Jonah Hill has been making a lot of lifestyle changes. He’s become an avid surfer. He’s embraced his body after years of being ashamed of it (by his own admission). He’s speaking out more on social media about how people’s perceptions and comments affect those they target. And now Jonah is making a huge, albeit very difficult change: he’s quitting smoking. Four days ago, he posted the cheery photo above to his Instagram with the following caption:
Quitting smoking is the hardest shit ever. I’ve struggled with it for a while. I’m finally quitting for good and am on day 3. If you’re trying to quit and need a good excuse jump on with me and start today mid way through your day that’s what I did. Read Alan Carr’s “easy way to quit smoking” and I’m also using nicotine patches. Let’s go! Jump on! 🤘😎
Uhm – yeah. Even reading Jonah’s IG made me want a cigarette and I technically quit 19 years ago. I like a good glass of wine. I rely on a decent cup of coffee in the morning. But I have never been at the mercy of anything like I have cigarettes. “Hardest sh*t ever” is spot on. I have to use “technically” when I talk about my quitting because I’ve never gone back to smoking proper, but I won’t pretend like I haven’t had a cigarette in the last 19 years. I don’t know what inspired Jonah to quit, it sounds like he’s been trying for a while, but I wish him much luck. It is a very tough cycle to break, but an extremely important one. The amount of issues smoking affects is vast. Every day Jonah spends without a cigarette in his hands is a day his life improves. Getting there is another story because he’s going to feel like he’s missing an appendage for a while. Not to mention the mood swings. But he sounds like he’s taking the right attitude about it. I agree with his comment about quitting when you think about it, even midday. I remember one of the times I tried to quit, a friend took my lighter and made to throw it away. I objected because I had some cigarettes left and he said if I was committed, I would quit right then and there. It didn’t take that time, but I always held that in mind to know when I was truly committed.
Jonah got a lot of support from his fans and friends. His mom Sharon Feldstein wrote, “Proudest mom”. Michael B Jordan said, “Proud of you my guy.” Many others said some form of “You got this!” Jonah’s buddy Seth Rogan wrote, “Save your lungs my baby” and Natasha Lynne replied, “Impressive!!!🔥🔥🔥”. The irony notwithstanding, it’s nice to see them supporting their friend in this fight. He’ll need all the support he can get. A lot of people in his comments said they knew the pain of trying to quit and pledge to “jump on” as Jonah encouraged in his post. It would be amazing if he inspired a handful of followers to finally kick the habit for good.
In his caption, Jonah suggested the book Easy Way to Stop Smoking. I have not read it, but the reviews suggest that it’s effective. The author also wrote about how to quit vaping, drinking and emotional eating. Again, I’m not endorsing these books because I haven’t read them, but they appear to be popular. What I wanted to point out is the author is Allen Carr, a former accountant who used to smoke 100 cigarettes a day. Jonah noted “Alan Carr”, who is a fabulous British comedian and chat show host (and who filled in for Adele when she had to fix her makeup mid-concert). I would love to read any How To Quit book written by Alan Carr.
Photo credit: Instagram and Avalon Red
good for him! I’ve never been addicted to smoking cigarettes but I did smoke quite frequently in my mid twenties and the ritual of taking a break was the hardest to quit (for me). I still indulge if I’m with friends and I’ve been out drinking but that is rare and I almost always regret it the next day.
I will say I’m very dependent on cannabis lately but it is medicinal and I don’t want to learn about the negatives because I’m not ready to quit yet. It just makes me a better mother and actually more productive due to my ADHD.
Right there with you!
Quitting smoking was so hard — I stopped 10 years ago and the suffering was insane. For the first three weeks I was losing my shit. Good on him for trying – hopefully he has a good support system to help him through it.
I recommend easyway to stop smoking, I read it back in 2004 and it worked for me, however I read easyway to stop drinking a few months ago and that didn’t work and a few years ago I read the easyway to lose weight and that didn’t work either so I dunno. I guess the most important one (for me) worked so that’s the main thing.
I have never been a smoker but I have friends who quit thanks to that book.
Keep it up!
I quit about 5 years ago but I too have smoked here and there. The stress of the last presidential election sent me into overdrive smoking. I had a doctor who would tell me that if I felt I HAD to smoke then to smoke 1 and throw the pack away. It sounds counterproductive but I will say that has worked for me because I always regret it after 1 and am disgusted with myself enough to throw it away.
Good luck to him. People fail at it because they try to quit cold turkey. I quit over the course of about eighteen months by just cutting down to fewer and fewer cigarettes a day, and then maybe one every other day and so forth. I had a goal finally to have my last smoke on New Year’s Eve so that I’d start off the next year never smoking again, and I never have. That being said it’s been years and now I’m one of those militant former smokers that can’t stand the smell of it, but I still miss the feeling of having a cigarette in my hand and holding it, breathing out smoke.
Same here ! I just can’t now with the smell of it. I can’t believe I allowed myself to smell like that for so many years.
Good luck to Jonah. It’s hard but really worth it!
Everyboy thinks it’s funny the way I quit smoking. A few years ago in March I decided to quit smoking so I set up the date: on the 11th April, a month from now I’ll stop smoking for good. In the meantime I read everything about the side effects I’d be experiencing, from bad mood to waking up in the middle of the night soaked in sweat. I prepared myself psychologically for it. Even read about dieting to prevent from putting on weight. Everything. But I still smoked normally.
