A strange gamble with my addiction

[bluesuede]

I was curious myself so the other morning as I was sitting at my hubby's desk fixing my granddaughter's computer. He had a pack of analogs there. I said to myself, what the heck, and lit one. Tasted rather odd, not good, but not awful either... but still, it did nothing for me. I went over to my own desk and got my e-cig and vaped away happily the rest of the morning. So now I know... And I knocked the pointy-eared little guy off my shoulder and into oblivion! Byeeee!

 

[Uncle Pennybags]

Smoke'em if you got'em.

 

[Connman]

Gulp now you got me thinking.


Ok you do it I`ll do it.


If we do it today we can make a New Years resolution to stop smoking and Know we have a great chance of keeping it.

 

[witakr]

I say smoke one... ONLY ONE... I know you'll hate them.... After only three days of vaping I tried one and they were disgusting to me... Imagine how much more disgusting they will be to you. Try it.. You wont want a second one...

 

[prof beard]

I agree with the Wiz. I'm nearing a year smoke-free (I quit day one of vaping). I get no cravings for cigs, and would regard the "see what one is like" voice as a symptom of residual addiction. Leave well alone I say!

 

[Bogalu]

I never smoked analogs, so I might not have too much input on this but I'll try...

Analogs compared to Hookah:
Analogs - Stink, EXTREMELY Addictive, horrible for you, and can Jedi mind trick you (which I might add your analogs did to you and are currently doing to you as we speak by even "testing" the waters of your kicked analog addiction)
Hookah- Smells good, Addictive, not the worst for you but also far from good for you, tastes great!

Basically my observation based on hookah to E cigs are as follows:
Ecigs - Taste amazing, Addictive, not bad for you (although I'm sure they are not good for you but considering the the alternatives its the lesser of 2 evils)

Even as though I thought my hookah tasted great, I tried it last week and it tasted like BBQ, which might mean a bad batch of shisha tobacco, or that it really does taste bad.

Now if I thought that hookah tasted great, which compared to a cigerette does taste great, then your analog must taste like sour .... So my vote is throw the analogs away and stop the temptation. Although if you must try one, just make sure that no matter what the outcome of it may be, restrain yourself to how much of that single analog you smoke, try a puff, maybe 2, but keep it at that. Don't let you trick yourself into thinking "oh this is aweful, maybe if I smoke a bit more of it it will taste better" cause it can happen, and very easily.

 

[Paranoyed]

I had one cig left and 2 weeks after vaping and not having a single cig I decided to "try it". I loved it, I forgot how easy the draw was I also forgot how truly satisfying it is. I went back in and used my PV for like an hour straight to try and forget how much I loved the ciggarette. I have not bought any more and will not ever try to test myself again. The smell was horrible but the satisfaction was great. My advice would be to not try it at all but hey everyone is different and maybe you will hate it.

 

[Valkerie]

Hubby still smokes. I've been vaping exclusively for 4 months. About two months in I asked for a couple of hits off of his cigarette, expecting it to be awful.

It was glorious.

Scared me enough that I make it a point to leave the room when he smokes. (Very infrequently.)

 

[Katmar]

It's a 50/50 gamble from the replies, I think. I took a few hits and found it disgusting. But my friend found it wonderful.
The choice must be yours, ultimately.

 

[robstc]

I tried one last night from a pack that has been laying around. 3 puffs later I put it out, just doesn't do it for me anymore.

 

[DetroitVapor]

I also quit on day one of vaping. Had the same thought and decided to try an analog a couple of weeks in. Yes, it tasted awful and smelled awful. What I found most odd was that after 20 years of smoking 1-1/2 packs a day, I forgot how to smoke. You hit the cig so different than you hit the ecig it just felt unnatural to me. Two hits and out, and no more since for me.

I wouldn't be afraid of it. In the past when I quite analogs I'd look for any excuse to have one cigarette, then would start smoking again. I've not been looking for excuses, and honestly feel that I enjoy vaping more than I enjoyed smoking. And I loved smoking.

