Congratulations!

It's my 2 years cigarettes free today. If I could stop, everybody can.

32/M, regular smoker (cigarettes and rolling tobacco lately) for 15 years. Hardly missed two days in that time. 5-6 cigarettes per day, more when drinking or travelling.

Switched to rolling tobacco as it would be tough to light up every now and then but learnt to roll faster and faster

Finished Allan carr’s book and with the support of my partner smoked my last cigarette on 24th of July.

By 3rd day I felt for the first time what anxiety was. Mind was full of intrusive thoughts. Took a therapy session for the first time in my life which didn’t help much.

I am a doctor myself. Somehow braved one month without no nicotine. I didn’t use any substitute or taper my smoking. Just cold turkey. I approached my friend who is a psychiatrist and specialises in de-addiction.

Turns out I already had some kind of anxiety and I had used nicotine to numb out all my emotions. My brain had attributed every happy experience had with nicotine and my dopamine is at an all time low now.

I don’t have any cravings to smoke a cigarette but I felt so low, maybe depressed even while having everything in life to be grateful for.

The psychiatrist has put me on buproprion 150XL for few weeks. It’s been 11 days I’m taking it, haven’t felt much change but everyone says it takes 2 weeks to 20 days to kick in.

It’s tough, but worth it. I hope the depression goes away.

Hey everyone, I’m new to this community and just wanted to introduce myself.

I smoked for 4 years and quitting has been one of the most rewarding challenges of my life. I know firsthand how intense the cravings, mood swings, and anxiety can be — and I’ve had my share of ups and downs along the way.

I’m here because I want to both give and get support. I know how important it is to have a place where people get it.

strength to anyone who’s in those tough first days.

Here we go.

If I could do it you can as well. Trust me, after hype is over cigarette worm will try to catch you even few(!) years after you quit.

Jjst be strong and don't forget why you did it.

Keep it strong!

Body aches, dizziness, chills, can't eat, it's terrible but will be worth it

About to have my last cig... start my quit journey again tomorrow. Going to post updates daily so hopefully I can help someone else and keep myself accountable. Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers.

This is a serious question. For the past 15+ years, my breakfast was a cup of coffee and cigarettes which made everything in the bathroom department much easier. This is my 4th day smoke-free and I'm determined to not have another puff but guys my intestines are screaming in pain. I'm not constipated, just my intestines don't know they should be working even without nicotine.

Please help 😭 I look like I'm pregnant and I don't want to go to work like this 😭

Hi! I've stopped with nicotine 8 days ago and i've been sneezing a lot the last 3 days and today my nose is extremly runny. I also get occasional nausea.. is it smokers flu or am i just getting a cold or something? Thanks!

Best of luck everyone! Let’s not stop trying!

I had to stop all nicotine about 6 days ago after 16 years because it was giving me extreme stomach pain. I am struggling so bad. I feel so down and emotional. The first few nights I had anxiety attacks which have passed but now I feel depressed and I am constantly crying. I have already felt improvements in my health like my stomach pain has stopped, my insomnia is going away, I don't get out of breathe but now I am suffering so much emotionally I don't know how to get through this. How long is this going to last? Idk what to do.

Just a reminder to myself and everyone on this forum. Say this aloud in your next moment of weakness :)

I've been using nicotine gum prescribed by my PCP and I don't even know if it works 🙃 I've felt such strong cravings that this morning when I was taking out the garbage I found a cigarette on the ground that was smoked for one puff and thrown—I was this close 👌 to picking it up and taking it with me to smoke. Are these cravings going to be this bad forever?!? I have a nicotine test coming up for my job and if I fail/opt out they charge me 50$ a paycheck...

Tomorrow will be my first day not smoking and creating new healthy habits. I’ve read the book, studied the book and I’m still afraid. Afraid of going crazy. But I really want to be free, I want my smell, my taste, my physical and mental health back. I want to enjoy life without the guilt. So I hope the craziness stays away. Who is also quitting? And what’s your plan?

…it wasn’t easy, but now I really start to forget about longing for cigarettes.

Some context:

Today is my 40th day smoke free but I still feel like smoking almost every day. I found this incredibly strange because why would I still be craving it if I haven’t had any nicotine in my system for so many days.

