I am 2 days off of nicotine. My lungs are hurting so bad… I know this is common once you quit, but dear lord…
Also, lots of sugar cravings… i’m not really mood, but i can feel myself get anxious when the trigger to smoke gets to me.
Is this lung pain after you quit normal? It’s miserable & uncomfortable. Why did I ever start this stupid habit… 
Hi Sara @betterdays2come! Great job two days 
, but sorry to hear about your lung pain. Did you quit cold turkey?
Yes, I quit cold turkey! Best way I thought to go about it.
Hi there again. Did you smoke a lot before quitting?
I vaped for only a year. It would take me about 5-7 days to go through a vape or longer… depending on the size/puffs per vape.
I’ve heard vaping can impact lungs differently than smoking. Good thing is that you got rid of it. Stay the course girl. Is it any easier?
It’s not as bad today. I havent felt anything today, actually! Just the cravings and some nausea 
Just to give you something to read and to honour Dennis from Montana who had a big influence on my early smoking quit some 5.5 years ago. And made me more aware of my drinking problem too. Just found out he’s 20 years quit from smoking today. He wrote some great articles on my old quit smoking support forum. Here’s one.
We’re All Different
FROM: Troutnut 1 … posted (3) Years Ago, Circa 2016
That’s practically the national anthem for people who want to quit without really quitting.
I’ve thought that too when addiction ruled my life and I was trying to find different ways to quit without quitting. There were no e-cigs or vaping when I quit or I probably would have tried them. I did try little cigars, clove sickarettes, switching to pot, and I still have a massive old pipe collection from my attempts to quit without quitting.
I did the same thing with my alcohol quit. I tried to switch from whisky to just beer. Then to just wine. Then to vodka and rum. But these attempts were all doomed to failure because I kept putting the drug ethanol into my body.
When I finally joined AA in 1998 I was shocked to find out I wasn’t different at all. It took a while for a kind older gentleman to show me the truth. And the truth was I wasn’t different, special, or unique at all. At least when it came to my addictions.
Turns out I was just a garden variety alcoholic. And I later figured out that I was just a garden variety addict of the drug nicotine as well. And these two addictions were actively working together in a race to see which could kill me first. A deadly partnership of diseases the medical field calls “comorbidity”.
I was lucky. People told me the truth and eventually I was able to get through the denial and recognize my terminal diseases for what they were. I asked for, and received help that saved my life.
Those of us that have been here a while have seen it thousands of times. Nice folks who don’t have a clue trying to quit without quitting. There are certainly more ways to do that than there ever have been before. But the results are always the same. A return to smoking at even higher levels than they were before the substitution. They use “addict speak” like “we’re all different” to try and cover their tracks and try to fool themselves.
So here is the truth. We are all garden variety addicts of one of the planet’s most powerful, deadly, and addictive drugs. Our very survival depends upon the ability to recognize this fact and do something about it. That means that eventually we have to learn how to stop putting the drug nicotine into our bodies, one day at a time. Legitimate NRT is the only exception I can see to this rule, and then only when used precisely as directed.
Alcoholics don’t get better by switching types of alcohol. Heroin addicts don’t get well by switching to hydrocodone or other opiates. And nicotine addicts don’t get well by switching delivery devices and keeping the rituals and habits alive with smoking like actions.
We are certainly all special, unique, and different in many ways. But when it comes to this addiction, we are all in exactly the same boat. Garden variety.
It took over three decades for me to finally acknowledge the truth. To quit, you have to stop putting nicotine into your body. It is my hope that most of you get that fact quicker than I did.
Your friend in Montana
Troutnut1-dennis
Oh man, I’m 2 months sober from alcohol! But one thing I haven’t given up is vaping… I smoked cigarettes for 16 years and switched to vaping about a year and a half ago… I know how bad it is for your health but the idea of stopping I find almost more terrifying than the thought of not having a drink again. I can’t imagine not smoking it’s become such a part of myself. A comfort, something I associate with calming my anxiety. I’m so afraid of what it will be like when I don’t smoke or vape anymore. Who am I without it? It’s like giving away a part of myself. I want to quit but I’m also so scared to and I don’t know why stop? How does this thing have such control over me, I feel like it’s the one thing I’m incapable of.
