Congratulations!

I went cold turkey (meaning zero nicotine, no patches, gum, lozenges, vaping, etc) 6 days ago today. The first few days were the hardest I've ever faced, now I wake up each day healthier and healthier. I do get intense cravings, but they pass. Instead of smoking I've been sucking on starbursts and non-nicotine gum. I was a pack a day smoker for 16 years and wanted to kill my addiction outright. The first few days I couldn't even walk properly I was so out of it, I couldn't read a paragraph of text so I just stayed in bed. Extremely intense on day 3 going into day 4 and thought about caving constantly. But now it's a lot smoother! I recommend people to give up ASAP.

The first week was the hardest and after that I’ve managed to keep my word to myself. Not another puff no matter what. My last big craving was 6 months ago. The biggest downside is I’ve gained a lot of weight but It was worth it. I’m working on losing weight and getting in shape.

Went to the US (from India) for a work trip in February. The cold and dry air in Denver caused me to develop a violent cough. Lost my voice for a bit as well.

In the midst of all this, I had to stop smoking. And since then it's just been an experiment to see how far I can go.

It's been 6 weeks since I touched nicotine. Was on a 20-pack a day before I moved to vapes. Had been smoking for 3 years. And one day I just randomly quit cold turkey.

I always considered it to be a bad habit, tried quitting a couple times, and I knew I could live without it because I could do 10-15 day breaks when I visited my parents.

Also, I've been actively putting myself in situations where I loved to smoke, the office smoke room, my regular bar, staying around smokers who would give me a drag if I asked for it. No cravings at all.

Hope this one lasts forever. 🤞

I wouldn’t have started if someone warned me how addictive it is

Most of the time I don't even remember being a smoker. When people ask me if I smoke I simply answer "I don't" instead of "I quit".

But there are occasions, and days, where cravings crashes back badly. It's even a couple of nights that I'm dreaming about rolling cigarettes.

And my brain, that fucker, he is still trying to trick me into smoking just one cigarette.

However I won't go back to it. It's been , almost 5 months I quit and despite I'm going to a swimming pool 2-3 times per week and every Sunday I go hiking, I still have serious shortness of breath.

I wish I had quit sooner.

i'm almost 18 and have been smoking on and off since i was 12. for the last 2/3 years i've been smoking pretty regularly and i've been trying to quit for a while but i never end up being able to. most, if not all, of my friends smoke and when we're in a group and they're smoking i don't get the urge as much, but when I'm with someone one on one and they start smoking, i end up asking for a cigarrette as well. Any tips on quitting?

I stopped smoking successfully for a year but I moved to a new place and right in front of my house there's a cigarette vending machine... I bought cigarettes multiple times now and am basically back to smoking. I'm so stupid. And too weak willed for this shit. That's all.

I’m kinda amazed. I feel free. I escaped the shackles of my cigarettes. I’m only 2 weeks in, I know, I’m not out of the woods yet. I use nicotine patches (21mg) and about 2 or 3 chewinggums a day, when I have a very strong craving.

But all things considered, it’s amazing how little effort this takes me. The first few days were though. What to do with my hands? What do people to in their free time? During breaks? While driving? It felt weird, after 18 years of smoking. More than half my life. I didn’t know any better.

But here I am, free as a bird. Feeling fresh, happier, more energized. And it’s only the beginning. I can’t wait to build off my nicotine patches and gum, slowly going to 0mg.

For background, I've "quit" a few times in the past with no problems. I only ended up going back to it during two bouts of serious depression. My mental health has been doing very well for the past year and a half and things in my life are generally trending upward. I decided to quit again last month, hopefully this time for good.

This past week has been terrible. I've reached PEAK irritability, constantly biting my tongue at little things that my family, friends, and partner are doing. I've blown up a few times at family members this week and nearly did the same a few times with my girlfriend. I sat here really thinking about it last night, "why am I being such an asshole lately? Is this what I'm becoming?" I didn't even think about how I recently quit nicotine. I legitimately thought I quit like 2-3 months ago, but today I realized that it's only been a month. It sort of makes sense now! I'm just worried because it's never been this bad in the previous times that I'd stopped. I feel like I'm losing my sanity. I feel like I'm a ticking timebomb that's waiting to explode. I'm even considering taking a break with my girlfriend for a month just so I can stabilize. I fear that I'll be stuck acting like this (or at least fighting these feelings). For those of you who got really affected, does this sound familiar? How'd yall cope?

When we make any meaningful change in our lives, we're essentially letting a piece of ourselves die.

Meaning, once we decide to quit smoking, we must also let go of certain habits, activities, ways of thinking that doesn't serve our cause.

And with all that, some people should be left behind as well. Not everyone is going to support, encourage, and push us to achieve our desired goal. You'll notice that even some friends might occasionally attempt to pull you back to your old habit. All things considered, though, that's not how a friend should act—and you know it.

