I'm a veteran. I'm new here. I also have PTSD (for military sexual trauma), chronic fatigue syndrome, and other conditions. I've tried to quit smoking a few times with the patch, and each time I'll quit for about a month (sometimes only a week), and then some stressful event would put me back into smoking mode.

I want to be a non-smoker. I want it to stick for good next time.

But how?

I am now waiting to get an appointment with my primary care doctor to ask for the patches again, and to see if they offer a support group for smoking cessation. Before I can do anything else, I want to be smoke free for at least 3 months to know that I've kicked the habit, but I'm not sure if that's even realistic. 1 month isn't enough for me to return to stressful conditions.

I used smoking to self-medicate from panic attacks and anxiety. I'm afraid of getting the panic attacks back when under duress. Typically, when I've quit smoking, I've avoided all triggers and had a relatively calm space - mostly alone in my home.

But now, I'm curious about learning how to quit when under some stress.

Do any of you have any tips?