I smoked for almost 20 years. I lost track of how many times I tried - and failed - to quit. Last December I just felt done. Put it down and haven’t gone back to it. I even had a few cigarettes while out with a friend in March and had no desire to go back to it after. I know a few other people who quit like that, but far more who have struggled with it for years and still smoke.

I have no idea what changed for me. Every other attempt failed, even if I felt really ready to quit.

I was very very lucky.

I turned 26 when I heard myself coughing like a 66 year old chainsmoker with cancerous lungs, found I was unable to run up stairs and out of breath after carrying groceries inside. I had to have a cig every morning so I would be able to have a shit at all, but if I did… that first drag sent me rushing to the bathroom, it got so bad, I had to light the first one while sitting on the loo, or i’d shit my pants.

That’s when I found myself disgusted with myself. I stopped, I simply stopped. From 38 cigarettes per day to 0. I am so happy it worked, because I am a very easily tempted personality and tend towards addiction in anything that gives my brain pleasure.

It took a year before I completely stopped coughing and two years before I could run up those stairs again, but one day I simply realized “Oh my! I’m not out of breath. What… what happened? Oh, yeah I quit smoking! Damn this feels nice!”

It’s super hard to quit but I’ll tell you what helped me. I got altoids and every time I wanted a smoke I’d eat a mint. If I still wanted a smoke I’d eat another mint. At break I’d go out with all the smokers and I’d eat a mint. Driving home I’d eat a mint. It took a few containers of mints but I eventually got sick of mints (and cigarettes). After I quit I would still try taking a drag off a random cigarette and I absolutely hated it. Not sure if I rewired my brain or what but I was able to stay off the smokes. Good luck. You got this.

Pro tip: take your smoke money and save it in another account or a piggy bank or whatever. You will be blown away about how much your addiction was costing you.

First time I quit I’d get the occasional craving, the second time I have maybe had a craving once. I think what helped me the second time was a minor health scare, (why is my tongue sloughing?), first kid on the way, and I reallly got into cardio

Edit: I smoked from 2007 to 2014? And then 2017? To 2020 Amount varied widely, but I probably went through a pack in 3 days average. Only hit a pack a day during finals week heh.

I did exactly that.

The traumatic brain injury may have had something to do with that, though.

Nonsense. You got this. I believe in you.

I don’t smoke and I never will and I’m just here to emphasize how disgusting smoking is for non smokers. I literally can hardly breath when someone smokes next to me. Sadly, my nearby city has a lot of smokers.

Whenever I need to pass by someone that smokes, I hold my breath for as long as possible. I understand you’re addicted, but come on, stop using that poison. If not for yourself then for others at least, or maybe at least while in public.