re: Former pack a day smokers, how long after quitting did the cravings finally go away?

I had my first cigarette at 8 years old. Smoked a lot during my mid-teens, quit for ten years. Picked it up again during my mid 20's, quit for another ten years, Picked it up again during my mid 30's and have been about a pack a day for the past 5 years. That desire will never really go away, even if you repress the shite out of it. You'll want one. Every time I've quit, it's been cold turkey. When I quit in my mid-20's, I threw a pack in the trash can with 19 in it. Didn't touch them again for 10 years. But every first cup of coffee in the morning, I still wanted a smoke.

My wife(no pics) has been on me to quit for the last couple of years. She told me if she got pregnant, I'd have to quit. Then, before the baby was born, I'd have to quit. Then, before she turned 1, I'd have to quit. Now it's before she starts school, I'll have to quit I own a contracting business with offices across Texas. It's hard. It's like its the only thing that keeps me sane at times, but I also can tell the affects on my health from smoking for the longest stretch of my life.

You can do it. So can I. It just takes the right mental state and intestinal fortitude to give it up for something better than that feeling.

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Funny, my wife and I were in Mississippi maybe 6-7 years ago and the restaurant hostess asked us "smoking or non" and we both looked at each other like wtf

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Ten or so years ago I was in Knoxville and talking up a broad at the bar. I went to get up and she asked where i was going. Said I was going outside for a smoke and she slid an ashtray in front of me.

They had banned smoking in bars in WI a few years earlier.

When you quit long enough to hate the smell of it when you break down and smoke one.

For me it was when I had quit like yourself and I had to wait 3 hours to enjoy the smell of myself once I broke down and smoked one which I had bummed.

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Former pack a day smokers

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Trashy

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do the cravings ever fully go away?

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Yeah. Give it a couple months.

You can do it!
I quit cold turkey after 22 years, 8 years ago. I'm lucky I guess as I never had a craving still haven't to this day. Very thankful as I saved a bunch of money, can breathe better, wake up feeling better etc.

Smoked for 23 years just recently quit. Dr told me to try switching to vaping, so I did that for a year then took chantix. It was much easier to quit that way because vaping is gay and I didn't want people seeing me do it. Anyways, haven't had any nicotine in 2 years and I might've had cravings for 3 weeks off and on. I think it was more of the habit of smoking rather than cravings.

I quit with the help of e-cigs. Back before vapes got big, the e-cigs allowed you to dial back nicotine dosages per drag. I switch to that and slowly dialed it off to zero, last cig I had was in March 2014. Didn't really have to fight the cravings anymore because I weened myself off gradually with super weak dosages, like the equivalent of 1/5th of an ultra light cig.

Caffeine/soda consumption went through the roof for the first few months however.

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Side note, I'm not being an arse, how do people get hooked on these? I have never liked the smell and think I've tried like 1 ever and couldn't believe how bad it was.

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You didn’t grow up in the 80’s, did you? Graduate HS & college in the 90’s?
I’m more surprised when I find someone in that age group who didn’t at least socially smoke.

One of the hardest for me was when I ate something in my car because it combined two of the most common times to light up for me, after eating and anytime I got into the car to go somewhere.

It probably took over a year before that finally started fading away. I've been smoke free for 4 years now and I really don't get cravings anymore though I will still have an occasional moment where I wouldn't mind one but it passes quickly thankfully