How hard it was to become smoke free!

[robcope]

I know some that smoke and vape feel like failures. First off, you are not a failure. Most of us struggle for a long time and many need a scare to get it right.
My mom died at 48 from throat cancer and that wasn't enough to get me to quit. I started vaping in 2009 and just stopped smoking on 1 Dec 2013. Why? I turned 48 on 1 December 2013. I was fifteen when my mom died and we were best friends. I have four wonderful children, two beautiful Grand daughters and a wife that puts up with my crap and has for 23 years.
Whats my point? Simple; we are all different and need our own catalyst to get us to drop smoking.
Don't judge, help where you can. Make sure anyone that shows intrest can reach you when they need help. Don't criticize them for smoking, they will just turn away. I could have never suceeded on my own and still need support. I love this forum and have brought so many here so they can learn. Thanks to all of you, because you helped as well.

Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk

 

[syeroc]

Getting completely off the analogs is a very difficult thing to do for a lot of people. Even with vaping. But the biggest thing to remember is that each cigarette avoided is its own victory. Every time we make the choice to pass up an analog we win a little battle. Each of us has within ourselves the ability to quit when we hit the right time. We just need to figure out when that is going to be.

Congrats on your victories!! Be proud! It's a tough battle.

 

[Johnny Popular]

My wife and I walked into a local vapor shop bought some eGo PV's and some juice, walked outside had one last cigarette and threw the remainder of our packs away, gave our tobacco tubing machine away to a friend and haven't looked back. There are times when I would like a cigarette for nostalgia's purpose but I have yet to give into those urges. I am now so very close to being off nic completely. I wouldn't want to ruin that by having an analog. It can be hard to quit completely, but I just got through it one day at a time. About two weeks after starting to vape I noticed that I no longer wanted a cigarette at all, unless there was a trigger, like drinking. I really want a cig when I drink.

 

[bloodytears1886]

Getting off analogs was not hard for me but I'm on wellbutrin (pretty much the same thing as chantix) (was on it for bi-polar not to quit smoking). It helps with the cravings and the MAO-I addiction (new study suggests that analogs have MAO-I properties in it that are also addictive)(if interested I can post the study). I've only been vaping for 2 and a half weeks but have gone cold turkey on analogs and using 12 on the nicotine.

I know it's a lot harder on others. Keep trucking all! You can do it.

 

[Johnny Popular]

Getting off analogs was not hard for me but I'm on wellbutrin (pretty much the same thing as chantix) (was on it for bi-polar not to quit smoking).

My father quit smoking for awhile with the help of Zyban (Wellbutrin) At the cost of a mental breakdown, (He did not have underlying mental issues to warrant him being on the drug) so he went back to smoking, and eventually settled on chewing. I remember him always smelling like tobacco as a child, it was pretty terrible, and the soda cans of brown spit everywhere... eew.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

Getting off analogs was not hard for me but I'm on wellbutrin (pretty much the same thing as chantix) (was on it for bi-polar not to quit smoking). It helps with the cravings and the MAO-I addiction (new study suggests that analogs have MAO-I properties in it that are also addictive)(if interested I can post the study). I've only been vaping for 2 and a half weeks but have gone cold turkey on analogs and using 12 on the nicotine.

I know it's a lot harder on others. Keep trucking all! You can do it.

That's interesting. The MAO-I properties in cigarettes. I have GAD. Does nicotine alone have this property, or is it part of the 4000 ingredients in cigs? I ask because the last couple of weeks have been rough on me as far as anxiety goes. I've been able to keep it together for the most part, but I was wondering why it was so bad lately. I won't go back to cigarettes. I can't get the taste of that last, awful, one out of my mind, but it would be nice to know whymy anxiety has worsened since I've quit, even though I'm vaping 18 mg juice.

 

[justagirl]

To the OP-

Thanks for the post. I am one who cut back and never intended to "quit" cigarettes. I am not ready to do that. I appreciate the little vote of confidence that one day I will be able to actually quit though.

JAG

 

[cags]

here is a (long) thread for those still smoking

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/pay-forward-pif/405553-yes-i-still-smoke-cigarettes-i-am-addicted-smoking-habit-support-chat-thread-518.html#post11610887

 

[Chimney34]

First let me send my condolences on the loss of your mom. Although it was many years ago I'm sure that it doesn't make the loss any easier. I'm sure she's smiling down on you & proud that you hung in there!

