Hi everyone! I'm glad to be here. I've been vaping on and off for over three years now. I started on the Greensmokes and was determined to finally kick the nasties, but they only worked for about a month. The first time I was out with friends and my battery died, that was it. Then I switched to the eGo-C after being recommended by a friend. They were better, but still not good enough. I'm sure part of it had to do with being in grad school and under tremendous amounts of pressure. Still, even that felt like an excuse, valid as it was.
I graduated this past May and kept telling myself "ok, no more excuses." I knew if I didn't get off the cigs soon I would just keep on building up new patterns and finding new reasons to stay on them for another week, month, whatever. Smoking runs deep on one side of my family -- the same side that has a lot of premature deaths due to emphysema and heart disease. I have a fantastic degree that has trained me to do the job that I love. I have a loving family, great friends, and a lot of reasons to live a long and rich life. Still, for whatever reason, I kept buying those packs.
Finally, one day about two weeks ago, I didn't buy that next pack. I kept saying to myself I would, but I ended up working through most of the night and just went to bed. "I'll get 'em in the morning", I thought. The morning came and went, and I didn't go to the smoke shop. I picked up my old eGo and started puffing on it. It wasn't great, but it was just enough to get me through. I was working on a large project with a tight deadline, so keeping myself occupied wasn't an issue.
Finally, I walked into a local vape shop and bought a brand new setup: An itaste vv with a Nautilus mini tank and a few juices. On my way home, I spied another vape store and stopped again. I waked out with an itaste SVD, a regular Nautilus, and a few new juices. The next day, I found myself on a website for a place that's near my hometown (mtbakervapors) and bought some Hawk Sauce (delicious, and just in time for American football season). A few days later, I stopped in at a Vape store in Hollywood while walking around with a friend and bought a few more bottles of juice.
And somehow, miraculously, through all of that... I didn't buy any cigarettes. I started watching Rip Tripper videos and fiddling with my setups to get that great cloud. I washed out my ashtray and put it away. I sat outside on my porch swing (one of my favorite smoking spots) and vaped away. I went for a drive (the one activity I've always thought I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO SMOKE) and marveled at how wonderful it is to be able to keep my windows up and blast the AC in this SoCal heat. I watched two of my favorite movies in a row and didn't have to pause to get up and go outside to slowly kill myself.
I can walk up my stairs without catching my breath. I don't smell like a bowling alley. And this is probably the most amazing part: I don't. Want. Cigarettes.
I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but I've tried quitting a dozen times in the last several years and it was always horrific. The first few days there were moments, but they're gone. I don't miss it. I don't pine for it. I just don't even really think about it -- except to be grateful for the fact that this looks to be the end of my smoking days.
I'm grateful also for this forum and for all of you on it. We are proof. We are science. vaping works. It's better for us. It may have some health drawbacks, but it's certainly ridiculously better than inhaling 3000 chemicals 200+ times per day. Naysayers will whine and complain and be skeptical, but it doesn't matter. We are saving our own lives, one GIANT GLORIOUS VAPE CLOUD at a time.
Thanks for reading this, if you made it to the end. And, I'm looking forward to getting to know you and sharing this journey with you.
Cheers!
R
I graduated this past May and kept telling myself "ok, no more excuses." I knew if I didn't get off the cigs soon I would just keep on building up new patterns and finding new reasons to stay on them for another week, month, whatever. Smoking runs deep on one side of my family -- the same side that has a lot of premature deaths due to emphysema and heart disease. I have a fantastic degree that has trained me to do the job that I love. I have a loving family, great friends, and a lot of reasons to live a long and rich life. Still, for whatever reason, I kept buying those packs.
Finally, one day about two weeks ago, I didn't buy that next pack. I kept saying to myself I would, but I ended up working through most of the night and just went to bed. "I'll get 'em in the morning", I thought. The morning came and went, and I didn't go to the smoke shop. I picked up my old eGo and started puffing on it. It wasn't great, but it was just enough to get me through. I was working on a large project with a tight deadline, so keeping myself occupied wasn't an issue.
Finally, I walked into a local vape shop and bought a brand new setup: An itaste vv with a Nautilus mini tank and a few juices. On my way home, I spied another vape store and stopped again. I waked out with an itaste SVD, a regular Nautilus, and a few new juices. The next day, I found myself on a website for a place that's near my hometown (mtbakervapors) and bought some Hawk Sauce (delicious, and just in time for American football season). A few days later, I stopped in at a Vape store in Hollywood while walking around with a friend and bought a few more bottles of juice.
And somehow, miraculously, through all of that... I didn't buy any cigarettes. I started watching Rip Tripper videos and fiddling with my setups to get that great cloud. I washed out my ashtray and put it away. I sat outside on my porch swing (one of my favorite smoking spots) and vaped away. I went for a drive (the one activity I've always thought I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO SMOKE) and marveled at how wonderful it is to be able to keep my windows up and blast the AC in this SoCal heat. I watched two of my favorite movies in a row and didn't have to pause to get up and go outside to slowly kill myself.
I can walk up my stairs without catching my breath. I don't smell like a bowling alley. And this is probably the most amazing part: I don't. Want. Cigarettes.
I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but I've tried quitting a dozen times in the last several years and it was always horrific. The first few days there were moments, but they're gone. I don't miss it. I don't pine for it. I just don't even really think about it -- except to be grateful for the fact that this looks to be the end of my smoking days.
I'm grateful also for this forum and for all of you on it. We are proof. We are science. vaping works. It's better for us. It may have some health drawbacks, but it's certainly ridiculously better than inhaling 3000 chemicals 200+ times per day. Naysayers will whine and complain and be skeptical, but it doesn't matter. We are saving our own lives, one GIANT GLORIOUS VAPE CLOUD at a time.
Thanks for reading this, if you made it to the end. And, I'm looking forward to getting to know you and sharing this journey with you.
Cheers!
R
