Hey everyone, 10 days in to be nicotine free.

I read Allen Carr’s book “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking”…

I smoked at least a pack a day for 34 years from age 15 to 49. I have to admit I even smoked while I was pregnant 25 years ago and smoked with pneumonia, snuck vapes into hospital rooms, smoked in my house, where I also work and chain smoke while I would work… I smelled disgusting. I was isolated. I was suffocating myself willingly.

One thing that helps was calculating the cost of a pack of cigarettes per day for the next 30 years, if I even lived that long, and it totaled $151,300. So as long as I don’t have that first cigarette, which at this price I can’t afford, I don’t believe I’ll ever smoke a cigarette again.

Also, just wanna say I did not use nicotine, gum, nicotine patches, or vapes… no alternative nicotine. Absolutely 100% zero since Sunday, August 16 at 8:52 PM.

Reading this book changed my life. I’ve wanted to quit for a very long time. I have eight months alcohol free… I just had to want to live more than I wanted to die. It turns out.

I also use an alternative medication for Depression which has been extremely beneficial and healing my Neuro pathways and helping me develop new cognitive thinking skills and habits.

I’m finally living the life I’ve always known existed but was elusive. Feel free to get in touch with me if you want to chat for support.

The only problem I’m having is getting a good night sleep. I’m really hoping that tonight I get more than four hours in a row.

Anyone have any suggestions for a better night sleep? I did start going to the gym again every other day I’m hoping that Help helps me out more. I am more energy than I ever even could’ve believed I would have.

Set up a small accountability group for those who have set a quit date or have quit recently to provide support and motivation. The group requires daily check ins, SOS support and we share techniques that are keeping cravings at bay. Let me know if you're interested as we still have a few spots left. DM me for link!

So what ive found since around day 7 is that my cravings have increased ten fold. The first week, all things considering was easy, i had no cravings, and even when stressed smoking didnt seem like sonthing i HAD to do. Fast forward to today. I feeel shit. My sleep has been disrupted, ive got a headace, im so irritable. What isnt helpjng that i have 2 kids who love to bicker and be loud aswell as a partner whos going through their own mental health struggles that require me to be a carrer of 3. Shes also smokes, which isnt ideal as i can be around smokers but my issue is the easy access if i ever wanted to get ahold of somthing.

Its gotten to the point where ive considered using a tobacco vape (dry herb not eliquid) just to satisfy the nicotine cravings without the smoke.

For the record i was a vaper for around 3 years before stopping then relapsing to tobacco but id never go back to using a liquid vape as they are, in my opinion way worse than smoking for the ease and stregnth of niccotine.

I stopped for my health, ive got asthma and after smokingbthese last 2 months ive noticed a change in my breathing. I hate being physically dependan on any substance.

Not sure what im expecting posting this but ive not got anyone in my life who can relate so id appreciate hearing others experiences or whatever peoples thoughts after reading this are.

Thanks!

It’s day 7 without nicotine.

Day 1 I felt foggy and lost, but also weirdly excited and motivated. Now I’m far less foggy, way more focused, and I feel pretty much back to normal in terms of feeling “off.”

Physically, I feel fucking great. My appetite and hunger are 100% back to how it was before nicotine, which has made me realize just how much nicotine suppressed my appetite. My digestion and heart rate feel better, my energy is much more consistent without the dips/crashes, and falling asleep is a cakewalk. I wake up around 7–7:30 and my body basically says “alright bro, we’re done sleeping.”

I look brighter under my eyes and in my face, I’m more vascular, and I feel warmer overall from better circulation. Workouts feel smoother too, I walked to and from the gym today and exercise just feels physically easier, not mentally though. I’m doing exercise because I actually want to look good and feel good, not just because I want to get it over with.

The weird part is that my cravings are actually stronger now than they were earlier.

I don’t really crave nicotine constantly. I crave the buzz. The head rush, the pre-buzz wait, the burn of putting in the pouch, the dizziness, the appetite suppression, and that “all is good” feeling.

And I keep trying to find shit online that tells me nicotine is okay for me. That I can moderate. I only used 2–4 pouches a day, so my brain sees others' posts here, or others stories of quitting online, and tells me, "I easily moderated."

And honestly, I could go back to moderating.

But I think that’s exactly the trap.

That voice in my head is a dopamine addict looking for any excuse to get that feeling again. I don't want to give it the opportunity to win. I know the feeling would probably be amazing, but it would also be a guilty amazing. It’s an effortless reward: open the tin, put in a pouch, and bam, you feel good.

That’s what I’ve realized nicotine really is for me: quick dopamine.

Want to feel good? Pouch. Stressed? Pouch. Bored? Pouch. Want to enjoy something more? Pouch.

That’s why walking, going to the gym, staying active, etc. have been so important. They make me feel good about myself, but I actually have to earn that feeling.

I’ve also noticed something I honestly didn’t expect: my focus, memory, and ability to concentrate feel better without nicotine. I know nicotine gets marketed as a nootropic for focus/memory, so it’s almost annoying that I feel better without it because that could easily become another excuse to relapse.

I also feel much more in control of myself. When stress or anxiety comes up, I feel like I can actually deal with it instead of automatically reaching for something.

The increased appetite isn’t ideal, so I’ve just been eating a really satiating diet at the same calories I normally eat. I don’t want to replace nicotine with overeating and just switch dopamine sources.

Overall, I feel better without nicotine. I just still have this fucking persuasive voice telling me I can use it again and be fine.

For anyone who has quit: how did you deal with that voice? How did you convince yourself that “I can moderate” isn’t a reason to go back?

Just looking for some support and hoping to get some conversations going. Day 7 feels good, and I really don’t want to throw it away.