I hear you @Sasha. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it just like that. First of all, you’ve only recently quit drinking, so maybe concentrate on your sobriety a little while longer before committing to other big changes?
Vaping clearly has a place in your life. Smoking did in mine and like you, I was afraid of stopping it for numerous reasons. I’m now 41 days without cigs and doing fine although miss the stimulant effect due to my chronic fatigue. I just don’t want anymore stuff to mess with my brain chemistry. So as long as I can do something about it, I will do it, no matter how hard it is. It’s hard at first, but will get easier 
So, maybe set a date and make a plan for tapering and quitting? Also many have recommended Alan Karr’s book here.
I need to quit smoking ASAP but I just can’t seem to let go. I have so many EXCUSES and fully aware that that’s what they are and I’m just being stubborn.
Here are my excuses feel free to give me feed back about each or suggest other options other than smoking
. It’s my escape from my kids for 5-6 mins to regroup when they are acting up
. I gave up everything else and just being a stubborn brat by trying to feel I can make my own choices by smoking still (I know childish right)
. I don’t want to go through withdrawal again
. It’s my me time
. I don’t want to replace smoking with overeating I already eat WAY TO MUCH sugar which is another thing I need help with.
There are other reasons excuses just can’t think of them now lol
Hi Erica @Echolaj, thanks for posting here. You’re already on your way to do it. Your excuses could be mine except for the sugar part. I already reduced suger close to zero when I was about three months sober. Had to do it, cause eating loads of candy started to replace drinking in a way it couldn’t be healthy for anyone.
Anyway, I’ve noticed I can do without my “me time”. Instead I try to wake up earlier to have a peaceful moment at least once a day when my kids spend the week with me. I don’t know what age you’re kids are of but for me, the smaller they were, the more I needed “escapes”. It gets easier in time (or so I wish to think). Maybe not worry about the sugar now? Handle one thing at a time. Set a date for tapering and quitting and once you’ll be over withdrawals, think about healthier diet. My worst withdrawals (and they were not that bad) were over in about 2 weeks. Now I’m 44 days without puffing and could say it occupies my thoughts about 0,01 %.
You got this
Absolutely, the ashtray effect and waste of money I don’t miss a bit! Good points @CapriciousCapricorn
Sorry for being a doomsday prophet but think about the chances of dying a horrible slow painful death from one of the 30 types of cancer smoking causes and how much you will lessen those chances by quitting now. Coming from a 35 years 2 packs a day smoker. 5 years free now. Best decision I ever took.
Day 2 with no nicotine, going good only been an asshole to two people. Only seen two people today though😂
I can’t stand the smell!! I am just about ready I’m enjoying them less and less I think I need to just man up and take the leap I know I will feel better about myself once I do !
Don’t be sorry for honesty. I completely agree and have actually been worrying about that a lot more lately. Thank you for the motivation!
Thank you so much for reaching out! Yes my son is 5 and my daughter is 12. My son needs attention 24/7 and it’s draining needless to say my 12 year old doesn’t want much to do with him but I will say these past few days she has been a great help 
I need to flip flop my quiet time to getting up early and going to bed earlier than 3am sometimes 4 
my sleep habits r awful. I agree I need to focus on one thing At a time bc I am not someone who can handle more than one task at a time right now. I appreciate the support and feed back! 
Something I have been thinking about, to deal with cravings and frustration in general, is to try and have a bank of under 5 minute activities to ‘go to’ when I feel like I need to escape. Things like:
These are things that I can do any where, any time. I don’t need any special equipment (except for music to dance to). They only have positive side effects! So I get some me time without spending silly money on disgusting poison.
