Wow!

[stols001]

After vaping, oh, I guess it's over two weeks now, I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn't find my vape and didn't want to wake up the sleeping husband/quitting monster, I just got up. I went two hours without vaping, or feeling the need to vape, drastically! Granted, it was early, but given that my MO with cigarettes was "grab one and head outside, immediately no matter what in the a.m.," this was a... weird happening. Especially since there is still an easily accessable stash of tobacco in the house, and I certainly could have smoked an analogue, with impunity, as the sleeping dragon, I mean, husband, was still in deep (yet troubled) sleep, and I so could have done it without invoking his wrath! But, I CHOSE NOT TO.

Why is there still tobacco in the house? Husband won't get rid of it, and he has a point, I mean, if I want to I can go buy cigs (at vastly inflated prices as compared to an injector machine and loose tobacco) anytime I want, so having them here is an exercise in quitting, I guess. Or something.

I have to say, interacting with my husband yesterday made me *so grateful* I was vaping and not suffering like that (I smoked between 2-3 ppd, he smoked about 1/2 per day) there is NO WAY I could have handled it. None whatsoever, I could barely handle HUSBAND's first day.

I think I need to call this a vape miracle, LOL. And, I'm curious with other vapers... How long have you vaped, and what's the longest stretch you've gone without vaping? Because, this vape thing, when you commit to it, is CRAZY! I'm so happy!

Anna

 

[tazzle]

Congratulations on your vape miracle, I'm glad to hear it! So, you are both quitting, but you're quitting with vaping, and he's just quitting, no vaping?

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I had an unopened pack of smokes in my kitchen junk drawer the first 2 years I was vaping. Only time I even remembered it was when I was searching through the drawer for something else....and each time I thought 'why do I keep this?' Finally got tired of seeing it every time I went into that drawer so I pitched it. I spent an entire afternoon shopping at a shopping mall and never once spend a second on thinking about vaping or even having the urge. I have been vaping for almost 7 years and could probably give it up without too much trouble, but the problem for me is the hand to mouth when sitting down relaxing or watching tv. I need to keep my hands busy plus I do enjoy the flavors and the vapor. At 3mg(coming from 3-4 pad smoke habit) that is saying volumes.....

 

[Bonskibon]

I have found that the urge to vape compared to the urge to smoke is so different. I can go hours if need be without a vape, but not so with cigarettes. I'm sure it has to do with all the crap they put in cigarettes that kept us addicted to them. It's just so much easier and nicer with a vape.

 

[tazzle]

I have found that the urge to vape compared to the urge to smoke is so different. I can go hours if need be without a vape, but not so with cigarettes. I'm sure it has to do with all the crap they put in cigarettes that kept us addicted to them. It's just so much easier and nicer with a vape.

Totally agree!

 

[stols001]

Congratulations on your vape miracle, I'm glad to hear it! So, you are both quitting, but you're quitting with vaping, and he's just quitting, no vaping?

Yes, that is correct. He SAID he would switch to a pipe, but does not seem to be using it. I base that both on smell, and behavior. Husband tried vapes when they were first becoming a thing, and does't like them. (So he says.)

It really sucks, and it's one of the reasons I quit 2 weeks BEFORE him. Granted, he's making me thrilled that I get to vape, but otherwise, it pretty much sucks. Especially for him, I think. I might mention SNUS at some point (he used chewing tobacco as a youth) but.... Not today. I'm going to hang out with my non smoking son, and have a wonderful time vaping Not that I'm not sympathetic, I am SO SO sympathetic, but there isn't much I can do for him, at the moment he objects to the phrase "How's it going?" I have offered various.... enjoyable pursuits, but he indicates he is "not up for them."

Yeah, this is a man who started smoking at age 8. He's like, 10 years older so 53? Not his first attempt to quit, but I think he's like well, not passive aggressive exactly.... But I think he thinks I will fail, maybe is HOPING I will fail so he can justify a pipe (the good news on that is that I HATE the smell of pipe smoke) Not going to happen, hopefully!

