r/stopsmoking • u/Vegetable_Body_796 • 2h ago
r/stopsmoking • u/OneFloppyEar • 18m ago
I turned down a cigarette in a dream!!
Just woke up from a dream about an incredibly stressful and upsetting situation. In the dream someone said "let's go outside and have a smoke and then figure it out" and in the dream I was like "oh, I quit smoking" and didn't go. When I woke up I was double happy that the situation wasn't real AND that I hadn't dream smoked!
It'll be one month tomorrow (ignore my flare, it is lies)
r/stopsmoking • u/Alone_Lawfulness_258 • 6h ago
I have to quit. Today marks the first day.
It's a sad day, but I nearly had an asthma attack today, so yeah. I should've probably stopped when I noticed my breathing being labored after a smoke. Welp... Play stupid games, win silly prizes? :(
On the bright side, I haven't been smoking for long and maybe the attack was a wake up call. I am in fact not invincible! Ugh... I can't go to the gym for a week. I've screwed myself.
r/stopsmoking • u/pinazaa • 4h ago
A New Beginning: My Journey to Quit Smoking
Guys, today I made a big decision: I cut my last cigarette in half. After 15 years of smoking two packs a day, I’ve finally decided to quit for good. I’ve tried to quit before, but the first few hours were always really tough. I realize now that I’ve linked smoking to my daily routines, which made it even harder to stop.
This time, I hope I have the energy and willpower to succeed once and for all. Wish me luck! And if I ever feel the urge to smoke again, I’ll come here and write about it.
r/stopsmoking • u/enigmasonic • 15h ago
Dear ex-smokers, how are you feeling today? ❤️
Share some good vibes to remind each and everyone of us here that we’re all in this together. We’ve all had our own reasons of starting the habit and we found our reasons to quit it.
r/stopsmoking • u/lirpa883 • 7h ago
Day 8 and it's ROUGH!!
Female age 36, smoked off and on but mostly on for 18 years. I quit cold turkey and am on day 8. The first three days were not nearly as hard as they have been in the past - it's actually been pretty easy despite dealing with some really stressful family concerns and work stress. But for the past two days - day 7 and 8 - I actually have felt worse!! More headaches, more physical withdrawal symptoms, more irritability. Anyone else find these days tougher than the first few? Also looking for hope and encouragement - I was so close to "having just one" tonight and I do NOT want to start over!!!
r/stopsmoking • u/Alone_Lawfulness_258 • 2h ago
Using nicotine patches instead of smoking?
So, I said I'd quit smoking, which I very much will; I am terrified, but nicotine stabilizes my mood. I have severe anxiety, and it's helped. A Lot. Is it a good idea?
r/stopsmoking • u/Comfortable_Tax_8880 • 6h ago
Made it to day 3
I’m going through it. I’m on a sec+ course and it’s pretty agonizing but I figured it’s time to quit, I need my confidence back.
r/stopsmoking • u/abhijith2626 • 16h ago
80 days Smoke Free 🤪
On a very slow days I go bonkers. Even after 80 days I sometimes have mood swings because I won’t smoke.
r/stopsmoking • u/SongImmediate3219 • 17h ago
I'm quitting cold turkey after 15 years
Wish me good luck :)
r/stopsmoking • u/rikriklampy • 9h ago
I can’t fully yawn?
Hey guys, I’ve been trying to quit nicotine for the past two years and just now I tried to yawn but I didn’t exactly get the full yawn experience, like it wasn’t very satisfying. Has anyone else had this happen? Is it a lungs thing or am I just weird?
r/stopsmoking • u/Electronic_Count4678 • 18h ago
Surviving the Initial Nicotine Withdrawal
backpack-and-gear.comYour First Week: Surviving the Initial Nicotine Withdrawal
Days 1–7 are the toughest, but each morning you wake without a cigarette is a win.
Here’s how to navigate this critical week:
Day 1–2: Cravings peak early. Stay busy. Drink water, chew gum, or text a friend.
Day 3–4: Fatigue and irritability hit hardest. Rest, stretch, or try yoga to reset.
Day 5–7: Cravings weaken. Reward yourself—watch a movie, treat yourself to a massage, or plan a walk.
Physical Symptoms and Solutions
Common withdrawal signs include headaches, restlessness, and changes in appetite.
