Congratulations!

I have to admit it feels like longer. And I’m still getting cravings. Some have been fairly testing. I try to remember how I felt the last time I went a long while and started again- sick to my stomach, headache, disappointed.

Tomorrow marks 16 years without a cigarette. The last few months I've really been making decisions that are conducive to healthy living. This was one of the hardest things I had ever done. I was a pack a day or more smoker and I never thought I'd be able to go a day without one. I can smell better, my skin is healthier, and a lot of my diabetes eye issues have stabilized. I've recently gone through a transition period and I don't have anyone to celebrate with. I just want to let everyone know you can do it and it's well worth it even if you find yourself celebrating alone.

I smoked for 9 years then gave up for 11 months because I was determined to make some positive changes in my life

After a ridiculously stressful 6 months I took up vaping/smoking again

Now I’m struggling to quit because I don’t have this determination that I had last time after making and maintaining lots of positive changes.

If anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it as I’ve tried to quit again several times this year and I’ve not been able to get passed 5 days

Just a few days of being nicotine free at the moment. Already FEELING everything a lot more, it’s really refreshing. Got properly angry today and broke a spatula while making lunch. I felt actually nice, as I can’t remember the last time I truly felt angry like that, everything before was really just so flat.

I went from cigs to vapes then to pouches. The pouches have been easier to push away the cravings for and I’m happy I found ones I liked enough when switching from vaping, since that has been a hard one to push away.

With all that said, my caffeine consumption has skyrocketed. I have always had a super high threshold for caffeine and other stimulants, however when I was using nic, I finally got my caffeine consumption down below 200mg a day, which I was proud of.

However, since quitting, I’m back to functioning on around 600mg a day.

The dilemma that I’m in is that, at the moment, I feel if I don’t allow myself to indulge in something (such as caffeine) freely, that I wont be able to stick this thing out.

I know this is probably my brain just trying to trick me to go back to nicotine, but in my head right now, I’m not sure which of the two (caffeine or nicotine) is the better of the two. Theres this loud voice in my head that wont shut up, telling me that going back to nicotine with the lower daily caffeine intake, is the healthier option, which ultimately gotta be BS right?

I smoked since 8th grade (35+ years) and quit last year after being hospitalized with the flu. I ended up on straight oxygen for about two weeks after.

The other day I asked my buddy for a drag of his cigarette and actually found it to be quite repulsive… I think I’m cured

Hi there - long term lurker first time asker here.

I’ve been a smoker of some form for 15 years now. Cigarettes for a decade, and switched to vapes about 5 years ago.

I’ve been trying to quit vaping every day for the past 5 years but have failed every time. My best attempt was 30 days after having read Allen Carr.

I’ve been taking Champix now for 15 days. I’ve had some mild side effects (nausea and absolutely crazy dreams) but it isn’t changing my desire to vape at all. Is this normal?

Today is the day I’ve set myself to quit but I’m super anxious as it feels like if I fail this way too, I’m never going to manage

Does anyone have any success stories?

I quit cold turkey after 10 years (20+ cigarettes a day + vaping all at once)

1. Cravings are going to be less in frequency and intensity.

2. Each of us has a timeline of nicotine detox. Peak withdrawal at day 3 is not a fixture.

3. Preparation helps a long way. For me it was toothpicks, tea, loads of gum, mint lozenges, nutritious food and some very basic sport equipment. Whenever a craving hits I resort to one or a combination of these depending on intensity.

4. The best way to remove a habit is to replace it. I started journaling what I eat and added food for full satiety to avoid sugar crash that might make me crave nicotine. Did simple band and dumbbell reps to mitigate the dopamine crash. Kept hair and face care even in the darkest hour just to distract myself.

What happened so far: not a single resort to NRT. Lost 2.5 kg. Face regained original color and products finally started working (they were hampered by chronic vasoconstriction).

These are my two cents and I hope I helped someone in need today. This sub has definitely helped me.

