Re: alternative methods to quit smoking

For me, personally, I couldn't trade one addiction for another:  patches, nicotine gum, vaping, etc.  I made a determination of the day that I would stop smoking.  I began to cut back on smoking by saying, "I really don't need one of these when I'm on the phone (or, driving, or whatever)."  This was positive self-talk, and I sometimes spoke aloud to myself.  Or, I would say, "Wait 10 minutes, and THEN I can have a smoke...."  After a while, I would realize that more than 10 minutes had passed and my goal was accomplished for that moment.

When I got to the day that I decided to stop smoking, I just stopped smoking.  I had a pack of cigarettes on hand, as well as rolling tobacco, if I made the decision to give in to my cravings.  But, I paid close attention to the cravings and to myself, and I kept saying to myself, "Just for this moment, I'm not going to smoke."  

My physical addiction was broken in about a week.  I still am challenged by the mental addiction, and I have to treat smoking as an addiction and that I am an addict.  One day at a time, and (sometimes) one minute at a time.  When I see people having a smoke, I often think to myself, "Just ONE - that's all I want, is just ONE with my coffee."  When I start thinking that way, I remind myself that I am an addict and that one smoke will lead to one hundred.  One hundred will lead to thousands, and thousands will......well......it will be 3 years in March that I've not smoked, and today, I'm not smoking.  So, that's how I approached my addiction.

Vaping is not a "healthy" or "safe" alternative to smoking.  It is vaporized nicotine and it is still being absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs.  If someone is addicted to tobacco, then treating it as an addiction and themselves as an addict is (IMHO) the only way to manage it.

Some people have sworn that hypnosis was helpful, and I suppose that's entirely possible.  But, an addiction is a series of behaviors and triggers that really can only be managed by the addict, themselves, on a day-to-day basis.

Best wishes to you on your journey