 

[Tracey1]

I loved smoking too. I don't feel the need or desire to have one.
Last evening my husband invited me to sit outside with him while he was having a smoke. I was vaping as he was smoking. The cigarette smelled bad enough while it was burning but the smell after he had finished his cigarette was horrible. I could tolerate it at first because I knew the cigarette would soon be stubbed out but that smell afterwards is worse. I didn't say anything about it but I know our time out there could have been much more enjoyable without that nasty smell. He hits my e-cig every once in a while now so I have high hopes that he will convert sooner or later. No pressure though.
When I smoked I was constantly washing my hands, driving with the windows down, Tic Tacs. I should have bought stock in the company that makes Tic Tacs. Over four months into vaping and I still find Tic Tacs everywhere. Under the furniture, in purses, jackets, pockets etc.
The smell was offensive to me then and I myself was a 2 pack a day smoker.
There have been many times that I've opened my closet recently just to smell how much my clothes don't smell like old rancid cigarette smoke. I like how my clothes smell now.
I'm so much happier. I love not smoking way more than I ever loved smoking.

 

[Turco Chips]

I love not smoking way more than I ever loved smoking.

This statement hits the nail on the head for me. Well said!


TC

 

[Garrell6888]

I...uh...tempted fate. I also know about my smart subconscious

I killed myself again (so to speak)

Im REALLY addicted to cigarettes. Sign me up for some 36mg vape...

 

[redraven]

I agree you'll probably find the taste nasty. If I've been vaping & grab an analog for a nic hit, it tastes awful. (I've been vaping 0 mg).

Personally, I am apparently so used to the feel of an analog... weight, squishyness, whatever... that it feels strange to hold the PV after an analog & I end up with another analog. (Going to get some low nic juice so I'm not going back & forth).

So, it depends on what factors are the biggest issue for you. For some taste is a huge thing, for some it's feel, etc.

I guess I'd say don't tempt fate... And I think, yeah, it could be just a subconscious thing. To me, the physical part of the habit is harder to get rid of than the addiction part. I once quit for a year & a half... Nicotine totally out of my system, everything was going fine... but now & then I'd just want the physical feel of a cig. If you're content with vaping, then I'd say don't give your body/mind the opening to get interested in analogs again. *shrug* (I'm pretty sure most smokers who quit & kept an "emergency pack" around ended up smoking again once they gave in to that "emergency.")

Letting your wife take charge is an interesting idea. Someone who knows you & cares about you can certainly help you get a better perspective. If I were you & my wife said "Okay, have an analog," I think I'd end up refusing just so she wouldn't make a disappointed face. Hehe.

But, ultimately you're the one who has to make those decisions. I'd say... certainly listen to her input. She can help you assess why you might be having a craving in a certain situation or whatever. But, don't depend on her to make decisions. A) Because this is such an individual thing and B) That could be baaaad. LoL. If she says "Sure, here ya go... have a smoke" and you get started smoking analogs again... I can see some conflict happening there. *cringe*

RR

 

[witakr]

I say smoke one... ONLY ONE... I know you'll hate them.... After only three days of vaping I tried one and they were disgusting to me... Imagine how much more disgusting they will be to you. Try it.. You wont want a second one...

After some deliberation I would like to change my answer...

Don't do it. Its not worth the gamble. I gave bad advice and I apologize.

Don't do it.

 

[DC2]

We're with the minority I guess..... DO IT!

If you have the itch, go ahead and scratch it. I've seen story after story of people trying a cig after a month or more of vaping and it's almost always the same result... "tastes like an ashtray smells". I smoked a few in my first two months and found the same thing.

Doing it will let you know how far you've moved away from cigs. If it flat out is gross no enjoyment, then you'll feel that much more confident that you can be put in any situation and as long as you have your PV then you'll be fine. If you get past the ashtray taste pretty quick and it becomes "like old times", then you'll know you need to keep a tighter leash on yourself and understand you're still susceptible to reverting.

