Are we helping or hurting?

[MikeADore]

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!

Sorry about all the upset in your life. I don't think it's unusual to want to have a cigarette under those circumstances. After all, if you're like me, smoking is like an old friend. Granted, it's a destructive and unhealthy friend, but it has been there for us for many years. The great thing is that you know this is not something you will want to continue. We all just need to be vigilant and not let smoking creep back into our lives to stay. I'm betting that, as we get more distance from our smoking habits, the urge to grab one, even in hard times, will lessen.

I'm only about two and a half-months on this journey. I still have fleeting moments where I find myself reaching for a cigarette, especially after meals. It's like I forget for a moment that I've quit. The good news is that I've managed to avoid smoking. I've said on here that I quit smoking by accident, and it's true. I was curious about vaping, and when my doctor recommended it, I thought it was worth investing less than the cost of a carton of cigarettes for an iStick Basic to try out. Unbelievably, I haven't smoked another cigarette, and that's after a 48-year habit that had built to almost 2 PAD. If I had actually entered into this with the idea that I was going to quit smoking, I'm sure it would have been quite a bit harder. The human brain is a weird and wonderful thing, isn't it?

Don't be discouraged or feel like you've lost your way by smoking a couple cigarettes. I say that because I would have to fight off those feelings if I smoked right now. We all have our own path, and yours has been very successful so far.

 

[sawlight]

Thank you @MikeADore, I'm alright and will survive. I was more concerned about the message some of us might be sending to new members here, and how to go about it in the future. As in "Am I wrong for telling them it's alright to have a cig if they really feel they need one?" after reading some of the posts I've seen.
Seems to be most so far, are agreeing with my approach, do what you need to do and don't beat yourself up about it.

 

[MMW]

Great thread!

 

[IMFire3605]

Thank you @MikeADore, I'm alright and will survive. I was more concerned about the message some of us might be sending to new members here, and how to go about it in the future. As in "Am I wrong for telling them it's alright to have a cig if they really feel they need one?" after reading some of the posts I've seen.
Seems to be most so far, are agreeing with my approach, do what you need to do and don't beat yourself up about it.

I used to view over the new members section and post more often than I do now in that section. I myself seen several months ago the newer crowd of not veterans but high post count members with less than 3months registered giving new members asking advice very bad advice. I got tired of the private message battles or have to bite my tongue not to post something to get a lashing from the Mods/Admins. I generally troll around, not the bad trolling but like trolling fishing, between general and new members, piping in on subjects that catch my attention or I see bad information about safety is concerned. Yet still I when I replied to new members that were worried about they couldn't put the stinkies down after only a week in, my replies were either have an emergency setup with higher nic in it, but try vaping first, then move to smoking a stinky, eventually you will ween yourself off the stinkies all together, if not look into WTA and NET liquids which have other alkaloids normal liquids don't.

Myself I was a 1 1/2 PAD to at the end 1pouch a day RYO for 23years by the time I started picking up vaping, I have a very addictive personality, next to my kicking a drug problem back in my mid-20s (2nd hardest thing I ever did in my life), quitting smoking took me "10" years of various tricks before picking up vaping, and even then it took me about 2 1/2 weeks to finish up buying cigs and finish up my last pack. That is not to say, very, very, very high stress situations I'll bum a cig here or there, on average I've smoked maybe 6 cigs a year since I've been full time vaping. What gets me during those high stress incidents is not so much the taste of the cigarette, but it is the cocktail inside, the flame of a lighter, and the smell when the urge hits when someone else sparks up next to me.

 

[jacob bonilla]

if you need a cig then smoke one. the purpose of vaping is to stop smoking cigs if you really want to stop then make an effort to try if you don't then nothing people can do to stop you. the vaping community has a wide variety when it comes to age so I'm sure there is someone in your age group to give advice or to make you feel like this isn't just for the younger crowd. to me wheening people off cigs slowly is by far a better approach then telling someone they shouldn't smoke cigs once vaping. to me telling someone not to smoke when having a craving and they feel like they really need one is more harm then telling them not too have one.

 

[sawlight]

I used to view over the new members section and post more often than I do now in that section. I myself seen several months ago the newer crowd of not veterans but high post count members with less than 3months registered giving new members asking advice very bad advice. I got tired of the private message battles or have to bite my tongue not to post something to get a lashing from the Mods/Admins. I generally troll around, not the bad trolling but like trolling fishing, between general and new members, piping in on subjects that catch my attention or I see bad information about safety is concerned. Yet still I when I replied to new members that were worried about they couldn't put the stinkies down after only a week in, my replies were either have an emergency setup with higher nic in it, but try vaping first, then move to smoking a stinky, eventually you will ween yourself off the stinkies all together, if not look into WTA and NET liquids which have other alkaloids normal liquids don't.

