We asked followers of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us how they finally quit smoking cigarettes. Here are the inspiring results.
Use an app.
1. I use the Smoke Free app to stay motivated. It tells you how many cigarettes you haven't had, how much money you've saved, and shows health progress. Haven't smoked in 1 month, 25 days, 9 hours, 1 minute, and 49 seconds.
Delay your first cigarette.
2. Instead of picking up a cigarette when I woke up, I tried pushing it back to 10 a.m. After two months, I managed to put it off until lunch. By then my cravings were largely reduced, and there were times I totally forgot and ended up only smoking my first stick in the evening. I'm now cigarette-free for 10 years!
Figure out how much you spend on cigarettes.
3. I quit because cigarettes are so ridiculously expensive now. Why spend that amount on something silly? Put the money you would spend on smokes into savings. You may end up saving thousands each year.
–Kieran Warden, Facebook
4. I realized how much money I was spending on it and decided to cut down. Once I cut down I thought, "Why not quit?" I picked up running and smoked less and less every week until I stopped altogether.
–Mehrdokht Kia, Facebook
Do it for your future children.
5. I quit when I got pregnant – haven't smoked one since. I don't want my kids to develop such a nasty habit because of me!
–Elizabeth Morton, Facebook
6. I quit 11 weeks ago. Weird how I counted in weeks, right? That's 'cause I got pregnant. Turns out it's a lot easier to quit when it's not just your life on the line.
Do it for the people you love.
7. I met a boy who I really liked, and he didn't like smoking, so I quit for him. In September we are getting married. Best decision ever.
–Sarah Yvette-MacDonald, Facebook
8. I smoked for 20 years. Quit the day my daughter told me she was pregnant! I didn't want my daughter or her unborn baby to be subjected to secondhand smoke. My granddaughter is now four and a half, and I haven't smoked in five years!
–Linda Valdespino, Facebook
9. My 3rd grade daughter and I were watching TV, and a PSA came on about the damage done to non-smokers, especially children, living with someone who smokes. She immediately looked up at me with her gorgeous, sad, emerald eyes and asked, "Is it too late for me, Mommy?" I jumped up and threw away every ash tray and cigarette. The first few weeks were hellish, but every time I pictured her sweet face, my resolve came back with gusto! I was a two-pack-a-day smoker. That was 22 years ago.
Try electronic cigarettes.
10. I quit smoking by using an e-cigs. I steadily lowered the dosage of nicotine, and one day I looked at it and decided I didn't need it anymore. I've had a few puffs here and there, but it's been two years since I've smoked a real cigarette. After stopping, I looked after my health and lost 60 pounds and counting.
–France Viau, Facebook
Turn heartbreak into success.
11. My mom's boyfriend passed away from throat cancer, so I decided to quit. I used patches for a couple of months and then candy. Been smoke-free for over a year.
–Danielle Mathews, Facebook
12. I saw my best friend's dad in the hospital when he was within an hour of dying from lung cancer. In less than two weeks he was diagnosed, slipped into a coma, and died. That was it for me.
–Brandy Lynn Grigg, Facebook
13. I smoked half a pack a day for 10 years. I quit four years and seven months ago after watching my non-smoker mother suffer from thyroid cancer. Her cancer looked exactly like the warning pictures on cigarette boxes. Knowing that my grandma and mother both died from cancer, I didn't want to make it easier for my body to kill me.
Attend a support group.
14. There are so many outreach programs that will help you quit for free or for a low fee. Local hospitals and community centers usually tend to promote that kind of thing – you just have to call and ask.
–Kelsey Letourneau, Facebook
Replace cigarettes with exercise.
15. I gave up going to pubs because it was too tempting to drink and smoke, so I took up running. Smoking after exercising is even more disgusting than at other times. It's been 30 years now, and I still run.
–Heather Shearer, Facebook
16. I started CrossFit and decided that wheezing mid-workout wasn't worth it.
–Kenna Evans, Facebook
Find a self-help book.
17. I smoked for four years. Based on reviews, I got The Easy Way To Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. I couldn't put the book down! Five hours and six cigarettes later (yes, I smoked while reading), I was a quitter. I had smokes left but no desire to touch them. It's been eight years. I push this book on all my friends who want to quit.
Stay busy.
18. My husband and I went on vacation and had such a good time that I literally forgot to smoke for a whole week. When we got back home I tried to smoke but got sick on half a cigarette. Haven't had one in two years.
–Melanie Ezzell Westfall, Facebook
Surround yourself with healthy influences.
19. I created a list of admirable people and fitness models who didn't smoke and followed them on social media. This made me want to be healthy, just like them, and it made me feel good about myself and less anxious. If you can find a healthy, smoke-free role model, think about him/her and imagine yourself with as healthy of an appearance as them. It's been 10 months since my last cigarette.
–Caitlin Conway, Facebook
Try some gum and candy.
20. I smoked for 16 years. I tried e-cigs and lost them and refused to buy another one, so I started sucking on Dum Dums whenever I had a craving. I have now been tobacco and lollipop-free since February of 2014.
21. Twizzlers! Lots of Twizzlers!
–Hollis Anton, Facebook
22. I chewed Nicorette and regular gum. I only used Nicorette for two weeks, and then I just chewed regular gum. It became a complete mental replacement. I quit smoking on January 26, 2011.
Find a partner, and do it together.
23. My husband and I switched to the e-cigs and slowly dropped the level of nicotine. It took away the cravings you get when trying to quit cold turkey. We dropped the vapor pens in January and haven't had a craving since. The vapor pen took away the smell and had a nice flavor, so the taste of actual cigarettes was disgusting after about two months.
–Micha Elmore, Facebook
Follow an unconventional tactic.
24. Whenever I saw someone smoking or did so myself I would Google images of lungs from people who smoked. I eventually became repulsed by cigarettes and quit.
–Samantha Smith, Facebook
25. I had to do a cross-country drive and decided to quit, so I bought a harmonica and blew on it when I had a craving. Longest three days of my life, but it worked.
26. I'd think of two balloons as my lungs: Every time you take a drag of that cigarette the balloons get filled up. Well, that smoke is poison, and your lungs are fragile.
–Irene Marg, Roland, Facebook
27. Every time I wanted a cigarette I bought a pack and then promptly crushed them. Sounds silly, but it worked. Day by day, the addiction faded. I was a 20-year, pack-and-a-half-a-day smoker, and now I'm a recovered smoker for over 10 years.
Take it one day at a time.
28. I had dental surgery. Not the most practical way to quit, but after a lot of pain medication and three days without a cigarette I decided to see how long I could go. Here I am, 134 days later.
Listen to your body.
29. I was feeling nauseated after every cigarette. It was my body's way of saying "enough." And my hair and skin look way better now anyway!
–Matea Plachova, Facebook
30. I walked two miles then climbed three flights of stairs, but when I finally sat down to light up I felt like I was dying. I quit right there and never looked back.
–Sharon Jackson, Facebook
31. I started casually smoking nine years ago. That turned into a full-blown habit. Two years ago I started getting weird pains/feelings in my legs and fingers. This continued, so I went to the doctor, who said I was developing nerve degeneration and Buerger's disease. Basically, I was on a direct route to losing my limbs as a result of smoking. That was enough to put me on the right track. The ongoing pain was a huge reminder that my cravings weren't as important as my health. Quitting can be a difficult, shitty time, but the freedom you get once it's all over is amazing.
–Kelsey Gene, Facebook
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.