DYLANLEE79
24359
804
18
And I can't drink, because if I drink I'll smoke, so I'm unintentionally sober too.
Aug 11, 2026 3:12 PM
DYLANLEE79
24359
804
18
And I can't drink, because if I drink I'll smoke, so I'm unintentionally sober too.
bbchaz23
9 months without nicotine. I miss it so much, especially that first smoke with an iced coffee, and before the first meeting of the morning.
GwensBackOnHerBS
It gets better after a year. The cravings do go down.
arajad
I was never a regular smoker at all; my lifetime consumption of tobacco probably wouldn't fill a large saucepan. But I still get smacked occasionally by the smell of a freshly-lit cigarette. Stay strong. It's worth it.
lifeisadadjoke
I quit 2.5 years ago, and I'm one of the ones that can't stand the smell of smoke now. The smell of tobacco is still nice, but unlit only.
chaoswarrelt
Craving for a cigarette is a form of stress. The addiction to nicotine learns your body: "hey, smoking relieves stress". That's why you smoke more when stressed. I stopped smoking 10 years ago. The physical addiction took a couple of months, but I kept craving for a cigarette in stress moments for about two years.
IcemanChilled
Keep going, well done. Right now I'm 4 weeks in after smoking for the best part of 40 years. I miss it constantly.
DYLANLEE79
Oooh that's the hardest part. I started to get manic and weird.
whoisyourdaddy
In washingotn state cigs are around $12.25/pack. Pack a day = $4471. Costo travel will send you plus a friend/spouse from Seattle to Hawaii for a week for $4467 per person double occupancy.,
lightfoot2
Fair. It's been 30 years and I still miss it. Start "smoking" pens.
theskepticinme
I’m 18 months free of nicotine after 24 years. Glad to be rid of it. Looking back, it was a prison. A chore to feed the beast. It was also my comfort and escape. These days I try to realize that there’s no need for escape. I had to change my perspective on the matter
Cosmicfisherman
20+ without smoking. Well maybe when I'm 100 I'll light one up.
glovelyday
Nicotine is a horrible addiction. Congratulations on quitting. Stay strong. The urge fades over time.
evildadunit
that's not a craving... its feeling..... aliive
dammit
Bystandr
Yep. Was up to 3/4 pack/day when I cut it off. Only smoked 3 years.Dreamt about it for a solid month, then a few more times in coming months
Bystandr
too.
maverickdomme
26y smoke free (2 packs/day). Still dream about it, mostly looking at my hand and be holding a cigarette. The thing is, it will never be just one. So stay strong
DAndrewFetters127001
20 years for me. Hardest thing I ever done did! Keep up the good work.
pdxdwaeji
I can’t remember how long it’s been since I quit. A long time.
The smell and taste disgust me these days, but on a very cold, clear, dry fall day with a little breeze….fuck do I want a cigarette.
Anyway, you’re doing great!
benehar
It's been six years since I quit, and they smell bad to me now, but I still dream about smoking every so often.
justanotherscreamintothevoid
First off congrats, and stay strong. As someone who finds the smell absolutely repulsive, the taste even more so, and never felt anything when I tried it a handful of times, can someone describe your perceptions of it? My mom is a heavy smoker, and I've just always wondered what the appeal was. I like weed, but my mom is repulsed by the smell of it, which I find interesting.
evetsabucs
Alan Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking
normalperson123
I quit smoking a lot of times, but I finally quit in 2019 cause I got sick and unintentionally didn't smoke for a week solid. It was my most sucessful quit cause I got past the one-week hump without even trying. After that I had dreams and cravings for years. Trust me when I say it gets better. Even after 1 year the cravings are less than they were, and they just continue to retreat and retreat.
burningcouchwv
I quit every night, then the dawn and coffee and the Cig. Quit them after brain surgery. Good times! Life is an adventure!
AshesVonDust
I'm sorry you're sad, but this kicks so much ass
Sullivanish
14 years nicotine free here. It...never really goes away.
RelartOfGivia
It went away completely for me. If I smell 2nd hand smoke I get nauseous. I quit about 5 years ago.
