At what point is somebody really a non smoker?

[Davey59]

Have I quit smoking? or am I still quitting? at what point is somebody actually a non smoker?

Bought my last pack on 7/14/14 last cigarette smoked was a few days later. Still have an unopened pack. Not ready to throw it out or give it away. Not sure if it because I think I may want one, or that I spent 8 bucks on it.

 

[rondasherrill]

From a psychological point of view, I would say you are "officially" a non-smoker the second you find yourself ready to get rid of that pack. That is, the moment you know for yourself that you don't NEED to hold onto that pack.

That having been said, you are doing great, and if you feel like you are a non-smoker, then you are one. The last remaining remnants of cigarettes have been out of your body over a month now, and the healing process has begun for your nose, your taste buds, your lungs, everything.

 

[Buggainok]

My personal opinion is that if you don't smoke cigarettes, you are by definition a non-smoker. The day I got my starter kit, I stopped smoking cigarettes, and haven't lit up since. I told all my family and friends that I quit smoking, which in effect is what I did.

 

[dragonpuff]

From a psychological point of view, I would say you are "officially" a non-smoker the second you find yourself ready to get rid of that pack. That is, the moment you know for yourself that you don't NEED to hold onto that pack.

I've had the same half-pack of smokes in my freezer for the last 8 months. Am I still a smoker if I don't smoke them?

I say you're a non-smoker if you no longer smoke. Period.

 

[Rickajho]

Relax. You're still new to this - the idea that you actually can quit and stay quit this time.

Look, it took me a full three months to completely lose a 30 year 2 PAD habit. Even after I smoked my last cigarette from my last pack I still didn't put up that banner in my signature until a few months later. I wanted to be sure it actually meant something and I wasn't just blowing smoke. (Sorry...) Haven't had one since and don't want one either.

As long as you have a genuine desire to quit you get to decide when it's officially over for yourself.

 

[rondasherrill]

I've had the same half-pack of smokes in my freezer for the last 8 months. Am I still a smoker if I don't smoke them?

I say you're a non-smoker if you no longer smoke. Period.

Do you still feel a NEED to keep that pack "just in case"? If so, I would disagree. Just like an alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, regardless of quitting, because they will always have that attachment.It's not a bad thing. Quitting is still a great thing.

 

[zoiDman]

Have I quit smoking? or am I still quitting? at what point is somebody actually a non smoker?

Bought my last pack on 7/14/14 last cigarette smoked was a few days later. Still have an unopened pack. Not ready to throw it out or give it away. Not sure if it because I think I may want one, or that I spent 8 bucks on it.

In my Opinion, you are a Non-Smoker Until you Smoke again.

So if you haven't Smoked a Cigarette in 3 Days, you have been a Non-Smoker for 3 Days.

 

[K_Tech]

I finished my last pack the morning after I got my first setup in the mail. I am an ex-smoker.

 

[NewellVW]

It is exactly like being an alcoholic. Trust me, I know. One Day At A Time! Every morning that I wake up and feel good I tell myself " TODAY I am not going to smoke/drink " tomorrow I don't know but today is good! One day at a time my friends. Just remember, it's the best thing that ever happened to you.
Good luck and Happy Vaping!

 

[supertrunker]

Something about chicken dinner springs to mind, but Zoid's logic is impeccable!

T

 

[B2L]

I knew I was no longer a smoker about 2 months after I started vaping when I was offered a cigarette and didn't have to think twice about turning it down.

The times I had quit before, the longest being about 3 weeks, just seeing someone smoke was excruciating and would set off horrible cravings.

That's when I knew I was a vaper.

 

[bulldog63h]

You became a non-smoker "a few days later." Congrats. It isn't easy.

 

[AzPlumber]

You will always be a recovering smoker

I still have an unopened pack of smokes from three years ago. I suppose It's kinda like an accomplishment trophy.

 

[imsoenthused]

I think I'll always be a smoker. Even if I'm not smoking anymore. I don't think the psychological part of that will ever really go away. I mean, I still have the habbit, even if the particulars have changed. I'm not referring at all to a legal stand point, just that I still "feel" like a smoker. That's personal to me though, and I'd never apply it to anyone else. I guess for me it comes down to if they banned vaping tomorrow, and Gestapo kicked down my door and took all my gear, would I be buying cigarettes again? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, and as long as it is I don't think I'll be able to self identity as a non-smoker.

 

[rurwin]

So far as everyone else is concerned, you are a non-smoker as soon as you stop smoking.

So far as you yourself are concerned, you are a recovering smoker until you know you've smoked your last cigarette.

I haven't smoked for almost a year. So far as my doctor, fiance, etc. care, I am a non-smoker. If they banned e-cigs tomorrow... it would be tough, but I might pull through. Give me another year and I'll probably be clear.

Of course there are those who say anyone partaking of nicotine is a smoker, but you don't need to listen to them.

 

[PLANofMAN]

You will always be a recovering smoker

I still have an unopened pack of smokes from three years ago. I suppose It's kinda like an accomplishment trophy.

 

[tj99959]

From a psychological point of view, I would say you are "officially" a non-smoker the second you find yourself ready to get rid of that pack. That is, the moment you know for yourself that you don't NEED to hold onto that pack.

That having been said, you are doing great, and if you feel like you are a non-smoker, then you are one. The last remaining remnants of cigarettes have been out of your body over a month now, and the healing process has begun for your nose, your taste buds, your lungs, everything.

Oh-damn!
That last decanter of pipe tobacco has been sitting on the bookshelf for almost 4 years

 

[RobinBanks]

Looking back over a year later, I was a non-smoker the minute I finished my last pack and said "no more".. just a few days after getting my first PV. At the time, I don't know that I felt that way because I didn't feel 100% sure I wouldn't relapse and was sort of in disbelief about how successful vaping was for me. I think at about a month in I knew 100% that I would never touch a cigarette again and thought of myself as a non-smoker.

I don not consider myself a recovering smoker. I am DONE with smoking. If I had to stop vaping I know I would not go back to smoking.It feels too good to be a non-smoker.

 

[dragonpuff]

Do you still feel a NEED to keep that pack "just in case"? If so, I would disagree. Just like an alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, regardless of quitting, because they will always have that attachment.It's not a bad thing. Quitting is still a great thing.

You're making a presumption I don't hold onto them because I need to. I keep them there so I know if I want to have one there's nothing stopping me. Since I don't want to, I don't have one

I also have to wrestle with the fact that I can't justify giving them away, as I don't really want to support someone else's smoking any more than my own, coupled with my knowledge of how expensive those things are and that cringing I feel in my gut whenever I try to throw away something that's technically "still good" (you know what I mean if you grew up poor)...

So in the freezer they sit. I see them every time I plan my dinner and it really doesn't bother me that they're there. In a way it reinforces my vaping, because when I look at those cigarettes I'm immediately reminded that what I'm holding in my hand right now tastes sooo much better!

Hi, my name is dragonpuff and I am an ex-smoker

 

[Nomoreash]

There's no solid answer to that, it's going to be different for everyone. After smoking for 20+ years started vaping in Aug 2010, for me it was about 1 week after that when I realized I'd been carrying a pack with me but hadn't smoked, I just liked vaping better.

As an experiment I've smoked twice since then. Both times I hated the taste which just got worse as I puffed, it smelled horrible and I was left with my stomach feeling queezy each time. Only made it through about 1/2 a cig each time before putting it out.