Bad Day, But Hanging In There!

[Sed Contra]

It's been over three weeks now, and I'm analog free. But I am an addict. No problems since day 1 of quitting, except for this weekend - and today in particular. I appreciate the AA character of ECF, and I really appreciated reading threads that encouraged me and gave me a sense of consolation. So, I'm posting this knowing that someone else might benefit from me expressing myself.

It wasn't so much that I wanted to smoke. Actually, the thought never crossed my mind...but I needed more nicotine. I was at a Jesuit retreat house for the weekend where I couldn't chain vape. Recently I've stepped down from 1.8% to 1.2%, and thought I was prepared in terms of having backups for my backups and plenty of juice, but I might have done better to have ordered a bottle of 2.4% and taken a rba for monster hits to get me up to what I call "therapeutic levels."

There's a learning curve, to be sure, and I'm going to chalk this up to being a part of learning. I told my wife earlier tonight that coming to ECF is like having a sponsor - except there are many sponsors instead of just one...and what I'm writing right now may be useful to somebody else. I don't want to be a consumer of ECF only, but also a producer. Consequently, I hope that this helps someone else. We're all at different places and in different situations. I'm grateful to have ECF, and I continue to think of ecigs as a miracle. Anything that, after nearly 20 years of smoking, can get me to quit even for a day without even thinking of having an analog is a miracle. I thank God for ecigs and for ECF.

Thank you!

Advice & encouragement is welcome. I'm okay now, but I know that I can't do this by myself.

 

[grandmato5]

Glad you made it through the weekend ok

I remember back to when I started and while it was fairly easy for me to give up smoking and move to vaping full time I still had a few times in the first few months that an overwhelming urge hit me that I WANTED a cigarette In my case I never knew why as it hit totally unexpectedly, but when it happened some higher nic then I was using at the time was what got me through those moments and kept me on track.

You are so right when you say we are all so different and we all react differently and may need different things to keep vaping working for us. Keep doing what you're doing because you sound like you have a great attitude and a future free of cigarettes.

 

[SissySpike]

Its coming on 2 years for me and I still sometime want to say to a buddy let me bum one of those but its just a fleeting thought and Im not a I tried it and dont like it any more kind of person. I liked smoking but I did not like the bad affects it had so 100% abstinence is what I need to do.

Im glad you made it through a rough patch that is a mile stone in its own right. Congrats! Keep up the good work it will pay off!

 

[Txaggiesaunt]

Just hang in the. Also get maybe a 24 mil for those really rough periods. You could hit it a few times and take the edge off. We all have those moments, but they do pass. Don't get discouraged, hang in there & VAPE ON

 

[optsmk]

Don't forget that you can always use the nic patch too. That's what I have been doing. I have been patch free for the last few days. Everything seemed fine till today. I was feeling a little edgy, so I just chain vaped for a while. If I would have been somewhere that I couldn not vape, I would have slapped a patch on.

 

[Myrany]

There are 3 times when many vapors hit a crises (so I have been told)and they roughly correspond to when nasty stuff from smokes come out of your system.
3 days
3 weeks
3 months
Sounds like you hit the middle one.

Get some higher nic juice for the bad times and stay strong and vape through it. I have faith in you. You CAN do this!

 

[Gautama]

Don't worry, you're doing great thus far! The crazy thing about cigarettes is that I've spoken to quite a few people who've quit for years, and most of them have told me that the thought of cigarettes are still in the back of their mind. Anyone who has never smoked cannot understand the allure of the "evil weed". Neither can I for that matter but those damnable things absolutely owned me for over 22 years. Not anymore. We are finally free! Anyone who hasn't smoked may think that my use of the term "free" is a little dramatic, but everyone here understands EXACTLY what I'm talking about. I read a quote that I've never seen before from a member here (I wish I could remember who) that I draw a great deal of inspiration from. "I didn't come this far only to come this far". I didn't quit for this long to only quit for this long. I quit this long for the rest of my life, as did you my friend, because we are free.

 

[Butters78]

 

[dirtbikemom]

I too find great strength In coming here every day and finding encouragement to not go back to those nasty, stinky analogs!

 

[Sed Contra]

I appreciate all of you.

I got up to "therapeutic levels" by vaping Boba's Bounty & Tribeca (both 1.8%) with an A6 RBA until I started t o feel buzzed, then I went back to the ProTank with 1.2%. That worked for a while, but now I just put Boba's in a ProTank and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm debating what to get in the 2.4% strength. I'm thinking Tribeca. It's gotta be something that has a tobacco flavor, though, which I have mostly been avoiding with coffee flavors in the morning and fruity flavors during the day.

I also just sprung for a Provari. I'm not a fanboi, but I do think that it's important to have good tools. I'm trying to take all of this seriously and do whatever I need to do so that I'm encouraged and have a greater chance to succeed. I'm not rich, but it's worth other sacrifices to put up the money for these initial purchases (that so far have cost way more upfront than smoking did), but I know that in the long run I'll save money...and add years on to my life.

Thank you for your support. I appreciate it very much.

 

[RoseB]

It's good to read, that you made it through the weekend. Those first few months are rough. You're doing good at 3 weeks Keep plugging away at it, and good choice with the provari. It's a good tool to have in your arsenal.