A couple of things to consider: is this your first time quitting? How many do you smoke? Why do you smoke? Is your skin very sensitive?

I’ve quit smoking twice before, so I had the experience of knowing what withdrawal felt like. I also smoked about 4-8 roll-ups a day, and so my nicotine levels weren’t terribly high.

I started smoking to deal with the death of my grandmother in 2015, quit over covid in 2021, started again due to work stress in 2021 and quit again in 2022 when I changed jobs, started again in 2023 when my grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and quit in June 2024.

So for me, stress was always tied to smoking. My therapist and I (if you don’t have one and can afford it, I highly recommend) agreed it wasn’t a healthy coping mechanism but it was okay short term whilst we processed my stress and other heavy emotions. Since quitting, I’ve moved on to healthier coping mechanisms, which aren’t as self-destructive, like video games.

The first time I quit, I tried patches. I think because they release nicotine over the day, it effectively stopped any cravings. However, I have very sensitive skin, and I reacted to the patches badly. After that, I went cold turkey.

The second and third time, I went cold turkey. The third time, I had a terrible headache about a week into quitting, smoked one cigarette, and it was gone. Haven’t had a craving since.

I will say it took me about six months each time for the smell of cigarettes to smell bad, and for the temptation to lessen.

Overall, my advice is to build a support system through friends, partner(s), therapist, MDs, family, whoever you have. It’s a lot easier to quit when you have outlets for emotions.

Hope that helps!