9 months in

Some of these other comments are really good.

By the end of my personal experiences I'll name couple of rules, that worked for me.

In my case.
I did quit smoking previously for 6 months. The experience was diabolical. I truly believe that i went through the hardest thing in my life. I've experienced some physical pain before. (Broken nose, arms bone, impaling on a metal rod, ect.) This was different. First day filled with tiredness and annoyance.yet it wasn't that bad. I still had some nicotine left in my blood. Second day was filled with subconscious conniving, my mind wondered off into planning the closest routes to shops or kiosks where I could potentially buy cigarettes or maybe whom I would ask for a cigarette, a friend, a passerby or that one weird guy across the street. It was quite schizophrenic. The more hours went by, the less nicotine was in my bloodstream. I anything amd everything annoyed me. The way people talked too loudly, the way the lightbulbs buzzed, the way someone was dragging their feet or my roommate not showering again or how someone ate their lunch. Everything was turned to eleven. The day was dragging on and on and I just wanted it to end faster. I thought that sleep would be my salvation, however I didn't know that for the next upcoming month my sleep would be interrupted by nightmares, anexiety or just right out no sleepiness at all which dragged on till I knocked out at 3:00. The third day was the the real start for the rest of the week. By the third day any substantial amount of nicotine in my bloodstream had dwindled. My teeth were hurting, my head was throbbing and my senses were amplified. My smell was coming back and I was disgusted at the smell of people, the sweat or my roomates smegma , that got unto his fingers, because he was "scratching" himself. Wherever he would touch something, I could smell it. I asked the other roomate if he could sense it. He said that he could only sense some a little bit, yet not at the level I described him my experience. On top of that my mind was constantly trying gamble with me:
"Come on, just one, one is less than 20, that I used to smoke every day, one smoke is still a HUGE progress, you really want to keep on suffering? Remeber your friends mother was cutting down one cigarette for every week and she succeed, so by that logic one is a bigger progress than whatever youve been doing for the past five years." and we had some really bad rodent infestation in the dorms, so every night when most of the rooms would turn off the lights, the mice would go out scouring for food. The problem was that somehow when they did that you could sense a sent of rotten meat. At first I thought that I had completely lost my mind, fortunately my roommate was there to speak up about that as well. So, yeah there I was. In a dirty, nasty dorm room with two other roommates who smelled like smegma, stale sweat and rotting meat amongst the scratching noises in the walls. And it all was amplified every sense in my body was being constantly assaulted and my mind was constantly trying to sell me a cigarette. This went on for the next four days and some things gradually did get easier. What helped in that situation was the lack of smokers in my group, at the time. There were less triggers to break me. Especially after that week a COVID lockdown was getting more and more intense, so my roommates went back to their countryside homes and I had relative peace and quiet. So self isolation did help me in that situation. "Oh couldn't completely isolate myself from the triggers outside of my group, but here comes the remedy to all your problems – COVID19."
During the "quitting process" I drank a lot. "I have more money for alcohol now!" Where one addiction was repressed, the other flourished. I didn't solve the issue, I drowned it in alcohol. At one point my left arm and leg were numb, because of my previously gained back trauma, the bodyweight that I had accumulated pressed down on my back nervous system. It became hard to walk, things fell out of my left hand.
So that was my "wake-up call". I knew that I can't do physical stuff, because it did make it worse and I knew that just cutting down on alcohol wouldn't do it. So opted to do the most bat shit thing.
"The empty week"
That meant that I wouldn't eat anything for the next week, yet I would drink plenty of water and mineral water. Just so I wouldn't lose electrolytes.

The logic was:
1.I'm fasing partial paralysis, hence the need to lose body weight as fast as possible.
2.I need to "cold turkey" my alcoholic tendencies into submission.
3.In the process I can have a little digital "cold turkey" detox as well.

The experience:
Surprisingly peaceful. That was a beautiful way to face myself and the deeper question to my consuming nature and how much emotions I hid from myself.

