Anybody feel like they are "Missing a friend"?

[D133]

I agree with gooney0 in that I enjoyed the first puff or two from a cigarette but after that I was just smoking for the sake of it - to get my money's worth. Bizarrely, once I had less than half a pack left I seemed to speed up in order to finish them so I could get a new pack - the worry of running out I suppose, but also a sign of serious addiction.
I can relate to the "loss" factor, the feeling of relaxation analogs provided, but using the 3.7V mods I have found a good replacement, I'm quite happy now using an e-cig. Perhaps when outside a pub I still feel a desire to fit in and light a cigarette (habit, plus using a less powerful e-cig), but I've avoided the temptation. The accomplishment of going another day without lighting up helps, plus the fact I know I wouldn't enjoy the taste of an analog.

 

[cliff5550]

Anybody feel like they are "Missing a friend"?
Smoked that crap for more than 40 years. The answer is - NO!

 

[Vex444]

Im suprised it was as easy as it was to switch. In the beginning I thought about analogs but as time went buy It never really enters my mind. The transition for me has been wonderful.

 

[LadyDee]

Back in high school I met this guy. He was unlike anyone else I had ever met. He was sexy, crazy and cool. Best of all my parents didn't want me anywhere near him. His name was cigarettes.

It started off casual. We had mutual friends and hung out on the weekends. He was exciting and fun, but I didn't want to get too serious. I went off to college and he followed. Still i told myself it wasn't that serious. I ever tried to break it off, but I couldn't. He had gotten under my skin.

So we stayed together for the next 20something years. I knew he was bad for me. He spent all my money and made me feel terrible about myself. But he also always knew how to make me feel better. When I was sad, scared, angry, happy... he was always there and knew exactly what to do.

I tried to break it off a few times over the years but I always ran back to him.

Then I met a new guy. I wasn't sure about him at first. I got to know him slowly. The more I learned about him the more I liked him. He was sexy and cool in a different way then cigarettes. I was falling in love.

Well I finally broke it off with cigarettes. It was hard, though not as hard as it had been in the past. I do miss him though sometimes. I ran into him recently though. I was glad to see him. I was having a bad day and knew that cigarettes were always good at cheering me up. We talked for a few minutes, but I have to admit it wasn't the same. The old magic we once had was not quite there anymore.

I think this time the breakup will stick!

 

[sherid]

I've been vaping for about 2 1/2 weeks now, and smoked a few cigarettes a day for the first few days, partly because I had a craving for one and partly because I didn't actually want to quit smoking. I'm not sure exactly what day it was, but at some point I just simply didn't smoke any more. I love vaping, and I now can't stand the taste or smell of a cigarette, but I still "miss" smoking.

For the last 15 years of my life, cigarettes have always been there for me. Anytime I was angry, sad, happy, tired, whatever, my cigarettes were always right there to see me through. Now I sit here and look at a half empty pack that has been on the table for over a week, and I feel like I should say goodbye, but I can't. I kind of feel like I'm ditching a faithful friend who, even though he had his faults, was always there when I needed him, for someone I just met on a street corner. Surely I'm not alone?

I'm sure at least most of us here love vaping probably as much as we ever loved smoking, but do you ever miss it? I know some people must think I'm weird for considering these tar infested cancer sticks a friend in a sense, but surely others know exactly what I mean.

I just tried one again about an hour ago, just to say hello, but couldn't make it to a second drag. The taste and smell repulsed me too much to continue. I suppose this is a testament to how addictive these things are, and how much they get in your head. I know they are bad for me and would kill me if given the chance, but they are still that guy, who's faults I knew when I befriended him, who was always there, and I just kicked him to the curb.

I just feel like there is a part of me that left with that last smoke, that I will never get back.

I feel exactly the same as you. The only difference is that I still smoke at least one per day, and that is one of the major reasons. I never have gotten to where they taste bad though.

 

[sherid]

I have never felt bad about smoking, not now and never in the past. When I was going through an agonizingly long and painful divorce, there were nights when I did not sleep at all. If I had not had something to comfort me, I believe I would have died. Smoking filled that bill. When I was uncomfortable in a social setting, smoking was a diversion, and my shyness disappeared. In college, I loved the feeling of rebellion that smoking gave me. On long drives, I could keep from falling asleep from boredom by lighting a cig. I could also count off the miles as I allowed myself a cigarette at certain intervals. At a bar, there is no better combination than a cigarette and a drink. That is why I detest smoking bans so much. Now, I have to seek a place that chooses to defy the smoking ban rather than a place that I simply enjoy. It's not the same. I started vaping out of defiance of the ban and have come to love it as it mostly replaces my 40 year smoking habit. BUT, I still love smoking, still intend to reward myself with some cigarettes, and make absolutely no apologies to anyone for doing so.

 

[bifff257]

I'm not against smoking, I'm against having to smoke a pack a day. The cigarettes I enjoyed were worth the price.

The problem was the other 15-20 cigarettes I felt I needed to smoke but didn't really enjoy.

That is exactly how I feel, well said....

BUT, I still love smoking, still intend to reward myself with some cigarettes, and make absolutely no apologies to anyone for doing so.

I think it is awesome the number of people who have quit anologs, but were you are at is not a bad place to be either.....

 

[Antha]

Back in high school I met this guy. He was unlike anyone else I had ever met. He was sexy, crazy and cool. Best of all my parents didn't want me anywhere near him. His name was cigarettes.

It started off casual. We had mutual friends and hung out on the weekends. He was exciting and fun, but I didn't want to get too serious. I went off to college and he followed. Still i told myself it wasn't that serious. I ever tried to break it off, but I couldn't. He had gotten under my skin.

So we stayed together for the next 20something years. I knew he was bad for me. He spent all my money and made me feel terrible about myself. But he also always knew how to make me feel better. When I was sad, scared, angry, happy... he was always there and knew exactly what to do.

I tried to break it off a few times over the years but I always ran back to him.

Then I met a new guy. I wasn't sure about him at first. I got to know him slowly. The more I learned about him the more I liked him. He was sexy and cool in a different way then cigarettes. I was falling in love.

Well I finally broke it off with cigarettes. It was hard, though not as hard as it had been in the past. I do miss him though sometimes. I ran into him recently though. I was glad to see him. I was having a bad day and knew that cigarettes were always good at cheering me up. We talked for a few minutes, but I have to admit it wasn't the same. The old magic we once had was not quite there anymore.

I think this time the breakup will stick!

Right there with you. Very good, well-written analogy.