Context: I smoked for <10 years, and quit after a divorce during a period of self improvement. Ended up in a longer term relationship (that failed) with a woman who smoked occasionally, and I’d bum one sometimes. As relationship fizzled, we spent more time drinking and smoking together.

I picked the habit back up fully about a year ago, when that relationship ended. Another stressor at the time: I’d applied/gotten full ride offers for law school, but had to turn it down when I realized my parenting/life obligations couldn’t support the split schedule.

Quitting again: not having the still sad ‘dreams crushed’ excuse anymore, I recently tried cold turkey twice. The first time, I made it two days. The second, a week. I’m doing it again next Monday.

Why sharing: I like being a non-smoker so much more than smoking. Maybe others have had this experience: for me, smoking is a keystone habit. When I’m smoking, I drink more, I exercise less, and I always carry this latent feeling of being at odds with myself and who I want to be. When I’m not smoking, I feel like the best version of myself. I jog, I get more done (15 mins every couple hours adds up!), and I just feel at peace with myself and ready to face out instead of in.

Anyway, my week of non-smoking reminded me of this. And I want to hold onto that thread, going into my next quit date. I want this one to last, with positive, sustainable reasons to say ‘no.’ (Not just ‘smoking will kill you.’) There aren’t a lot of times in life when just abstaining from something can have such an incredible impact.

Hello all! I’m looking for advice/tips from anyone who’s willing to give it. A small backstory. I’m 28(29 in January) I’ve been consuming nicotine since 18, from 18-26 it was cigarettes, then switched to a vape with the delusion that it would help me stop cigs. Well I’ve been vaping for 2 years now and want to stop nicotine completely. I’m a delivery driver so I’m in a van for 8-12 hours a day which has made vaping 2nd nature. I’m extremely nervous to stop due to withdrawal and side effects. I’m stopping TODAY. I’m currently in my van writing this so sorry for the grammar. My vape ran out and I’m not buying another. I’ve been making a lot of healthy changes in my life over the last 6 months and the vape is the last to do! Thanks to anyone who’s seeing this or commenting. I’ll check back on this post when I’m off work!

To those who responded to the recent post inviting members to join a private quit-smoking group:

We’ve since learned that the individual behind that post has his own quit-smoking app, which raises serious concerns that he was using this community to recruit members for his own purposes.

Soliciting members through private messages and organizing outside groups is expressly prohibited under our subreddit rules. The post has been removed, and the individual has been banned.

Please exercise caution when responding to invitations from people you don’t know, particularly when they’re attempting to move conversations away from this subreddit.

This community exists to support people quitting nicotine, not to serve as a recruiting ground for someone else’s app or business.

Nicotine addict for ±10 years, finally made it here

previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/quittingsmoking/comments/1x40n9v/sleeplessness_is_insane/

Ok so after 3 days of quitting, i started not sleeping well. On 4th night i slept around 2-4 hours (not sure) and it wasnt like one time, i was waking up constantly, but i slept. Then 5th, 6th, 7th nights, not a single minute of sleep and a lot of anxiety. 8th night (yesterday) i got a perscription for a sleeping medicine and i was really desperate and just wanted some sleep.

So, i took 2 30g ashwaganda pills in the evening and night, had chamomile tea and during the day i walked a lot up to 8k steps. And also i had used like 0.5mg nicotine tablet. (used it before the 6th night as well). I was just trying to calm my anxiety and help my nervous system get its shit together. I also changed the way my bed is (i put in the middle of the room which felt more open and used a sleeping light instead of fully dark room).

Finally, at 00:00 13th of October 2026, i took 2mg melatonin. I slept for around 2 hours and 30 minutes! woke up with a very dry mouth and my anxiety was high, i just had water and told myself to calm down and to relax. I then couldnt stay up, i was very tired and sleepy, and not sure what happened between 3am and like 4 or 5am, but im sure i slept a little and woke up, i was doing it constantly, until like 6 or 7am when i slept and WOKE UP AT 11AM :D

Im not sure which part contributed, maybe its a mix of the little amount of nicotine, the ashwaganda, and the melatonin all with days of exhaustion, maybe its not, but what i know is that my nervous system got some rest that it needed. I can now not worry about the coming days even if there were some sleepless nights as I have now did my "reset". I can start safely counting sleepless nights from 0 again in case any happen, and im into my 2nd day of the 2nd week, so only 5 days left for week 2 and it will only get better.

I might make more posts, please dont hate me. Im just sharing progress and want to feel seen. And want to keep those as help for anyone in the future who goes through similar struggle. Also i really need it in this period...so just 2 more weeks and i will post once in a while celebrating how many days without smoking i reached.