KaptainObveeus
It can. I don't miss it. I remember the awful hold it had on my life. It ruined everything. Anytime I was somewhere I couldn't smoke, all I wanted to do was go smoke, couldn't go to the movies or enjoy anything. Spent hundreds a month on it. Stank of it. Disgusting. I honestly do not miss it at all. You can reprogram your brain.
Lampmonster
Gonna jump on the bandwagon and disagree here. I smoked at least a pack a day until I was thirty, quit cold turkey and after twenty years the idea of smoking again disgusts me. Filthy habit, stinks, gives you horrid breath, destroys your health. If I hadn't quit I'd probably be dead or wish I was, but as it is I am healthier now than twenty years ago. I can work out, my food tastes better, my sense of smell came back. I'd never go back.
do7rkb5n
Same for 15yrs but I had to wean myself off it, and have a few things line up like not owning a car i smoked in, friend passed away who gave me my first and last smoke, but im 14+ years smoke free and dont miss it and hate the smell.
WoeToHice
It does go away for some. I smoked a pack a day, sometimes more, for 5 years and then quit cold turkey. That was 20 years ago. The first year was really tough. After that, I felt that I was out of the woods, but I still occasionally got cravings. Then the cravings stopped completely and I only had occasional nightmare about falling off the wagon. It's been a few years since I had my last nightmare.
veryhairyarea
but it's like remembering an old friend and the good times you had.
Pats0r
I did not smoke a pack a day,maybe 10 to 15 on a good day. Smoked weed also. And a lot of it. 5g on a weekend and another 5 during the week, at least.
This for 20 years +
Now Quit for 1 year and 2 months . And i do not want any anymore. I quit bc i started to dislike the taste of cigarettes, maybe thats why i dont want it anymore
Now when i smell weed ifs more difficult.
Billis75
This isn't meant to discourage you, maybe just to make it relatable. My mom quit smoking 45 years ago (They couldn't figure out why 7 year old me was getting bronchitis every 2 months when 5 people in my house smoked!). My bronchitis cleared up immediately, but she still says she craves it daily.
rmx256
I quit cold turkey 20 something years ago and didn't want one since. Had a really bad breakup in Feb. Went to a show with my son and some beautiful short blonde was talking to me and seeming interested during the last band. I was like "cool." So we are talking after the show and she says that she has to run to find her husband - my son sees this and laughs at me. It sucked. I was pretty buzzed and saw him light one up and was like fuck it. I've been a pack a day since. Not sure I care to quit.
Unwashedpearl
Try watching Mad Men. It gives me the shakes.
SpoonTheGreater
Go to a bakery. When I quit and my sense of smell came back, wondering into a bakery is a key memory of why it was good to quick smoking.
Comet260
*Quit.
SpoonTheGreater
Yup, that’s exactly what I meant
gonzar09
It takes practice. I became a non-drinker after my wife developed epilepsy. Didn't like drinking alone, and then I became the de facto designated driver in case of seizure. Sometimes I have dreams where I'm drinking now. For her sake, however, I stay away.
Comet260
🫡
TheSlouchOfBethlehem
I somehow lost the taste for alcohol three or four years ago. Ever since, my brain has been trying to convince me it's a sign of impending doom, but so far so good
bad1080
smoked a pack a day and stopped with allen carr's easy way to stop smoking and it worked. i had nightmares for ~3 years afterwards in which i'd start smoking again. but i never had an actual urge to do so. i even smoked drunk once or twice but didn't relapse afterwards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Easy_Way_to_Stop_Smoking
bad1080
it even works if you're still smoking and you can read after you stopped too.
Doismellbacon
I read it a couple/few weeks after I had set them down. Almost at 5 1/2 years. That book is like medicine. It just changes your mind about things!
bad1080
yeah, he (carr) said it's like reprogramming your brain (and that's how it actually felt to me).
Devlosirrus
Same here, including the nightmares. That's a great book, I can sincerely say it changed my life, and not just because it helped me quit smoking.
