pretty on-and-off. I’ve relapsed multiple times, but I genuinely feel like I’m getting stronger and closer to being done for good.

The problem is I have a wedding on Friday, followed by a 2-day stay at a house with the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Basically BBQ, beer, hanging out, late nights, etc. The kind of environment where smoking can feel very tempting.

There are two people there who smoke there, both of whom I’m pretty close to. I’m already feeling anxious about it. I can feel myself thinking about smoking again and imagining myself having “just one” with them. It’s been eating me up a bit.

The obvious advice is probably “just stay away from the smokers,” but realistically, I can’t just not go to the gathering. I also don’t want to spend the entire weekend hiding from everyone.

For those of you who have dealt with this, how do you handle being around smokers at social events when the cravings/urge and anxiety start kicking in?

I’d love to hear from people who were in a similar situation and made it through without smoking. I could really use some perspective before Friday.

Ever since I quit, I’ve been reading posts on this sub every single day. Today was my worst day so far, which is why I finally made a post earlier venting about my cravings and asking for help. And as always, the people responding were supportive.

But it got me thinking. I only reach out when I'm really struggling. When things are going well, I usually just get on with my day, or worry that posting about it might sound like bragging.

This subreddit has helped me a lot, but because most posts are about hard times or milestones, it can unintentionally make quitting look like non-stop misery to someone just starting out.

If you had a surprisingly smooth time quitting, or if you’ve been smoke-free for a while and most days are easy now, please post about it, or let me know.

It would be really encouraging to hear from people who are having good days.

How does one quit smoking successfully ? I'm wanting to quit smoking, I need to quit smoking... I live with a smoker, she smokes inside and outside and I feel there's no getting away. And I'm not sure if she does this on purpose or it's just my mind fucking with me but when she knows I'm out of cigarettes or planning to quit she will sit in the same room with me and smoke, I mean chain smoke. She doesn't sit with me any other time, I mean she does sometimes but not as much as she does when she knows I have no cigarettes or when I talk about quitting. I want to stop cold turkey because I don't want to get addicted or depend on anything else. I have been smoking on and off for over 10 years but became a complete smoker for 9 years, one to two packs a day...

What mindset can I have when I'm quitting? What can I expect? It's hard enough going over two hours without a cigarette and I feel I'm going insane. I do feel it would be easier if I wasn't surrounded by smokers, but I am. Everyone I know smokes.

I've been smoking around 12 ciggs a day for the last 4 years. Don't love it but also don't hate it enough yet to quit. I did get irritated once and quit for a month. But since my husband is also a smoker, it's very easy to slip back to have this activity we do together.

However, my body has lately been reacting horribly to ciggerates. Lately I would experience slight nausea after smoking but it was not too bad. But after a bout of dengue it's just unbearable. I can't smoke without feeling like I could thrown my organs out.

I also started bupropion for depression a few months back. It is also a drug used for smoking cessation. So I don't know what it is exactly but I can't seem to enjoy it anymore. I guess I'm looking for a final external push to say, it's time.

My boyfriend has wanted to quit for quite a while but he also has adhd and autism so not only is it the feeling of the nicotine that makes it hard, he says he craves the feeling of the smoke entering his lungs. So lozenges and patches help with the withdrawals but it’s a harder habit to break for him because for him it’s about the habit itself. Holding the vape and the feeling of hitting it are a big part of it.

Are there any tips for this part?

I've made it!! it's been four weeks for me. You can see my old posts from here and here. I don't have any big craving or anything like that however there is a strong "you've deserved it you can smoke one cigarette" voice time to time. Thanks for this community for being so supportive. I'll update next milestone (3 months). If you have tips for the voice i've mentioned that'd be great.

BRO. Everyone and their mom was right about people, places and things. I can be enjoying my smoke free day, go for a walk and a specific place, smell or even sound can bring out the most intense craving from hell. Should I just lock myself up at home for the first few weeks, shit’s wack.

i haven't even stopped completely yet, i still smoke one cig every working day, but the food cravings are killing me. i feel like i'm hungry all damn time. when i actually eat to stop the hunger i instantly feel full - that's how i know it's just my mouth being lonely. how do you deal with this?

I had a trip like this once and thought being stuck without nicotine would drive me insane. The first night was brutal. I felt restless, irritated, and weirdly empty. I kept reaching for my pocket without thinking, then getting pissed off when I remembered there was nothing there. My brain kept telling me I needed a cigarette just to feel normal.

I carried gum, water, and snacks everywhere and went for walks whenever the urge got too loud. Some cravings felt impossible, but they eventually passed. By the third day, I felt calmer and started realizing I was actually doing this.

every time I try to get rid of this habit, I always lose my control which always leads to me coming back to this smoking craving.

I mean im few hours free from this but help😭