How to stop smoking?

[Ergroilnin]

So I just got my e-cig today and I am very pleasantly surprised by it.

The taste is really nice, kinda sweet and overall doesn't burn my mouth like normal cigs do. Sure I am still taking in the really unhealthy Nicotine but hey at least I am not inhaling other 5000 dangerous chemicals, I don't smell, it's cheaper and I don't have to deal with the cig butts and ash.

Not to mention I don't have to smoke for like 5 minutes because I can't really stop the cig from burning and don't want to waste it. I can just take a puff when I feel like it.

Overall I am pretty happy about it. I am going to lower the dose of nicotine each month by 0.2 so in about a year I should be more or less nicotine free and that's fast enough for me :x

[Loony BoB]

I just want to say that seriously wanting to quit is the first step towards quitting, as many people I know didn't seem to have their heart in it, they weren't comitted to the goal. If you do manage to quit, then you've shown a bit of willpower and determination and that's a sign of strong character. Good on you.

[Ergroilnin]

You know, I actually had quit for 4 months earlier this year but I had some serious insomnia, headache and so on and I didn't have money for nicotine badges at the time (they are REALLY expensive here), so instead of manning it out, I got back into it.

I think my problem is that I do want quit smoking, but at the time I don't have THAT muh of reason why. Like if I had GF who hated it, I would quit. That's the sort of willpower I have.

[Loony BoB]

Just think of the girlfriend you could have if she wasn't put off by seeing you smoking a cigarette.

[Ergroilnin]

Hard to imagine when I am shutdown at home

[Yar]

The trick to not smoking is to not smoke.

Feel like having a smoke? Don't. Thinking "I was good today; I'll just have one"? Don't.

Sounds like I'm oversimplifying but that's how I quit. You can come up with all the little tricks you want but it all boils down to not doing that thing.

This.

I've been a non-smoker for about six months now.

Quitting is hard.. but it's not that hard. Just don't smoke. At all. If you relapse, admit to yourself that it was a mistake and just start over. Just because you cheat with one that one time does not mean "welp I might as well go back to smoking like always." Forgive yourself and move on.

Also allow yourself to go through the bitchy mood swings (or however it makes you feel). Don't try to "be nice" because, as I experienced, it just frustrates you more and you'll smoke as an excuse to fix it. Just be a bitch and don't give a smurf! After a month or two you will me more emotionally stable anyway.

Try to replace your smoking with another habit or hobby. Initially, I replaced it with... drinking... I became a bit of an alkey but eventually I replaced the drinking with running and exercise. Basically try to focus that energy into something productive.

I know you say you don't think the nicotene is getting to you, but if you're smoking 5-10 a day, I'd say it is.


I've tried to smoke here and there after I quit but now it's just so stinky and gross that I'm like ugh why did I ever do this and I can't finish the cig. You'll get to that point too if you stick with it.

[Shiny]

I would think the ever-growing price of a pack of cigarettes alone is enough to make people want to quit.

[Aelitalily]

It is true you really have to -want- it. I smoked for 5 years and even though I knew it was a bad habit I always thought it would take something bad to happen to make me want to quit. Luckily for me I was planning to go overseas and I knew I wouldn't be able to afford so I was able to quit.

Ofc it was hard as hell but I felt like I had to quit, so that made it easier.

I have also heard amazing things about the e-cig, glad to hear you have one now! I hope you stick with it and I am sure as time goes by you will find more reasons not to smoke then to smoke, which will help too! :3

[Ergroilnin]

Well the e-cig is definitely good enough for the nicotine intake and I also enjoy the taste way more so I am sure I at least won't go back to classics so while still not healthy, it's definitely healthier which is something I say!

[chionos]

Well yeah, the e-cig is WAY better for you. And infinitely better for the people around you. Not switching to the e-cig because "it's still bad for you," is like an overweight person not switching from junk food to nuts and fruits because "they still have fat and carbs in them."

The e-cig is better for the smoker. It's better for the people around the smoker. It's WAY better for the environment. It's better for the smoker's romantic prospects. It's better for the smoker's wallet. I really don't see the downside.

[Iceglow]

Quite possibly going to sound like a massive arsehole here but hey it's GC and even if it was EoEo I'd not change my response.

The simple fact that you haven't stopped smoking is 1) you are addicted, both to the nicotine and the self punishment you derive from denying yourself the nicotine for your bouts of absistence. If you weren't addicted to the nicotine, you'd simply stop and never go back. 2) you don't have the desire to yet for whatever sub-concious reason. It's that simple.

Well, how do you quit you ask, it's equally a simple answer, you have to 1) want to quit completely and totally and 2) bite the bullet hard. No half measures, get rid of your smokes completely, give them away if you don't like throwing cash away and definitely, absolutely no; e-cigs, patches, no nicotine gum. "Quitting aides" as they call them aren't aides, they're simply another way for the tobacco industry to keep you hooked. They all contain nicotine and the companies behind them, are generally the same or have major shareholders that are the same as the tobacco industry. Every aide you use, is you dangling from their fishing hook.

The next paragraph is pretty related to how this works but feel free to skip ahead as I'm indulging a tangent and a rant.

It's like how we could probably cure a lot of diseases/allergies but there's more money for the pharmacy companies to make in treating the symptoms rather than preventing them in the first place, take Hayfever as a classic example. Your average Hayfever sufferer will need to take tablets from as early as late Feb through to late September. That's like 6 months. 6 months is rounded up 180 days, or 26 weeks. Hayfever tablets cost roughly £3 a pack for a 7 day supply. That's £76.50 for the season. They also have to buy a nasal spray which will cost almost £10 for a decent one, they'll need at least 3 of those. And some will still require eyedrops or other medication. Some people myself included will require both Loratadine and Citrizine tablets. All in all your average bill excluding the inevitably required tissues for Hayfever is around £150 per year per sufferer minimum to the pharmacies. But for £10 you can get a shot which will in 95% of people mean that you experience not even one symptom of Hayfever and that it can last up to 2 years per dose? That's a massive dent in the pharmacies pocket. So much so that in the UK they decided there were "risks" involved and you cannot get it but the rest of the world what has it has dispelled the concerns raised still not available.

So essentially, the only way to do it is to go cold turkey. It won't be fun, you will not enjoy it when the craving kicks in, hell you may even experience headaches, tiredness, sleep deprivation, weight gain, depression, mood swings and for some people they say there's physical pain too (aside from the headaches).

That being said, when you've done it, you'll know what it is to truly quit something hard and tell the tale. You'll be able to enjoy a smoke on a special occasion such as a cigar on NYE without wanting to smoke again or needing to. You'll feel better and tougher in a mental sense and you'll know yourself far better than most people do. You may ask yourself "Who the hell is he to be this flippant and blunt about this, he doesn't smoke!" But I did once, and I went from 20 Marlborough Reds a day plus at least what Americans would call a Dime Bag of weed every couple of days to not smoking weed or tobacco in a snap decision simultaneously 9 years ago. I'd been smoking tobacco at that point for around 5 - 6 years.

I'm not saying I haven't treated myself to the odd smoke now and then, I've been known to indulge but, I've never once had a craving for a smoke in almost 10 years. I haven't allowed myself to smoke weed since quitting, not because I distrust myself but because I don't like the effects any more, I stopped enjoying being high and that's why I don't do it.

So yeah do it, go cold turkey bro!!

[CheriBerry]

I remember when I first started smoking in college. I quit though but the main reason was its cost.