How to deal with life without cigarettes.

[Ryiga]

The title says it all.

I used to be able to get cigarettes by asking someone I knew to buy me some, but since he moved to Poland I hadn't been able to get any since then. It's been a week now and I just can't deal and cope with whatever shit life throws me into without smoking.

What i'm asking here for, is basically tips on how to quit or have an alternative. I have an electronic e-cigarette, but it's just not the same for me.

[Ryiga]

Originally Posted by Ryiga

The title says it all.

I used to be able to get cigarettes by asking someone I knew to buy me some, but since he moved to Poland I hadn't been able to get any since then. It's been a week now and I just can't deal and cope with whatever shit life throws me into without smoking.

What i'm asking here for, is basically tips on how to quit or have an alternative. I have an electronic e-cigarette, but it's just not the same for me.

Just realized this is the wrong sub-forum, may someon move this? I don't know how/don't think I'm able to.

[Celyn]

Hey there,

Since cigarettes can be addictive and difficult to quit, I think your post is fine here.

Do you know if it would be possible to ask your doctor for advice or a stop smoking organisation? I'm not sure where you are but in the UK the NHS has schemes to help people give up smoking and provide alternatives for when the cravings hit (such as nicotine gum and patches). That said, you may be underage for such products as in some places the legal age for buying cigarettes and other similar things is 18. Though it's still worth seeking professional support for!

In general, it might help to try to cope with cravings as you would with any other urge. Learning triggers- are there certain times or emotions that make you want to crave cigarettes such as stress? Once you've identified triggers, you can work on finding distractions- what can you do that helps you to forget your cravings? Some people find that exercise, doing chores around the house or using the craving feeling to do something productive so that you forget about the urge. For some general ideas, you can check out our alternatives page. You might also find it helpful to check out self help tips and help for relapses regarding smoking from the NHS.

Remember, all urges and cravings will pass

[Ambedo.]

Quitting smoking is hard. There's no doubt about that. For me, it took about a year to finally lose the urge to buy a pack whenever I was stressed, anxious, or whenever I stopped at a gas station. While that might not seem like the most encouraging thing to hear off the bat, I tell you that with the hope that it shows you that it is possible to do life without cigarettes, even if it seems like an uphill battle right now.

You mentioned that you're using an e-cigarette, but that it's not the same. I currently use one as well and, while you're right that it's not the same, it has been incredibly helpful to me with quitting. I'm not sure what smoke shops carry in your country but, in the States, the juices that go in the e-cigarettes are offered with varying levels of nicotine. One thing that I found particularly helpful was to start off with a juice containing a higher nicotine level and slowly work my way down to lower levels. While the use of e-cigarettes isn't the best long term solution, it may help make the quitting process a little more bearable than quitting cold turkey.

One of the most important parts of quitting anything is finding a replacement behavior. When you feel tempted to smoke, your mind needs something to fill the void caused by quitting the original behavior. If you don't have that, the logical step becomes picking up cigarettes again. One of the key elements of finding this replacement behavior is identifying why you smoke. As the previous user stated, identifying your triggers is a huge part of this. Do you tend to smoke more when you're feeling a negative emotion? Do you do it when you're bored? You may even find that it has to do with the motion of bringing your hand to your mouth repeatedly. Once you identify what it is that makes you want to smoke, you can begin finding replacement activities to help minimize the desire to start smoking again.

I hope this helped some. I know it's a long, sometimes extremely frustrating journey, but you can do this. If you want to share your triggers or just talk about the quitting process in more depth, feel free to send me a PM or reply to this thread at any time. You've got this!

Take care!

[joydalia38]

Try sticking to the electronic one, in 2 weeks you won't like the regular one anymore. And since this is not the same for you, eventually you will quit for good. But stick to electronic one and don't smoke the others. That's how I quit.

[Latte]

Quitting smoking is hard, it's addictive, so, of course, it isn't easy for most people to just leave it behind.

Since it has been about a month (or more) at this point, I hope that it is getting easier. If you are still struggling, many health and social services in communities in countries like Canada, the UK, the USA, Australia, etc offer programs to help people quit and they can refer you to products or even support groups that will help.

[RalphMcDonald]

The best thing I suggest you to completely stop smoking. I know it is very difficult for you still try to overcome it. In case you are not able to stop then you can chew nicotine gums, herbal patches which helps to get rid of addiction part in spite of cigarettes for the rest of your life and you will not get cancer.

[johnysamy]

Struggling with cigarettes myself

[johnysamy]

This is good advice though