CaptnRobAnybody
smoked for 33 years quit 10 years ago and the only thing I miss is the social aspect of it
tweetlebug
I miss not being fat. Quitting smoking made me chubby.
lightfoot2
I miss the little rituals. The holding of the pipe, the tamping down the tobacco, the smell of a fresh pack. I use a pen in meetings and I will "smoke" it when I am talking. Never really goes away
Eldibs
Consider getting into high-end coffee. It has little rituals too, it may help. I know caffiene is an addiction too, but it's a lot better than nicotine.
soabtanmnl
That social aspect and the ritual of it. I quit cigarettes after 10 years smoking and moved to vaping for now, been cutting down the nicotine and aiming to quit over next month or two. I love not smelling like an ash tray and not coughing anymore. I can imagine it being even better health-wise once completely off the stuff, but man will I miss just stepping out for a smoke and the little comradery of bumping into other smokers out back or at the pit.
Eldibs
Sparklers. Keep some sparklers around at all times. Any time you feel like having a social smoke break, go out and light up a sparkler. You can even "bum a light" off of other people when you do it.
KyleZombie
The social aspect is gone now though. People have been shamed and shunned so that no one smokes anymore. If anything, it makes you a pariah now.
rmx256
I smoke out of boredom tbh. I live alone in a pretty big house on 40 acres and I'm just bored off my ass here. Just started back in Feb after not smoking for something like 20 years. I don't know if I want to quit or not honestly, just sort of don't really care anymore.
Eldibs
You got 40 acres and you're bored? Have you considering raising chickens or ducks? You get the freshest eggs possible, and taking care of them will help you take care of yourself mentally.
rmx256
I have been "off grid homesteading" for fifteen or more years. It was the coolest thing that I have ever done up to the point where my stbxw left me. In the time since it has proven itself nearly unmanageable by myself - as I still have to work off site to pay for the place and everything else - and I'm looking forward to returning to a more normal way of life when the divorce is over. Like my round trip to work is three hours and I've killed like five cars in the last decade. Just have to stop.
gaggedandgooped
You… might be depressed
rmx256
pandemicmodedad
Have you tried weed? Hell of alot less deady.
wblueskylives
I am 15 years without a cigarette or even a vape. Lemme tell ya, as a fellow pack+ a day smoker, I get it. The real bastard of quitting is that your brain remembers all the good bits about smoking, the feel of it, the taste, but it subjectively leaves out all the coughing, the phlegm, the random black bits that make you worried what you might be doing to yourself... It's just nostalgia calling for you, reject the Siren's call, friend.
TrumpRapesAndEatsChildren0002
Here's a hot take: The older you get, the more bad habits you can take on - theoretically. Say, starting from 60+ or so...
ReaperCDN
As somebody who started smoking again after quitting for over a decade because I didn't resist the Siren call, listen to this guy. He didn't mention the headaches.
wblueskylives
The world's a bit fucked atm, friend. No shame returning to a vice when it seems like the world is about to implode at any given moment. We are, unfortunately, giant sacks of chemicals and sometimes we need a specific thing to survive in the moment. Hope you get back to a place where you can quit again <3
tasthesose2
It’s been 25 years for me and it still smells inviting sometimes
Isorikk
One might say it was addictive 😜
extraDimensionalAnxiety
I'm just about 3 years in to the whole not smoking thing and caught myself looking for "my cigarettes" last night. You are definitely correct it's all about the feels.
IDontKnowWhatToDoAnymoreAndImTired
My dad started smoking when he was 15. Finally gave it up at close to 70... and now he's going back to it, and snapping at anyone who points it out.
discorage
Literally had a dream about smoking a cigarette last night. I saw your reply and thought "shit, I must be getting close to my 6 year anniversary." No word of a lie, no manipulation - I just checked my tracker app and...
floatationman
Congrats on the $28k saved!