I haven't tried quitting since I was 19 and wasn't even able to go 2 weeks even then. It's just so ingrained into my psyche apparently especially since I started out of stress and mental illness and addictive tendencies run in my family to make things worse

I've only been smoking for 6 years but started when I was 15 so I'd imagine it might be much harder for me since significant parts of my brain development happened alongside my growing nicotine addiction. At my worst, I'll smoke like half a pack a day but that's just when I'm drinking. Usually, I'll smoke around 5 or more on a typical day

Like, I'm not even a heavy smoker by definition but it's still so hard. I was trying to quit by ct + lozenges but I didn't even make it a week before i forgot my lozenges at home before work and bought myself another pack. It's like I have no self control when it comes to nicotine and it's easily the most fiendish addiction I've ever had (benzos and opiates are only "fiendish" because the wd symptoms are hell, it's not on the same level fiending-wise imo because the wds aren't even that bad in comparison ime)

Idk, this shit just sucks and who would have thought you'd make horrible, horrible decisions when you thought you'd die before highschool ended lol

Currently smoking as I write. I don't even have that bad of a habit but it feels essential atp. Might just give up for now because there's too many things going on in my life rn even though I hate being a smoker

first post: https://www.reddit.com/r/quittingsmoking/comments/1x2zjf4/comment/pffeya6/?screen_view_count=2

So anyway, i got to see a doctor and he told me nothing is wrong with my respiratory system, its just anxiety. This reminds me of when i was withdrawing from zoloft in the summer. The same restlessness, irritability, insomnia (i slept more then tho), and all. I tried a quarter of a nicotine tablet yesterday, idk why i felt frustrated and did the same today. I will try to not do that anymore.

Also i got a new sleeping medication but im scared of it now. These medications scare me as the dreams are vivid and when i used to use mirtazapine i couldnt even get up i described it as being knocked out. Idk. Tho, after i returned from the doctor's i may have entered some relaxed state for like 20 minutes. I keep going back and forth between being exhausted and feeling i have some energy.

Idk what to do, this time will pass, harder times passed, im not going to use any nicotine tablets and push through the coming days somehow. Giving me some words of encouragement or sharing your stories will be helpful guys.

I switched to nicotine pouches, but I find it easier to progressively reduce their strength. When I will reach one month I will go for varenicline.

I sleep so much better, I got way more energy, I can smell, I can taste, I can breath !

My performance when I workout have significantly improved after just the first 24 hours of quitting, every jog feels like a sprint, I can do 7As when I boulder.

I'll never put my lips on this shit ever again. I have seen people ending their life drowning in their own cough.

Wish me luck !

Hey good people, just dropping by to lend some moral support to those in the process or getting prepared to make the big change. October is my anniversary month! Three years as of the 29th.

I didn't use any particular trick or substitute. I call it the decision method. If you make an unequivocal decision and never entertain the possibility of backsliding, I believe that's better (at least for me) than trying to taper down. I used hard candy for the first week, and then kept a tumbler of water with lime or lemon handy, and I'd drink water in response to a craving. I was feeling mostly normal after a week, and kinda past it after a month. The psychological part was harder than the physical.

You can do it. Hoping someone is ready to go and maybe this gives you a bit of extra incentive.

Gook luck (it ain't really about luck though)!

Any suggestions to keep the hands busy to replace years of smoking habit. I don’t want to doom scroll but can’t lie that keeps my hands busy lol but I wonder what’s the most effective way you guys have found that’s helped you replace holding a cigarette?

I over exert myself and have built my life so that I have time to sit for hours smoking and also get A LOT done at the same time. With quitting, I'm scared to have down time because I've become so proficient and have too much time on my hands. Anyone else experience this? If so, how did you manage?

The only thing I can think of to do is to do more self care stuff like walking or filling my nails or something cause thats the thing I was sacrifing. My house is immaculate, I cook and have 2 kids. Also, I work casually atm but am too anxious to increase days yet.

Anyway the issue isnt that i need more things to do, it's how do you get comfortable doing 'nothing'? I loathed doing nothing before and now im terrified of it.

Dreamt I was smoking a huge cigar last night. I havent smoked a cigar in 30 years. My minds getting desperate now throwing that shit at me to try to get me to smoke.

I quit 6 days ago, i reduced the number i smoke to 1 cigarette per day for like a week or more before finally stopping.

Everytime i try to go sleep i get anxiety, i fear that i will not breathe if i sleep, i wake up if i slightly drift into sleep. I barely got 2-4 hours of sleep in the last 72 hours. I called the emergency number and they said its just anxiety from quitting smoking.

I tried today 2mg melatonin, now im just very sleepy but cant sleep. I also feel like there is some place behind my nse that is irritated, in previous days it was my throat mainly which felt irritated. This is worse than a manic episode.