Myself I was a 1 1/2 PAD to at the end 1pouch a day RYO for 23years by the time I started picking up vaping, I have a very addictive personality, next to my kicking a drug problem back in my mid-20s (2nd hardest thing I ever did in my life), quitting smoking took me "10" years of various tricks before picking up vaping, and even then it took me about 2 1/2 weeks to finish up buying cigs and finish up my last pack. That is not to say, very, very, very high stress situations I'll bum a cig here or there, on average I've smoked maybe 6 cigs a year since I've been full time vaping. What gets me during those high stress incidents is not so much the taste of the cigarette, but it is the cocktail inside, the flame of a lighter, and the smell when the urge hits when someone else sparks up next to me.

I'm using NET's myself, I wasn't getting the "instant gratification" I needed from regular juice.

 

[MMW]

"instant gratification"

 

[ddirtyvapes]

I have been vaping for more than six years and still can't say I'm totally done with smoking. I probably have about half a pack total a year when I drink, which is obviously rarely. The next time I'm going out, I'm going to make sure I have some Black Note on hand (which I can't really afford but I'll figure it out). I gotta do what I gotta do, you gotta do what you gotta do. Frankly if I continued to have those cigarettes it's no one's business, nor does anyone get to say how easy or hard something is or should be for me to do. Or not do, as it were.

I'm not being critical of anyone in particular either, but the people who take such a hard line against smoking seem (to me) to not fully understand that addiction to nicotine is as serious as any other and that people have to make their own decisions and take their own journeys. That people become addicted to cigarettes themselves when they can get nicotine elsewhere should be no surprise. Addicts often become obsessed with the ritual, and while vaping is an excellent approximation, no one here can honestly say it's exactly the same. Of course, many would say that vaping is better... but again, no one really gets to say that for someone else. I've had some pretty tasty veggie burgers, but they're not beef.

Maybe that's not the best analogy, because I love vaping more than I ever loved smoking and more than I love veggie burgers. On the other hand, if each time I had a burger, instead I had one made of vegetables, I'd probably be healthier. Just like our friends who are still smoking more often than not.

I'm rambling, but it's pretty simple for me. I know too much about addiction both in theory and in practice to judge where someone else is at. I would think most people here should, but what are you going to do. I would tend to agree that the judgment is fruitless, though, and if it has no real point then it just comes across as mean. Every cigarette not smoked is a victory.

 

[7sixtwo]

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...

I swapped to vaping instantly. I guess I'm just superior.

j/k friends , (about being superior, I did switch entirely from smoking 1 PAD to vaping one day). However, I always encourage people who are thinking of vaping, (I speak with many while driving for Lyft in the evenings), and I tell them; "Look; you don't have to quit smoking immediately, just see how much vaping helps you cut down on your daily cig habit, and sooner than you think, you'll quit smoking completely!"

 

[YoursTruli]

Thank you @MikeADore, I'm alright and will survive. I was more concerned about the message some of us might be sending to new members here, and how to go about it in the future. As in "Am I wrong for telling them it's alright to have a cig if they really feel they need one?" after reading some of the posts I've seen.
Seems to be most so far, are agreeing with my approach, do what you need to do and don't beat yourself up about it.

Who is to say who is right as each is just an opinion.
If people ask questions on here that is what they are going to get, opinions. As this forum consist of a very diverse groups of individuals so will the opinions be and if you feel the need to challenge someone's opinion expect the same courtesy in return, forums are like that.
I do not see why people get so caught up in going after others on here, if someone says something you disagree with state your opinion, and or facts to counter it, then (hopefully) let it go and try not to take it as a personal challenge.

 

[rgerber]

Ahhhh, finally one I can add some personal insight being 76 years old and cranky. I was a cigar and pipe smoker for almost 60 years. I was an alcoholic for 22 of those years. The fact that I didn't believe I was a drunk was what kept me with that monster. As it turned out, I had two monsters. The Tobacco Monster and The Alcohol Monster. I finally faced the booze issue in 1977, before many of your were born. What I have learned is that the Alcohol Monster continues to live in many of us. Even today I'll hear him whisper in my ear, "Dickie! We're okay now you know. What say we stop by the cigar store and pick up a few Macanudos. Hell, as long as we getting some cigars, what say we stop at Mike Liquor and pick up some single malt scotch." Even right now, that sounds pretty good. The problem for me and others like me is, we can't just have one drink. Oh sure...the Monster says we can but he lies to me. On the other hand The Tobacco Monster is content to leave me alone for the last two years with a combination of 50/50 24 mgs. The fact is, I really haven't had a tobacco craving since I started vaping. Now that has done nothing for the fact that I'm cranky.....but...I am still sober, don't burn holes everywhere I go and smell a whole lot better.

My feelings about smoking one once in a while is if ya gotta...ya gotta. I am confident one cigar or pipe full would not make me have to start over. But, letting the Alcohol Monster back in would. He always invited EVERYONE to the party and who was I to say no.
Thanks for letting The Cranky Old Squonker rant......

