Are we helping or hurting?

[sawlight]

I'm a bit troubled, I've seen a lot of posts in the new members area of late with a lot of comments to the point of "Well, there's just no excuse to smoke now!" Or something to that effect.
I remember back when, where we encouraged new members that if they needed a cig, to have one, but they would eventually get to the point they would be smoking, and grab a vape, then it would click "I like my vape better, why am I sucking on this nasty smelly thing?" and it was done.
I remember the phrase "It's not about how many cigs you smoke, it's about how many you don't smoke!"
So I have to ask and wonder, if we aren't doing more harm than good with this mentality taken now, or were we so wrong back then?
I'm not picking on anyone, I'm just asking how you all got off the analogs and how everyone thinks would be a good way to approach this moving forward.
As a side, I'm still smoking, don't like it, but I'm down to 2-6 sticks a day vs the 2-5 PAD habbit I did have. But if I feel the need to get "over the hump", I don't deny myself, and I find I enjoy the flavor of my vape better. I'm just not "there" quite yet.
I welcome thoughts and comments on this, just trying to get a consensus on how to move forward in helping new members.
Thanks.

 

[Bunnykiller]

no harm done... giving the impression that one can swap to vaping instantly is just plain silly. I would bet more people would go back to smoking if they felt that they couldnt swap over in one day. And yesss... there are the lucky few that can stop ciggies cold turkey and start vaping and not go back to ciggies, but there are many more that cant and require a reduction time of smoking while the vape slowly becomes the only/main source of nic.

I did manage to go ciggie free for a while but it took 2 yrs of vaping to do so...
I still have my morning ciggie with coffie... I started to vape to reduce the amount of smoking ( costs primarily) it takes alot of will power to quit smoking completely if one is really attached to the habit of smoking...

 

[sawlight]

Thank you @Bunnykiller! I've just seen this, more than a few times, so I'm starting to question how I'm doing things.

 

[Chasperk]

The big issue is that what works for one person won't work for another. I was smoking 2+ PAD for 15 years when I bought my first device about a month and a half ago and quit analogs all together the same day.

My father in law on the other hand, smokes 1 PAD, bought a device when I did, and only vapes in between cigs. He has cut the number of cigs, but can't give them up.

So, while it worked for me, I can't tell someone else to just throw the cigs away and only vape. You do you!

 

[ShishkaBerry]

I feel that people are too hard on themselves when quitting, and think having one cig resets the clock. It's OK to stumble if you're willing to get right back up again.
I have the Quit Now app and the one thing I dislike about it is there's no "I cheated" button for when you have one cig, they expect you to reset the app. Sorry, one cig after 5 days of none doesn't put me back where I was with 18 years of smoking lol!
I lit a cig today and the first drag tasted like a dry burn atomizer hit just nasty. I have 5 or 6 left and that's the end of tobacco for me, unless I'm at a party and someone passes me one of those large cigars with the devil's lettuce

 

[MyMagicMist]

Think a lot in our shared world could benefit people reading the below.

I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I,
and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful.
If not, it can't be helped.
(Fritz Perls, "Gestalt Therapy Verbatim", 1969)

This goes in hand with not defining others, or being defined by others. Everyone has freedom in choice and choice is always there. No one may deny your choice unless you choose letting them. You cannot deny anyone else choice either. Here is the path where the way up is also the way down. Getting respect is giving respect. Welcome to living and being human.

Think we move on as we do currently. Lots of vapers seem reflective of the above. Not every smoker becomes a vaper. Not every vaper was, will be a smoker. We as human beings cannot define others. We cannot force our choice on others as much as governments cannot force their choices on us. Thanks for reading.

 

[Layzee Vaper]

I don't think there is a one size fits all solution. People sometimes forget how awkward it was to make the switch, it takes time to find the right equipment, right juice, and right technique so that you can make the swap completely. If you get good advice and decent reliable equipment then it can be relatively easy to swap over, but a lot of people struggle with poor equipment, or perhaps more accurately equipment that does not match their needs. Having the odd ... until you find your feet and no longer want to smoke is a non issue to me.

 

[wheelie]

Took me three months to be smoke free. I had a hard time giving up that one in the morning. Forgot to smoke for three days accidently, so I decided I did not want to start my smoke free count over again so I just quit. Have not had even a puff in three years and know I never can.

I do not think one vape can do it. I always loaded up a second system with higher nic for them rough spots. I no longer do that but I do load up a TFV4 or a tank like it that produces a ton more vape which give more nic because of volume of vape.

