What do you do for a living? These are all great ideas, feels like a discussion that would have been had in therapy. I love putting a pod mod in an empty pack. And marking out the labels. Thank you for the thoughtful suggestions!Spitballing here.
My guess is the physical pack of smokes is functioning as a soothing/comforting totem. I came from cigars; I was soothed by their beauty, craftmanship, feel, etc. I keep an old dark brown eVod Mega around because it is the size, shape, and color of the Churchill-sized cigars I preferred. Fits in the hand just like a cigar.
Our minds try to protect us with defense mechanisms, and sometimes old defenses are no longer helpful. They are also good at hiding.Here are some questions that might help flush out the trigger(s):
What would happen if you wrote on the pack with a marker? Or blacked out the logo? Or blacked out the whole thing?
What would happen if an empty pack were resealed and left in the normal place? What if it were filled with something before resealing so that it weighed the same as a full pack?
What would happen if you placed a small rectangular mod inside an empty pack of smokes?
What would happen if you placed a pack-sized object in the spot you usually keep the pack of smokes?
What if the pack was still there but placed in a paper bag or in a dishtowel?
What would happen if you didn't own a lighter?
What would happen if you "field stripped" (removed the tobacco from) a cigarette to smell from time to time?
What if you opened a new pack and dribbled some vinegar into it and let it dry out?
What if you put something sticky on the pack, like a thin layer of grape jelly?
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I actually forgot that the berserker will support salts, which also means higher regular nic juice. I’m going to up it today and see how it goes. Thank you!
From what I’ve been told Small Cell Lung Cancer is directly related to smoking, although it’s interesting that you ask that because she was telling me the other day that when she was in her 20s she worked at an auto parts distributor and apparently the auto parts had asbestos on them? I figured she was just grabbing for straws to justify her smoking. Everyone else in my family has died of cancer but it’s been all different types. My aunt died at 44 years old of melanoma. My grandma died of lung cancer. My grandfather died of some rare cancer of the umbilical cord?? That turned into pancreatic cancer. And so on and so forth. I guess when I vape I should be thinking of why they’re on the wrong side of the daisies as well. I like the way you said that.
23 year old I started teaching from the 3rd grade through hs graduation. He then went on to adult trade school for a diploma in electromechanical plc technician. Last year he hopped around a couple of different companies, found out he didn't like them, and returned just recently to a company that he loved working for before, deciding that the money wasn't worth it if he wasn't happy. Now he works building forestry equipment that he is proud to be a part of, and I couldn't be more proud of him.
Still slogging through 10th grade with my youngest...ugh yes, slogging. For some reason, probably that pesky y chromosome, getting them to write anything is such a chore. So, yeah, pray for me cuz we've got a research paper to do that I fear is going to cause me many migraines before it is done.
I have learned a lot over the years, and though I get tired (I am looking forward to being done in a couple of years and being able to focus more on my art), I do not for one minute regret this decision I made.
That is a LONG time homeschooling. And I have the same problem with my boys and writing. My 4th grader has ADHD and dyslexia, (that’s why we homeschool, to avoid meds) and his writing is still on a first or second grade level. I’ve been looking around for online programs that might help. Not looking forward to high school years, kudos to you for making the commitment and sticking to it! I love it one day and hate it the next, depending on the children and their attitudes LOL
Congrats on your progress! Delaying the first cig of the day worked great for me! I would just push it out gradually because I knew if I smoked it I would be smoking all day long.
Hope your progress continues
Anna
Hope your progress continues
Anna
You learn to prioritze. Yes, there are skills that they need to have. And then there are some things you just suffer through. I know neither one of my boys will ever become great writers. They are, however, great tinkerers and problem solvers. I think our society tends to overlook the importance of the practical. I look at a lot of the recently "higher educated" and I think really? Tens of thousands in debt, and for all intents and purposes you're still an idiot when it comes to reality, but you consider others with less "education" beneath you? Have fun when your car breaks down on the side of the road, or trying to figure out that HVAC system when it dies on you! I kid you not, I remember talking someone through how to use a manual can opener once, it wasn't her fault no one showed her how to do this. I actually felt really sorry for her...