The last couple of days have been incredibly tough because of this since I felt it’ll be impossible to quit cigs for good if I get urges like this forever. Like till when can I expect to actually fight them off.

So I asked gpt if the urges ever stop and it told me this:

Physical Cravings which come with serious withdrawals like irritability, restlessness and very strong urges typically last only the first 2 weeks or at most 3 weeks.

Post then for another 3 or so months, urges persist but these aren’t as strong. These urges are typically HABIT URGES, meaning you have correlated some part of your life with cigs and will take some time for your brain chemistry to rewire.

These habits could be connected with good weather, drinking, boredom, stress etc.

This made total sense now, I wasn’t actually getting any withdrawals or strong urges but this constant feeling of wanting a cig because I was continuously engaged in activities which my brain associated with cigs.

Such as: 1. I work from home so there was always an ashtray and cigs on my table while I worked 2. I watched tv shows on my tablet in the balcony while smoking so most shows or entertainment was associated with smoking 3. Morning coffee or refreshing drinks like Diet Coke in the noon always had a cigg with them

And so on

Why do I share this?

Because now it makes the fight easier

How?

I know the enemy i.e bad habits

More specifically bad association my mind had made

I know the time frame

It will take 3-6 months of constant effort to make sure my brain breaks these associations.

So now, every time I get a craving while performing an activity associated with smoking, I ask myself,

“Did smoking genuinely made this experience better?”

“Did I enjoy this show more because of a cig?”

“Did this coffee taste better because of a cig?”

And more often than not, the answer is a big fat NO.

And then I remind myself, all the good not having a cig has done.

• No breathlessness while walking or climbing stairs
• No fast heartbeats even when sitting or lying down
• Food and drinks taste better
• I smell better, my clothes smell better
• I don’t have to hide from my parents at home while doing something shameful
• I don’t feel lesser of myself because I depend so much on a paper rolled with leaves inside

And VOILA, the moment passes, and I hopefully require my brain by 0.01%.

It’ll be a long fight but we’ll fight till the end!

I tried to quit a couple of months back, but was in a very stressful work environment . Im currently on leave , transferred to somewhere less stressful and moved to a new city .ive chosen 1st September as my quit date .ive just had my last cigarette. I normally smoke 4-7ciggs/day, have done so for about the last 3 years . I turned 31 this year . I really want to quit cold turkey. Last time I tried quitting I tried with a vape. I smoked 3 ciggs today. Chewed A LOT of gum. Any other tips and tricks ?

Currently I’m in the “good day wave” of quitting, but I know the “bad day wave” can come anytime. I just want to share some tips that helped me:

Be physically and mentally ready before quitting.

Exercise (brisk walking or jogging for 30 minutes, 4–5x per week).

Eat clean, balanced meals (protein, fiber, and carbs). Limit sugar and sodium, especially from fast food and processed foods.

Stay hydrated — drink enough water throughout the day, and consider electrolytes if you’re feeling fatigued or lightheaded.

Supplements: Vitamin C + Zinc, and Vitamin D3 to help support mood. Also, try to get morning sunlight daily.

For sleep support: Magnesium glycinate (100–200mg) and chamomile tea if you’re struggling to fall asleep.

Be patient with yourself. The cravings and mood swings come in waves, but they do pass. Each wave you survive makes you stronger.

Remember: quitting isn’t about being perfect — it’s about not giving up. Even the hard days are proof that you’re healing. Stay strong, you’re doing something amazing for your future self. 💪

This is NOT a hate post for Allen Carr. I had previously quit for 6 years thanks to him. However, due to all the stress my job has caused me, I started smoking again and had struggled to quit, even during my holiday. I read his book twice but had multiple "last cigarettes" and I kept slipping.

Today is day 5 of being nicotine free, after I changed the method. Truthfully, I stopped smoking after reading the book again for the nth time but I believe I stopped despite it, not thanks to it (which is ironically what the author said about him quitting after visiting the hypnotherapist).

Now, my issue with the book this time was that it somehow made me smoke more while trying to quit. I had reduced to 3 cigarettes but the book is staunchly against reducing and it says you shouldn't stop smoking until you finish it. So I went back to half a pack a day and occasionally even a full pack...

