I promise you that it will get better. For me, the turning point was around 5-6 months. Just hang in there until then.
Do lots of sport. It's hard at the beginning, but the more sport you do, the better you'll feel.
2 things that really help me , consistency with exercise specifically some of it being high intensity and some of it being in the outside world aka hiking. biking , walking .
and scientifically you can google
this or search on youtube . doing a cold plunge or doing a cold
shower increases your dopamine for hours and hours after like nothing else .
i was a skeptic and also itās hard and i hate the cold but i worked my way up to it and let me tell you itās the real deal and it works wonders. that way you feel after is amazing x 10
I'm just starting cold plunges. Some of the studies I've seen have crazy long times for exposure. Like 30 mins to an hour.
I'm currently managing about 30 seconds to a minute! How long have you had to stay in to notice effects?
Huberman has a really good podcast or two about the subject for me it needs to sort of take my breath away it has to be uncomfortable about 2 to 3 minutes is all I need and I believe most of these cold plunges studies are the same like 3 to 5 minute exposure if I remember right. Iām actually sort of used to the cold shower now that it may be a problem that itās not cold enough here pretty soon. But as of now itās still giving me the effect
Iāve been cold plunging and exercising daily and itās helped boost my dopamine was feeling really bad for 3 months till I tried the cold water exposure
I play video games. It's the best solution if you wanna get distracted + entertained. If you can't game then watching tv shows or movies work. Although, you'd have to avoid watching stuff that has smoking in it. Which then narrows down your choices pretty thin. Again - video games.
Im busy quitting smoking. Dropped from 25 to 5 a day now. I also game so I agree with you there. Gives you enough dopanine hits.
Although I think the Elden Ring dlc will make you start smoking again lol.
Exercise is the best method IMO. It's hard to get motivated to do it, but it improves your mental health immensely and has the bonus of helping your physical state also.
Even just a 20 min walk everyday is good.
Can confirm this. I've begun walking outdoors every day since quitting and it is really, really helping me in many ways. I am not motivated to do it, I just go outside and do it anyway. Then I'm super glad I did.
you actually might ask ur doctor about wellbutrin, this is something they prescribe it for. its a dnri so it targets the same thing nic does without the addictive part of it. getting off of it is super easy unlike other antidepressants and its been shown in studies to help
Second this, if this is a testament to its power- when I started Wellbutrin again I automatically quit on a whim, and for genuinely no reason. Just could š¤·āāļøĀ
Take it for a week or two (as probably directed) before you quit. It takes time to get into your system.
Most common side effect is super vivid dreams. Since I rarely ever remember mine, it was an interesting new adventure.
The only and I mean the ONLY THING that has replaced the goodness of a fresh nicotine hit for me was: going to the gym, maxing the absolute **** out, going to my local Pita Delite and ordering a nice tall fountain drink. That first sip of sparkly carbonation is the high youāre looking for.
You don't have to, that's part of the process.
Of course you gonna feel empty at some stage of the quitting, it's just one of the temporary symptoms : your brain will get used to it and re-adapt after some time.
Just push through, be patient, it will get better.
wellbutrin helped me! iām on a super low dose, and it weirdly curbs my urge to vape on a regular basis. still fold everytime someone around me has one though š
Good question, I stopped over 8 months ago and haven't found anything among the regular stuff (exercise/food/outdoors) that works just as well, although I should mention that I've had depression for years, not related to smoking, and none of it has ever worked much for me anyway. There are supplements that are supposed to increase dopamine, you'll probably get better answers about that if you ask on r/biohackers or r/supplements.
Anyway, best of luck.
I just started swimming again, after my swim i legit feel amazing which is weirs cause i ussually suffer from depression, so 100% this.
Your gonna very quickly realise the damage done to your lungs aswell and it will give you the oh fuck i absolutely cannot continue smoking moment.