May want to get your boy on high fat low carb/sugar diet. Coconut oil or mct oil,,, (both can be hidden in tasty fat bomb)
I do it to Rack-Up Good Karma Points (GKP's) to offset some of my Bad Karma Points (BKP's) I amassed in my younger wilder days.
Maybe break apart a cigarette and strew the tobacco on the bottom of the pack so that when you reach into it for your pod you get that great smell? Although that may be too messy. Or, worse, make you want a cigarette even more.
Congrats on delaying that first cig! I suspect forgoing cigarettes at the times you're most used to smoking would be a good way to break a few links in the chain that binds you to them.
I was (yep, finally, WAS) a dual user for over five years. I started vaping in 2013 and continued to smoke 2-3 cigarettes per day for that time. I finally decided to give them up this year on January 1, and I have had just a few puffs since the start of the new year. I never thought it could happen, but I don't think about smoking first thing in the morning, and the desire has slowly disappeared from my routine, and I don't think about as often as I used to, if at all.
Over those years of dual use, I never beat myself up. I still enjoyed smoking, and could probably go back to it tomorrow without missing a beat. I like smoking, but like many others wanted to quit for the harm reduction, which I accomplished even while dual using - I focused on the tens of thousands of cigarettes that I DIDN'T smoke, with the long-term goal of quitting entirely.
Vaping is not a magic bullet, and every person is different. You still need a determination to quit. It may take a while or several attempts but if you really want to quit, you can and will.
I did. Finally.
Over those years of dual use, I never beat myself up. I still enjoyed smoking, and could probably go back to it tomorrow without missing a beat. I like smoking, but like many others wanted to quit for the harm reduction, which I accomplished even while dual using - I focused on the tens of thousands of cigarettes that I DIDN'T smoke, with the long-term goal of quitting entirely.
Vaping is not a magic bullet, and every person is different. You still need a determination to quit. It may take a while or several attempts but if you really want to quit, you can and will.
I did. Finally.
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You are doing great. Concentrate on the ones you haven't smoked instead of the ones you have smoked.
When I first started vaping I dual used for a while and finally gave up and returned to smoking. I finally got tired of spending more time in my garage smoking than I did in other areas of my house. I returned to a vape store and the clerk was very helpful. I returned home with an Aspire Nautilus along with a spare eGo battery. I soon after picked up an Aspire Atlantis for a spare tank. This was sometime in January of 2015.
After another bout of dual vaping, I set a quit date of my birthday and had my final cigarette the afternoon of my birthday 2/25. On 2/26 I found this forum and haven't had a cigarette since.
What worked for me probably won't work for others but it did for me. Vaping has worked for me where gums, hypnosis, patches, didn't. The great folks on this forum have been very helpful with their support and knowledge.
When I first started vaping I dual used for a while and finally gave up and returned to smoking. I finally got tired of spending more time in my garage smoking than I did in other areas of my house. I returned to a vape store and the clerk was very helpful. I returned home with an Aspire Nautilus along with a spare eGo battery. I soon after picked up an Aspire Atlantis for a spare tank. This was sometime in January of 2015.
After another bout of dual vaping, I set a quit date of my birthday and had my final cigarette the afternoon of my birthday 2/25. On 2/26 I found this forum and haven't had a cigarette since.
What worked for me probably won't work for others but it did for me. Vaping has worked for me where gums, hypnosis, patches, didn't. The great folks on this forum have been very helpful with their support and knowledge.
I found it wasn't so much I needed a cigarette, but the little bell would go off in my head...*ding* "you are doing this (whatever it was), and you always smoke while you do it. Light up, Bubba!" Then the craving set in. It was automatic, on autopilot. It was a learned behavior that had become entrenched over 40 years of smoking, and it wasn't getting erased easily. It had very little to do with stress, other than the stress it created when my body didn't obey my mind.
So I would make a deal with myself...I'm not going to smoke right now, I'll vape instead. If I still want to smoke in 15 minutes, I will. It usually worked, and I would just vape in 15 minutes instead of smoking. If I still want to smoke in 15 minutes... and so on and so on.