So I said "okay, this isn't working anymore" and have decided to just try cold turkey and to be prepared to relapse. Luckily, my 5th day just passed after months of struggling to get to even day 3. Here is what I changed this time:

1. Allen Carr said NOT to use any substitutes like candy but I found that they helped me a lot with battling the cravings. Whenever I wanted a cigarette, I'd have some candies, cake, snacks and it helped the dopamine receptors get used to things.

2. Accepting that it's a tough addiction and there is really no easy way. If there were, there wouldn't be over a billion people on earth still smoking. Sometines, it genuinely sucks and nicotine withdrawal symptoms are a real thing (irritability, lethargia, increased coughing because your lungs are finally cleaning themselves). Yes, Allen Carr seems to share good results from his clinics but I haven't found any independent studies that show how many stayed quit and how many relapsed. Hell, apparently the author himself relapsed and wrote another book...

3. The mindset shift: I should be happy to be a non-smoker but now I believe you never truly quit once you start. The cravings are real and it takes willpower to resist them. It helped me not be too hard on myself for my previous relapses and keep going.

I'm curious if anyone had a similar experience with Allen Carr. I read so many posts about the book working the first time but after a relapsd, it no longer had an effect.

Holy god I forgot how hard this was. Ive quit 3 times before like 10 years ago due to situations where I physically couldn't smoke. Now that its by choice im genuinely losing my mind. I'll be OK for 20 minutes then 45 minutes of craving and fighting cravings. Brain is doing mental gymnastics to say its ok to just have one. Nicotine is one helluva drug. Here's to strugglebussing day 3

I mean it's been 7 weeks cigarettes free and I sometimes crave it.. especially next week I'll be having a lot of responsibilities and I feel like smoking makes me have moments of joy throughout the day.. change my mind please

I’ve pretty much stopped every bad habit but now I want to stop smoking cigarettes. Feel like this one’s the hardest as so easily accessible. My partner is also a heavy smoker and that don’t help…. But it used to be about 4 to 5 a day now it’s getting to 10.

The triggers are usually me driving After gym And especially after work.

I could cut it down to just those three but I want none at all any more

Should I cut down in smaller steps or just go cold turkey?

From May until August, I struggled with constant shortness of breath. At first, I thought it was just seasonal allergies, but even after allergy season ended, I was still having the same breathing issues. I went to an allergologist, pulmonologist, and cardiologist — they all told me I was fine. But deep down I knew something wasn’t right because I still couldn’t breathe properly.

The only thing that made sense was my IQOS use. So I decided to quit.

I couldn’t go back to traditional cigarettes either — and that turned out to be the best decision of my life. I’m now 7 weeks nicotine-free, and the effects of quitting are amazing. I never realized how much smoking had taken away from me until I stopped. My shortness of breath is completely gone, I feel better physically and mentally, and even my health anxiety has lifted. For the first time in years, I can actually enjoy the simple, beautiful feeling of breathing freely.

Sometimes I get small cravings, but rarely. When I do, I just chew a nicotine gum and move on. Honestly, the price smoking was taking on my health was far too big, and it’s not worth it.

I also believe the risks of IQOS and similar devices are still not fully understood — just because they’re marketed as “less harmful” doesn’t mean they’re safe. If you’re experiencing shortness of breath or anything unusual while using them, please listen to your body and take it seriously.

I’ll keep updating my journey, but for now, I just want to say: quitting has given me back more than I ever expected. 💙

Hey everyone!

I just finished day 4 a couple of hours ago.

It was actually quite relaxing. To be honest, I didn’t know I had cravings. I really don’t know how it went from horrible to chill this quickly, but I’m grateful for it, I guess.

As for now, I have a mild headache and I’m bored all the time. It’s like I’ve lost the ability to enjoy anything for some reason.

On the positive side, I’ve noticed that food tastes better, and I’ve also started coughing.

So its been a year, and smoking a pack a day this is what I would have spend. In october I'm leaving to travel Asia for a couple of months. The money I have saved is enough for at least 2 months traveling including the flight!