I have discussed vaping. In short spurts right before I leave the house alone... LOL.

And yeah, it's so GREAT not to be chained to that whatever long it was, maybe half hour to an hour, depending, schedule with smoking, wow!

Anna

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Yes, that is correct. He SAID he would switch to a pipe, but does not seem to be using it. I base that both on smell, and behavior. Husband tried vapes when they were first becoming a thing, and does't like them. (So he says.)

It really sucks, and it's one of the reasons I quit 2 weeks BEFORE him. Granted, he's making me thrilled that I get to vape, but otherwise, it pretty much sucks. Especially for him, I think. I might mention SNUS at some point (he used chewing tobacco as a youth) but.... Not today. I'm going to hang out with my non smoking son, and have a wonderful time vaping Not that I'm not sympathetic, I am SO SO sympathetic, but there isn't much I can do for him, at the moment he objects to the phrase "How's it going?" I have offered various.... enjoyable pursuits, but he indicates he is "not up for them."

Yeah, this is a man who started smoking at age 8. He's like, 10 years older so 53? Not his first attempt to quit, but I think he's like well, not passive aggressive exactly.... But I think he thinks I will fail, maybe is HOPING I will fail so he can justify a pipe (the good news on that is that I HATE the smell of pipe smoke) Not going to happen, hopefully!

I have discussed vaping. In short spurts right before I leave the house alone... LOL.

And yeah, it's so GREAT not to be chained to that whatever long it was, maybe half hour to an hour, depending, schedule with smoking, wow!

Anna

Be the example for him. You know when smokers are not ready to quit or switch because of the excuses that are made each time its brought up in conversation. So don't nag him or even bring it up. Just let him know you are available to discuss it when he is ready to. Otherwise, I would just let him do his thing and adjust my schedule so as to limit the amount of time you are around when he does smoke. Maybe that will keep the peace?

 

[Beamslider]

I have only been off Cigs for around 7 months. When smoking I had a hard time making it an hour at most between cigarettes.

I don't have the same hard to resist urge to vape. I can go a few hours without even thinking about it now. There really has to be something in cigs other than nicotine that is highly addictive.

 

[BreSha6869]

After smoking a pack a day for over 30 years and then vaping for the last almost 2 years, I don't really NEED to vape.

I can easily go hours without nicotine. On a recent trip I was without a vape for 10 hours and didn't even think about it.

The only time I NEED to vape is when I am drinking and when I smoked, I could easily go thru 2 packs in a night.

I am down to 2% nic and vape between 5-10ml a day. I could likely quit vaping if I wanted to, but I enjoy it too much!

 

[englishmick]

After vaping, oh, I guess it's over two weeks now, I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn't find my vape and didn't want to wake up the sleeping husband/quitting monster, I just got up. I went two hours without vaping, or feeling the need to vape, drastically! Granted, it was early, but given that my MO with cigarettes was "grab one and head outside, immediately no matter what in the a.m.," this was a... weird happening. Especially since there is still an easily accessable stash of tobacco in the house, and I certainly could have smoked an analogue, with impunity, as the sleeping dragon, I mean, husband, was still in deep (yet troubled) sleep, and I so could have done it without invoking his wrath! But, I CHOSE NOT TO.

Why is there still tobacco in the house? Husband won't get rid of it, and he has a point, I mean, if I want to I can go buy cigs (at vastly inflated prices as compared to an injector machine and loose tobacco) anytime I want, so having them here is an exercise in quitting, I guess. Or something.

I have to say, interacting with my husband yesterday made me *so grateful* I was vaping and not suffering like that (I smoked between 2-3 ppd, he smoked about 1/2 per day) there is NO WAY I could have handled it. None whatsoever, I could barely handle HUSBAND's first day.

