Still smoking support and chat thread

[JJ1977]

i dont venture out anymore lol last time i did i got a warning

 

[alisa1970]

First time poster to this thread. Need to vent.
A few days of cigarette free and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why I felt like if I didn't step outside and smoke I was going to explode. I was out of cigarettes so I actually went and bought a pack. I smoked one on the way home and felt just, well, stupid that nothing seemed to have changed. vaping is taking care of the nicotine, the hand to mouth, the taste, the everything EXCEPT my internal need to be defiant to my health. It was like my mind is calling all the facts that smoking is bad like a teenager that drinks and drives with the mentality of "it might happen to others but it'll never happen to me" a lie.
I've been a smoker for almost 37 years and with every attempt to quit I figure out and defeat at least 1 thing about the habit, only to have another sneak in and kick my .... until I cave.
That pack of smokes is on top of my piano as I write this but I haven't been back.
I refuse to be afraid of failure by throwing them out. The paradox this time (and probably every other one since the first attempt) I've found is my fear of another failure has caused a self fulfilling prophecy. It is why I kidded myself for years that I really do love smoking. That's bullshirt! I've hated being a slave to cigarettes, hated the cough, hated the smell, hated the stained teeth, hated the embarrassment of telling my doctor I still smoke after bragging about how my Faith will overcome, hated the lack of wind, hated the expense, hated seeing what it did to my mom and dad (both died from smoking related things), hated the solitude, hated the feeling I'd get when one of my kids asked me to quit, hated trying to explain why I smoke but don't want my kids to mimic me, hated everything about them for years EXCEPT when I was kidding myself as I smoked one that I enjoy smoking.
I've said for years there's only 2 things I truly hate ,hot and humid weather at the same time, and I always kidded I don't remember the second one unless it's hot and humid. I'm not kidding when I say I hate smoking.
Thank you for reading this.

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You're in safe company, Mark! If you look closely at my sig, I started vaping almost a year ago. I finally quit for good at the beginning of September. A lot of the people here have been struggling longer than that, a few have managed to quit. My thing wasn't that I couldn't stop--I could--for a month or two at a time. I had to reset my counter each time I fell off the wagon. When I thought "this is it", that insane NEED to have a smoke reared its ugly head. It wasn't the nicotine, or even probably the other thousands of chemicals in cigarettes, because USUALLY those are gone after two months.

So, I'd smoke and vape (mostly vape), then quit smoking, then be good for a while, until I needed to smoke again. Eventually, this last time, all the other barriers that seemed to be keeping me "hooked" were dealt with and I truly believe I have it licked. For me, it was when I didn't feel well that I'd just give in. I have some health issues that came up about 3 months into vaping. So I could handle not smoking for a while, then just cave. The last stint where I did that, the cigarettes really weren't providing me any comfort whatsoever. Now when I have that thought that I just want to smoke, it passes very quickly especially when I remind myself that the last smoke I had wasn't very helpful for whatever problem I was dealing with.

There's so much that's mental in this, it can be really hard to tell what's a mental block and what's a physical reaction. Now I'm totally good and have no interest in picking up a smoke, even if I feel like I'm craving one.

Hopefully you will get to that point too.

Welcome to the thread!

 

[jessermay]

Sorry, just saw this ... yes, I am mentally anyway
The other stuff is pretty much the same and I guess I've joined Lori as far as still smoking

Hi Dale!

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

going from 2 PAD to only a few cig is a huge achievement. when i stopped smoking i still had my pepsi well i gave that up lil over 2 months ago for green tea i do miss pepsi but i know its not good for me either lol

oh great, now ya got me thinking I better give up pepsi and coffee maybe even?

 

[daleron]

Hi Dale!

Hi sweetie You doing okay? I see you've been pretty busy

 

[JJ1977]

oh great, now ya got me thinking I better give up pepsi and coffee maybe even? View attachment 299487

give up 1 thing at a time lol it will be easier trust me lol i know

 

[jessermay]

Hi sweetie You doing okay? I see you've been pretty busy

I'm doing pretty good! & yes very busy here but that's just my life, haha. I guess that's what happens when you have a bunch of kids, haha! How're you doing?

 

[alisa1970]

give up 1 thing at a time lol it will be easier trust me lol i know

Yep, per my doctor, I should be giving up ALL stimulants...but she's compromising with me. I can have ONE cup of coffee and some Diet Coke (Splenda ONLY, no aspartame), and NO caffeine after 1PM.

The coffee is actually taking care of itself--I used to have 2-3 "normal" sized mugs of coffee, then drink Diet Coke the rest of the day. With my vaping, the coffee isn't necessary anymore although sometimes I'll have an old-style cup (remember the 8 oz cups?) of coffee, and a Diet Coke with lunch. Then water the rest of the time.

I'm also dropping my nic on the next purchase--I'll be mixing my 12mg with 6mg and transitioning only to 6mg. It better work because it's not that easy to drop all this stuff that I've been used to since high school!

 

[daleron]

I'm doing pretty good! & yes very busy here but that's just my life, haha. I guess that's what happens when you have a bunch of kids, haha! How're you doing?

Fair hon, fair

 

[JJ1977]

Yep, per my doctor, I should be giving up ALL stimulants...but she's compromising with me. I can have ONE cup of coffee and some Diet Coke (Splenda ONLY, no aspartame), and NO caffeine after 1PM.

