Believe in harm reduction approach

[Dr Aziz Rahman]

Hi everyone,
I am a public health researcher from Melbourne and I am an advocate for harm reduction approach for the smokers who tried thousands of ways to quit, but fail to do so. I have done research in that aspect and found that e-cigarettes were helpful for those people to stop smoking. I am keen to know more about this from the e-cigarette users. Hence, I have joined the forum to gain further understanding. Hope that I would be supported.
Thanks.
Aziz

 

[The Ocelot]

Welcome! I smoked for 40 years and e-cigs were the only way I was able to quit. I will be five years cigarette-free in July.

 

[JC Okie]

Welcome. This forum is FULL of what I think you're looking for. There's a thread called "Success Stories," I think, that is just full of our stories. Just read, read, read, then ask anything. People here are very friendly.

Edit: BTW, I quit a 40+ year cigarette habit (over a pack a day) completely using e-cigs. Nothing else ever worked for long. This works. I will have been cigarette-free for SEVEN YEARS on my Vapiversary, June 30th.

 

[Vchick]

40 year habit, only successful quit method - 8 years in July

 

[BlueMoods]

Hi, only thing that works for me, I tried it all, even prescriptions. vaping cured me of a 2 pack a day habit. May not ne 100% safe but, it beats smoking.

 

[David Wolf]

40 year habit smoking, tried Chantix, patches gums, nothing worked more than a few weeks. 3 years without a cigarette vaping, health much improved. Smoking I started waking up congested and coughing every morning, that stopped a few days after quitting cigarettes and vaping instead. Minor side effects for me the dehydrating effects which are moderated by drinking water, ocassional foot cramps sleeping so eating more bananas for the potassium.

 

[Jusable]

Hi everyone,
I am a public health researcher from Melbourne and I am an advocate for harm reduction approach for the smokers who tried thousands of ways to quit, but fail to do so. I have done research in that aspect and found that e-cigarettes were helpful for those people to stop smoking. I am keen to know more about this from the e-cigarette users. Hence, I have joined the forum to gain further understanding. Hope that I would be supported.
Thanks.
Aziz

I'm currently using the vape to quit smoking also cheaper started with 12mg now down to 3mg and in few weeks I'll be going to 0mg or just not vaping at all any info I can give you doc I'll be willing

 

[jaster725]

Welcome!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[djsvapour]

Welcome.

The most popular argument for governments around the world is the "there is no evidence vaping helps people quit smoking"....

Well, the evidence in the UK is now clear, and has been plenty strong enough for 2 or 3 years.
More than 50% of e-cigarette users in the UK no longer smoke. Total abstinence from smoking.
It is a tobacco harm reduction success on a scale unprecedented.

But read, and soon enough today or tomorrow there will me more stories claiming there is no proof.....

I wish you luck.

 

[retired1]

1,087 pages of testimonials can be found here: Testimonials – CASAA

47 pages of testimonial threads are here: Vaping Success Stories

That should keep you busy for a few days.

 

[Eskie]

Hi and welcome! I'm another 35 year pack and a half a day smoker who stopped with vaping.

Do understand that this forum is somewhat skewed. First, the vast majority of folks here as vapes who quit using tobacco in one form or another. There are a few who vape simply to vape who have never smoked, but most have.

Second, many of the people around here are vaping "enthusiasts", that is, folks who are very involved in vaping as a hobby as much of a get off the cigs bunch. I have no doubt there are lots of other ex-smoker vapers you will not find involved in a community like this.

Third, it's a pretty self selected population as again, the vast majority of vapers here are those that succeeded in stopping smoking with vaping. It does not catch many folks who have tried vaping but were unsuccessful, although people will come here to see if there's something they can do to increase their chances of vaping being successful for them.

Having said all that, there's a lot of information available to give you an insight into the different types of vapers, vape styles, and discussions about safety and "best vape practices". Hopefully it will give you a better insight into ex-smokers here.

 

[Smoke_too_much]

Hi Doc & welcome
47 years smoking, tried acupuncture, patches, gum, pills, and cold turkey, 3 months learning to vape allowed for relatively easy quitting smoking for over a year now.

The thing about the smoking addiction is that only a portion of the addiction actually relates to nicotine while the rest of it relates to what I'll call habit. In smoking for 47 years I accumulated something in the order of having smoked 350,000 cigarettes and spent approximately 29,000 hours with a cigarette between my fingers. During that time most of my smokes were an integral part of my self awardment system. Whenever I'd done anything I rewarded myself with a smoke and saw that time as my time to relax and reflect. There is also a certain camaraderie between smokers, a feeling that has been strengthened with all the regulations and general anti-smoking feeling in today's society.

When I wasn't rewarding myself I was smoking to calm myself down as an outlet for my anxieties/nerves. People smoke for a myriad of reasons but almost every cigarette smoked had a trigger of some sort, including a feeling of growing anxiety and difficulty concentrating due to lowered nicotine levels. I liked smoking and would continue to smoke if I wasn't concerned for my health.

