this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2025
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~19 months into quitting. Best decision of my 40+ years.
If you're out there thinking it's too hard to quit: You're wrong, you can do this and it's worth it.
Same, I'm also almost 19 months in, after so many tries.
How did you do it?
Turns out what I needed wasn't an iron will but to understand why I smoked. I tracked every cigarette for two weeks, writing down the time and the reason - boredom, a context switch ("I just arrived at the office, now I need to get ready"), anxiety, needed a break...
Once I had that, I could start identifying the reasons for my cravings more easily, which in turn made it easier to switch to a healthier alternative, knowing the craving would pass.
Another two weeks later, I had already cut down my consumption from like 20 to 5 cigarettes a day, which felt wildly empowering. At that point, quitting entirely felt doable, so I did. That feeling made me excited to quit.
I mean, it was still not a walk in the park, but motivation was so much higher than before. I still used nicotine spray for a while to help with the worst cravings.
I became a step dad and it became massively important to me to not pass the habit along, as well as to do my best to ensure I'm around and healthy to see them grow up.
Right, kids change things. My father used to smoke and the memory of both the visuals and the smell are so vivid, I didn't want my kids to remember me like that. Good on you!