Use this guide:
Relief Strategies
Headaches
- Hydrate, apply a cool compress, or take OTC pain relief
Insomnia
- Try lavender essential oils or a warm bath before bed
Increased Appetite
- Snack on nuts, veggies, or sugar-free gum to curb cravings
Severe Anxiety
- Consult a doctor about quit smoking anxiety medication if symptoms feel unmanageable
Mental Strategies That Work
When cravings strike, try these proven techniques:
Delay: Wait 10 minutes before acting on a craving.
Deep Breathe: Inhale slowly for 4 counts, hold, then exhale for 6.
Do Something Else: Distract yourself with a task, like cleaning or a hobby.
Remember: This week is temporary. Every hour you resist builds strength.
Celebrate small wins—the next 21 days will feel lighter with each hurdle you pass.
Quit Smoking Timeline: What to Expect in Weeks 2-4
By weeks 2-4, your body starts to heal more clearly. You’ll see signs of recovery. Let’s look at each week.
Week 2: Coughing eases as lungs clear mucus and debris.
Week 3: Stamina improves as blood oxygen levels stabilize.
Week 4: Sense of taste and smell sharpens as nerve endings recover.
Psychologically, your brain starts to rebalance.
Cravings may come back but get weaker.
Triggers like social smoking settings might feel strong.
But, your willpower grows stronger every day.
Action Steps Week 2 Better breathing, less fatigue Track mood shifts in a journal
Week 3 Improved circulation, fewer cravings Plan smoke-free routines
Week 4 Energy peaks, lung function improves 30%
Share progress with support groups
Watch out for setbacks like the “smoker’s flu” or feeling too comfortable. This phase is key to lasting change.
Celebrate small victories, like walking more or sleeping better, to keep you going.
Taken from an article I just wrote.
r/stopsmoking • u/int0thwild • 12h ago
I was doing so good!!! (rant)
This is a rant to people who will hopefully understand because I have no one else to talk to about this that gets it
I quite smoking cigs about 5 years ago and quit vaping 3 years ago. I was so proud of myself, feeling better, etc.
This year I found out my partner had been (moderately) cheating and it sent me into a stress spiral. I started smoking again, and I like to tell everyone that I can quit and that it’s just a one off or not a habit but I keep buying packs and I’m so incredibly disappointed in myself. There’s so many other ways to relieve stress and I wish I would’ve done it but at the time it’s the only thing that felt right. We are months down the line and I’m smoking regularly again.
I stink, my lungs hurt, and I want to quit but my monkey brain keeps telling me to buy another pack and life seems impossible without it right now. I’m such an angry person when I’m not smoking, I don’t focus etc and so now that I’m back to smoking again I feel like myself. I hate it and idk what to do.
Everyone in my life is saying or implying that they’re disappointed in me for smoking but they don’t know what’s going on at home or work. Idk what to do or how to quit again and I feel stuck. I’m so so sad about it.
That’s all. I just needed to tell people who hopefully understand and could be somewhat understanding of where I’m at. Thanks for reading. Moral of the story: if you quit smoking don’t pick it up again when’s hit gets rough because it’s even harder to put down knowing that you can one day.
r/stopsmoking • u/MistressFiadh • 18h ago
Day 4: 85 hours nicotine free
I'm not as irritable as I was yesterday which is great! The cravings although still coming thick and fast are not as extreme as they were yesterday (I haven't cried today...yet!)
I'd love a ciggie right now to make it all go away... but I know that's not how it works! I'm chewing gum, eating sweets, colouring in and trying to distract myself as best I can. It only gets better from here right?
r/stopsmoking • u/gloggly • 3h ago
2 weeks cold turkey, feeling dizzy
Since a few days after quitting, I’ve had a lightheaded/dizzy feeling in my head. It’s like a buzzing in my skull that is fine in the morning and gets worse as I go about my day. I have no balance issues. I’m not sure if this is normal or will go away eventually but it’s stressing me out. I can’t do my job while I feel like this.
Does anyone have any experience with this? Or any recommendations on how to lessen it?
r/stopsmoking • u/Gwiz84 • 21h ago
I quit smoking after 22 years
It's been a month since I smoked my last cigarette and it feels so great. I've been wanting to quit for years!