On the 11th April, I sat down at a bench in the park, looked at a cigarette (there were two left in the pack), and said: “So, you’re the last one, guess this is goodbye. ” And I smoked it calmly, enjoying it. (I left one in the pack just in case I panicked along the way, never needed it)… Just a week later I was having coffee with friends at a café, some were smoking and I didn’t feel like it. I was done… That cigarette in the park was truly the last one. Never wanted to smoke again. I guess I needed that month to put my mind in the right mood, give it the strenghth and resilience it needed… Don’t miss it at all… Never wanted a cigarette again..
I’ll second the “good for him”
That stuff is powerfully addictive and your body is so much better without it. Every day without a cigarette is a day you give your lungs and other body parts a chance to heal and do what they are meant to do.
I was a social smoker when I was younger, ie I smoked when I was out drinking, so I never thought it was a physical addiction. But even decades later, if I have one puff of a cigarette it kicks up a powerful desire, craving to have another one that lasts for at least a week.
Does anyone else see that pic of him at the restaurant and see the guy behind him … also in orange with similar hair … it’s like variant older Jonah visiting from the multiverse.
Oh g-d 😰 hard relate to your experience Hecate and congrats to all the other Celebitches who have quit 🥳 I quit cold turkey 5 years ago and thought I was going out of my mind. @Chaine you are a legend quitting over 18 months. I would have *relapsed* without a doubt. I definitely still miss a ciggie when I’m out with girlfriends but I know me, I couldn’t be a social smoker, I’d be back to 30 a day within 2 weeks
This is very cute – long before Alan Carr the camp comedian was famous, Alan Carr the hypnotist was writing books and doing hypnosis sessions to help people quit smoking! That’s the one he’s referencing.
That’s true. I quit over 20 years ago. He looks good! Another thing he will start happening is that when you smell it or walk past someone smoking, somehow you become the biggest anti-smoker and hate the smell, when it’s in your clothes, etc.
Quitting smoking really is one of the hardest things. Once you become a regular smoker, its like asking your body to start running without food. But when you start feeling the changes in your body you start appreciating having your health back. The sense of taste and smell, better breathing, more stamina, etc.
Good for him and stay strong… It really is extremely hard and takes insane willpower.
I cut down gradually until I was down to two a day. At that point I quit. That was 8 years ago and it was really tough, but I haven’t had another cigarette since and I hate the smell now.
I believe you can only quit when you REALLY want to quit. Not “I know it’s bad for me, and I should quit, really, so I will try”. You need to be 100% sure that you have had enough.
This is pretty much how I quit, too. I was down to maybe a cigarette a week or two. I just wasn’t enjoying it anymore, so it was easy to quit. I was ready.
How expensive are cigarettes these days? I would think that alone would help in quitting.
I know my sugar addiction isn’t as hard as cigarette addiction, but it took me several tries to figure out that it’s easier for me to quit when I still have sugar in the house. Like “you can’t control me, you sit over there calling my name but I’m over you, I’m done”. And it feels good to deny myself any, I feel superior to it. LOL If I don’t have any sugar in the house then I feel like I’m being deprived and it drives me crazy. I need to control the situation, it’s all on me.
The ones I used to smoke are now $13.55 a pkg. That’s about $40 less than $5000.00 a year. I quit 8 years ago and the only way I could do it was cold turkey. I tried every method on the planet for 20 years, it was the only thing that worked for me.
Good for him! I quit 9 years ago and I never, ever miss it.
Also, I’m so happy that he seems so happy. He just seems filled with light and a contentedness. It’s really great to see.
I love how happy he looks and how funky he dresses!
Good for him. I know how hard it can be for some folks. BF and I both smoked for years. he quit before I did (he was a heavier smoker) and he was A BEAR for weeks. so unpleasant and grumpy.
I, on the other hand, continued to smoke for several years after he quit. one night, while outside on my deck having a smoke, I decided I didn’t like the way smoking made me feel…sometimes it actually nauseated me and I was like “I’m done.”. put that one out and never picked it up again. I guess I’m the rarity – I was able to quit cold turkey and never missed it.
Quitting smoking cigarettes is good…but does he still smoke weed?
I was unknowingly hypnotized. It worked. Quit right that moment. I had a dreadful upper respiratory infection, so bad that I called the Dr office for a appointment. My own doc was off so I took the only available spot, went in and the first thing he said was “I smell smoke. You’re too sick to be smoking”. After a chest xray and an rx for antibiotics, he told me to focus as he quietly gave me verbal suggestions. I never once had the urge to smoke after that, after many years of trying and failing.
I’m coming up on 6 years, 3rd time quitting. Lol, I bought a package of “bendy straws” and held them in my fingers, chewed on them, etc… it helped me a lot!! I was done tho, fed up with the cost and finding a place outside to smoke.
I fell in love in ’94 and quit then. Mostly it was about changing my routine and avoiding people/situations where I found I was likely to smoke.
I smoked for 27 yrs and quit mid-cigarette, no assistance- no books, patches, gum, hypnosis, apps or other things. I just wanted to be a non-smoker so l didn’t smoke anymore. Haven’t had a single drag since then. It’s very easy when you put your mind to it.
You are not supposed to use nicotine patches when quitting the Alan Carr way, because the nicotine will keep the addiction alive. So I guess he will soon be smoking again.