Patches, gum, and nic pills only address the nicotine delivery leaving my hands and mind to miss the act of smoking and that makes these methods very poor venues for actually quitting and staying that way. The Sanex type tranquilizers work reasonably well as they simply take away your anxieties of quitting and make you feel like you don't really care one way or the other but their problem is that when you quit taking them that habit part of the smoking addiction returns in full force. They are in my opinion the best method of quitting behind vaping but they leave you with a big unfulfilled hole in your daily life. Acupuncture was just silly and didn't even begin to work. With a habit one has engaged in, for the most part happily, for 5 minutes almost every 30 minutes of their waking lives the cessation methodology has got to tick all the right boxes in order for it to work well.

Vaping ticks most of the right boxes.

 

[Mowgli]

35 years of 25+/day addiction.
Now 4 years without a puff of smoke directly due to vaping.

 

[ddirtyvapes]

The other slight skewing of this forum, in addition to what @Eskie said, is that it is by definition filled with people who want to ask questions and give advice and just generally talk about this stuff more than the average ex-smoker vaper might. In addition, people here are probably more likely on the whole to work at getting that "perfect vape," though it's definitely true that is much easier to achieve with minimal effort in 2017 than 2007.

That being said, I started smoking at 14 and smoked for a decade, pack-a-day for 7-8 years. I started vaping when it was still very new in the U.S. and the devices weren't very good and I believe that was at least part of the reason I was a dual user for a while. However, I tried gum and patches and basically every other stop-smoking aids that exist, as well as multiple attempts and cold turkey, and none were successful. I continued to smoke close to a pack a day even when I was on Nicorette and patches, and never made it past the first 36 hours or so cold turkey.

As soon as I started vaping in 2010 I cut down to a few cigarettes a week and maintained that amount (besides a couple of relapses) for 4 years. Every cigarette I didn't smoke was a victory and it was almost like magic. Vaping made it not only easy, but enjoyable. In 2015, I only smoked on the rare occasion I was out drinking. In 2016, I made the commitment to stick to vaping and vaping only. I had one relapse during which I smoked a full pack in a few months into the year, but I have been completely cigarette-free since. In fact, I just passed my full year without a single one.

 

[jseah]

Over 30 years of pack a day smoking. Tried cold turkey, Nicorette, counseling, and Chantix at various times. Could never quit for more than one day. The day that I started vaping was the day that I had my last cigarette. It has now been 2 years and 4 months since I last smoked.

 

[zoiDman]

Hi everyone,
I am a public health researcher from Melbourne and I am an advocate for harm reduction approach for the smokers who tried thousands of ways to quit, but fail to do so. I have done research in that aspect and found that e-cigarettes were helpful for those people to stop smoking. I am keen to know more about this from the e-cigarette users. Hence, I have joined the forum to gain further understanding. Hope that I would be supported.
Thanks.
Aziz

Welcome to the ECF.

What specific Questions might you have?

 

[BrotherBob]

Hi everyone,
I am a public health researcher from Melbourne and I am an advocate for harm reduction approach for the smokers who tried thousands of ways to quit, but fail to do so. I have done research in that aspect and found that e-cigarettes were helpful for those people to stop smoking. I am keen to know more about this from the e-cigarette users. Hence, I have joined the forum to gain further understanding. Hope that I would be supported.
Thanks. Aziz

Welcome and glad you joined.
Might like to contact an authority:
Support

 

[Dr Aziz Rahman]

Dear all,
I am really overwhelmed with all the welcome notes and sharing all of your success stories. I do really appreciate to direct me to further testimonials from the real life experts. You may want to know a bit about my research papers on this:
Electronic cigarettes: patterns of use, health effects, use in smoking cessation and regulatory issues
E-Cigarettes and Smoking Cessation: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
I am really keen to know further about the quitting experiences. You know that research can lead to change of policy and practice. I am considering to do short scale survey soon to start with.
Much appreciated again for your support for me.
Thanks.
Aziz

 

[BlueMoods]

As other have said, patched, gum, medications, most other methods of trying to quit only address nicotine addiction, not the habit or hand to mouth thing nor, the self reward system that goes with smoking.

Vaping does address these, it's a reward, you hold it, you puff on it. In addition, it turns out to be a better reward than a cigarette. Cigarettes are tobacco flavor- period. Vape is tobacco, fruit, candy, cake, coffee, soda pop, ice cream and, more flavors - taste treat and nicotine fix all in one - sure beats burnt weeds (cigarettes) for a reward.

 

[classwife]

Dear all,
I am really overwhelmed with all the welcome notes and sharing all of your success stories. I do really appreciate to direct me to further testimonials from the real life experts. You may want to know a bit about my research papers on this:
Electronic cigarettes: patterns of use, health effects, use in smoking cessation and regulatory issues
E-Cigarettes and Smoking Cessation: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
I am really keen to know further about the quitting experiences. You know that research can lead to change of policy and practice. I am considering to do short scale survey soon to start with.
Much appreciated again for your support for me.
Thanks.
Aziz

Welcome
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