(Picture: The monetary unit isn't accurate. I couldn't find my country's unit).

I feel proud (and quite confident about not relapsing. Cravings are quite easily manageable now.)

I'm a 26 year old man, and throughout my teenage and young adult life I've made some very dumb and stupid decisions, but I grew from all of them.

-When I was 19 years old in college, I had a TERRIBLE day once, I failed a big exam and I was very stressed out, I sat with a friend on campus and he was smoking, I said fuck it give me one too. It was the first time in my life I had ever tried a cigarette, I smoked it and coughed terribly, I had a sip of water and took a couple more lighter puffs then I threw it away, the taste of tobacco was absolutely revolting. No matter how much all my friends smoked, I always stayed away from it because the taste and smell of cigarettes is so terrible.

-fast forward to 2022 when I became 22 years old I started working my first job at a call center and oh boy it was so unbelievably stressful, my older brother back then was working at a vape shop and I'd go visit him and chill on the couch every now and then, until I finally caved and bought myself a mod kit and started vaping as well with all his friends (3mg nicotine juice). I vaped for 3 years straight until 2024 on 3mg just for the taste, the big clouds and it became a habit. Until I started getting chest pain and weird lung sensations so I stopped, sold my device and never looked back, it was surprisingly easy to quit cold turkey without any withdrawal.

-i was nicotine free all the way until late 2025 last year, I started using iQOS device because everyone else at my job had one and I was like fuck it I'll buy one too. I exclusively used the flavored menthol packets, I smoked iQOS for 5 months until early this year then I got tired of it, I got the same chest pain from it as I did with vaping and no matter how much others liked it, i couldn't get into it because it was tobacco and I hate tobacco.

-fast forward to present day, I've seen so many young adults here and teenagers even using nicotine pouches/ZYN. I was smart about it and bought the lowest nic concentration there was. I got a ZYN 1.5mg, I only bought ONE can, I tried it and after the 4th pouch I got so scared I tossed it away. It acted as a laxative and it made me go to the bathroom a lot and gave me stomach issues.

I don't know why I'm so dumb, around every corner for the past 7 years there was a nicotine product and I tried all of them just to feel like I fit in this cog of a machine we call society. And I'm so grateful I never became heavily addicted. Throwing away that can of ZYN was the last straw. I took a vow to never ever try a nicotine product again. I don't know why I put myself through those situations but I wish I never did to begin with.

Yay I’ve made it to day 3 of quitting smoking!! I have tried so many times to quit and this time around I feel great right now! I feel better each day health wise. I feel stronger this time as well. I really hope this feeling lasts!!

Measured with an apple watch series 7. I smoked for 9 years, around 10-15 cigarettes per day.
I feel great!

What got you through the worst cravings, especially if you'd quit before and relapsed? Not looking for generic patch/gum advice, curious what actually worked for you."

Although i quit smoking over a month ago i still don’t really know why i did it, so I’m curious to know why did you quit yourself

Hello all, I have been a smoker going on 35 years now. I am just done. Done with the money drain, done with the smell. I hate it, but need it and love it at the same time. I have tried to quit many, MANY times. I recently stumbled on Recigar. This feels like my last hope to break free.

Question: People say they are smoking for the first 5 days taking it. I have read others say to stop smoking entirely. Even the translated instructions don't seem to indicate you should stop entirely during the first 5 days.

Can someone clear this up a little? Should I keep smoking and just try and cut down? Should I stop entirely? Any help is appreciated.

As the title states…. I’m miserable and losing my mind. Any tips on how to make this any easier? How long did it take for you to not crave it or think about it daily at least?

My province is currently under extremely dangerous air conditions due to wildfires. Smoking cigarettes in the polluted air is extremely detrimental so I basically was forced to quit cold turkey.