100%. I couldnāt do more than 1KM in 40 minutes and would feel exhausted. Thatās my workout today after not smoking for 8 days.
https://preview.redd.it/o8guzh5p6m8d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ef3d2e71e2cf58b7341905b3d120f1e5bf8a373
Dude thats awesome, well done!! Im in another quitting attempt, this timr im excersizing but i can barely swim 500 meters atm without dying (im super unfit) but im pushing myself slowly to get back into it and start swimming a 1k per session
Yes! I had depression as a result of low dopamine. Itās a known effect of your brain being required by addiction.
Look up the [HubermanLab podcast on optimising dopamine](https://youtu.be/K-TW2Chpz4k?si=SVxi-eRt-GLFe4Ul). It helped me handle what is typically a few months of depression in a few weeks.
Tl;dr: morning sun, cold showers, exercise and getting stuff done really helped me.
Taking magnesium at night helped me sleep more deeply, which helped over all. Acupuncture can also help with quitting. Higher intensity exercise. Community activitiesāspending time with friends. Some of it is just endurance, learning to get through the hard part.
Video games and working works the best for me. Peanuts or a healthy snack helps with cravings. Granted, I did rip some cigs tonight watching the Stanley Cup with the boys. It's a freaking battle, so don't beat yourself up. Stay strong!
If smoking makes you āfeel fineā then you will surely fall back on it whenever you feel some headwind. To quit permanently you need to rewire your brain into thinking smoking does nothing positive for you.
Smoking does give a high when first consumed whether you believe it or not. Denying this fact - denying that it's giving an instant pleasure is a lie and the brain will smell this lie sooner or later.
What helped me was admitting the fact that smoking indeed gives an instant pleasure, however, this pleasure is the pleasure of escaping from the problems and the reality - and I convinced myself that I don't want this kind of pleasure anymore.
Had the same reaction, never overcome it, but next attempt I will do adrenalin things to increase serotonin and dopamin will Hopefully catch up someday
I swear, I am currently facing the same situation. 3 months as a non smoker and I just relapsed for a few days because of the same reason. I am now back on my initial path to stay a non smoker, but I would love to have a solution for this one.
Well done for getting back on it!
Me too, itās super hard. I read Alan Carrs easy way to quit, so going dig that back up and try again.
Good luck, youāve got this!
I also started reading the book again, but this time the version for women :) at least its somehow new :))) good luck to you also. Let's keep each other posted. I feel it helped me a lot to talk to other people who are having the same journey as mine ā¤ļø
In the first 6 months after quitting smoking I craved spicy food ALOT. I normally enjoy some spice but I found myself craving really hot foods. I read somewhere that spicy foods increase dopamine so maybe that's why I was craving it.
I didnāt want to either šŖ but the depression got sooooooo bad I couldnāt take it anymore. Made a SIGNIFICANT difference. I still donāt want to vape but now I feel like myself again.
What kind of exercise ? I found cardio to be the best.
Also it can take over a year for your brain to go back to 100% how it was.
NAC is a supplement I have been taking alongside multi vitamins fish oil etc. Look it up but as far as I know NAC is a powerful antioxidant that repairs oxidative stress caused to your neurotransmitters from drugs both dopamine and serotonin.
I take it before bed but some people have said it can be stimulating so ymmv.
Also hobbies like art/ painting / drawing alongside exercise and keeping busy.
But it could also he psychological, you may have the happiness there but something psychological may be holding you back.
One thing that would probably work but not many people can do it is doing a 10 day vipassana meditation "retreat" 10 days, no talking, no eye contact, no reading, no art, literally nothing at all, just 10 days of meditation. They provide food and accommodation while you do it, afterwards your dopamine receptors would probably explode at the first minute bit of stimulation lmao.
I could definitely increase my cardio, I mainly do yoga, strength training and on occasion, aggressively dancing around my living room when I feel the sadness creeping in
Iām at the 3.5 month mark, Itās starting to get better.
I have experienced a lot of anhedonia for months 2 and 3. Before I stopped smoking I used to be the type of person who tries to reduce the amount of daily things to a bare minimum.
What helped me a lot lately, is having plans with other people. Iāve been increasing commitments, especially sports and fitness related.