I think I need to call this a vape miracle, LOL. And, I'm curious with other vapers... How long have you vaped, and what's the longest stretch you've gone without vaping? Because, this vape thing, when you commit to it, is CRAZY! I'm so happy!

Anna

Sounds like you are doing well with the vape. Good luck.

That early on I couldn't have gone without it. I was a mess. I think it was more about taking my mind off cigs rather than needing a vape though. It was probably a year before I could handle long periods of not vaping without getting edgy. Now I can do it without a problem. On long plane flights I do grab a bottle of nic lozenges.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I have only been off Cigs for around 7 months. When smoking I had a hard time making it an hour at most between cigarettes.

I don't have the same hard to resist urge to vape. I can go a few hours without even thinking about it now. There really has to be something in cigs other than nicotine that is highly addictive.

Whole Tobacco Alcoloids(WTA) have been discussed at ecf for as long as I can remember. And I have been here for almost 7 years. These are what are derived when tobacco is combusted into smoke and often people are addicted to them. You would be surprised at the number of people who use cigarette smoking to self medicate, when addicted to smoking. Very powerful. Do an ecf or google search and educate yourself. This is the stuff BT doesn't tell you.



eta

Nicotine --in and by itself is not any more addicting than caffeine. Studies have proven that.

 

[vapdivrr]

I agree, with cigs I always had to have them, but with vaping, not so much. I started vaping about 7 years ago and haven't had a cig since, I started at 24mg nic and still vape 24mg nic, the thing is, is I have forgotten my vape devices a few times and had to go all day without them and it hasn't been a big deal. I also, purposely stopped vaping a couple days here and there just to see what would happen and it was always easy. It must have been something besides nic in a cig that I was addicted to more then the nic, and that craving has been eliminated. I know I'm still in taking nic, but it doesn't seem to be that hard to stop...... unless the nic cravings only really hit you after like 3 days maybe?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Tonee N]

I agree that now I can go a lot longer, not even thinking about vaping compared to every time I go out of the car, woke up, got bored, talked to my brother. etc.
Now, I take my dog for walks, work on the house/yard for hours without anything. My dog still blows smoke in my face though.

Sent from tomorrow

 

[Verb]

I agree, with cigs I always had to have them, but with vaping, not so much. I started vaping about 7 years ago and haven't had a cig since, I started at 24mg nic and still vape 24mg nic, the thing is, is I have forgotten my vape devices a few times and had to go all day without them and it hasn't been a big deal. I also, purposely stopped vaping a couple days here and there just to see what would happen and it was always easy. It must have been something besides nic in a cig that I was addicted to more then the nic, and that craving has been eliminated. I know I'm still in taking nic, but it doesn't seem to be that hard to stop...... unless the nic cravings only really hit you after like 3 days maybe?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

The more days I'm without nic, I don't get an increase in the urge to use, but the disfunction becomes more apparent. Nicotine is brain lube for me. Keeps me from getting frazzled and scattered. But, no driving urge to use like when I was hooked on smokes.

 

[vapdivrr]

The more days I'm without nic, I don't get an increase in the urge to use, but the disfunction becomes more apparent. Nicotine is brain lube for me. Keeps me from getting frazzled and scattered. But, no driving urge to use like when I was hooked on smokes.

Yepp.....

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Dubminer]

The difference is see between vaping and smoking. Smoking is an immediate high then soon after a low. Vaping is no real high but no real low, just a constant steady effect. Once you get used to the difference then automatically your cravings gradually decrease from when you smoked.

 

[stols001]

That seems to be true. I'm well aware of WTA, as well the NIH (Mental Health) division did a study on *tar* and it, itself, seems to be an MAOI as well... I found the study on Pub Med a few years ago and totally used it to justify my smoking for several years.... MAOIs are pretty much THE MOST POWERFUL antidepressant out there, so as someone who is bipolar, detoxing off that stuff.... Oy. It wasn't pretty. I also considered asking my psychiatrist for Emsam (it's a transdermal MAOI patch) to use in tiny amounts while quitting.... And then I was like, "Don't be an idiot, that's just ridiculous, if you're going to think that way you will FAIL, and also will end up on an ANOTHER MAOI," LOL. I doubt he would have given it to me. Also the reson I never tried Chantix, every doc who I brought it up to told me, "I think you're better off smoking, you'll live longer." They REALLY meant it, too.

