i was down to like 1-2 a day (evenings only) when COVID hit. i also was turning 40 and it hit me pretty hard that i didn't want be some idiot still smoking tobacco in his 40s. so i just quit. i stopped drinking too, but i was only doing that once a week by that point anyway. i just knew it would make it harder to stay off the tobacco. the thing another poster says about 3 days to lose chem dependency is legit. after that, it's all just psychological comfort/memory.
as far as irritability goes, one thing to keep in mind is that you're probably just as irritable while feeding your monkey, but you're distracted from recognizing it by the habit.
anyway, i guess my solution boiled down to wanting to be someone else and deciding to be that person. i also found that if you can ride out those sudden cravings for like 15-20 minutes, they go away. calming breathing exercises can help (4 seconds in, 4 second hold, 4 second out)... and they also connect you with your lungs, which is a positive association to build on.
i was down to like 1-2 a day (evenings only) when COVID hit. i also was turning 40 and it hit me pretty hard that i didn't want be some idiot still smoking tobacco in his 40s. so i just quit. i stopped drinking too, but i was only doing that once a week by that point anyway. i just knew it would make it harder to stay off the tobacco. the thing another poster says about 3 days to lose chem dependency is legit. after that, it's all just psychological comfort/memory.
as far as irritability goes, one thing to keep in mind is that you're probably just as irritable while feeding your monkey, but you're distracted from recognizing it by the habit.
anyway, i guess my solution boiled down to wanting to be someone else and deciding to be that person. i also found that if you can ride out those sudden cravings for like 15-20 minutes, they go away. calming breathing exercises can help (4 seconds in, 4 second hold, 4 second out)... and they also connect you with your lungs, which is a positive association to build on.