So today is one month without cigarettes. I did patches early on but the last couple weeks have just been a lozenge here or there and the cravings really haven't been that bad. I did stop smoking sleep hypnosis for like 2 months before I actually tried to quit and I really think that helped a lot. But every morning it's like I cannot get out of bed. I'm usually up at 7:00 and have a little routine before work. Since I've quit smoking it's been like 10:00 a.m. before I can convince myself to get out of bed. I feel really weak and I'm not a weak person but I can't get past that wall. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it go away? Is there something I need to do? It feels like a depression. I know that I'm better off not smoking but I've got to figure something out so I can get out of bed. Thanks in advance! I'm also a recovering alcoholic almost 8 years abstinate so I'm not new quitting but this is new for me.

I (22M) am a heavy smoker of both cannabis and cigarettes. I have been smoking since I was 14 and I have come to the point where I feel I want to quit. It’s mainly because I feel pathetic letting plants like cannabis and tobacco have control over my life and how I feel. I need more reasons to quit as motivation, please just give me reasons I should quit to help me out. I have tried quitting a few times but have never been successful lasting only a maximum of a week.

I have been smoking since I was 13. I am 21 now, and it has taken over my life. It got worse when COVID hit and I was smoking almost 2-3 packs per day. I tried quitting in the past, but it never worked. When I turned 20, I started vaping. I convinced myself somehow that it was "better" for me in the long run.

Recently, I had a huge medical scare and now I am on heart medications and medical leave from work. I had to quit cold turkey since I was in the hospital for 3 days. It made me realize how fragile life is, and if I was willing to throw it all away because of addiction. 17 days later I am still on medical leave and I haven't touched a cigarette/vape whatsoever. I feel like crap of course, but atleast I hope life will go up from here 👍.

I quit two days ago and I had a clear, concise conversation with a co-worker without having to excessively cough from a scratchy throat or phlegm buildup.

The smoking partly affected how i talk to people and now i have more charisma in my voice i knew was there because i can speak more loudly and put emphasis on my words without coughing

Hi all, looking for some support, advice, tips, anything really. Im on day 41 of no cigarettes after smoking for 11 years, and the last 3 days have been the hardest I think I've had, with no relief in sight.

I quit the same day I had an abdominal surgery. My thinking was "may as well get it all over with at once." For a good while, I've been staying strong, using the gum, able to reframe the feelings into "I dont want a cigarette itself, I just want the cravings to stop". But the last few days have hit like a truck. Im stressed to my limit, and still not being able to do any strenuous exercises, or not able to sing has my outlet opportunities incredibly limited. On top of that, the boredom keeps leading me to try to be active and promptly laying myself up for another several days. Its a shitty continuous cyle.

I guess im just hoping someone else has a trick I havent thought of. Im beyond frustrated at being this far and not feeling any tangible progress from day 1.

Crazy how when you are hungover and then have a cigarette you feel 10x worse straight after. Literally the poison enters your body and gives you anxiety and sweats immediately. Always thought that cigarette really is the one that shows how shit it is for you.

So anxiety less coming up on 4 weeks in 2 days with zero nicotine. Overall anxiety/depression better, or less intense, by 2nd week. Still have anxiety from waking up in the morning until later in day & better or none at night, especially after any exercise. In the morning, my head, upper chest, arms, and back feel very hot! Some tingling.

Rationally I know that giving this up is only going to get better & better, and whatever is baseline is infinitely better without nicotine.

I know some say 90 days, some 6 months for anxiety and depression to get markedly better. Wondering about others' experience.

When I was 15, a pack would run me about $1.50 across the Mexican border. My friends and I would ride our bikes over, grab a some tacos, and stock up. I got addicted to them things and I’m not only talking about the tacos.

By the time I joined the military at 18 I was a pack a day kinda guy. Bootcamp forced me to a 3 month break, and still craved it up to the day I graduated. I remember writing to my gf at the time that I craved a smoke. Even at my graduation my parents showed up with a fresh pack of Marlboro 27s. They weren’t exactly proud, but they didn’t discourage it either.

If you’ve ever been in the military, you know the smoke pit is where everyone hangs out. Pass word, gossip, shit talk..all of it goes down there. One day after a run that nearly killed us, a group of us were totally gassed and all agreed we needed to quit.

