And how long have you been a non-smoker?
For me, at the time it was the realization that I cannot continue to smoke and continue to play the trumpet. My lung volume and strength really suffered. But instead of stopping to smoke, for many months I played less and less trumpet.
What put me through the phase of actually smoking the last cigarette and becoming a non-smoker again, was one of the books of Allen Carr, I don’t remember the exact title. Looking back, it was awfully written, and I had to will my way through believing the narrative, but it worked. That was 27 years ago, and I didn’t have one cigarette since, no cravings and no replacement either.
I wanted to quit but couldn’t. I read Allan carrs quit smoking book and how they described what the nicotine does did it for me.
It helped finally understanding how the addiction works, and how I was constantly just trying to get to a normal baseline of living that non smokers just lived at normally.
Ive tried vaping, gum, lozenges, cold Turkey, everything. Almost a year free from nicotine now, no regrets, not missing a damn thing.
I quit once using the Allan book, and everyone I know who read it has, but there is a catch: it will never work a second time.
I quite by accident using much vilified e-cigs. Yeah there is some serious bullshit going on with the super high nic disposables the kids get a hold of, and with disposables in general. But just enforce the damn laws you already have and don’t enshitify or even destroy the thing that probably saved my life 12 years ago!