Quitting Tobacco: The Endless Cycle

[Bajeda]

I have now just passed my third serious attempt to quit smoking cigarettes. I have been smoking for just over two years now, after starting to compensate for the psyhological cravings for smoke I got after temporarily quitting other substances in the past.


Each time it seems promising, I start cutting down, I reach the date I set out to stop by, and I don't smoke any more. Then something always triggers it back. Either meeting up with old friends, or even worse, going to a place where I have no friends and cigarettes are the easiest way to meet them. Alcohol doesn't help either, but I can usually contain the smoking to just when I am drunk in those situations without starting regularly again.

I think the biggest issue is social rather than physical or inwardly psychological. Cigarettes are a good way to meet people, and they are good when you are extremely bored, so when I go to a new place for a period of time I find myself lighting up just to find new people to chill with. This works too, generally I meet cool people through smoking and they are the types of people who do other fun recreational substances as well. The problem is I can't stop again once Ive started smoking with a new crowd.


In any case, I hope to be able to quit for good once I get back to school and are around my friends who are supporting my efforts, including those who currently smoke. I just wanted to know what the good people of this forum think about quitting tobacco and if they had any particularly good suggestions/advice/experience with regards to quitting that could help my (or others) situation.

Thanks.