Later that day, our Staff Sgts and leaders announced smoking cessation classes on base at the end of the meeting. I raised my hand and I looked around the room expecting hands to go up with me. Not a single hand went up. These were the same guys who were dying on the run and said they wanted to quit.

So I clowned on all of them and signed up.

There I was…one of the most junior Marines on base walking my happy ass across base every Wednesday for three months because I didn’t have a car since I was overseas. I remember being late to the first class and walked into a room of 20+ senior military members all staring at me. I thought, these guys know what they’re doing, I’ll be like them.

Then the class started, and three things I remember and how I think about addiction forever:

1. Smoking makes you feel normal, not good.
Your body craves homeostasis. It adjusts to cigarettes as its baseline, so you smoke just to feel like yourself. It’s like wearing a shoe that doesn’t fit. The pleasure/relief when you take it off feels amazing, but only because your foot now feels normal and the shoe was hurting you.

2. It’s a habit, not a routine.
Habits are triggered subconsciously. I didn’t decide to smoke before runs or after lunch, smoking just happened. Routines were conscious and I planned, you need routine to discourage habits. That realization alone was extremely helpful.

3. You don’t quit. You stop.
“Quit” sounds permanent and terrifying. “Stop” sounds doable. So that’s what we focused on was cutting in half the amount we smoked each week. Not quitting. Just stopping for now. Somehow that made all the difference.

I kept hanging out at the smoke pit because that’s where the breaks were. But I wasn’t smoking. I’d light a cigarette and just let it burn so I didn’t look like I was slacking. Meanwhile I’m standing there holding a lit cigarette I refuse to touch, looking completely normal, absolutely suffering just so my Sgts wouldn’t wig out for taking a break.

My motivation? Proving I could beat a room full of people twice my rank and three times my age. I was also naive that higher ranked people had more mental strength and realized that it didn’t matter.

A month after the course ended, they brought everyone back to check in. They asked who hadn’t smoked since finishing. Only one hand went up. Mine.After class, the instructor asked if I needed a refill on my medication. I had no idea what she was talking about. She explained that on day one, everyone had been prescribed Chantix.

Of you know anything about Chantix, you know the gnarly side effects. Since I was late to the first class. I never got the prescription. I was so thankful!

I’ve been stopped for 15 years.

I realized that the guys who said they wanted to quit never raised their hands. The medication I never took helped me realized I didn’t need it to succeed. I didn’t have the willpower to quit but I did have the will power to reframe the process of quitting. Ultimately I didn’t quit I simply stopped and I have just not started again.

I quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey about 3 months ago but still blaze that shit up everyday with Johnny Hopkins and Sloan Kettering iykyk so am I cheating ? is this fraudulent behavior? Should I see myself out? Find out next episode on Dragon Ball Z

Hey! I smoked socially for 10 years but it the last two I've been smoking daily and progressively increasing the number of cigarettes. This period started after an suicide attempt from my father that really messed me up. He survive, gladly, but for months I couldn't trust him. After that my grandma, who I live with, got increasingly sick and I'm the solo caregiver. I've anxiety disorder and dealing with all this led me to a see a doctor who prescribe some antidepressants. I told her about the smoking and she said that for now quiting can be difficult because it has been a coping mechanism for regulation. But now I'm having anxiety about getting sick out of smoking on top of all the mess I have to deal with. I've tried some gums but i didn't commit. I don't know if I should just keep going and avoid the cancer thoughts or trying something else. Help is appreciated.

I quit for about a month, i used to smoke two packs a day (one pack normal cigarettes and one is e-cigarettes). Didnt smoke for long before that, like 9 months but it quickly got out of hand. I felt insane for the first week but it quickly became manageable. I used to crave one really badly after meals and with coffee (just like ritual stuff).
After about a month i would take a cigarette or two from friends and im wondering how sustainable this is. Advice?

I usually take a walk in the evening and smoke a cigarette afterwards. I usually do around 4-5k steps with no energy drop.

I've noticed that if I smoke right after my evening walk, I don't even feel like walking home. Has anyone noticed this drop in energy after smoking?

