I understand there will have been a few threads like this in the past but, I don't think this is a one size fits all kind of deal and am looking for some advice.

I've just turned 21 and work a pretty unstructured job. The irony is I've now got more financial freedom than ever before but, health wise am in the worst shape ever. I feel I sometimes use the money as a justification for having a cig or getting a mcdonalds. "Oh its been a stressful day so I deserve it" or "Oh its been a really productive day so I deserve it". There's always a pretty decent reason.

Anyway, I smoked sometimes when I was 18 - 19 but, if someone told me I was never going to have one again I wouldn't have cared. So, last summer I went to Malia for a week with my mates. Smoke 20 + a day and came back hooked.

At the moment all my friends smoke. So if I'm hanging around with them its impossible not to have one. I don't have one until 6 or 7pm but, will stay out late and probably get through 5 a day on average.

I've tried going days without but, its a real struggle. I had an e-cigarette and it totally worked but, I don't know if its a solution. What about nicotine patches ?

Has anyone been in a similar spot ? My body clock and cigarette combo is really bad and I need to do something about it soon. I've tried quitting cold turkey but, dont get past 2 or so days.

Any extra info you need jus holla at me.

Let me get this straight, you're having difficulty quitting when you average 5 a day?

5 a day is almost healthy.

you could check out the snus thread

I know you are joking, but I do recall reading somewhere that whatever deleterious cardiovascular effects that occur from smoking were present when like just one cigarette a day was consumed. The gist of it was that like 1 or two were as bad as a pack, at least as far as CV effects. IIRC of course.

I have difficulty limiting myself to anything under 10 in a day.

OP. I'm like you all my friends/housemates smoke and it feels impossible to stop when they're around. I went from 20 to 0 for 10 days and then gradually built back up to 15 where I am now. One stressful event got me back on them.

If you're only on 5 a day you have nothing much to worry about. Maybe say you'll alternate between 4 and 5 a day for a few weeks and then down to 4 for a few weeks and then down to 3 etc etc. It seems like a really bad system but one of my friends did it the same time I quit and after a week I was really chuffed because I hadn't smoked and he was still puffing 15 a day. Now he's on 3 a day during the week and 5 each day at weekends and he said he's feeling better and can't wait for the next week when he cuts down again.

How much is a pack of cigs and how many in a pack? I know it varies but I'm just curious.

lol.

Here's something ****ty. I quit smoking 2 weeks ago, and a week ago I started getting kind of light headed. Now I'm light headed and have headaches. Come to find out, I probably have a sinus infection. Smoked 15 years, never had sinus problems. Quit for 2 weeks, my sinuses blow up.

Logical deduction: smoking prevents sinus problems.

Yeah I'd say its 5 a day and I get the itch pretty bad. I will probably split a 10 deck with a friend which is £3.40 at a garage I think.

Tonight I smoked 8. A fairer average might be 50 a week. If I crash some or buy a pack myself and its been like this for over a year now. I want out but, not sure how.

Camel blue ftw.

How did you guys quite though ?

in america its 20 cigs per pack and about 10 dollars

Yeah you can get 20 decks here and some company brought out a 14 pack.

I'll usually only buy 10 especially if I'm by myself. Its perfect. It does a full night (If I'm not out and about) and a couple the next morning.

and yeah like £6 for 20 here. If you buy in a nightclub or vending machine you only get 18 or something because 2 of them go to the Army (so I was told. Pretty weird though)

op just quit being a pussy and go cold turkey. you're 21 it's not like you've been hooked for 40 years.

< 5 dollars for a pack of 20 if you're south of DC in the USA

$10 ????

I get them for less than $5 for a single pack. $32 for a carton.

5 a day hehe.

I smoked 3 packs a day when I was sober, 5+ packs a day when drinking.

Just over a year since I quit.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/34...native-165935/

I smoked one pack every two weeks for the last year that I smoked. That's only about 1.5 cigarettes a day. And when I quit cold turkey, I had the shakes for a week. If you're a nicotine addict, you're going to miss it even if it was a small amount.

I haven't had a cig in 2 months bec of that thread. But the good stuff, the Swedish Snus, is now tougher to get in the U.S. UPS requires a signature, they won't drop it by the front door like they did for my first order and since I'm never home I opted to drive to their distribution center to pick it up. That's not good but I'm so happy that I don't smoke anymore it's worth it.