I also keep things interesting and always buying new things to keep it interesting for the wife and I. Vaping is a lot of work keeping it interesting and keeping tanks clean and working well. Certainly smoking is easier but I have seen huge health benefits from vaping over the three years.

Everyone has to find there own path and what works for them. I do think if you do have the odd smoke your chances are better going back to smoking than someone who just vapes. But what works for me may not work for the next person. You have to do what you have to do. I do think long term smokers( me 42 years) have and easier time converting over to vape than smokers like less than 10 or 15 years. Us long term smokers could see how the long term was affecting our health.

Good luck to everyone which ever path you choose. CHEERS!

 

[57chilicat]

I got my first e cig in 2006! It has only been in the last three years that I have gotten to the point where I am comfortable with e cigs 99.9% of the time! I still have moments, about three times a year where I will smoke a cigarette and then ask myself why!
Everyone has there own schedule but what matters is every cig we don't smoke!

 

[Hitmetwice]

I do think long term smokers( me 42 years) have and easier time converting over to vape than smokers like less than 10 or 15 years. Us long term smokers could see how the long term was affecting our health.

Agreed, more motivation, more time and money invested trying to improve the experience, experiencing improvements in overall health, feeling and breathing better, realizing just how bad smoke and smokers smell and how I smelled
etc. all helped ME move further away from tobacco. I had 4 or 5 a day for over a year, but the day the doc. told me I had lung disease was the extra motivation I guess I needed to stop completely after a 40 year habit. Cheers.

 

[Deryan3]

It's been 2 years since i quit cigs, I was fortunate to quit cigs all together the same day i started vaping after a 35 yr PAD habit, not every smoker is fortunate to be able to do so. I look to support others to quit. I like the "It's not about how many cigs you smoke, it's about how many you don't smoke!" approach.

 

[Troll from behind]

Quit the fulltime cigs some 4ish years ago, but still now and then smoke one or two.
Absolutism ain't for me.

 

[daleron]

I'm a bit troubled, I've seen a lot of posts in the new members area of late with a lot of comments to the point of "Well, there's just no excuse to smoke now!" Or something to that effect.
I remember back when, where we encouraged new members that if they needed a cig, to have one, but they would eventually get to the point they would be smoking, and grab a vape, then it would click "I like my vape better, why am I sucking on this nasty smelly thing?" and it was done.
I remember the phrase "It's not about how many cigs you smoke, it's about how many you don't smoke!"
So I have to ask and wonder, if we aren't doing more harm than good with this mentality taken now, or were we so wrong back then?
I'm not picking on anyone, I'm just asking how you all got off the analogs and how everyone thinks would be a good way to approach this moving forward.
As a side, I'm still smoking, don't like it, but I'm down to 2-6 sticks a day vs the 2-5 PAD habbit I did have. But if I feel the need to get "over the hump", I don't deny myself, and I find I enjoy the flavor of my vape better. I'm just not "there" quite yet.
I welcome thoughts and comments on this, just trying to get a consensus on how to move forward in helping new members.
Thanks.

Guess I haven't been spending enough time in the New Members forum lately
This is not good as it is discouraging for those having troubles IMHO.

I subscribe to the line "it's not how many you smoke, it's the one's you don't"!

Still Smoking ....

 

[beckdg]

I've always found the new members section to be a cesspool of bad information.

Methinks issues like this or recommending a mech and RDA or 200watt+ device should be grounds for an immediate ban on posting in the new members sub-forum.

No second chances.

Tapatyped

 

[MMW]

I smoked habitually for 24years. I say habitually because the two years prior was randomly decided by availability(age). I am like @wheelie, where the hobby/new stuff has played a big role in almost distracting me from the pains of quitting a habit.

With so many different stories on a forum like this, I never tell others what they should be doing. Harm reduction can be instant or it can be a gradual stepping process. Like stated above, the severity of some folks situation governs things. I didn't have anything immediate or pressing like @Hitmetwice stated.

That said, and I usually don't talk about this here, I also am part of another fellowship for addictions that were of dire nature to immediately cut out. Some of those principles I used for smoking, even though in my situation, it was less severe. I'll have a year August 12th from smoking, and I just had a 3 year anniversary for the other demons in March.

Bottom line is everyone has their own journey and I don't tell folks what they should do in regards to quitting.

 

[jwbnyc]

It took me Two Years to lay off the cigs, after my first ecig.

That was over Four Years ago.

My best advice is, whatever happens, just keep vaping. You will get there if you just keep vaping. Sooner or later. But it doesn't matter: any amount of vaping is better than just smoking.

It's the compare and contrast that does the trick imo.

Everytime I'd vape after a cigarette, I'd feel better, even if it wasn't a very good vape. Eventually it just stuck. And the vape gets better with experience.

