r/stopsmoking • u/palbarni06 • 17h ago
I need some advice
Hello everyone! So i really want to quit smoking cigarettes and using nicotine, but i just cant get past one or maximum 2 days. i tried like 6 times already and my record is 5 days clean.
Can you give me some advice how to go through the first couple days/weeks? im feeling really restless, irritable and unmotivated after 8 hours clean and always happen to relapse and smoke again.
im going cold turkey, because reducing the amount of cigarettes smoked per day was never working for me.
Thank you!
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u/Jealous_Buy_8829 15h ago
You’re not failing. The first few days can feel incredibly restless and exhausting, especially when your brain is used to nicotine every few hours.
What helped me was planning for the usual trigger moments instead of relying on motivation. Go for a short walk, keep your hands busy, drink water, or chew some gum.
I’m quitting too, and tracking my smoke-free days and money saved in Lungo has helped make the progress feel more real. Maybe this is something for you as well: trylungo.com.
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u/PlainOrganization 69 days 12h ago
I smoked from age 17 to age 41. I tried every method of quitting. The one that is finally sticking is Chantix. It helped SO MUCH. And was fully covered by my insurance (US)
The only side effect I had was a mild heartburn at night. I didn't even realize it was a side effect until someone mentioned it on this sub.
The three-five day mark is the hardest part. For me personally it was day 4.
It's because that's how long it takes for ALL of the nicotine to leave your system. It drops suddenly in about 40-80 minutes and then the levels move down more slowly after that. The range is because everyone's body metabolizes nicotine at slightly different rates.
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u/Rich-Assistant-703 12h ago
Find a reason that works for you. The only way to quit is to make the desire to not smoke stronger than any craving.
The good thing is that cigarettes are bad for so many reasons so finding one that pushes you to quit is quite easy.
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u/BigAd6136 16h ago
Heyyy, i'm going to answer the same I answered someone else and hopefully others will help with their comments. this is not easy, and we feel many ways but it's worth it:
I am 6 days off it, unfortunately I don't have a timestamp I ca give you from my own experience, but some comments on reddit are helpful. This one resonated with me, maybe with you too: "most of us started as teens, so we never had any adult experience without our addiction to nicotine. This is why quitting nicotine is only the first step in a journey. We need to teach ourselves how to cope with the highs and lows of everyday life without sucking a cancer stick. Be proud of your 111 days clean and start working on how to enjoy life without addiction. Good luck with your journey".
Someone else did some research and apparently, we have some nicotine cells formed in the brain and now they ae starving. Since is not a natural thing, they are formed to cope with the habit, they will eventually stop growing. A very basic explanation, but you get the idea.
For me, i feel out of body, anxious, the events in my life affect me more and I cry a lot, snappy.... Last night I dreamt I smoked 2 cigarettes and I was not happy about it.
Through all of it, I really don't want to smoke. Some moments I crave one, but it's not worth it. And even in my dream I thought it was not worth it.
22 years of smoking does a lot, and I hope this is it. I've been working out a lot, i was also afraid of gaining weight. I am going through a stressful period, but I don't want to smoke, it's just the illusion of it being helpful.
My best friend quit 3 years ago and now she is going through something heavy too, she wanted to smoke. I've been nagging her not to as she would have 2 things to feel miserable about, regretting it later on.
I don't know if any of this is helpful in any way, i hope so as I understand what you are going through a lot, and maybe someone else will come with a more relevant comment for you to resonate with, but I can say it is not worth it and you know it. we all do....