Smoker for over 30 years. I thought I would never quit smoking. I tried so many times with nicotine gum, patches, lozenges, and hypnosis twice. Every time I failed.
I was beginning to develop a terrible morning cough. Bronchitis for 6 weeks every year in the winter. Shortness of breath with just one flight of steps. I knew that my home stunk of cigarettes, my car stunk, I stunk and I was getting tired of it.
The very week that my mother discovered that she had cancer, I purchased my first e-cig...a disposable N-Joy cigalike. Within 2 weeks my mother was dead. I knew that I had to quit smoking or I'd soon follow my mother to the grave.
I decided to research electronic cigarettes, and luckily found Electronic Cigarette Forum. I read with interest how former smokers were able to quit smoking by taking up e-cigs. I bought a starter kit and became a dual user (smoke and vape) during the first week.
I vaped as much and as frequently as I desired. I still got occassional cravings for a cigarette, so I allowed myself
1/2 a cig and saved the second half for the next craving. Those second half butts tasted pretty bad, but that actually helped me to quit. By the end of the week, I preferred using my vape over a cigarette. Nearly six years later and I haven't touched or craved a cigarette since.
Why it worked for me:
-The nicotine vapor replaced my physical dependency on nicotine in tobacco smoke. Since there was no combustion or smoke involved, already this was a safer alternative to smoking.
-Vaping replicated my psychological need to inhale/exhale a visible substance.
-Vaping replicated my behavioral need of a hand-to-mouth action.
The other "stop smoking" aids did not do all of the above. IMHO, that was the reason e-cigs can help people stop smoking. Smoking is far more than just a physical dependency on nicotine, there are psychological/behavioral components, too. Vaping replicates the psychological/behavioral components as well as the physical one.
Many folks mistakenly believe cigarettes is their friend. They appear to comfort us in times of dispair and stress. What's the first thing we subconsiously do when we learn something tragic? We begin smoking non-stop. We begin to believe that we could never stop.
But smoking is not our friend. It is the grim reaper out to slowly and covertly kill us. Just like my avatar, every cigarette smoked is like pulling the trigger on a cigarette revolver. It's literally committing a prolonged suicide.
We have a saying on ECF:
"Its not how many cigarettes that you smoked today that is important, its how many you DIDN'T smoke that is."
My advice: Become an informed consumer. Research and learn the terminology, language, and catch phrases. Ask questions here on ECF. Research the recommended starter gear. You Tube is a pretty good sourch of user reviews. ECF members will be more than willing to offer advice.
Good luck!! 