I did the same thing with buying them. " I'll just vape for now and if I want another pack, I'll buy them next time I'm out and about. However, I KNEW if I had cigarettes, I would smoke them. Didn't make any difference if it was 1 or a pack, I'd light it up. The only way for me is not to have any. And I also know if I light one up now, I've thrown 5 years of quitting away. It will only take 1. For me, tobacco is a harsh mistress.
The first day I went 24 hours without a pack of cigarettes in my shirt pocket was a BIG day for me. That was when I knew I could quit and not go off the deep end. All I had to do was vape, quit listening to the little bell going *ding* and keep my mouth shut at the convenience store counter.
You can do this, it isn't real easy, but persistence will pay off. Like everybody else says, it's the ones you don't smoke that really count. Try for a small victory every day. If you smoke after a meal, wait it out for a half hour...or only smoke half of one instead of a whole one at some point in the day. What ever it takes for you to feel like you made progress today, no matter how small.
And hit those mods like they are rented mules! Go for it!!!
So I would make a deal with myself...I'm not going to smoke right now, I'll vape instead. If I still want to smoke in 15 minutes, I will. It usually worked, and I would just vape in 15 minutes instead of smoking. If I still want to smoke in 15 minutes... and so on and so on.
I did the same thing with buying them. " I'll just vape for now and if I want another pack, I'll buy them next time I'm out and about. However, I KNEW if I had cigarettes, I would smoke them. Didn't make any difference if it was 1 or a pack, I'd light it up. The only way for me is not to have any. And I also know if I light one up now, I've thrown 5 years of quitting away. It will only take 1. For me, tobacco is a harsh mistress.
The first day I went 24 hours without a pack of cigarettes in my shirt pocket was a BIG day for me. That was when I knew I could quit and not go off the deep end. All I had to do was vape, quit listening to the little bell going *ding* and keep my mouth shut at the convenience store counter.
You can do this, it isn't real easy, but persistence will pay off. Like everybody else says, it's the ones you don't smoke that really count. Try for a small victory every day. If you smoke after a meal, wait it out for a half hour...or only smoke half of one instead of a whole one at some point in the day. What ever it takes for you to feel like you made progress today, no matter how small.
And hit those mods like they are rented mules! Go for it!!!
I don't think I could add more to the wonderful support everyone here has given you. My story is similar to yours and many others here. But I do want to say what a darling your husband is for creating that beautiful space for you. His love is written all over it. Makes me tear up.
ADHD has been markedly better since homeschooling. We focus a lot on list making and prioritizing tasks and time management, things I think he will struggle with in adulthood. I will look into those oils because every little bit helps! Thank you for the suggestion!
He changed the plants because they were little starts and weren’t pretty enough and made me a little vape holder out of toilet paper rolls (LOL) so I don’t drop my vape on the tile. He is really kind, and I’m lucky to have him in my life for sure.
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Yup, for sure....so cute.
I hope you can give yourself more patience. I smoked and vaped for a good year before quitting the sticks altogether. And even then, I would ask my friend for a puff or a cig during "those moments". It was definitely a gradual switch over for me. It will come. I still live with a smoker and am not interested anymore. Idk if it's worth mentioning but I did have to do something drastic to stop initially. I went on vacation to my mom's house where I would be with non smokers. I took one last pack with me and smoked it down. All I had to rely on was those horrible gas station cigalikes. It wasn't easy but it got me through. At least I stopped buying packs after that. That's when Egos came out and saved me.
UPDATE:
I smoked 4 today. My aunt is coming tomorrow from Louisiana and bringing all of her vape stuff, mods and juice. She quit smoking in August with vaping so I’m thinking maybe this could be it! She will be here until Sunday, that’s a good 5 days if I can manage to just vape with her and not smoke. I have about 12 in a pack...
Throw them out? Save them for emergency?? This is my dilemma. What do y’all think?
I smoked 4 today. My aunt is coming tomorrow from Louisiana and bringing all of her vape stuff, mods and juice. She quit smoking in August with vaping so I’m thinking maybe this could be it! She will be here until Sunday, that’s a good 5 days if I can manage to just vape with her and not smoke. I have about 12 in a pack...
Throw them out? Save them for emergency?? This is my dilemma. What do y’all think?
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