We use these old cans of empty American Spirits with a hole cut in the top and water.... We live in Arizona it's REALLY hot... Partway through my quit I noticed an old can was just oozing out of the bottom, in a thick, tarry gel, as it were. I told my husband, "Hey, can I eat that?" You should have seen the look on his face, though I was kidding. Mostly.

You know, my cig usage took off, it seemed to me, once BT started SPRAYING pure nic on its tobacco (not to mention everything else, though we use no additive tobacco) and didn't mention that. The drop off rate after smoking a cigarette got crazier and crazier, and I smoked more and more. It wouldn't shock me at all if some of the nasty stuff was inserted via GMO, so tobacco companies can say they use "no additives." Yeah, it's easy to say that if you can get a boost in some alkaloids and/or humectants, right into the tobacco. Prior to that happening, I smoked a lot less, and quitting was easier. It could have been just... .progression, but it was SUCH a sharp increase in my smoking habits, I really wonder.... Kind of the right time frame for that "enhancement" too, I'd think.

Anna

 

[Skold]

Well done for quitting cigarettes, I'm struggling to quit still & I find I vape alot more than I smoke so gone back up to 18mg.
I have bipolar too! I've had it since high school, it's not easy to cope with and I hope your doing okay! Unfortunately I have more downs than ups
An I found that smoking calmed my nerves when I got upset or angry.
I've been addicted to alot of things and cigarettes are by far the hardest to get off. I haven't smoked as long as some granted, there's people on here who are triple my age. I still class 15 years as a long time though. Problem is I enjoy cigarettes, it's only the cost side of things that make me wanna quit...

Good luck! it is an addiction thats hard to beat & I don't care what people say. It is an addiction & it is still a drug in my opinion.
Two weeks is the hardest part, your over the worse ;D

 

[stols001]

Thanks Skold. Yeah, I'm doing quite fine with my bipolar after trying every drug on the market, and only lithium worked. I tried it fairly young but (rare side effect, which seems to be my thing, drat it), I could LITERALLY see cavities forming, day by day. Over time, most ppl will get more caries than those not on lithium, but for some reason my teeth in particular.... After paying 10K for root canals and whatnot, I decided to quit it. 10 years later and 6 months of suicidal thoughts EVERY year, I finally decided "Brain or teeth? Brain," and had 24 tooth extractions and bone shaving and dentures put in. It was not a fun month, but SO WORTH IT. Every time I complain about my dentures, I remember the time I forgot to shove my lithium in my med box and reverted to suicidal psychosis rather fast. LOL. My family was SO relieved when I figured it out.

The first few times I vaped, I failed. Now that I'm doing it because I *want* to, because of health, and because it's just TIME, it's way easier.

Yes, I'd rather go through some other quits.... Than this one. I fell of the wagon a few times at first, but I just Kept. Vaping. A. Lot, and after some help around here, it got so much easier! The support's really helpful, I'd say it's more like a week since I've had a cigarette, but 2 weeks vaping.... Falling off the wagon actually helped me realize how much I hate cigarettes, LOL

If you're mainly doing it for cost? Well, you can dual use if you want, but maybe you want to start compiling a list of what ELSE you are doing it for, KWIM? I don't think I could have switched to vaping on cost alone.... Vaping may actually BE more expensive than smoking since we didn't buy store bought cigs, but an injector machine and bulk high quality tobacco. I'm not really sure. Don't really care. COPD is expensive, the last time I got pneumonia I spent uh, $300 on doc visits, buying a nebulizer, etc. I can't even imagine what oxygen tanks cost with my plan, nor do I want to find out!