Plus, it will get it off your mind. If you don't go ahead and try it, you'll just keep thinking about it and add unneeded stress to your vaping success (like using a higher mg juice or upping the voltage to kill the crave).

This is exactly what I would have said.

 

[DC2]

You're right when you wonder if this isn't a "trick" on your part, as you say.

I don't know how much psychology you've had, but I re-read your post:

"I haven't even craved a cigarette. But I want to put things to the test. I had an opened pack, and I want to try one to see if I even like the taste anymore. But here's the thing. I'm smart, so my subconscious is smart, and I'm wondering if maybe this idea isn't a trick. So, to counter that, I gave the open pack to the wifey, and asked her to decide when I should try one. This way, I'm sure it's not just a subconscious desire to smoke again.

What do you think? Good idea? Bad?"

So, since you asked, some simple psychological observations.

Plenty of people here mix analogs and e-cigs, as they wish, for as long as they wish, in whatever proportion they wish. Plenty of people like you -- and me -- give up analogs with their first e-cig and never smoke another analog. Everybody's different.

I was a 45+ years 2 pack a day, full-flavor, 100mm smoker. LOVED smoking.

To my astonishment, I quit analogs the minute my V4L kit arrived! Hadn't planned to quit -- just got interested when somebody gave me a puff, so I ordered. Others here report the same thing. Stopped analogs immediately.

I LOVE vaping!

I don't mind being around analog smokers at all. I like to drink too (gave my remaining four cartons of analogs to my bartender). I just prefer vaping to smoking. That simple.

The "trick" you mention is exactly that, psychologically.

It's gamey as hell to involve your "wifey" and make HER "responsible" for "when I should try one." Not "if" but "when," you say. Sounds like your "smart" unconscious has already made the not-smart decision to undermine you by placing the "tempting" or "curious" analogs in her hands.

If she's smart, she'll hand them right back to you and say, "No thanks, buster. This is YOUR game with yourself. I'm not playing. You want to try analogs -- try 'em. It's got nothing to do with me. I love you either way. I loved you as a smoker, I love you as a vaper, and I'll love you if you mix 'em up. I'm not your parent."

NOW, you've involved not only her but US in this little "good idea, bad idea" game. Which is fine. That's what the forum's here for. Honest observations and sharing experiences.

As others have said, do whatever you want. Smoke an analog or don't.

It's the gaminess of all this -- and frankly the childishness of it, like all self-destructive subconscious games -- that gives your subconscious self-undermining tactic away. Or should, if you're as "smart" as you say.

You're a grown man. What you do is YOUR choice and responsibility. This "trick" you're playing on yourself, your wife, and others (by asking if it's a "good idea or bad" to "test" yourself with an analog) is not adult behavior.

We've all done it at some time or another. The REAL trick is to see it for what it is and lovingly tell your inner undermining child to either buzz off or grow up.

Like vaping? Vape.

Like smoking? Smoke.

Like mixing 'em? Mix 'em.

Everybody's different and it's all okay.

That'll be $200, please. You're welcome.

Wow, that was worth more than $200 if you ask me!

 

[martha1014]

I say go ahead and try one. I think you will realize you have not missed anything and find the taste and smell have changed. One thing I found was how small a cigarette was. It felt rather strange in my hand. I started coughing and gasping for breath. This will definitely teach you and make you realize how bad they are.

I think this will stop you from thinking you were missing something. Smoking a cigarette after a few months of vaping made me realize I didn't want to smoke anymore and wasn't missing anything.

If you don't go ahead and smoke one you will go on thinking you are missing something. One cigarette will not hurt anything.

 

[redraven]

One cigarette will not hurt anything.

That's the thought of every single smoker who has quit & started again.

(No offense... just sayin' - One can make a difference... depends on the person. As some people said, they had one & hated it. Others had one & were tempted).

RR