Ask HN: Ex-smokers, how did you quit? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Ex-smokers, how did you quit?

I've been a smoker on and off for a long time. I have managed to quit a few times and stay out for as long as 2 years but I start again mostly due to stress and habit. Those of you who quit successfully, what worked for you?

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I started smoking at 19 and was a chain smoker throughout my 20's. I was a total addict - I hated it. About 10 years ago I read "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr. The next day I stopped. For 4 days I felt as though I had got up too early on a winters morning; I felt cold inside and the light hurt my eyes. But after that, it was done.

Many people in the UK at least have reported good results with that book. I can't really explain it - there are no moments of profound revelation, it just sort of quietly convinces you that smoking doesn't really relieve stress, that you don't need it and you can quit. I just read it in the evening before going to bed and decided that the next day I would quit.

At the same time, I took up running and weight training. I started running straight away even though I could hardly run 50 yards. I think this helped enormously because I was focused completely on what I was gaining in fitness and I didn't feel for one moment that I was "giving something up".

All the same there is something I can't quite explain about it. I tried many times before and really struggled, yet when I finally quit it was easy. Now when I look back its like remembering a previous life.

Thanks. I did try the book a few years ago, but I remember after the first couple of chapters I got bored and gave up. Seemed like there was no actionable advice, but maybe I should give it another shot. I have heard from a few other people that the book helped them quit for good.

Chiming in as a data point even though I didn't really "quit".

I was a pack-a-day smoker for about 20 years. Quit and started lots of times.

I replaced cigarettes with a nicotine vape (salt nic) about a year ago and haven't looked back. I still consume the equivalent of a "pack of day" worth of nicotine. I still get the rituals and sense of "stepping away" that I used to have.

I liked cigarettes in the same way I like coffee and probably would have been happy to smoke indefinitely if I hadn't had kids and it wasn't so incredibly harmful.

It's unfortunate that vaping is not "zero harm", but in my life situation I believe it's been a major harm reduction that would have been very, very difficult to achieve otherwise.

The thing that kept me from vape is that I'm not sure if it's not worse than smoking although the chances are pretty low. Also I'm hoping that I can leave it completely behind as opposed to replacing.

Vape, started off with a strong 18mg or so nicotine...ramped it back to about 6 or so these days. Only use it when I am out drinking now. Took about 3 months to ramp the strength down. and 3 months after I got it to 6mg (during this period I would also alternate vaping same flavour with no nicotine) I stopped regularly using it. Just need to cut nicotine out of my bowl and I'll be sweet. That's a harder process though, mostly just due to difficulty of finding product of quality for long enough that makes straight smoking pleasant.

Edit: I smoked like a 50g pouch in roughly 4 days at my peak....when I started vaping I was back to maybe a 50g pouch every 8 days or so.

I guess I got lucky. I quit cold turkey after smoking consistently for 3 years. 2 of those years, I was smoking a pack and a half a day. After about 3 weeks I wasn't craving it anymore and somewhere around the 6 month mark, I found the taste of a cigarette disgusting. I might have part of a cigarette once or twice a year when I go out drinking but I haven't bought a pack of cigarettes in about 8 years.

Good for you, yeah I have also been successful with cold turkey. I think I'm not much addicted to the nicotine part compared to habit and stress. For example, I go on vacation and don't smoke for 2-3 weeks, with no problem.

3 packs per day for 7 years, non-stop.

One day I woke up after an adventurous epiphany that made me realized I could have saved more than $6000 of today's value in a year by literally stop smoking slow and painful death.

That was it, really.

I quit it cold turkey and never look back.

Oh! And by the way, your sexual life becomes very VERY powerful and energetic.

You find strengths you didn't know you had all this time.

Sleep through the first 3 days. Chew on ice cubes for the first couple of weeks. After that clear.

The real problem isn't the "addiction" (which is so mild as to be laughable); its the sudden influx of time you have, and the fact that smoking, favors a sedentary lifestyle (typically associated with high stress jobs).

Typical spreads are; 1-3 days discomfort, 7-day relapse, 14-21 day relapse, 6 week relapse. after that, unless you hang out with smokers...

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