u/Unlikely-Nail-9393

I'm on my 3rd day of quitting. Used to smoke 15+ a day and stopped cold turkey. It feels shitty. Yesterday was the worst when it came to cravings and I guess they got considerably weaker after sleeping. But I still can't manage to feel good about doing this. There is really no reward in it for me other than the fact that I told myself I can quit before going to the university when I started and I'm stubborn. As in I said I could stop if I wanted to so now I have to prove myself right. The past year was shitty and I can't really bring myself to care about my health. Money isn't really an issue for me either. Might just be the withdrawal talking (in my previous post I've been told people's moods improved and they found themselves more motivated to do things they like) but it feels like I'm giving up something I enjoyed to get absolutely nothing in return. I'm not planning on buying a pack anytime soon but I wanted to get it out of my system

Do the cravings really ease with time? I've used smoking as my main coping mechanism for 2 years now. I love it. I think the ritual even more than the nicotine. Not gonna get into details because I don't think I should romanticise smoking on there of all places but I'm sure everybody knows what I mean. I don't really have any grand motivation to quit. I planned to do it after I get accepted to the university I've dreamed of (used cigarettes as a reward for studying) and now I'm trying to stick to that. Anyways, it's like my 4th attempt right now. I feel pretty restless and crave a cigarette so much but I don't really have any physical symptoms. And I started to doubt whether the cravings will really ease over time. I wasn't really happy right before I started smoking and I feel like I'm just at the same place emotinally as back then (tho I did change a lot of things for the better. And objectively, I've had and still have a good life). The only difference is now, I know what helps. I think that, more than simply nicotine addiction, is what makes me want to smoke. Is this just withdrawal messing with my head? (Went from 15+ a day to cold turkey - am at over 27 hours). People who haven't smoked in a while - how much do you miss it?

I've been smoking for 2 years now. Lately it's been 10+ cigarettes a day. I went to the best highschool in my city and started like most people in my class - smokebreaks while studying in the library together. Then smoking more and more over books or as a reward. I promised myself I'd quit after I get to the university I was planning to go to and since all paperwork had been done for a few weeks now I guess I should finally do it. I thought it would be pretty easy since I'm not studying during the summer but I've grown to like smoking more than I realized. The problem is, I don't really have much of a reason not to other than that promise I made to myself when I started. I'm trying to convince myself it will be good for saving money and might help me be more efficient with my running but truth is I never really had much problems with money nor training so it sounds weak. Somedays cigarettes were the only good thing I had during the day and often the only reliable way to calm down a bit so I'm really struggling to associate it with something that's harmful for me. Especially since they really helped me keep my grades up. I know it's not good for my health but my sleeping and eating schedule as well as mental health have been shitty the past year so if anything it's only a small part of a bigger problem I'm trying to fix. Anyways, today is my first day. And I've been really lucky since I feel completely normal physically. I'd like to have a smoke but it's not an overwhelming thought. But I really doubt I can keep it up if I don't have any reason to quit that's truly important to me. And again, I know cigarettes were good for me in regards of studying and mental health. They've been the only safe, reliable thing for me for so long it's really damn hard to suddenly see them in a bad light just because I got into university. Any ideas how to convince myself quitting is worth it? I logically know it is, just need to make myself believe it. I've seen many people here didn't smoke for a long time so I was hoping I could get some advice

It actually helps me, that's the shitty thing. Logically, I know that this is bad for me. That I'm wasting time that I could have spent on hobbies, conneting with my family and friends or studies. I know this. But also, MDD helped me through so many awful situations in my childhood. And even now, when I'm sad or angry or stressed, it is the think that calms me down like nothing else. I always had high grades, not perfect, but high. And this wile being in IB programme in the best highschool in my city. I also have a group of friends, maybe not huge but I always have somebody to call, text or hang out with, and a girlfriend I have a great relationship with. And I'm happy about it, but all of this makes me convince myself MDD is not actually that bad for me. I tried to quit so many times. And I can go a few days, even when the carvings hit, as long as I tell myself it's bad. But then it always comes a time I'm feeling down or stressed and I convince myself that well: it helps, and I'm doing pretty good with it, so I can do it just for a while to calm down. And it usually works. I daydream for 20 minutes and feel great. Then comes the next day. Several hours wasted pacing in my livivng room and feeling guitly as fuck about it. I know I could stress less in school if I didn't waste time daydreaming, that I could have developed my hobbies more. But in a moment I just let my emotions win over logic, and I can't seem to overcome it. Any tips? I need to be certain this is bad for me no matter what. Some kind of proof in those moments when I think it is the best method for shutting my brain up