Results:
Lost 40kg = no backpain
Lost cigarette cravings
Lost alcohol cravings

Lived happily for the next 6 months and by the summer met a group of friends that smoked and tried one of their 50 nic vape juices and got hooked back instantly.

So…..It was all for nothing?

This year (2024) I started without smoking and it was much easier. So much so that I was astonished. I just kept on repeating to myself:" I need this, i need this, i need this.." and here I am, nine months without smoking.
I do find the idea of smoking attractive once I'm out drinking with friends, yet it doesn't take as much effort for me to convince myself that I am not taking that smoke. My life gas gotten better. I work better, I socialize better, my relationship is better. I have found a new love for cooking, everything tastes and smells better. My sleep is more consistent. My teeth are cleaner. I can smile. My life has gotten actually better. Because that ability to surpass your fears and parasitic addictions foes give you different kind of strength and belief in yourself. It really helped that I lived alone for awhile. No triggers, no one to bother me. Just me, with my thoughts.

So to sum it up, here are the rules:

1.You don't have an actual reason for smoking.

There is literally no actual reason for you to consume nicotine. You can name your little petty ritualistic reasons that have no actual basis in reality. For the most part smoking as ritual is made up in your mind.

• Acknowledge that you actively make up reasons, just to consume something that doesn't, and I repeat, doesn't make you feel better.

1. It is one of the best things you're going to do in your whole life.

I have spoken to people whom have quit smoking and not one of them, none, regret doing so. There is an actual enlightenment in the process. You will come out as a better person. A stronger version of you that has got the physical and mental strength to do actually incredible things. Fight for it- own it.

• Acknowledge that you will never regret quitting. It is not possible.

1. There is only "Cold turkey"

No cutting down or alternative nicotine product gives you any freedom. It's all bulshit. Just to keep you in your delusional bubble.

• Accept the fact that quitting means leaving forver, done, dead, gone forver. There is no other way.

1. Don't just stand there, do something.

Inaction tends to be the fall of a smoker. If you don't find something to do, meaningful or not, you will fail. Knitting, book reading, cooking, physical exercise, literally anything will do.

-Before you quit, find a way to pass time faster, this is the right time to find an actual, real life hobby. The key is to pass as much time by as much as possible.

1. Friend or foe

Your biggest enemy is the social environment. Let them know that you are not participating in the smoker environment. They will understand. Some may even respect you for that. If there is someone in your friend group or college group who doesn't smoke, spend some time with them observe the life of non smoker. You might find it amusing how relaxed they are. Do take mental notes of a nonsmokers lifestyle.

• Do not spend time with the people who are stuck in a hamsters wheel. They have nothing to offer to you. Keep your distance.

1. Just one

Are you really that naive to think that "just one" dose won't destroy your progress? Don't be so naive, think. What got you there in the first place? There is no "just one".

• "Just one" dosage of nicotine is enough to fire up your neural synapses, just don't.

1. The Boogeyman

You are afraid of feeling like a shit for a week. You think it's going to be bad. You are afraid of something that takes almost no time to get done. Tell me, how fast did the previous week go by? Fast eh? Why do you think that it's going to be different? Most fears about quitting you have made up in your head. Just like the ridiculous reasons for smoking, it all comes from the same place.

• Admit that the fear about not smoking for a week is made up in your mind.

1. It gets better

After the forst week you will stop experiencing the chemical crawing. You will stop wanting to smoke for nicotine. Now you will only yearn for the process.

• After the first week, your suffering has paid off, now it's a marathon.

1. Remind yourself "why?'

Even if you go through lightly, do remind yourself why you quit smoking. Write down on peace of paper the reasons why to quit smoking.

• You have to remind yourself even if you do not sense the cravings. Believe the cause.

1. It's okay to fuck up

You can make mistakes even months or years into quitting and that will set you back instantly. The good news is:" it is much easier to quit for the second time."

• You can fuck up if you have actual quit smoking and don't sense cravings. Otherwise you have no right to fail.