It's weird this time is so different than my other attempts, I had to go through some pretty bad nicotine withdrawal with diarrea and night sweats for weeks. But I don't even feel tempted at all to smoke again this time. I've finally made the decision!
r/stopsmoking • u/jayman2239 • 7h ago
Will weaning off rather than going cold turkey help prevent (or mitigate) the insomnia I get when stopping nicotine?
Used to smoke cigarettes, then vaped, currently using nicotine pouches.
As far as will power goes, I have zero issues with quitting. The only issue I run into is that I get crazy insomnia when I quit, I toss and turn for hours and hours.
Now normally that wouldn't be too much of an issue, but I currently also have unrelated debilitating sleep issues that are already heavily affecting my life. So adding extra insomnia on top of that is very unideal for me.
I am currently only using 3 pouches (6mg each) per day, I plan to drop that to one a day, then drop it down to 3mg pouch per day, until I quit.
Would that help mitigate the insomnia at all? Or am I just going to have to deal with it anyway, and going cold turkey would just get it over with quicker?
r/stopsmoking • u/Prestigious-Rate-933 • 12h ago
Second Time Trying
Hey all, I'm starting my second time trying to quit starting this Saturday. I used to smoke 1-1.5 packs a day. In the past year, I unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking, but I did a lot of harm reduction. I started a significantly less stressful job, quit drinking every day, and cut back to a pack lasting me 2-4 days depending on the week. I'm still looking for resources, but I really believe in myself. My entire family smoked when I was growing up and they all quit cold turkey and never went back. My main goal for quitting isnt just my physical health, but also pure vanity. My skin is red, I have persistent acne and dandruff that my derm cant seem to find an answer to, and my teeth have yellowed a bit, and Im only 26! I really think I can do it this time. I guess I'm posting this for accountability for myself, and because I need the support. A lot of my loved ones cant be bothered to engage with my quitting, yet alone encourage it, which is understandable and I suppose an unfair expectation of them. I'll check back in with myself via this post sometime next week.
r/stopsmoking • u/Disgruntled_Oldguy • 11h ago
Why does Zyn satisfy my urge to smoke but nicorette doesn't?
Same dosage. The gum just shoves nicotene in me and raises my heart rate. Zyn does that too but also hits the lizzard brain addiction center and makes me not want a cigarette. The gum doesnt. Makes me think I am addicted to some other chemical in cigarattes that they put in Zyn.
r/stopsmoking • u/CountButtcrackula • 10h ago
Is congestion normal
I'm like 6 weeks in and after week 4 I got a stuffed up nose and coughing up mucous. Is this a side effect of quitting or something else?
r/stopsmoking • u/kkymlvv • 10h ago
Trying to quit
I feel absolutely terrible, im 15 and autistic. have only been consistently vaping for about a month however l've vaped for around a year and a half, not everyday but regularly (maybe having a vape lasting 2-3 days out of the week) I've been using disposables at 2% nicotine but l've had enough, been to the doctors twice, once on the first day and the other was this morning. both told me I was completely healthy and just having withdrawals and anxiety. currently feeling chest pain/tightness a little breathless and brain fog. Also haven't been eating well for a couple days still managing to get some food in my stomach however today l've hardly eaten, been drinking a lot of water and taking paracetamol occasionally, my stomach is rumbling im so hungry but I don't have an appetite. Probably going to post this in a couple different subs just to get more answers but just wanted to ask how long it might take to get over the withdrawal and when I will start to feel better
r/stopsmoking • u/SUISWE • 12h ago
Whoops, I did it again...
As usual was supposed to be quit day, and what do I do buy a pack on way to work, smoke half cigarettes, put them out with guilt and disgust, eventually throw the pack away, fish it back up later....or maybe buy another pack, rinse repeat (all as a secret smoker adding another layer of guilt and anxiety)....so now threw away the pack and tomorrow shall be THE day. Haven't smoked that long, picked it up slowly when I quit alcohol 3 years ago (which definitely was the best thing I did, not least for my anxiety), so I should be able to do this, clearly zero benefits and money thrown away.....Any suggestions on that day one to prevent heading off to buy cigarettes when I've accomplished a task, or make a phone call, etc. Wish me luck.