I’m just using nicotine gum and it’s been going fine. The first day was worse but I think just having no choice ultimately helped. Anyways here’s hoping this Sticks! The only good thing that’s come out of these crazy fires

I’ve been smoking since 16 years old started as only weed occasionally like once every 3 months then when I turned 17 I started smoking weed vapes and got really addicted to that. Then summer time of 2025 I hung out with my friends and they were smoking with grabba(tobacco) I smoked it and it lowkey felt good but also made me wanna puke but I eventually got addicted to it. Same thing with alcohol tried with my friends like it got addicted when I turned 19. Something also happened I was smoking on night after smoking the whole day weed mixed with tobacco and my stitches just felt like it was burning and ever since then I feel this pain on my left side like right under my ribcage doesn’t hurt to bad only on empty stomach but it’s been like three months the pain goes away when I stop smoking but I just can’t stop smoking even with the pain even though it’s mild

I quit 4 months ago after about 12 years of smoking. Day 3 was the wall.

What I didn't know until later: day 3 is also when nicotine fully clears your bloodstream. The physical withdrawal is at its worst right around the time your brain is also loudest about going back. That combination is brutal.

What didn't help:

- Telling myself I had to quit forever (too big)

- Trying to distract myself from cravings by staying busy (they'd just hit harder later)

- Nicotine gum — it worked but I started depending on it in a different way

What actually helped:

- Watching the clock during cravings. They really do pass in about 15–20 minutes. Timing them made them feel survivable instead of endless.

- Telling one person. Just one. Having someone who knew made slipping feel like something I'd have to explain.

- Remembering that the anxiety I felt wasn't me being anxious — it was nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine causes the anxiety it then relieves. Your baseline anxiety actually goes down after a few weeks.

Day 4 was easier. Not easy. But meaningfully easier.

If you're on day 1, 2, or 3 right now — you're in the worst of it. It does not stay this hard.

What's working for people here right now?

I quit using Zyns cold turkey after using them for 8 years (I’m 27 yrs old). The first 5-6 days were horrible with insane brain fog, so much so that I could barely articulate sentences the first few 2-3 days. After that the brain fog began to dissipate and I thought it was over and have been feeling more normal.

However, as of yesterday I’ve been 12 days out, and I started to feel really, really weird. I have never felt like . I feel agitated, shakey, jittery, heart palpitations, foggy,so much so that I thought I was having my first panic attack or something. I’m fit and healthy as a horse, and even when I had the flu, covid, etc. I never felt like this. I’m not an emotional person by any means but I quite literally almost broke down to my boss trying to explain that I need to go home.

The only things that have changed in my routine are 1) quitting nicotine and 2) I started taking a low dose Taurine supplement the night before this started. Basically I’m trying to figure out if this is normal, or if I’m having a serious medical issue and need to go to the hospital. Has anyone experienced withdrawal symptoms that are delayed like this?

Hey everyone

I think I am the stupidest person on earth

I have tried to quit smoking more than 100 times and I still can't do it. I have tried everything. Allen Carr, NRT, reading posts here, watching videos, nothing works for me.

I have posted on this sub 8 or 9 times. Sometimes asking for help, sometimes saying today is the day I quit. Every single time I ended up smoking again.

Now I am starting to think maybe I am the problem. Maybe I am just too weak to beat this nicotine monster. There hasn't been a single month in the last 1.5 years where I didn't try to quit at least 10 times. I just keep failing again and again.

I am not posting this because I need another magic solution. I just wanted to get this off my chest. So many people here have taken their time to help me and I appreciate every single one of you. But I feel like a rock. No matter how much advice people give me, I still end up lighting another cigarette.

I honestly don't know what is wrong with me anymore.

I was super excited to start it but started reading more and more people say they were put into psychosis by it. I have severe psychosis issues that are luckily controlled now, but reading all of that makes me very nervous. Is there anyone who has preexisting psychosis but has had success with chantix? People who have mental health issues that weren’t worsened by chantix? I’m scared to start it now.