discorage
I asked our evil AI overlords to do some math. Factoring in price increases year over year since 2020, it's closer to $32,000. And to be fair, it isn't money I've saved, it's just money I haven't spent. 😅
krielovas
15 years smoking 30grams a week, 1 year of not buying, I miss it while wishing my lungs worked
possumattack
Nostalgia is a really good term to evoke here, because that word basically means the pain of knowing. It's that feeling of loss, and I think it's never something that goes away but that you can learn to recognize and quiet that voice. Sounds like you are already on that path, reminding yourself of all the bad things just as fast as you remembered the urge.
thecorrupterx
yeah, the habits surrounding smoking are the thing that is the hardest to stop. find something to keep yourself busy during the long uninterrupted (by a smoke break) periods of time that can seem too much when you have first quit.
desalniettemin
Any smoker who says that smoking feels good is lying. Smoking does not feel good at all. It is an addiction. Nicotine addiction. Your brain tells you that it feels good because it receives the nicotine, not because it actually feels good.
CrossEyedPigeonToed
My brain tells me sex feels good. Is it lying? Mybrain tells me giving to charities feels good. Is it lying? Your logic is fucked.
Fanner50
Are you saying addictions don’t feel good?
Is that some weird take on doublespeak from 1984?
OlksPolks
I think it feels amazing. I know it's bad for you, and good for everybody who is trying to quit, but it does feel good. Also everything in the world that feels good, feels good because 'your brains tells you it feels good'. That's how feelings work.
wblueskylives
Totally, in the same way you can learn to enjoy bitter black coffee, you can learn to enjoy the burn at the back of your throat, the smell, etc. Helps that tobacco screws up your sense of taste and smell in the process lol
fformulaa
Need to quit myself. Just had one this morn. Wanted it, needed, craved it, had it. After 2 puffs i felt nauseous, coughing, instead of going to work, i had to take a minute to settle my stomach.
I am literally feeding my body poison. Need to transfer from that to exercising. I am putting a round in a handgun and pulling the trigger. Oh, and burning mad stacks of cash since a pack is $14 here. Absolute idiot i am
Speaker2Animals
The best aspect was that I suffered none of the withdrawal symptoms, physical or emotional, as I had when I tried cold turkey.
Speaker2Animals
Go to a psychologist who’s got a certification in hypnosis. I did it and I’m coming up on 30 years in couple weeks. It was four one-hour sessions and in sessions 2-3-4, he’d question me first and then tailor his monologue to what had happened since the last session — scouring ashtrays, humming from friends, etc. Never bought a cigarette after S1 and never even wanted one after S4. Whatever it costs, it’s worth it.
Ionlypostdogsandguitars
The best cigarette you will have is the first one in the morning with a cup of coffee. Every one after that sucks. That’s the hardest part of the habit to break.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
Holy crap its also been 15 for me. Jesus what a realization. But yeah a bad day and a whiff of a cigarette can make me be like "Damn I want one" but then my fiancee won't want to kiss me so it makes it a lot easier of a choice in my mind.
wblueskylives
Biggest reason I quit was for my wife and her asthma. Sometimes it's other folks that give you the courage to do what you need to for yourself.
SleazyBijou
I have stopped several times for more than 6mo. Nicotine is amazing… the brain knows it.
wblueskylives
Fun fact! Nicotine is (to my knowledge at least) one of if not THE most addictive chemicals out there! ~30% of humans will get hooked, which is more than cocaine even!
drakcor
Besides are we really gonna let some leaves wrapped in paper have control over us?!
wblueskylives
Hell nah! Actually a great bit I heard when I first quit was that you are now on parole from nicotine forever. The idea that having another one puts you back "in jail" really kept me from picking up another one. Cheers to keeping your lungs clear for a year!
fierofool
If it was just some leaves crunched up and wrapped up in paper it may not be as bad as it actually is for you. There's so much added bullshit in cigarettes. Thousands of ingredients and chemicals
drakcor
Oh believe me, I quit 6 tears ago, I am aware of how much formaldehyde amongst other carcinogens I have inhaled. Thankfully I have little to no COPD so I'm hoping I managed to luck out on the after effects.
DYLANLEE79
Cocaine has entered the chat!
mieper3
FUCK YOU (cocaine) I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!
Comet260
SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!
mieper3
NO I MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!