I hope things get, and stay stable for you. Feel free to PM if you want to talk more I was dx in '99 so I have tons of experience..... I've also found re: vaping, returning to some other pursuits like knitting and crafting help keep me busy in front of the TV and not chain vaping... Anything I can do with my hands, I'll pull that stuff out during meetings and everyone knows I'm quitting, so as long as I pay attention? It's fine. And, surprisingly more helpful that I'd considered. My team knows I'm quitting, they don't hassle me, LOL, they WANT me to quit. My supervisor's mom died of lung cancer, she'd probably let me do yoga if it helped (excercise has been my friend these past two weeks) I could just quietly stand on my head while discussing... whatever.

Anna

 

[Skold]

Thanks Skold. Yeah, I'm doing quite fine with my bipolar after trying every drug on the market, and only lithium worked. I tried it fairly young but (rare side effect, which seems to be my thing, drat it), I could LITERALLY see cavities forming, day by day. Over time, most ppl will get more caries than those not on lithium, but for some reason my teeth in particular.... After paying 10K for root canals and whatnot, I decided to quit it. 10 years later and 6 months of suicidal thoughts EVERY year, I finally decided "Brain or teeth? Brain," and had 24 tooth extractions and bone shaving and dentures put in. It was not a fun month, but SO WORTH IT. Every time I complain about my dentures, I remember the time I forgot to shove my lithium in my med box and reverted to suicidal psychosis rather fast. LOL. My family was SO relieved when I figured it out.

The first few times I vaped, I failed. Now that I'm doing it because I *want* to, because of health, and because it's just TIME, it's way easier.

Yes, I'd rather go through some other quits.... Than this one. I fell of the wagon a few times at first, but I just Kept. Vaping. A. Lot, and after some help around here, it got so much easier! The support's really helpful, I'd say it's more like a week since I've had a cigarette, but 2 weeks vaping.... Falling off the wagon actually helped me realize how much I hate cigarettes, LOL

If you're mainly doing it for cost? Well, you can dual use if you want, but maybe you want to start compiling a list of what ELSE you are doing it for, KWIM? I don't think I could have switched to vaping on cost alone.... Vaping may actually BE more expensive than smoking since we didn't buy store bought cigs, but an injector machine and bulk high quality tobacco. I'm not really sure. Don't really care. COPD is expensive, the last time I got pneumonia I spent uh, $300 on doc visits, buying a nebulizer, etc. I can't even imagine what oxygen tanks cost with my plan, nor do I want to find out!

I hope things get, and stay stable for you. Feel free to PM if you want to talk more I was dx in '99 so I have tons of experience..... I've also found re: vaping, returning to some other pursuits like knitting and crafting help keep me busy in front of the TV and not chain vaping... Anything I can do with my hands, I'll pull that stuff out during meetings and everyone knows I'm quitting, so as long as I pay attention? It's fine. And, surprisingly more helpful that I'd considered. My team knows I'm quitting, they don't hassle me, LOL, they WANT me to quit. My supervisor's mom died of lung cancer, she'd probably let me do yoga if it helped (excercise has been my friend these past two weeks) I could just quietly stand on my head while discussing... whatever.

Anna

I find that smoking gives me a tight chest, and also messes up my heart rate but I'm not one of these who likes opening up & I hate people moaning, it does my head in!
I like helping people through things but I don't like attention seeking.
The thing that helps me with my bipolar I cannot mention on here but let's just say you smoke it hahaha!
I'm glad you are doing better now, I still have bad days but I just get my guitar out & write some music. Sorry about your side effects, olanzapine helps me but I've put a lot of weight on.
I have gone back to MTL recently so I won't be on cigarettes for long. Once I get a new nautilus 2 ill be quitting again.
I smashed the glass as well along with the spare glass my Nautilus mini is a bit past it too and rest of my tanks are sub ohm, doesn't help my cravings.