Bottom line is this:

Don't allow anything and anyone to drag you back to your old ways of operating. This might come off as egotistical, but ultimately, if you want to make this process work, you must put yourself as a number one priority.

Wishing you the best 🙏🏼

If you wish to read more from me, you can also check "Anti-Smoking Club" on X.

If you need help with quitting or someone to keep you accountable, send me a message and I'll help you out for free.

I'm ready to quit, but quite frankly I'm scared. I've been smoking for about 7 years. I'm tired of my lungs feelings like crap and tired of spending so much money on cigs. I've tried many times to quit cold turkey and I can't. The brain fog, anxiety and irritability are too much for me. For those who have used NRT what did you use that you think worked best for you? I'm contemplating on getting some nicotine gum because it worked for my brother. Any and all advice is welcome.

Determined to be smoke free when I wake up Monday morning. Smoked on and off for 15 years and the difference I've felt when I have quit has been amazing so really using that as motivation.

I'm currently living with family while our house purchase goes through and they all smoke/vape. Let me know your best tips, or reminders when those cravings hit 😊

It’s been 4 months since I quit. I was a 5-8 cigarette a day smoker from 18 to 33 years of age. From 33 to 40, I never smoked on the weekdays and smoked lightly on the weekends, amounting to 1-2 cigarettes a day on average. So I’ve not been smoking much in the last 7 or 8 years. I took up fitness at 33 and weigh about 75 kgs and pretty fit.

I run a speed run on Wednesday and a slow 15k run on saturdays. I ran a 21k half marathon in 3 hours dot. I run at 8 minutes per km and my average heart rate is 152 bpm. I find my myself thinking the improvements are barely coming or if I’m being impatient. In these four months, I’ve gone from 8:30/min to 8/min for an average of 152 bpm

is not feeling awkward bumming cigs from strangers because I'm feinding so badly

How to clean the lungs and undo the damage?

In this case after 25 years of smoking, 20 pack years.

Tips, advice, evidence based science, alternative treatments and methods, contraindications, “do’s and don’ts” are ALL welcome 🤗 !

Many thanks for sharing your insights, stories or experience!

Im proud of myself for not smoking any for the past 30 days, however I'm stuck on chewing 2x 2mg nicorette chewing gum per day... I tried giving up the chewing gum however I only lasted 2 days.

How unhealthy would it be for me to chew 2mg chewing gum twice a day.. forever?

It’s been 23 days since I went cold turkey after smoking for 25 years. I ensured that majority of these days I was super busy doing things I liked like road trips, spending time with family, with my dogs etc. never ever had a single craving even once and I was surprised how easy it has been for me. Today after a 12 hour drive back to town, the combination of lack of sleep, tiredness, hunger (skipped lunch) and just sheer exhaustion of traffic led me to have the worst cravings I’ve ever had. I just couldn’t shake it off. I tried playing with my dogs, they didn’t work. Tried distracting myself with lot of stuff but half an hour on, still the same Strong craving. I nearly bought a pack to smoke. But I decided to visit this sub one last time and as always, you guys helped me pull through the worst craving I’ve had. Thank you all! You are all awesome! Ofcourse, I also need to thank my dear friend for dropping everything to try and talk me out of it.

Thanks folks! Thanks Sub!

posting on behalf of my SO

they quit smoking in december, in early january went to the dr because they were still having chest pain with breathing and a cough and sore throat that they think is from smoking. dr prescribed a month of chantix. SO never took the chantix. skip to now, beginning of april and SO says that they're getting cravings again and wondering if the chantix will work if they start taking it now. they already emailed their dr about it but it's the weekend so probably won't hear back for a few days, so I figured I'd see if anyone on here had any experience with similar. If you did start taking chantix months after quitting, did it help with risidual cravings? and how long after starting it did it start working?

Hey! Is it normal to feel really light-headed and dizzy? To be fair, I'm on my period, too, but I quit smoking nearly two weeks ago. I fainted yesterday and today I still feel really dizzy (I took a puff of someone's cigarette to see if it'd clear up and it did, so I think it's got at least something to do with the lack of nicotine in my body).

Hey folks, I’m flying to Japan next month, and I’m a bit anxious. I quit smoking a while ago, but being in a new place sometimes triggers that “just one won’t hurt” feeling.

I read that around 20% of people in Japan still smoke, and they have vending machines and public smoking booths, it all feels a bit too tempting, especially with the novelty of being somewhere new.

Thing is, I know from past trips that smoking during travel sucks (long flights are hell for smokers), and I never really enjoy it. But that small doubt is still there.

Anyone been in a similar spot or traveled to Japan after quitting? Would love to hear how you handled it.

Thanks!

First day I actually feel proud of myself rather than just hating that I’m alive. Feel like I fought for these 5 days with blood sweat and tears (especially tears). Didn’t think I’d actually even make it this far, and wouldn’t have without the accountability and support of my bf and my friends #coldturkey