Congrats to you OP! You're 100% correct! I have friends here who both vape & smoke. We have to support each other! For some people it's much harder to give up the cigs. I don't think that still smoking is failure! We have to celebrate all of the success & progress that is made, wether it's cutting back or cutting out cigs all together! Every cig you don't smoke equals success & everyone should be proud of that!!

 

[patkin]

The physical addiction part was not very hard for me. However, the mental obsessive part was a bear. I started smoking at 11 and smoked 2 PAD the last five years of my 59 smoking years. The habit was deeply engrained in my brain. I once read that you should stop doing whatever you smoked with.. like drinking, coffee or alcohol, talking on the phone, etc. Well, I made a list of what I would have to stop doing also to quit smoking. Turned out that would be just about everything including intimate time with Hubby. You get the picture I'm sure. So, I never told myself I was quitting smoking. I just required vaping before I could smoke of myself. I considered myself a winner when I got down to 2 or 3 a day but my daughter considers herself one when she got down to 5 or 6 a day. Everyone is different. Some put all smokes down right away. Some only desire and manage to decrease smoking. The thing is to avoid putting yourself under stress. I mean didn't we all smoke when stressed? Let things happen naturally and don't beat yourself up. Plenty have done that to you. You don't need to join them.

 

[Enoch777]

Congrats Robcope!

Smoking truly does ruin lives, we need to do our best as vapers to help others continue vaping and at least make sure the smokers we know are informed of what's out there. When I first tried? I stopped almost right away. Like "this is it?"

No. That's NOT it!

I suppose I should mention that despite vaping for over a year, I'm now currently 1 month smoke free today It wasn't easy but with determination and a lot of help from vapers on the ECF and elsewhere I was able to overcome my smoking habit and improve my life and the lives of those around me.

God bless!

 

[AegisPrime]

For me it was two factors - primarily cost but also the associated health issues.

When I had a little more money to spend (seems like a long time ago now ) I smoked a pack of Marlboro Golds a day, when money got tight I switched to rolling tobacco and in an attempt to keep smoking and save money gradually bought cheaper and cheaper brands.

It got to the point where I was smoking some awful tobacco that wasn't making me feel too good but still I didn't want to/couldn't quit. So I looked at e-cigs as an alternative and realised for the money I was spending on really bad tobacco I could be buying instead really good e-liquid - long story short: now a very happy (and healthier) vaper

 

[John Bate]

i just had my first experience with ecigs/pv and was able to stop smoking my favorite cigar for the 3 days the blu disposable lasted, now as im waiting for my pv to arrive in the mail (fasttech) as much as i wanted to stay of the tobacco, i couldnt justify the cost of a new blu every couple days for what i expect will be at least 2 weeks until my pv arrives, i relapsed back to the 'bacco

i wish i had done the simple google search and bought a pv from my local b&m before ordering online, im sure i would still be off analogs

i plan on being off the analogs completely once my kit arrives

 

[bloodytears1886]

That's interesting. The MAO-I properties in cigarettes. I have GAD. Does nicotine alone have this property, or is it part of the 4000 ingredients in cigs? I ask because the last couple of weeks have been rough on me as far as anxiety goes. I've been able to keep it together for the most part, but I was wondering why it was so bad lately. I won't go back to cigarettes. I can't get the taste of that last, awful, one out of my mind, but it would be nice to know whymy anxiety has worsened since I've quit, even though I'm vaping 18 mg juice.

Nicotine | Psychology Today
Here is an article with the info in it (last paragraph under "what is nicotine?" question)

Here is the technical study.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibition Dramatically Increases the Motivation to Self-Administer Nicotine in Rats

It appears to not be the nicotine but one of the many other chemicals in Tobacco.

 

[legionvr6]

was actually really easy for me to switch to a vape for 99.9% of my needs. only think keeping me from going 100% tobacco free is music festivals. can't bring these thinks into EDC or any of the other large EDM music festival's. they have legitimate cause since you can hide stuff in the juice or battery compartment. heck cig's have to still be sealed going into these thing. even your gum lol