The blog
Reading for the hard days
Long, plain articles about the parts of quitting nobody puts on a poster: what a craving actually is, the first 72 hours, slips, weight, vaping, sleep and mood.
Bad Sleep, Short Temper, Flat Mood: The First Two Weeks
Almost nobody warns you that quitting can wreck your sleep and turn you into someone unpleasant to live with. It is normal, it is temporary, and one very ordinary thing is often making it worse.
9 min read Article 011People & SupportWho to Tell, What to Ask For, and What to Say When Someone Offers You One
"Tell everyone, they will support you" is the standard advice, and the evidence for it is thinner than you would expect. Here is what actually helps, and the exact sentences to have ready.
8 min read Article 010Your BodyWhat Actually Changes in Your Body After You Quit, and When
You have seen the poster - 20 minutes, 12 hours, 2 weeks. Some of it is right and some of it has drifted. Here is the current version from the CDC and the NHS, including the parts that get worse before they get better.
9 min read Article 009VapingVapes: The Honest Version
Is vaping a way out of smoking, or a different trap? Two respected health authorities give noticeably different answers. Here is what each of them actually says, and what to do with that.
10 min read Article 008SetbacksYou Smoked One Cigarette. Here Is What Actually Happens Next.
One cigarette almost never ends a quit. What ends it is the story you tell yourself in the hour afterwards. There is a name for that, and there is a way out of it.
8 min read Article 007Habits & TriggersThe Pub Problem: What to Do About Drinking While You Are Quitting
A lot of quits do not end on a hard Tuesday. They end on a good Friday, four drinks in, outside with people who are laughing. Here is why that happens and how to plan for it.
8 min read Article 006Weight & AppetiteWill I Gain Weight If I Quit Smoking? Here Are the Actual Numbers.
Nobody wants to say it out loud, so it goes unanswered and turns into a reason not to try. The research is clear enough to talk about honestly, including the parts that are not reassuring.
9 min read Article 005Habits & TriggersWhy the First Cigarette of the Day Is the Hardest One to Give Up
How soon after waking you smoke is one of the most useful facts about your own dependence, and almost nobody has ever asked you for it. Here is what it tells you and what to do with it.
8 min read Article 004Quit AidsUsing Nicotine to Quit Nicotine Is Not Cheating
Most people who try patches or gum use too little, for too short a time, and then conclude the patches do not work. Here is what the evidence actually says about doing it properly.
9 min read Article 003CravingsHow Long Does a Craving Actually Last?
Most people quit because they think the craving will keep growing until they give in. It does not work like that. A craving has a shape, and knowing the shape changes what you do with it.
8 min read Article 002WithdrawalWhat Really Happens During the First 72 Hours Without Nicotine?
The first three days can feel intense, and for many people they peak around Day 3. Here is what may happen hour by hour, and what helps you get through it.
9 min read◉ Podcast version Article 001Smoking & StressIf Smoking Calms You Down, Why Do You Panic When the Pack Is Empty?
That feeling of relief after the first drag is real. But it may not mean what you think it means. Let's look at what the cigarette is actually calming.
8 min read◉ Podcast version