dvs51

@DenaliBlues EXACTLY! I used cigarettes as a marker of time constantly, and even sometimes used it to literally tell time (It should take me about six minutes to smoke this, so I'll know it's 2:30 when I put it out). You have described it perfectly, especially the jellyfish thing. I'll try the wall pushups. So far my go-to distractions are: - creative outlets (writing, playing guitar, drawing) - video games (mostly puzzle-type mobile games) - walking - calling a friend or relative - not to talk about that, but just to chat for a few minutes - watching tv - coming here - and, unfortunately, sometimes eating, though I'm already working to curb that. I'm always looking for more ways to not smoke! I will add wall push-ups to my arsenal... it sounds like a good distraction AND it's good for me! @Reciprocity I did not for a second think you sounded preachy. Everyone here is here looking for help or looking to help others. I've gotten some great advice from several people since I signed up and not once have I thought anyone was talking down to me, demanding that I see or do things their way, or judging me in any way. I'm so grateful to have people to talk to who have been through what I'm going through, and I have felt nothing but encouraged by everyone here, including you. We're all good! But I'll make you a deal. If, at any point, I think you're being too preachy, I'll just say "BANANA BANANA BANANA!" and you'll know to knock it off. Deal?

NOPE!

@Reciprocity I have so far been pretty good at recognizing that the idea of "just one" is a fallacy. I know that "just one" would actually be "just the first of many" and lead right back to where I was. Once that happens, I'm back at square one, resenting the cigarettes but smoking them anyway and trying once more to muster the nerve to let go of them. Those first few days and weeks were hard, and the concept of starting from scratch is not one that appeals to me.

I've done the strolls around the parking lot as well. One of the things that was a "don't quit" excuse was "what will I do at work without my smoke breaks?" And then I thought, "Why do I need to smoke? Can't I just go outside for ten minutes and not smoke?" I agree. Mine is still, obviously, in training, but I think you're right. It's the biggest weapon smoking has against us but it can be turned into the biggest weapon we have against it. Thanks! So far, so good!

NOPE!

So I've been busy the last week or so and haven't been posting, but I want to let you all know that I'm still smoke-free and doing a little bit better with the depression stuff. It's a gradual process, I think, but recognizing that it's just my brain trying to trick me into smoking helps a lot with my ability to deal with it.

@Bijay Pudasaini You can do it! You did five days and that is AWESOME. I'm not far into my journey but it's already gotten so much better than it was just a few weeks ago. Keep at it.

I haven’t been on in a few days and I came back to see a few new encouraging posts. I’m still having some difficulty with boredom but I’m staying strong! @Alexander it’s true. When I was a kid, it seemed like all the adults smoked and they did it everywhere. My parents and all of my friends’ parents smoked in their houses and cars with the kids around. People smoked while they worked. Now smoking is something you do behind the building in a designated area far from any other people.

You guys are wonderful! Every time I feel weak or start to doubt myself, I just have to come here and read a little bit, not only the encouragement you’re giving me, but the encouragement I’ve seen you give others.

@garry mhudson thanks! I appreciate your confidence and your taste in guitars! @catlover I bought a new amplifier as my reward for lasting a month. I'll keep the rewards a bit smaller from here on out but I figured for what promises to have been the most difficult month of the entire process, I deserved something big that I've been wanting for a while.

Don't be stupid,. You don't want to smoke. You just don't want to not smoke, and you know exactly what I mean by that. You won't smoke a cigarette. You'll go back to smoking full-time. You know that, and you've never believed otherwise. Let's remember a few things: 1. Let's start with logic. Money isn't everything, but $21 a day since you stopped smoking adds up. You saved over $600 your first month. That's higher than your car payment and car insurance combined. By quitting smoking, you've made your car free. 2. Let's talk emotions, since that's likely the reason you're thinking about doing something stupid. If you think you're depressed/anxious/stressed right now, imagine how you're going to feel later. No, not when you light up. I know you... you'll push the bad feelings down, you'll promise yourself to try again, but it's just not the right time right now, and you'll be back to smoking full-time by the next day, like this quit never happened. But in six months, you're going to be right back where you were - worried sick about how, when, and IF you'll ever be able to quit again. Is it really worth it? 3. Let's talk about how you feel physically. You are breathing much better than you did the day you quit smoking. Your insistent fear that an inevitable heart attack is right around the corner has disappeared. You have more energy now. You're on the path to improving your health and fitness. You got through the grogginess and disorientation and messed up sleep schedule that plagued your first few weeks of quitting. 4. Let's talk about the social aspect. Do you remember sneaking off at parties to some secluded corner of the property alone to have a cigarette? Do you remember the anxiety about how to tell new potential dates about your nasty habit? Do you remember feeling like an outcast constantly? Do you remember how embarrassingly bad your car smelled? Do you remember the yellow stains on your fingers? Do you really want to go through all of that again? You HATED being a smoker. Why would you want to step back into that club that you fought so hard to get out of? Calm down, relax, and do whatever you need to do to NOT use nicotine. This, too, shall pass.

