Then there's all the little hints for how to survive the cravings - delay for two minutes. Have a shower. Peel a mandarin. Drink a glass of water, hot or cold.
I'm grateful for all the suggestions, and it's inspiring to hear so many successful quitting stories. But what really struck me was the single common theme that came through - you have to really want to quit, and you have to do what works for you.
For me, it's patches. According to Quitline, they double your chances of quitting successfully. They're cheap, too - a prescription through Quitline costs only $5. That's a lot cheaper than a vaporiser - and the research into e-cigs shows mixed results, with one study showing patches are equally as a effective, and another showing non-vapers are more likely to stay quit after a year.
But the real advantage for me is that patches break the ritualistic aspects of smoking. My body is still getting the nicotine it needs, but it's not tied to the act of smoking. Vaping doesn't do that - you're still raising your hand to your mouth, still going for the instantaneous nicotine hit when you feel a craving.
I want to break the psychological addiction, not just the physical addiction - and slow-release patches are helping me with that first step. Sure, I'll have to give up the patches eventually and go through the physical withdrawals. But by then, hopefully, my brain will have been rewired so I don't associate the physical cravings with smoking.
A few months from now, you might occasionally catch me sneaking out into the alley to slyly slap a patch onto my arm. And if you ask me, that's a hell of a lot better than sneaking out for a sly smoke.
To take part in Stoptober, visit www.stoptober.nz
For help quitting, visit Quitline at www.quit.org.nz or phone 0800 778 778
