I am a long time cigarette smoker, having started at the tender age of twelve. Now at the age of 64, I am once again quitting. In the last fifteen years or so, I have become quite knowledgeable about giving up the habit, one time I even made it seven years smoke free. One would think that after seven years, you would never smoke again, but alas... I did pick it up again.

I have tried just about every method known in my quest to quit, strangely enough I never tried going "cold turkey" till now. It "seems" like this method may actually be better for me, rather than stepping down slowly with nicotine patch's, gum, etc.. When I quit for seven years I used Chantix, it worked great that time. I tried it again within the last year, but it just didn't work for me this time.

So wish me well, and tell me about your trials and tribulations to quit smoking.

Good Luck! One day at a time, as you know.

Good luck. Here to listen or help if possible.

I started smoking at 18. Smoked a pack to a pack and a half a day. In the month coming up to my 36th birthday, I got it in my head that if I smoked past that time, I would then smoke the majority of my life. I am not sure why, but that was the motivation needed to quit. I smoked my last one in the pack the night of May 10, 2007. Haven't had a cigarette since. I do occasionally smoke a cigar. In my opinion, cold turkey works.

good luck...I too have been battling the smoking thing for years....tried chantix and it wasn’t good...gave me severe anxiety...and I never have anxiety!
Patches worked ok...I need to give it another go.
Again, I wish you luck....let us know how it’s going

Good Luck!!! It is hard but well worth it. Keep us in the loop.....

I used to smoke cigarettes and tried several methods to quit. Slowly cutting back, nicotine gum, patches, etc. None of those methods helped. Cold turkey was a real trial, but it worked for me. But it was at least six months before the longing for a cigarette entirely ended.

As an aside, I’ll comment that pipe smoking, without inhaling, is a non-addicting pleasure.

Better late then never. Be a warrior.

Good luck, Warhorse!

I quit twice, unsuccessfully, before finally permanently (?) calling it quits nearly nine years ago. In all three cases I ramped-down slowly. In the two unsuccessful attempts I made it about nine months before smoking that "one" cigarette. This time, despite occasionally being tempted, I'm not falling into that trap again.

Another thing that will help me remain a non-smoker this time is very few people I know and with whom I associate smoke. Used to be half or better of my friends, acquaintances, coworkers, etc. smoked.

I also feel a regular exercise regimen helped me quit and to stay quit. You soon begin to appreciate running out of muscle/endurance before running out of breath

Temporary distraction was the key for me. I found an arrowhead and carried it in my pocket. Rubbed it between my thumb and forefinger each time I felt the urge for a cigarette. Took a year or so to lose the urge, but I successfully quit cold turkey for good 20 years ago, after countless attempts with gum, pills and patches.

Best of luck to you!

Good luck brother. Today makes 192 days nicotine free for me. I used to smoke a lot and when it was busy at work and I couldn’t get out, grizzly wintergreen pouches covered me.

I bought an app for $3. It’s called “Quit Now”. It tracks how many cigs you have not smoked, money saved, days free, and gives health info. It has been helpful more than once when I would look at it and realize I have come so far, don’t cave to the craving.

That said, I smoked for 27 years and chewed for about 9 months. I miss the chew more than the smokes.

I always have to remember, that one cig or chew. It’ll never be one. I can’t have one, ever again. Not ever. Just this once means back on the train of consequences. That never ending train.

When I got another lung infection from breathing 120 year old very very fine wood dust (and attached bacterial microbes) deeply into my lungs, the casual smoking definitely had to go. Besides, it is really bad for gums and cannot be to good for everything else the smoke touches.

So in answering your request for details of my "trials and tribulations to quit smoking" I tell you this: Stay away from previous triggers to smoking.

Used to smoke at the kitchen table before breakfast? Walk the yard with your first cup. Smoke after breakfast? Eat while standing up in the garage. Etc etc etc.

I quit, cold turkey, in 1987, never smoked another cigarette. I wish you luck, takes a lot of self control. I tortured myself, carried the smokes, went to bars etc. The owner of the company I was working at went out and got me 5 lbs of Pistachios and told me to let him know when they ran out. My wife complained about my smoking but never realized I'd quit for two weeks!

I told her that what we'd save would go towards a new boat, we got the boat but I never contributed.

Here are a couple other things I believe helped me on the third go:

1. I realized, at some point, that the thought of quitting, and never being able to smoke again, was... scary? After all: It'd been a forty year habit. So I never thought of myself as quitting, permanently. Instead it was "I'm going to smoke one less cigarette a day this week" and, on the last cigarette, "I think this'll be my last cigarette." The day following "I'm not going to smoke today."

2. After I had successfully not smoked every day for a week or two, began to think of myself, not as an ex-smoker, but as a non-smoker.

My dad quit years ago. He was kind of like you, he started at 12 or 13 and just kept doing it. When he decided to quit, he tried every method out there at the time and none of them stuck. He finally broke down and went cold turkey, and he hasn't had a cigarette in almost 30 years. It was pretty hard on him, but I think not having the crutch of another nicotine source was what got him through it.

I hope this time you are able to kick the habit for good!

I started at 14 and was a 3 pack a day smoker. Quit after 30 years. I used the patch but tapered off quick by using scissors to cut off 1/4th of patch every 3 days. Nothing easy about quitting and you'll think about them every waking hour for the first month. Just suck it up and shake it out. I cut soda straws same length as a cig and used them to occupy my hands.

Know this: Every consecutive day you go w/out smoking will make the next day a wee bit easier until finally, at about 3 months, you are somewhat civilized after 6 months I was almost over them and after a year I knew I'd won. I have not used tobacco in any form since 1996 and I wouldn't smoke a cigar on a bet.

Good Luck and hang in there.

Good luck. I used a electronic cig to help me off of the cigs and it worked. Smoke/vape free for 8 years now

Cold Turkey and prayer is the only method that works for me. And the repeated Mantra in the early days of "Don't take the first drag from another tobacco product even if your ass falls off!" Because thru careful scientific experience ...Repeatable experiences, I have found that no other method would ever work for this guy. And I tried everything imaginable at that time of December 4, 1988. I must have quit a hundred times and always the pack was proceeded by the one cigarette can't hurt mentality. As the saying goes one is too many and a million not enough when it comes to such. So far, sometimes one moment at a time that particular monkey has gone into hiding. But I know someday somewhere it is lurking, waiting, grinning, as all evil vices do in the great inner darkness of insanity. The insane thinking that a harmful substance should be self administered my Me to Myself. And that after taking this substance that I know Is addictive and harmful and makes me feel like shit and smell worse is somehow a tolerable thing for a thinking person to do to themselves and those around them. Thanks, guess I needed the reinforcement spiel myself.

I quit in 1982. You can quit successfully too

I quit long ago. Cold Turkey. Remember that withdrawal symptoms, cravings, any bad feelings you have are caused by cigarettes. Smoking won’t make the bad feelings better. Smoking causes those feelings. That’s the thought process that helped me get through the bad times. I also used a website called quitnet. Not sure it still exists but it was free. Mostly read the forum they had. It was more like a chat room it helped to always have someone to talk to that was having the same cravings as me.

May I recommend this book: Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

It has been very helpful for some people I know.