Congratulations @Cbdave! That's awesome!

@QuittingGirl thank you! I'm looking forward to being able to lean on people who understand what I'm going through. That's cool that the cinnamon sticks worked for you. So far the only real NRT I've been using is a Popsicle after dinner every day just to sort of "close out" the meal the way a cigarette used to.

Thanks @Doreensfree! I’m glad to have found this place.

@DenaliBlues, thank you! Aside from those odd days like yesterday, most of the time I feel like I'm on pretty solid ground with it. @Reciprocity, I agree 100%, and at home it's not hard to find things to fill that time. At work it's a little more difficult. Sometimes at my job there really is nothing to do for an hour or so. I've been filling that time with puzzle games on my phone or sometimes a quick walk around the parking lot just to get some fresh air.

NOPE

Hello! I put my last cigarette out on August 29, 2025. I really did think I was going to fail on the first day but I didn't. Or the second day. Or the third week. Here I am, five weeks plus later, still nicotine-free. My reasons for quitting were all of the normal ones: - After decades of doing it, I physically felt like garbage on a near-daily basis. - Aside from feeling weak and unhealthy, I was lethargic and tired all the time - I hated the way I smelled. My car stunk so bad of cigarettes it even bothered me, the guy who was smoking in it. - I was embarrassed to be a smoker. - I was tired of spending so much money on cigarettes. They average about $14 to $15 a pack in my area. At a pack and a half a day, I was spending $21 to $22 a day. My inspiration to quit was... a bit shallow, perhaps, but it worked. I'm a single, middle-aged man and I've been using dating sites. I hid my smoking status on my profile right from the start. I didn't claim to be a non-smoker, I just left that part blank. Kick the can down the road... give her time to get to know me and then drop that bomb, right? The right girl will understand... That felt dishonest, but it's what I did. And then I found that I was having trouble bringing it up to women I matched with at all. I'm sure the ones I met in person could tell anyway. That telltale spot on my index and middle fingers were stained yellow on both hands and even though I hadn't smoked for hours before any date, that's a smell that lingers. How do you hide that? I met a very nice lady and we began chatting. We met up and I told her the truth that first night. I had decided that I wasn't going to try to hide it from my dates from now on. She, surprisingly, told me it was not a deal breaker. And then a funny thing happened to me... I realized that it kind of was a deal breaker for me. I realized that I didn't want to subject any potential partner to the smell, the constant breaks for me to step outside, the coughing, the lethargy, the deteriorating health that is sure to set in soon, the waste of money - all of the crap I'd subjected my ex-wife to for years, stuff I now feel bad about subjecting her to. A week before our second date, I decided to quit. I didn't quit for her, but for the idea of having to go through the entire thing over and over again with the next woman, and the next vs. resigning myself to the idea that I could find a woman who didn't mind it, and possibly even one who smoked herself, which meant I could remain complacent and never stop. I didn't quit for this nice lady. She was just the trigger. Our second date was pleasant, but there was no real spark. We agreed not to pursue anything. When I got home, I thought about buying cigarettes. I wasn't upset that there was no future with this lady. We barely knew each other and we're both old enough to just be honest up front rather than dragging it out. It had been a week since I'd quit smoking, though, and maybe, I thought, dating just wasn't for me. Maybe it would be better to just stick to myself for a while and enjoy the things I enjoy, like smoking... And THAT was when I knew that I had truly quit for myself. Because when I had that thought, I laughed at it. I recognized it for exactly what it was. My addiction was trying to make excuses for me to go back to smoking because smoking is a lot easier than not smoking when you're addicted. But the fact that I recognized what was happening gave me strength NOT to buy them. It showed me that I was serious about quitting. That was all a month ago, and I'm still breathing free. I suspect I'll be breathing free in a year, too. I'm sharing because, well, I had a long and very boring day at work, and boredom has been my worst enemy through all of this. I've come closest to giving in when I've had long stretches of boredom. Writing about how and why I quit helps to remind me why I don't want to go back, so I thought I'd introduce myself with my story on here. An hour ago, I wasn't feeling so confident in myself and my ability to stick with this. Right now I feel like I can conquer the world. If anyone is still reading this far, thanks for listening to my story.