Why It's Hard For Some and Easy For Other's

Oktyabr;9170931 said:

Hmmm.... I've been smoking for the better part of 30 years, anywhere from one pack a day to two or even three if I was out partying with friends. I quit "cold turkey" for a year once, took chantix for a year and only started smoking again when I tried to quit that, found that the gum worked for where I couldn't have a cigarette and the patch just didn't, not for me. I have tried to quit many times over the years, all with mixed success. I married a smoker as well and if we weren't trying to quit together one of us always brought the other one back to analogs, sooner or later. Regardless, I *wanted to quit*!

I suppose I could tell you my story is that on March 15th, 2013 I pulled some cash out of the ATM and went to check out a relatively new brick and mortar store in my area (cash discount at this one). I bought my first real e-cigarette and the strongest nicotine level e-liquid they had in stock (36mg). I made it a point to stay away from any flavor that might even suggest the taste of cigarettes, especially the menthols I was used to smoking and bought a strong candy flavor instead. Partied with it that night, vaping up a storm. Even my wife was showing a serious interest (!!!) Vaped so much of that 36mg stuff for the first two days that I got sick from it, basically a mild form of overdose... BUT I didn't have a *single puff* off of a cigarette either! I wasn't planning to quit that day... I still had two and a half packs of cigarettes I planned on finishing (I STILL have them!) Learned some new vaping habits, slowly lowered my nicotine down to 12-18mg if I'm chain vaping at home on days off and 24mg when I go out to the pub with friends. I haven't had a cigarette since. My wife quit the same way a week later...

OR I could tell you that four years ago my wife and I bought our first e-cigarettes and I finally gave up the "analogs" last month. Back then no one really stocked much of anything... usually you placed an order and then waited a month for it to be shipped over from China, pass customs (sometimes they didn't pass customs), and finally arrive at your door so if you were smart about it you placed large orders, through different vendors (in case one got hung up somewhere along the way), with lots of juice and plenty of extra batteries and atomizers. All that was really available were "cig-a-likes" that only held a charge for an hour or two and "atomizers" with tiny filled mouthpiece type carts that held just a few drops of liquid... Most of the batteries were very sketchy... it seemed like batteries and atomizers would fail just from looking at them the wrong way, forget about carrying a bunch in your pocket out to the clubs and having them all work when you got there! Most of the liquid was high in PG and 18mg nicotine was often labeled "High strength", maybe you could find some 24mg but that just *seemed* way stronger than any mere mortal might be able to stand. We never smoked in the house but DID vape indoors when the weather dictated. I have a USB passthrough that I would use at my computer and often I'd consider going outside for a cigarette and find that a few puffs on it instead would make the craving pass. Finally good juice, good vendors and e-cigarettes that actually work the way I want them to are on the market and the cravings for a cigarette become more and more rare. E-cigs worked for me and my wife but it took four years of "trying" them before vaping actually stuck.

Both of these stories are true.

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