 

[7sixtwo]

...Maybe that's not the best analogy, because I love vaping more than I ever loved smoking and more than I love veggie burgers. On the other hand, if each time I had a burger, instead I had one made of vegetables, I'd probably be healthier. Just like our friends who are still smoking more often than not...

It's not the best analogy because despite all the idiotic dietary misinformation out there, fatty beef is much better for you than veggie "burgers", assuming you don't force your pancreas to dump a bunch of insulin into your system by also consuming a crapload of sugars, which unfortunately for them, most people do.

Anyway, your greater point is taken, and I agree. I'm a former smoker, not an anti-smoker, and every person's journey is different.

 

[ddirtyvapes]

Good thing I don't bother with veggie burgers anyway.

 

[7sixtwo]

Good thing I don't bother with veggie burgers anyway.

Indeed. Your body, (and your palette), thank you.

Just look at vegans. They're constantly angry, (and all look emaciated), because they don't feed their bodies properly.

 

[sawlight]

Who is to say who is right as each is just an opinion.
If people ask questions on here that is what they are going to get, opinions. As this forum consist of a very diverse groups of individuals so will the opinions be and if you feel the need to challenge someone's opinion expect the same courtesy in return, forums are like that.
I do not see why people get so caught up in going after others on here, if someone says something you disagree with state your opinion, and or facts to counter it, then (hopefully) let it go and try not to take it as a personal challenge.

I'm very sorry you took it this way, that was not my intent. I just wanted to get a consensus of other peoples thoughts, not attack anyone in in any way.
Even when I quit vaping I did all I could to encourage others to take it up, and have converted several people. I believe in it, even if it's not working that well for my situation.
But I had no intention of singling out anyone, or starting a flame war.

 

[rico942]

I am confident one cigar or pipe full would not make me have to start over. But, letting the Alcohol Monster back in would.

Well said, my sentiments precisely ...

That being said, smoker shaming is a despicable practice, and I doubt that it has ever been effective as a tobacco cessation tool ...

I hated it as a victim, and refuse to be a perpetrator ...

 

[rgerber]

Well said, my sentiments precisely ...

That being said, smoker shaming is a despicable practice, and I doubt that it has ever been effective as a tobacco cessation tool ...

I hated it as a victim, and refuse to be a perpetrator ...

Amen!

 

[Robino1]

Even if one smokes a cig or three a day, it is Still harm reduction.

The vets from a few years ago, have found interests in other parts of the forum, and tend not to visit the new members section as much. Now it is more of a case of new members helping new members. We need to spend more time in that area.

I remember being new and seeing that phrase: Don't count the ones you have, count the ones you don't have. I took that to heart and still, to this day, use that phrase when I come across a struggling new vaper.

If new members don't see us typing these encouraging remarks, how do they learn to use them, themselves?

Saw, I agree with your opening post. We do need to help people think more of the journey and not so much forcing the goal too hard.

Good thread

 

[Lessifer]

Thank you @MikeADore, I'm alright and will survive. I was more concerned about the message some of us might be sending to new members here, and how to go about it in the future. As in "Am I wrong for telling them it's alright to have a cig if they really feel they need one?" after reading some of the posts I've seen.
Seems to be most so far, are agreeing with my approach, do what you need to do and don't beat yourself up about it.

Even if one smokes a cig or three a day, it is Still harm reduction.

The vets from a few years ago, have found interests in other parts of the forum, and tend not to visit the new members section as much. Now it is more of a case of new members helping new members. We need to spend more time in that area.

I remember being new and seeing that phrase: Don't count the ones you have, count the ones you don't have. I took that to heart and still, to this day, use that phrase when I come across a struggling new vaper.

If new members don't see us typing these encouraging remarks, how do they learn to use them, themselves?

Saw, I agree with your opening post. We do need to help people think more of the journey and not so much forcing the goal too hard.

Good thread

Alright, you've shamed me enough, I'll start spending time in the new members forum again... I've been doing better lately, sometimes I click New Posts instead of just Watched Threads...

Our journeys and our destinations are our own, all we can do for each other is offer encouragement along the way. I was one of the lucky ones who quit smoking almost instantly, but I've never looked down on anyone who was struggling, or anyone who didn't actually WANT to quit smoking.

 

[sawlight]

Even if one smokes a cig or three a day, it is Still harm reduction.

The vets from a few years ago, have found interests in other parts of the forum, and tend not to visit the new members section as much. Now it is more of a case of new members helping new members. We need to spend more time in that area.

I remember being new and seeing that phrase: Don't count the ones you have, count the ones you don't have. I took that to heart and still, to this day, use that phrase when I come across a struggling new vaper.

If new members don't see us typing these encouraging remarks, how do they learn to use them, themselves?

Saw, I agree with your opening post. We do need to help people think more of the journey and not so much forcing the goal too hard.

Good thread

Thank you dear, that really means a lot to me!