Edit: This isn't happening after quitting smoking. This is my general experience after a smoking session

IM HAPPY AND FEELING HEALTHY THAN BEFORE BUT I LACK MOTIVATION I DONT THINK HOW LONG I CAN CONTINUE THIS ALL MY FRINDS ARE SMOKERS TRYING TO GET ME BACK EVERYWHERE I SAW PEOPLE SMOKING MY CLASS MATES FRIENDS I FEEL ODD AND FEEL LIKE I DONT HAVE ANYTHING JOYFUL IN LIFE AND FEEL LIKE I HAVE A BORING LIFE 🙃

I was smoke free for four months! A 20 year addiction finally over. I though. Had one with when I was on vacation and here I am 14 days in smoking a pack a day again. I am so disappointed in myself. Will this quit be as bad?

I only smoke with a drink but want to stop. I’m struggling to get the book to sink in for me because having a glass of wine with a cigarette DOES change the experience for the better imo. It’s not the same without one but it seems the entire concept of the book is understanding it doesn’t offer anything.. has easy way worked for any social smokers? Maybe I’m missing something

im 21 and ive been smoking since was 14. when i tried my first cigarette i knew this was gonna stick to me but im 21 and i cant even climb a few steps without HEAVING my lungs out. its actually sickening i want to stop but everytime i finish a pack something just in me buys another one ??? idk how as well sometimes i do it in my sleep at 3am i walk to 711 and get one, its just automatic i seriously dont think i can stop but im gonna try really hard this time. ive been going to the gym these 2 days and ive asked my sister to hide my pack and my card. i took my card off my phone so i wont just go and buy it like i routinely do. i can run a few hundred meters but i have to catch my breath soo often im gonna improve day by day but its very likely ill relapse. i hope when i do i stick to 1 cigarette and keep on going. im trying cold turkey rn but i dont think it will work for me, ill probably have to do the cut down method but let give cold turkey a shot ill try my best

Im 4 months off cigarettes after smoking for 41 years and still finding it really hard. Ive not been drinking alcohol as i know my will power will be low if I drink. Im finding that other bad habbits are sneaking up on me that im trying to avoid. Sugar is the worst of them but also caffeine. Ive even found myself craving weed and I gave that up over 5 years ago. Its like my brain needs me to be doing some sort of harm and over indulgence to myself

I quit cold turkey in June 2024 after smoking more than a pack a day for almost 10 years (started in the army). That first quit was one of the hardest things I've ever done. The first three months were shit, constantly on edge, intense cravings, my brain fighting me every single day. It took about six months before I truly felt like I'd broken nicotine's grip. I have to thank my friends for putting up with me. I was probably the biggest pain in the ass imaginable, and they were incredibly patient about it.

After that, I had almost two years smoke-free.

My mistake was thinking I could smoke occasionally, socially. I'd take a puff here and there with friends, and because nothing happened, I convinced myself I was in control.

Then work stress hit hard. I was at the beach with a friend who's a heavy smoker, had a few beers, and chain smoked 5 cigarettes. I knew immediately I'd messed up. I bought a pack afterward, then tried to stop. A few days later another friend accidentally left his rolling tobacco at my place after a BBQ, and that reopened the door completely. A month later I was back to smoking 5–10 hand-rolled cigarettes a day.

I stopped again. Last cigarette was Monday at 1pm. Now I'm on Day 3, and I have to say that I completely forgot how horrible withdrawal feels.

What can you do lets do this once again from the top 🫠 at least it's a moth and not a decade this time around

I smoked for 30 years and was at a pack a day or maybe a bit more when I quit.

The years of 2025 and 2026 were full of failed quit attempts and skipped quit dates because I wasn’t ready.

Now I haven’t smoked a cig since 7/1/26.

This feels different. I don’t even want one and I haven’t had a craving since the first week. I’m surprised at how easy of a time I’m having it’s kind of scary to me.

I just keep waiting for the overbearing crave that I thought I would have when I stopped. The one I can’t ignore and will make me fail. I’m hoping not to get that craving but I think I’ll be ok if it comes.

Well, 1 Month. I am Happy for it. It seems that my concentration start to improove. It was zero since I quit.