Every time I tell ppl I don't smoke I show the can of snus and they say 'Oh, that' thinking it's dip and I have to explain over and over the diff but from now on I'm not going to bother.

to the fellow who started that thread!

I used to have an e-cig but, have read a lot of bad press about them.

Obviously the cig companies and probs govt. don't want e-cigs to get big but, does it not seem too good to be true ?

For example

Actually yes, my health has improved dramatically since I quit. That was a test of one brand of e-liquid.

I'll risk e-cigs over cigs anyday.

Just give the E cigs a better chance. There hasn't been one legit piece of evidence they are harmful at all whereas with cigarettes there are thousands af harmful chemicals. I was a pack a day smoker and since I bought my 1st E cig I haven't even wanted to even taste tobacco. I actually enjoy "vaping" much more than I ever liked smoking. The so called "negative press" is just about the stupid FDA (and therefore the government) wanting to have their hands in money that is starting to roll into the E cig business.

All the other crap like the patch, gum, Chantix either have major side effects or just plain don't work (no better than a 3 to 5% success rate).

I smoked about 20-30 a day since i was about 14 and have tried to quit a ridiculous amount of times, but I think I've kicked it this year.

What helps is if you HATE being a smoker and realise what it restricts you from doing, and the hold it has on you. Read Alan Carr's book (stop smoking not 'chatty man' although prob pretty funny) it's had a good success rate as it hits the phsychology of smoking home.

The nicotine craving is a piece of pi** to overcome, it's the phsychological relationship you form over years that's the tough part of giving up. Whenever you are stressed, bored, anxious, celebrating, socialising or whenever you crave the most, you always have your little friend there and the hand to mouth habit is extremely comforting and familiar. Realising this and making a concious effort to completely break the physical hand-to-mouth habit whilst replacing it with a different stress-busting activity makes it a hell of a lot easier because you're REPLACING instead of QUITTING. This is why think e-cigarettes and nicotine inhalers are BAD for quitting as you are still rehearsing the habit.

The method I used was nicotine gum, strong to weak over 3-4 months, then shift over to regular gum (surprsingly I really didn't feel the difference, HABIT 1 NICOTINE-ADDICTION 0) For months every time I got a ciggarette craving the gum was plenty sufficient and after about 6 months my craving was alot more for chewing gum. 8 months+ and I have 2-3 chewing gums a day when I feel like it and not missing ciggies at all.

There's always the downswings that test you when you quit, whether it's a social gathering of your smoker friends or a particularly stressful day, that's when you NEED to know your reasons for quitting. I personally had a rough experience that made me want to quit when I lit up a ciggy outside in the Winter cold and I felt so stuffed up, unfit and ill from it, I pictured this vividly every time I had a mega craving. Also I wanted to get back into some sort of excercise and smoking hindered this alot. Good reasons for quitting and negative experiences of smoking really help you through the tough times and they really are only through the first 6 months.

Anyone reading this thread atleast has an interest in quitting and that's a huge plus. Good luck and how ever many times it takes to quit, remember it is totally worth it.

Just don't put another cig in your mouth, pansy. You'll understand the difference when you're like 35 and smoking 2 packs a day.

Like I said, the gum/patch have no more than a 3-5% success rate (if that). It might work for one person but for EVERY success story there are another 20-35 people that tried it and went right back. It is awesome that it worked for the above poster and it might for the OP but I hardly had any trouble quitting (replacing) with E cigs and couldn't recommend them more. Obviously most smokers have willpower problems, I suggest the aid that takes the least willpower and suffering to stop.

Like I have no clue what you're saying. You're saying gum has a super low success rate, which I agree, but you're still addicted to nicotine AND puffing on a fake cig. It would seem that e-cig users will have the highest failure rate of any method.

No need to be hostile there buddy. What is wrong with being addicted to nicotine? What confirmed studies show that nicotine (or caffeine for that matter) causes any harm? How many people are addicted to caffeine without major side affects? Does the act of "puffing on a fake cig" harm you in any way? I'll continue my nicotine addiction in a safe way and not deal with the side effects of quitting (weight gain, insomnia, HOSTILITY, etc.).