The coffee is actually taking care of itself--I used to have 2-3 "normal" sized mugs of coffee, then drink Diet Coke the rest of the day. With my vaping, the coffee isn't necessary anymore although sometimes I'll have an old-style cup (remember the 8 oz cups?) of coffee, and a Diet Coke with lunch. Then water the rest of the time.

I'm also dropping my nic on the next purchase--I'll be mixing my 12mg with 6mg and transitioning only to 6mg. It better work because it's not that easy to drop all this stuff that I've been used to since high school!

i have found joy in mixing myself, i drop only 10 drops of nic per new 30ml bottle i make down to 3.25mg nic now

 

[jessermay]

Fair hon, fair

well I'm thinking of you & sending lots of hugs & love your way!

 

[daleron]

well I'm thinking of you & sending lots of hugs & love your way!

Thank you hon {{{hugs}}} I think of you guys everyday

Maybe someday I'll be a vaper again

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

Hey Dale! I've seen you around a bit more! Hope you're doing better!

Sorry, just saw this ... yes, I am mentally anyway
The other stuff is pretty much the same and I guess I've joined Lori as far as still smoking

Hi Dale, I'm Sue

 

[daleron]

Hi Dale, I'm Sue

Goofy! I know that bye bye now ya'll

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

Yep, per my doctor, I should be giving up ALL stimulants...but she's compromising with me. I can have ONE cup of coffee and some Diet Coke (Splenda ONLY, no aspartame), and NO caffeine after 1PM.

The coffee is actually taking care of itself--I used to have 2-3 "normal" sized mugs of coffee, then drink Diet Coke the rest of the day. With my vaping, the coffee isn't necessary anymore although sometimes I'll have an old-style cup (remember the 8 oz cups?) of coffee, and a Diet Coke with lunch. Then water the rest of the time.

I'm also dropping my nic on the next purchase--I'll be mixing my 12mg with 6mg and transitioning only to 6mg. It better work because it's not that easy to drop all this stuff that I've been used to since high school!

I can't imagine having to give up all stims.
I do need to drink more water to make up for the caffeinated crap I drink

i have found joy in mixing myself, i drop only 10 drops of nic per new 30ml bottle i make down to 3.25mg nic now

3.25

 

[Claudia P]

I think I've figured out what is so different with me, I've always known I was but not how. We had quit smoking in the house 10 years ago so the chain smoking had stopped a long time ago. I haven't felt the need for the smoking like experience, for me the vaping is all about the flavor and the sensation of inhaling. As soon as I found juice that REALLY did it for me and a delivery device that provided enough vapor I think the need for cigarettes just left.
I like the eroll but for me it is simply a less obvious device for when I'm out and about, I'm rarely out so it works for me for a while, but my mods are really what does it.
The real turning points were the itazte and the Aspire ET-S and finding the right juice for me.

so for you JJ1 it's about the taste ad the mvp v.2 works for you?
for me it must be about chain smoking lol

 

[alisa1970]

I can't imagine having to give up all stims.
I do need to drink more water to make up for the caffeinated crap I drink


3.25

Yeah, I'm at the "adaptive stage" (resistance) of adrenal fatigue due to long term extreme stress...producing way too much cortisol. Stims make it worse.

Stages of Adrenal Fatigue

 

[Thayamax]

I've tried giving up the Pepsi so many times...extremely bad for my diabetes. I can't seem to do it for more than a week or 2. It's harder for me than the cigs have been. Hopefully one day soon.

 

[mountainbikermark]

You're in safe company, Mark! If you look closely at my sig, I started vaping almost a year ago. I finally quit for good at the beginning of September. A lot of the people here have been struggling longer than that, a few have managed to quit. My thing wasn't that I couldn't stop--I could--for a month or two at a time. I had to reset my counter each time I fell off the wagon. When I thought "this is it", that insane NEED to have a smoke reared its ugly head. It wasn't the nicotine, or even probably the other thousands of chemicals in cigarettes, because USUALLY those are gone after two months.

So, I'd smoke and vape (mostly vape), then quit smoking, then be good for a while, until I needed to smoke again. Eventually, this last time, all the other barriers that seemed to be keeping me "hooked" were dealt with and I truly believe I have it licked. For me, it was when I didn't feel well that I'd just give in. I have some health issues that came up about 3 months into vaping. So I could handle not smoking for a while, then just cave. The last stint where I did that, the cigarettes really weren't providing me any comfort whatsoever. Now when I have that thought that I just want to smoke, it passes very quickly especially when I remind myself that the last smoke I had wasn't very helpful for whatever problem I was dealing with.

There's so much that's mental in this, it can be really hard to tell what's a mental block and what's a physical reaction. Now I'm totally good and have no interest in picking up a smoke, even if I feel like I'm craving one.

Hopefully you will get to that point too.

Welcome to the thread!

Thank you

Support Our Troops!!!
<><
I'm an "s pen aholic" Noteate

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

Yeah, I'm at the "adaptive stage" (resistance) of adrenal fatigue due to long term extreme stress...producing way too much cortisol. Stims make it worse.

sorry to hear that alisa
I've not been to a doc in a while but have an appoint. coming up in a couple weeks...fearing that test results won't be very good and they'll tell me something similar...that I've been in state of chronic stress etc., or what I suspect has been going on, partially, anyway