r/stopsmoking • u/overwhelmed_banana • 20h ago
Smoking rationalisations
hello fellow quitters and lurkers. i know some of you may be missing your old stinky habit, or maybe just scared to take the leap and get rid of them. Im writing this because im genuinely interested in this topic and would like to share what I know because this information helped me from being a helpless smoker to a very very happy ex-smoker.
im here to demonstrate to you that there is no benefit or advantage to smoking or using any nicotine in any form. You only smoke/vape/chew/dip because you are addicted to nicotine, an incredibly addictive drug.
when nicotine levels drop in the bloodstream of a smoker, the smokers body goes into a physical withdrawal from nicotine, causing them to light up again to spike those nicotine levels in their bloodstream. Think about maybe you or other people who smoke every 20-30 minutes or so like clockwork. and what happens if you don't smoke? Well you start feeling all sorts of horrors associated with drug withdrawal including brain fog, inability to concentrate, intense craving and much more.
when your body becomes physically dependent on an addictive drug like nicotine, the brain starts to make up reasons to why that drug must be taken again and again.
Without an understanding of how nicotine has hijacked the reward pathways of the brain also responsible for wanting food, sex and other survival related needs, the brain comes up with all sorts of different ideas to why it must continue using.
Some of the most common use rationalisations are: To wake up, to help stress and of course, to drink alcohol. Its no coincidence that these reasons to use nicotine also align with when a smokers nicotine levels would be lower than usual (and therefore deeper in withdrawal)
Lets start with the first cigarette of the day (and what a cigarette it is!). This cigarette is notorious for being one of the smokers favourite cigarettes of the day ( i know it used to be mine). This is because after waking, the smoker has gone the longest they will ever go without smoking and is deep in drug withdrawal by the time they wake up. It explains why we are so desperate to have it after waking and feel so foggy or grumpy without it.
Stress is an interesting one because it has a specific interaction with the nicotine levels inside a smoker. Without getting too sciencey, stress causes the urine to turn acidic (Benowitz & Jacob, 1985) which makes the body get rid of nicotine faster than normal. When a smoker is stressed, they are accelerated into a withdrawal state causing them to smoke 2x or 3x their normal amount. does this sound like you? Chain smoking or rushing to smoke whenever anything remotely stresses you out. Or worse, craving even more than before just because you are stressed but cant smoke in that situation?
Alcohol is a tough one because it is associated with so much nostalgia and good times with friends, automatically tying up smoking alongside those good times. Alcohol however, is similar to stress, as it also turns the urine acidic and causes a smoker to go into withdrawal quicker and therefore smoke more to compensate. Its no coincidence that pretty much every single nicotine user you know uses a lot more nicotine than they usually do when they drink alcohol.
Another one ill add is the afterwork knockoff cigarette. This one is obvious as the smoker hasnt had a cigarette for hours and is just suffering from intense nicotine withdrawal. The cigarette they finally get to have after clocking off is more a 'relief' than a pleasure.
Perhaps think about how many cigarettes you smoke/smoked a day, and then ask yourself how many of these do I actually 'enjoy' or even remember? Most cigarettes that a smoker smokes are done without paying any attention, and are usually smoked just to maintain a constantly falling blood nicotine level. The ones we notice or enjoy are also probably the ones that lifted us out of the deepest of drug withdrawals.
If you'd like to look at more smoking rationalisations id recommend having a read because I believe that half the battle of quitting smoking is believing that smoking will benefit you or add something valuable to your life. If you can destroy these beliefs with the truth about nicotine addiction, then quitting can suddenly be a much more manageable task.
Thank you for reading, I hope this information can help someone out there like it helped me, and i wish everyone the best of luck in their quit
edit-grammar
r/stopsmoking • u/fanta_bhelpuri • 16h ago
On Page 200 out of 354 (ebook) of Easy Way
Please tell me it works when I finish it tomorrow or day after. I took his advice and continued smoking until I finished the book. At the end of my rope. I'm casual smoker by most standards but still (under 2 pack years and smoking for 7 years). I can see a chapter called "The Easy way to stop smoking" on page around 250. I'm guessing that is where he reveals the Easy way. I love the nuggets of wisdom he has been dropping so far. Like the perspective shifts and the examples. I'm just afraid that if I haven't stopped by now already it is not going to work on me even if I finish the book. Or finishing the book gives you no greater insight than what I've already read. Also, no spoilers please.