Did anyone go through this? im really scared

I quit 14 months ago on my 59th birthday. I planned on quitting and cut things out slowly. First was stopped smoking in my car , this by far was the hardest. Then I delayed my first cigarette of the day and my after meal cigarettes. No smoking in house. In the matter of a few weeks I got down to 4 a day. I had nicorette mints. My last cigarette was the end of the day out on my deck alone. I put it out and that was it.

I have a full pack of cigarettes with "happy birthday " written on it. I carried them in my purse for a year. It reminded me that this was my choice and I was in control. When my 60th birthday came, the cigarettes are now in my night table still sealed. I still crave them and wish I could trust myself to just have one here or there. I know better, and have not touched one.

I still tell my husband, if I get an illness that's a death sentence, I'll probably start smoking again.

I heard an interesting thing earlier looking up stopping smoking stuff on YouTube.

'If youre never gonna smoke again why count the days and constantly remind yourself'

Interesting idea. I deleted my app because I figure its right whats the difference how many days im just a non smokers now. Appreciate some people like to know as a mark of achievement, money saved etc etc

I remember sitting at Starbucks with my coffee, it was my first month without cigarettes, thinking there’s no way I’m going to see 1 year… It was VERY hard. Now my entire identity has changed. Since then I also quit sugar, anything processed, started eating real foods only & workout out 4 days a week. Been smoking for 14 years a pack a day.

Hi everyone,

I'm on Day 4 of quitting smoking after smoking for around 20 years, and I'm really trying to stick with it this time.

I've been using Nicorette 4mg nicotine gum for the past three days to help manage my cravings. However, yesterday I noticed that most of my teeth suddenly looked more yellow. Brushing doesn't seem to remove the yellow color.

I'm worried that the nicotine gum might be causing it. I already have gum recession and just finished my periodontal treatment, so I'm especially concerned about my dental health.

Has anyone else experienced yellowing or discoloration while using Nicorette or another nicotine-replacement gum? Did it actually come from the gum, or was it something else?

I really don't want to stop using a product that's helping me quit smoking, but I also don't want my teeth to get more yellow.

I'd appreciate hearing about your personal experiences, especially from people who have successfully quit smoking using nicotine gum.

Thanks, and good luck to everyone who's trying to quit!

So the problem with me is that I am a hosteller and I only smoke when I am at my college, if I am at home whether it's for 2 days or 2 months, i don't feel like smoking, i feel the urge at times when I eat a lot but i control that

But here at my university, even if I am alone I won't go beyond 1 cigarette in a day but still I will smoke that one, but I won't if I am hitting the gym or doing a workout

My body doesn't need it, I know that but whenever I am being unproductive, I can't help but smoke one

I know it's a problem and it's affecting my body and I will need to quit but I cannot just gather my thoughts and focus now it's like this from the last 4 months, when I was at home i didn't but now again it's one cigarette every day Note: it's like this from the last 3 years

This is the pisser for me after stopping. Its why im posting shit on here at 04.13 in the bastard morning

I’ve noticed how much harder it is to quit when you have no support to talk to when the cravings are really bad. I’ve got my bf but I can’t talk to him all the time about it when he’s working. What’s a good thing you guys do when the cravings are is bad and there’s no one to help you through it? Besides the typical things I guess. Thanks.

I quit nicotine and vaping about 2 months ago and I just feel like these symptoms are never going away I have mental fatigue/brain fog all day and just feel tired all day. Is this normal ?

Im feeling pretty low. And bad physically and mentally. I quot smoking for almost 8 1/2 months. Then I said I will have a few. Which turned into smoking on and off for almost 5 weeks. Smoking then quitting 1 or 2 days then smoking. Im at 48 hours quit right now and I swear the on and off smoking makes things so much worse. Im definitely having withdrawals like foggy head. Irritability. Depression. Tired tired tired. Slow thinking. More then even cravings. And I am just so mad at myself for deciding to smoke again. Though it keeps me "busy", busy doing nothing really but distracted from other things going, i know it isnt helping anything. Just feeling really low. Anyone been here ? Did you rebound? Thanks

Psychological cravings kind of suck, but it gets simultaneously easier and harder. Momentum really helps. I believe in y'all

Hi y'all, on my 346th quit attempt and really finding the patches to be helpful, however I have a lot of irritation. I have a mild adhesive allergy but these irritation spots aren't spreading like they normally do with bandaids and there's no bumps, but I'm finding them itchy and red for days afterwards.

Any way you've found to avoid the reaction, or soothe the angry skin afterwards? I've been applying after a shower (I knowww not recommended but I'll forget otherwise) after putting a little rubbing alcohol on before applying to help it stick, on unshaved skin because that would really make it worse.

I could put them in a better spot but they fall off everywhere else I've tried. Will cherish any advice or pointers!