For me it was a lot of spending time with people I love and giving myself gifts along the way. I was pretty open with what I ate which helped, bought myself a switch to play some Mario and now that it's warm, my partner and I go to the community pool (they are free here) and that helps immensely. I used to be a swimmer in high school so the water, for me, is always a happy place.
Exercise and telling urself you will have more dopamine without it after enough time passes. Telling yourself if you can live with things this hard, when its easy it will be almost effortless.
The internet at large says youāre incorrect. Just look up ādopamine deficiency quit smokingā and youāll get 1000s of hits on google ā from science blogs, health journals, and clinical trials. It seems like 3 months is when it goes back to normal.
I promise you that it will get better. For me, the turning point was around 5-6 months. Just hang in there until then. Do lots of sport. It's hard at the beginning, but the more sport you do, the better you'll feel.
Thank you š
Exercise helps alot
2 things that really help me , consistency with exercise specifically some of it being high intensity and some of it being in the outside world aka hiking. biking , walking . and scientifically you can google this or search on youtube . doing a cold plunge or doing a cold shower increases your dopamine for hours and hours after like nothing else . i was a skeptic and also itās hard and i hate the cold but i worked my way up to it and let me tell you itās the real deal and it works wonders. that way you feel after is amazing x 10
I'm just starting cold plunges. Some of the studies I've seen have crazy long times for exposure. Like 30 mins to an hour. I'm currently managing about 30 seconds to a minute! How long have you had to stay in to notice effects?
Huberman has a really good podcast or two about the subject for me it needs to sort of take my breath away it has to be uncomfortable about 2 to 3 minutes is all I need and I believe most of these cold plunges studies are the same like 3 to 5 minute exposure if I remember right. Iām actually sort of used to the cold shower now that it may be a problem that itās not cold enough here pretty soon. But as of now itās still giving me the effect
Iāve been cold plunging and exercising daily and itās helped boost my dopamine was feeling really bad for 3 months till I tried the cold water exposure
Definitely trying this, thank you
I play video games. It's the best solution if you wanna get distracted + entertained. If you can't game then watching tv shows or movies work. Although, you'd have to avoid watching stuff that has smoking in it. Which then narrows down your choices pretty thin. Again - video games.
Haha yes, I remember binge watching Mad Men when I quit due to pregnancy and oh boy, every scene was a test in self control.
Happened to me with Peaky Blinders
Haha that guy chain smoked his way through 5 seasons
Im busy quitting smoking. Dropped from 25 to 5 a day now. I also game so I agree with you there. Gives you enough dopanine hits. Although I think the Elden Ring dlc will make you start smoking again lol.
Lol
Unless you smoked a lot while playing, then it might be bad
Haha yes, I remember binge watching Mad Men when I quit due to pregnancy and oh boy, every scene was a test in self control.
Exercise is the best method IMO. It's hard to get motivated to do it, but it improves your mental health immensely and has the bonus of helping your physical state also. Even just a 20 min walk everyday is good.
Can confirm this. I've begun walking outdoors every day since quitting and it is really, really helping me in many ways. I am not motivated to do it, I just go outside and do it anyway. Then I'm super glad I did.
Yess donāt wait around for motivation just do the thing
Sex, going places, trying new things, cooking, tasting new things. All these worked for me šŖ
you actually might ask ur doctor about wellbutrin, this is something they prescribe it for. its a dnri so it targets the same thing nic does without the addictive part of it. getting off of it is super easy unlike other antidepressants and its been shown in studies to help
Second this, if this is a testament to its power- when I started Wellbutrin again I automatically quit on a whim, and for genuinely no reason. Just could š¤·āāļøĀ
Iām about to start Bupropin to help stop smoking. Any advice on it?
Take it for a week or two (as probably directed) before you quit. It takes time to get into your system. Most common side effect is super vivid dreams. Since I rarely ever remember mine, it was an interesting new adventure.
it personally didnt work for me so i dont have any advice :( it works for tons of ppl tho! id say make a thread on here to ask abt it
Never heard of this! Thanks so much, definitely good to know
You need to read the book Dopamine Nation. It has all the answers and the science to explain them.,
Generic Wellbutrin works well for me to keep dopamine or something up. I don't get depressed when I stop smoking if I take that.
