Hey, some backstory. So I moved to America for work and because of a few factors (mainly my company), I started to begin smoking. Menthol was my choice as it was the nicest tasting then i started to crave a stronger taste so i went to marlboro reds. I smoked for about 1.5years and up to 15 a day, 20 if i was drinking.
The best way for me to quit was to educate myself in the matter, and realising that you shouldn't be focusing on the negatives of smoking when you quit (because the nicotine really does just persuade you otherwise), but concentrate on learning why you enjoy smoking and why they make you feel the way you do. A lot of my smoking was linked to emotional queues or enviromental queues. It took me a while to establish this and that when i went to cigarettes as a stress reliever, i was associating the cigarette with the stress relief. When infact, i was just relieving myself of the nicotine addiction i was craving for.
I chose the nicotine gum 4% (bought a pack of 100 for 50 dollars) and i haven't even used 50 of them and have quit for over a month now. When i feel really ****ty i make sure that i carry gum around in my wallet and pop one in when i feel a strong craving sensation for a cigarette. The gum is going to relieve your cravings and support your chances of quitting, but it ALSO isn't going to poison you with the 7000+ chemicals related to cigarette manufacturing.
At this very point, where the gum curbed my urges to have a cigarette. It finally clicked that i just had a classic addiction, and that the health benefits of quitting in the long term are a reward now. My breathing functions are improving? AWESOME! My chances of cancers and other diseases related to smoking are on the way out? AMAZING. It's very hard to say and put into practice, but the cigarettes are made to be addictive, and you are addicted to a drug (that many people don't actually enjoy doing, 75% of smokers have the urge to quit but are still in a 'contemplation stage')
I feel strongly that I won't relapse into smoking and that I will again be healthy and not continually damaging my body. Keep active, change your routines, eat more! (gaining weight is going to happen but on average people gain 5lbs!, i have bigger burritos then that!!)
I write this to hopefully change someone elses mind or ease their cravings.
GL to you all! We are in it together! Relapsing is not failure, it's just another step in the right direction and another opportunity of you quitting.
Thanks for taking the time to read if you do! Hope it helps.
