I'm a newbie at 24 days. I've tried to quitting numerous times and did actually cut down this time one week prior to my quit date. I put myself on a schedule for a week. Each day I extended the amount of time between each cigarette - 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours etc. until my quit date. Also, I started a smoking cessation class, nicotrol inhalers. and the Ex one week before my quit. Having a plan seemed to have helped me this time (so far). In general, I function better with structure and schedules. That's not for everyone. By the time I quit, I had eliminated the cigarettes I smoked when I was stressed, angry, happy, etc. It wasn't time for a cigarette yet! More importantly, since I was very aware of each cigarette I smoked, it made me me aware of the one's I just smoked out of habit. You probably would advise against this, but I truly focused on each cigarette I smoked and enjoyed it. So often when I smoked, my mind wandered off to what I was stressed about, what I needed to do today, what I was unhappy about, etc. Finished a cigarette before I realized it, so I had another.
The Ex has helped me tremendously. The texts I received the week prior to my quit became another part of the process and the support I needed.
Good luck on your quit!