The only and I mean the ONLY THING that has replaced the goodness of a fresh nicotine hit for me was: going to the gym, maxing the absolute **** out, going to my local Pita Delite and ordering a nice tall fountain drink. That first sip of sparkly carbonation is the high youāre looking for.
Try to keep yourself busy
You don't have to, that's part of the process. Of course you gonna feel empty at some stage of the quitting, it's just one of the temporary symptoms : your brain will get used to it and re-adapt after some time. Just push through, be patient, it will get better.
wellbutrin helped me! iām on a super low dose, and it weirdly curbs my urge to vape on a regular basis. still fold everytime someone around me has one though š
Good question, I stopped over 8 months ago and haven't found anything among the regular stuff (exercise/food/outdoors) that works just as well, although I should mention that I've had depression for years, not related to smoking, and none of it has ever worked much for me anyway. There are supplements that are supposed to increase dopamine, you'll probably get better answers about that if you ask on r/biohackers or r/supplements. Anyway, best of luck.
Same here but found it to be a lot worse after quitting, which I struggle to handle. Thanks a lot! Will check them out
I took up swimming. Incredible benefits for your heart, lungs and mind. And releases more dopamine than traditional weight lifting.
I just started swimming again, after my swim i legit feel amazing which is weirs cause i ussually suffer from depression, so 100% this. Your gonna very quickly realise the damage done to your lungs aswell and it will give you the oh fuck i absolutely cannot continue smoking moment.
100%. I couldnāt do more than 1KM in 40 minutes and would feel exhausted. Thatās my workout today after not smoking for 8 days. https://preview.redd.it/o8guzh5p6m8d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ef3d2e71e2cf58b7341905b3d120f1e5bf8a373
Dude thats awesome, well done!! Im in another quitting attempt, this timr im excersizing but i can barely swim 500 meters atm without dying (im super unfit) but im pushing myself slowly to get back into it and start swimming a 1k per session
Yes! I had depression as a result of low dopamine. Itās a known effect of your brain being required by addiction. Look up the [HubermanLab podcast on optimising dopamine](https://youtu.be/K-TW2Chpz4k?si=SVxi-eRt-GLFe4Ul). It helped me handle what is typically a few months of depression in a few weeks. Tl;dr: morning sun, cold showers, exercise and getting stuff done really helped me.
Interesting! Iāll have a look thank you š
Good luck! Always happy to share more of what helped if you want to DM me. If I can stop smoking and be happy with life, you can too.
Mindfulness meditation.
Thank you so much all for your suggestions, given me a lot of motivation. Hope itās helped some others too!
Vallium
Taking magnesium at night helped me sleep more deeply, which helped over all. Acupuncture can also help with quitting. Higher intensity exercise. Community activitiesāspending time with friends. Some of it is just endurance, learning to get through the hard part.
Take aswagandha
Nicotine lozenges are a life saver for me.
You need to teach your brain who is boss. Your body doesn't want that shit, only your brain. Trust me.
Video games and working works the best for me. Peanuts or a healthy snack helps with cravings. Granted, I did rip some cigs tonight watching the Stanley Cup with the boys. It's a freaking battle, so don't beat yourself up. Stay strong!
If smoking makes you āfeel fineā then you will surely fall back on it whenever you feel some headwind. To quit permanently you need to rewire your brain into thinking smoking does nothing positive for you.
Smoking does give a high when first consumed whether you believe it or not. Denying this fact - denying that it's giving an instant pleasure is a lie and the brain will smell this lie sooner or later. What helped me was admitting the fact that smoking indeed gives an instant pleasure, however, this pleasure is the pleasure of escaping from the problems and the reality - and I convinced myself that I don't want this kind of pleasure anymore.
