MTKZ
As much as you may enjoy smoking, I can say that the benefits of quitting are definitely worth it, I too know the struggle of not wanting to give up something you enjoy immensely. However, the benefits of quitting are massive, not just in terms of physical health either, quitting also greatly impacts your overall mental health in a positive way, after you get past the initial withdrawals and ween yourself off of the substance, of course. for example, some people like to smoke E-Cigarettes to ween themselves off of smoking tobacco in a gradual fashion. In addition, it will save you potentially thousands of dollars a year (cigarettes get pretty expensive, at least where I am, especially if you're buying 1/2-1 pack per day). I know now that I don't drink I save about 5-15 dollars a day, an amount which would have been spent at minimum per day on alcohol when I was drinking too heavily.
I love the way alcohol used to make me feel, in fact, I liked it WAY too much. I honestly considered for a period that I would never quit, and I would just always self-medicate with drinking. For me when I drank it was like taking an escape from my problems, a vacation from my own mind so to speak; it was a way to completely just not give a shit about anything anymore--and of course, you can only self-medicate for so long before the consequences of your behavior and failed relationships catch up to you. Eventually I realized (with a little help and support from those around me) that I needed to make an effort to quit in order to prevent my life from spiraling downwards, probably dropping out of college, going to jail, and losing a lot of my close friends. For me, what helped me quit was getting extensive outside help in the form of addiction counseling, and slowly weening myself off of alcohol little by little at a time. For you this might be using nicotine reduction products. It is very possible to quit, there's no magic trick to quitting, but with a little motivation and outside help and self-discipline, you will find a way to quit for good.
I'm not going to bullshit you and say "it's easy to quit," because it's not easy at all. Quitting might just be the most difficult and painful endeavor you ever have to go through, and the withdrawals and loss of your favorite substance can be very frightening, especially when you use it as a coping mechanism to deal with your problems and stress. But the good news is that your body has a wonderful knack of slowly healing itself. It gets much easier as time goes on to deal with cravings and triggers, and easier to also deal with the intense emotional cravings, which can be some of the most difficult to not give into, truth be told. Once you get past the initial nicotine withdrawal, which is hell; I know because I quit smoking 4 months ago, you will find that as time goes on you won't think about smoking nearly as often, you will appreciate your improved mood and improved health, and eventually once a long enough time has passed after quitting, you may even find yourself not thinking about smoking on most days--it will slowly but surely stop plaguing your thoughts and your mind will eventually clear.
If you truly want to quit, and I mean you actually are committed to quitting, then I suggest seeking outsides resources for such a strong physical and mental addiction as one that can very easily be formed with nicotine. I tried to quit drinking more times than I can count, but I wasn't finally able to do it until I made the effort and reached out to other people and services for assistance and guidance, and I looked up ways to help divert my intense cravings (such as trying out new hobbies, or maybe exercising at the gym--anything to keep your mind busy will work wonders). There are many different ways to help you quit smoking; methods which can assist you in quitting in a way that makes it less mentally and physically painful. You just have to accept that these helpers can can only do so much to help you to quit. These products will help you, but the ability to quit rests solely on your shoulders, you must decide how you want to live your life, substance dependent or substance free. At the end of the day, you're the one who controls going to the store, buying the pack, opening it, lighting the cigarette and then smoking it; just like how I was the only person buying the alcohol, lifting up the alcohol to my mouth and proceeding to drink it. You must be honest with your intentions to quit and be persistent in your effort, because if you are not, it will only get harder and harder to quit as time goes on.
Quitting WILL seem like an impossible task at first, but you can realistically overcome the feeling of being hopelessly attached to nicotine forever. Just always use your quitting resources wisely, learn methods to control your urges and the emotions involved with the drug, and stay consistent in your journey. Don't ever give up quitting! I believe that you can overcome your addiction and that your quality of life (present and future) will be greatly improved. Best of luck to you.
