The physical cravings pass in a week or so, though they'll occasionally pop back up for the rest of his life. He'll just get that taste/smell memory out of nowhere and want to smoke. That's just a fact of life.

The mental compulsion depends on his unique psychology. Some people have personalities which can't let go of things. If he's obsessing over it then what feels like nicotine withdrawal is really a psychological hook that's sunk deep. It might never go away without special attention or intervention.

>>16443351
Yeah. I've heard from many former smokers who have quit for over 15-20 years and they all say the same thing. "you're a smoker for the rest of your life". For some people it's a struggle for the rest of their lives to quit, but eventually you get so far beyond it it becomes pretty easy for most. Of course it kind of depends on how long you smoked in the first place.

>>16443351

fugg man, that's rough. He's made it through the week just fine (no anger problems, impatience, etc.), but he currently lives with his parents, who are both smokers. He's an introvert and doesn't drink, so he used to look forward to studying and shit in peace at night while smoking. He also can't smoke weed or anything like that because he works, and understands the importance of being a proper employee. I don't know if I should tell him to just stick with it and enjoy it while he lasts, or keep it up until he moves out in August. He's still young (23), so its not like his life depends on it or anything right now. I feel like if he did this though, it would just be a step backwards and he'd have to start the whole fucking process over again.

>>16443398
he started when he was like 15-16. stopped when he started college (18), picked it up again after a break up (19), quit because of expenses (21), and started up again after another breakup (22). It hasn't been a long time (like 6 years), and he's never been a pack a day smoker (only like 6-7 a day), but he feels like its such a waste of money at times.

>>16443398
My personal version of that motto is "You don't quit smoking, you just stop for a while." Thankfuly I wouldn't call my own experience a struggle, but there are definitely moments now and again where I catch myself in that perfect mood for a smoke. I'm also thankfully that the psychological aspect wasn't a big concern for me. I felt at peace with putting my health above the pleasure of a long drag and a sip of coffee.

>>16443405
He should really try the little tricks that they recommend for keeping yourself busy when the mood strikes. Typical ideas are chewing on toothpicks, eating frozen berries, stuff like that. Keeps the hands and mouth busy. It's not a nicotine replacement but that's the point: he's not psychologically hooked to nicotine, he's psychologically hooked to smoking as an act.

>>16443422
It's obviously different for everyone since everyone is different, but for the most part the longer you smoke the harder it is to quit. Especially in regards to it being a habit. You have that cup of coffee and cigarette in the morning? That break during work? After lunch? After dinner? And so on. Habits are so hard to break and when they are tied to a physically addictive substance they're even harder to break.

He should quit now. No questions asked. I've been smoking for 14 years. I honestly never thought about getting till a few years ago, and so I've been on and off trying to quit for 2 years now. This year I've done pretty good and cut down drastically. In my early twenties I was smoking a pack and a half a day. A few years ago about a pack. Now I'm down to about 4-5 cigarettes a day. Next I'm gonna cut it down to 3 a day then 1 and hopefully just quit by next year.

And it is a waste of money. I've spend thousands and thousands of dollars on smokes.

>>16443463
Fuck man, you're right. More states should really go the way of Colorado and Oregon, I bet people trying to quit smoking in green states have a MUCH higher rate of success than those in the rest of the US. Weed is the better option from a health perspective, but it's like smokers trying to quit are held back by a bunch of nonsensical precedents.

My husband used to smoke and he'll sometimes still want a cigarette if he's in a really anxious mood or if he smells smoke on the air. But he's able to ignore it most of the time.

There was one time he really really wanted a cigarette (we'd just found out I was pregnant and he was freaking out), so he got himself a cigar. The smoke was more noxious than he was used to so he only took a couple puffs before it was too much, and then he pitched it. That seemed to work for him, but I can see that backfiring as well.

>>16443477
Wait what?

Smoking anything is bad for you... Just because weed doesn't have tons of chemicals in it doesn't mean it's not bad for you. Humans were not made to inhale combustible solids.

If you wanna get high then do edibles.

op, what you need to do is alter your thinking process. right now, when you feel like smoking, all you do is focus on the perceived pleasures of it while conveniently forgetting the longterm suffering it involves.

let's drop this friend nonsense and talk real. you can turn to the cigarettes now, and tomorrow, and the day after, but how long will you keep it up? do you want to spend decades smoking, ruining your health and longevity day by day?

smoking for you is an immediate pleasure, right? but contained within that immediate pleasure is the seed of suffering, much suffering on a longterm life view.

start to see your actions as intricately related to your future rather than thinking of just the present moment. let's say you're anxious or bored and feel like smoking. the immediate pleasure might seem worthwhile, like it has little harm, few side-effects, but actually it conditions your mind to smoke more, and more, and more, and more, again and again and again and again, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, huffing and puffing, slowly but surely destroying your lungs and other internal organs, trapping you in a lifelong dependency and addiction.

is that the sort of longterm life vision that appeals to you? what about a long term life vision without smoking? where every time you're anxious or bored you don't smoke, you find something else, something that's healthy and conducive to greater well being in the long term, something beneficial to you and those around you. wouldn't this be better?

don't focus on the immediate allure of pleasures, see that within that pleasure there is a seed of suffering that will surely sprout over time and cause you much agony and death.

see into the future, see how your present actions condition your future actions.

>>16443485

I don't know man. I think marijuana is pretty healthy. I've never partaken in it, personally; however, it does seem a lo safer than something like alcohol. I remember hearing that it even helps grow brain cells and cure cancer, but I don't know I'm not a doctor.

>>16443487
My friend admits that it is very tempting, but I don't think his perspective on the matter is that bleak. He's spent so much time planning for the future and sometimes it seems like he's doing a little too much.

>>16443330

When you quit smoking cold turkey, the craving goes away after 72 hours (3 days). But then after another 72 hours (3 more days) you'll feel so damn healthy you can conquer the world, so you're more likely to say "fuckit" and half a puff thinking the cravings won't return. So quitting doesn't mean just quitting smoking. You gotta have a plan to do something with your time that will distract your attention away from thinking you can go back into it and do it again like it aint no problem. Something that doesn't involve being around other people who smoke.

>>16443487
Last time I talked to him, he said that feelings of nostalgia excite the "go smoke" feeling the hardest. Something about being able to cope with the past and carrying something that he grew up with and is accustomed to (once again both of his parents were smokers) into the future, he's probably going to be moving across the country within the year. Like whenever we're chilling and he thinks about an old Gamecube game, sees a picture of his ex, or (worst of all) hears a song or ending credits of a show he liked as a kid/teen he craves a smoke. kind of like what >>16443478 said concerning her husband. I think it's pure fetishization, he gets reminded of what it was like to be a teenager/college kid, and realizes that he's an adult now and panics, thinking that he's missed his shot on certain things.

>>16443477
The vast majority of pot smokers I've known, including myself back before I quit, also smoke cigarettes heavily. Being high is a lot like being drunk in that it increases cravings in general (like "the munchies") and makes you want to smoke cigarettes more badly if anything.

Smoking is not addictive - I had a 'slightly' thick head feeling for a couple of days then a cough for a month or so as the crap cleared my lungs. It's mostly a mind set or a choice. If you choose not to smoke then it's real easy.

Pick a weekend morning where you can go out and have active fun - it's nearlyu like you never ever smoked in the first place.

Remember that newly born babies to smoking mothers don't need nicotine patches - that sort of thing is great, but only for the manufacturers bank account.

I did hear that medically about 5 years will clear the effects of smoking - unless you broke something.