Habits are hard to break, cigarette smoking especially so.

But putting conditions on the attempt never ends well.

Being judgemental never ends well.

It takes a certain dogged determination at some point in the process to quit completely.

Or not.

Some may not want to quit completely, and that's fine. Your life. You get to live it the way you want hopefully.

Not my call.

But I'll say it again: Just Keep Vaping.

 

[MikeADore]

I smoked habitually for 24years. I say habitually because the two years prior was randomly decided by availability(age). I am like @wheelie, where the hobby/new stuff has played a big role in almost distracting me from the pains of quitting a habit.

With so many different stories on a forum like this, I never tell others what they should be doing. Harm reduction can be instant or it can be a gradual stepping process. Like stated above, the severity of some folks situation governs things. I didn't have anything immediate or pressing like @Hitmetwice stated.

That said, and I usually don't talk about this here, I also am part of another fellowship for addictions that were of dire nature to immediately cut out. Some of those principles I used for smoking, even though in my situation, it was less severe. I'll have a year August 12th from smoking, and I just had a 3 year anniversary for the other demons in March.

Bottom line is everyone has their own journey and I don't tell folks what they should do in regards to quitting.

Congratulations on both counts. You are inspiring.

 

[sawlight]

I smoked habitually for 24years. I say habitually because the two years prior was randomly decided by availability(age). I am like @wheelie, where the hobby/new stuff has played a big role in almost distracting me from the pains of quitting a habit.

With so many different stories on a forum like this, I never tell others what they should be doing. Harm reduction can be instant or it can be a gradual stepping process. Like stated above, the severity of some folks situation governs things. I didn't have anything immediate or pressing like @Hitmetwice stated.

That said, and I usually don't talk about this here, I also am part of another fellowship for addictions that were of dire nature to immediately cut out. Some of those principles I used for smoking, even though in my situation, it was less severe. I'll have a year August 12th from smoking, and I just had a 3 year anniversary for the other demons in March.

Bottom line is everyone has their own journey and I don't tell folks what they should do in regards to quitting.

Congratulations on both counts. You are inspiring.

Agreed! Congrats on both! The "other" is a huge accomplishment and something to be very proud of! Not many come back from the dark side anymore.

This thread has made me feel better about it. I was just discouraged to read a few posts last night with people saying there was no reason to have a cig.
I'm all for live and let live and do what works for YOU! I didn't say anything to the posters, but I may in the future, I just wanted to get a feel of how the community here felt about it. It's kind of like the other stigmas of vaping. "It's still smoking!" "You have no idea what's in those things!" Etc. Either way, I KNOW it's thousands of times better than the crap I put in my body from a cig!
I also agree that it's hard enough to quit without putting restrictions on ourselves. Myself, I had a bad day yesterday, I was in serious pain and my neighbors wife died, terribly nice lady. He's a chain smoker and in trying to console him, I found it stupid easy to just light up. Today isn't starting much better, just got a call another friends dad passed away last night. They say they come in three's, so I'm waiting for that one. But I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I know I'm doing better, I know I'm trying and I know I'm smoking less. So all I can do is move forward.
Thanks all so far!

 

[crxess]

"What we have here is a Failure to communicate"

Some ex-Smokers have finally found that perfect(for them) Vape and thing that is it and all anyone needs.
Some ex-smokers only smoked for a few years, are young enough to not be addicted yet, were casual smokers or never smoked and easily switched without looking back.

*Both groups have no memory or Idea of the battle of the addicted smoker.

My wife Vapes, uses excellent equipment and e-liquids she very much enjoys.......and still Smoke 3- 04 cigarettes a day>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Stress driven.

We are hear to Assist, Coach, Support and Advise...........Not to decide for others.

everyone have a Great Day

 

[sawlight]

"What we have here is a Failure to communicate"

Some ex-Smokers have finally found that perfect(for them) Vape and thing that is it and all anyone needs.
Some ex-smokers only smoked for a few years, are young enough to not be addicted yet, were casual smokers or never smoked and easily switched without looking back.

*Both groups have no memory or Idea of the battle of the addicted smoker.

My wife Vapes, uses excellent equipment and e-liquids she very much enjoys.......and still Smoke 3- 04 cigarettes a day>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Stress driven.

We are hear to Assist, Coach, Support and Advise...........Not to decide for others.

everyone have a Great Day

Yeah, lots of great points there! I didn't think of it in the ex-alcoholic point of view, but your post kind of brings out that analogy. "I can't drink, I quit drinking, why are you being so stupid that you can't as well!" mentality.