johnny5

This definitely applies....

NOPE!

Congratulations @overcome Great work!

NOPE!

NOPE!

NOPE!

NOPE!

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Congratulations on 7 years smoke free, Wayne, Awesome accomplishment.

NOPE!

Congratulations on 7 years smoke free, @jillar Thank you for all you do to continue to pay it forward helping others with their quits. I hope you celebrate big!

NOPE!

Congratulations on 9 years smoke free, Sirius. Awesome job.

To all the newbies who are active or lurking, I can tell you that quitting smoking is definitely something you can do and it is worth the early struggles. I quit after roughly 20 years as a smoker, and the last few years of my smoking life was spent struggling with short quits, trying to cut down, relapsing, etc. What helped me was joining a site like this and reaching out for support and reading about others' experiences in their quits. I also tried to take it one week, day, hour, minute at a time.....whatever it took. Don't worry about craves that might happen a day or two from now. Just focus on pushing through and defeating any craves that you may be currently experiencing.. Each crave you fight through makes your quit stronger. Quitting smoking is very doable and I encourage anyone who wants to quit to take the leap. It is worth it.

NOPE!

NOPE!

NOPE - Not One Puff Ever

Congratulations on 11 years smoke free, Jenny. Fantastic job.

NOPE - Not One Puff Ever

NOPE - Not One Puff Ever

NOPE - Not One Puff Ever

I do know a lot of people have been successful with NRT's like the patch/gum/lozenges and yes, technically that is weaning yourself off of nicotine. The people who have succeeded this way usually say that they followed the steps and instructions closely, including the steps for cutting down on dosages. I never used those methods so I can only go on my own experience. When I made several attempts to quit by cutting down on my own, I came up with a number in my mind that I tried to keep my daily smoking and gradually cut down. This was also without the consultation of a doctor or instructions as you would find with the patch, gum, etc. Usually, I started with a half pack a day (10) and cut down every few days. I usually was able to get to about three or four before the cravings were just too much and I would just give up. I have heard this is other people's experience as well. Just saw this reply as I was tying my reply. I didn't realize the cost was that high. Are patches, lozenges, and gum more affordable? Again, I am thinking some others can give you better advice about NRTs. I got fed up and eventually did quit by cold turkey. A lot of what helped me was hanging close to a website like this for support. Everyone's experience with quitting is different. Some people have remarkably easy quits (although that is rare) but most people do struggle for a while. I think of cigarette, or nicotine addiction as having two components...a physical one and a psychological one. The physical part is your body craving that nicotine fix as long as there is still nicotine in your body. After approximately three days, nicotine has supposedly left your body and the physical cravings ease up. The psychological cravings can last a lot longer as you are ending a habit, and addiction, that you have had for years. How long that last varies for everyone. Sorry I don't have an exact number for how long it will last. Sorry for the rambling but if the patches, lozenges, or gum are more reasonably priced, I would definitely suggest looking into them.