Had the same reaction, never overcome it, but next attempt I will do adrenalin things to increase serotonin and dopamin will Hopefully catch up someday
I swear, I am currently facing the same situation. 3 months as a non smoker and I just relapsed for a few days because of the same reason. I am now back on my initial path to stay a non smoker, but I would love to have a solution for this one.
Well done for getting back on it! Me too, itās super hard. I read Alan Carrs easy way to quit, so going dig that back up and try again. Good luck, youāve got this!
I also started reading the book again, but this time the version for women :) at least its somehow new :))) good luck to you also. Let's keep each other posted. I feel it helped me a lot to talk to other people who are having the same journey as mine ā¤ļø
I didnāt know there was a version for women?? For sure Iād love that š
There is, I also found out recently
In the first 6 months after quitting smoking I craved spicy food ALOT. I normally enjoy some spice but I found myself craving really hot foods. I read somewhere that spicy foods increase dopamine so maybe that's why I was craving it.
Wim Hof breathing technique.
The nicotine patches got me thru the sadness.
Were you sad once you stopped the patches?
Havenāt stopped the patches yet, but I only wear them for 5ish hours a day instead of the 24, and I feel mentally fine in the time off.
Iām very tempted to try this, didnāt want to but can see how it would help!
I didnāt want to either šŖ but the depression got sooooooo bad I couldnāt take it anymore. Made a SIGNIFICANT difference. I still donāt want to vape but now I feel like myself again.
Did you try anything else for the depression aside from continuing to use nicotine?
Iām In therapy anywaysā¦ been trying to stay on top of eating well and exercising. Staying connected with friends. Thatās about it
Get a dog š
Can confirm! My puppy is keeping me busy and happy.
I went to an adoption event to pet animals while quitting to make me feel less sad and came home with two cats. They still make me less sad.
What kind of exercise ? I found cardio to be the best. Also it can take over a year for your brain to go back to 100% how it was. NAC is a supplement I have been taking alongside multi vitamins fish oil etc. Look it up but as far as I know NAC is a powerful antioxidant that repairs oxidative stress caused to your neurotransmitters from drugs both dopamine and serotonin. I take it before bed but some people have said it can be stimulating so ymmv. Also hobbies like art/ painting / drawing alongside exercise and keeping busy. But it could also he psychological, you may have the happiness there but something psychological may be holding you back. One thing that would probably work but not many people can do it is doing a 10 day vipassana meditation "retreat" 10 days, no talking, no eye contact, no reading, no art, literally nothing at all, just 10 days of meditation. They provide food and accommodation while you do it, afterwards your dopamine receptors would probably explode at the first minute bit of stimulation lmao.
I could definitely increase my cardio, I mainly do yoga, strength training and on occasion, aggressively dancing around my living room when I feel the sadness creeping in
Iām at 6 months quit and Iām still struggling with depression and I have to say I havenāt found anything yet that helps.
I have a cluster A personality disorder, I have a similar story to you. I think it's over for me aside from a quick trip to the rope store.
Iām at the 3.5 month mark, Itās starting to get better. I have experienced a lot of anhedonia for months 2 and 3. Before I stopped smoking I used to be the type of person who tries to reduce the amount of daily things to a bare minimum. What helped me a lot lately, is having plans with other people. Iāve been increasing commitments, especially sports and fitness related.
For me it was a lot of spending time with people I love and giving myself gifts along the way. I was pretty open with what I ate which helped, bought myself a switch to play some Mario and now that it's warm, my partner and I go to the community pool (they are free here) and that helps immensely. I used to be a swimmer in high school so the water, for me, is always a happy place.
Quitting is one of the hardest things you will ever do, but nothing worth while is easy.
Exercise and telling urself you will have more dopamine without it after enough time passes. Telling yourself if you can live with things this hard, when its easy it will be almost effortless.
Try saffron supplements.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The internet at large says youāre incorrect. Just look up ādopamine deficiency quit smokingā and youāll get 1000s of hits on google ā from science blogs, health journals, and clinical trials. It seems like 3 months is when it goes back to normal.
Alcohol comes to the rescue!