dang i fell off the wagon

[notime4nooky]

ok, so today i bought a pack of analogs. don't misunderstand i looooove vaping, i just can't seem to let go of these things. i hate the way they taste, the way they smell, the way they make me feel, and of course the way they make my wallet a whole lot lighter. anyone else having the same problem? what is it about these things that keep me coming back for more abuse? i am hoping this.....thing will go away completely very soon. any advice? maybe once i find the perfect juice i won't feel the need to use analogs as such a crutch

 

[bestthingever]

I'm six months into vaping (and loving it !) and I still have this happen occasionally. Guess my willpower could use a boost.

 

[Nyxie]

Don't beat yourself up! I have read here a million times. Don't think of how many you smoke but think of how many you have not smoked. I still don't say I have quit smoking , I just haven't had one in xx amount of days. If I say I quit and I smoke I will feel like I have failed again. I do not like to fail.
There are a lot of chemicals in cigs and maybe you are just missing something besides nic. Take a look around in the section of the site that is I think called, other alternatives to tobacco. Many people supplement their vaping with snus or other things to stay of the nasty cigs.
And remember no beating yourself up!

 

[kddowning]

This may sound a little too lovefest, but I try to analyze what I am feeling at the time. When I first started to vape, I jonesed the same time every day for like 4 days.

When I get very anxious, I still get the urge. I am just now starting to realize that I may have some anxiety issues, but I am just thinking through it. Seeing what the triggers are. Another way I have coped is by having different flavors. Some how having various flavor options is like giving a puppy a new toy. Keeps me focused on vaping and not thinking about smoking.

Good luck!

 

[kddowning]

Also nook I just found this in the ECF Library - might be something useful in there

(darn can't post links) so here is the path

E-Cigarette Forum > The E-Cigarette > New Members Forum > The ECF Library > Understanding Your Symptoms While Adjusting To Vaping

 

[Nyxie]

This may sound a little too lovefest, but I try to analyze what I am feeling at the time. When I first started to vape, I jonesed the same time every day for like 4 days.

When I get very anxious, I still get the urge. I am just now starting to realize that I may have some anxiety issues, but I am just thinking through it. Seeing what the triggers are. Another way I have coped is by having different flavors. Some how having various flavor options is like giving a puppy a new toy. Keeps me focused on vaping and not thinking about smoking.

Good luck!

I also agree with this.
My hardest cig to let go was the morning one. The rest of the day I was vaping like a fiend. I realized that my chosen nic was too low. I switched to higher nic in the am and voila, I haven't had a cig in almost 2 months. Now when I feel anxious I use the higher nic and the lower nic for vaping regularly.

 

[ANITA~QUIT]

I have been playing around with my e cigs for quite a while now and like a pacifier i run back to the analogs 3 or 4 times a day... why i dunno prolly cause i just need to know they are still there and i guess i haven't made my mind up yet

 

[CJsKee]

Lots of good suggestions for ya notime. Mine is just to relax and don't worry about it! You'll give up the cigs when you're ready. It was a process for me. I smoked for almost 45 years and it took several months to completely give up tobacco (used snus for a while, too). I still think about having one ever once in a while...I just don't do it.

Just keep reading and hang around the forum and you'll be fine. Don't forget to be good to yourself...no guilt feelings in you smoke a cig...you'll get there!

 

[CaptJay]

3 or 4 a day versus a pack - sounds like a clear winner to me.
Same goes for anything LESS than you used to smoke - why be unhappy about THAT? its a cause for celebration! you're smoking LESS, that's great - if you are going to quit then you will, eventually, in your OWN time. Its not a race, its a life change and those often take time to establish and even if you never quit entirely then you're down way down on what you used to do; give yourselves a break.

 

[Shaka]

Hey Nook!

Cut yourself some slack man, and give yourself a break!

How many YEARS you been smoking? You think maybe you can give yourself, say, 4-6 months? This isn't a race.

Listen to all the long time ecf members and veterens like Nyxie (hey, what happened to Kinkachoo??) who've all been there and done that...over and over they say go at your own pace, keep vaping and the more distance you put between you and analogs the easier it gets.

No such thing as "falling of the wagon" in this method, that only applies to the "other" old-fashioned cessation methods where cold turkey is the only way to go. We should all get rid of the "Q" word like Nyxie did.

Best of wishes to you Nook! Just keep on doing what you're doing.

 

[notime4nooky]

thanks for all the kind words and well wishes they helped a lot. i guess u r right what i am doing now is a lot better than what i was doing 4 months ago. "quitting" altogether after 12 years of smoking analogs will take time. when i compare 4 months of vaping to 12 years of smoking i guess it's not that much time to completely change my lifestyle. again thanks to all

 

[Nyxie]

(hey, what happened to Kinkachoo??)

I decided it was time to let go of that part of my life. I sort of posted about it here. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/womens-room/101824-user-name-change.html

 

[zelda]

I still have a cigarette once in a while and even though I may get whacked for this I still like them. But I like vaping a lot more. I don't consider it failing to smoke occasionally- I smoked for 35 years and I liked it. But because of the health concern problems and the cost of cigarettes I vape now.
Cutting down from a pack or so of cigarettes every single day to an occasional one is succeeding in my book. I think it's much better to smoke once in awhile rather than start craving a cigarette so much you run out and buy a pack to smoke.

 

[Nyxie]

I still have a cigarette once in a while and even though I may get whacked for this I still like them. But I like vaping a lot more. I don't consider it failing to smoke occasionally- I smoked for 35 years and I liked it. But because of the health concern problems and the cost of cigarettes I vape now.
Cutting down from a pack or so of cigarettes every single day to an occasional one is succeeding in my book. I think it's much better to smoke once in awhile rather than start craving a cigarette so much you run out and buy a pack to smoke.

I don't think you should get whacked LOL. Cigs were my friend for a long time and I am sure if I smoke one it will be my friend again after I get over the taste I don't like anymore. It happened once already.
Now
I have access to them if I really need one but I won't buy them. Because I will smoke them all LOL, I have no self control with cigs. I have been leaving some butts in the ashtray forever just in case. It is my safety blanket. I just know they are there and if I want one it will probably taste really disgusting because it has been sitting there for a long time now, half smoked LOL.

 

[zelda]

Same here nyxie. If I bought a whole pack I would smoke them just from habit and not any need. Cigs were my friends too and I was shocked when I started vaping and put them down within days. The best feeling is waking up and not desperately reaching for the first cig of the morning.

I think new members get the feeling you start vaping and never think of cigarettes again - if you do you failed. I always feel if you start vaping in the first place - which involves a lot more time and effort than buying a pack of cigarettes - you've already won.

 

[Nyxie]

I always feel if you start vaping in the first place - which involves a lot more time and effort than buying a pack of cigarettes - you've already won.

Yes that is so true!

 

[InfinityMax]

I don't consider myself to have quit anything. If I still smoke a cigarette now and then, it's no big deal, because I'm still just as addicted as I was when I got my 510. Sometimes I just want something else, even if it tastes like soggy dog crap and makes me smell like filthy athletic supporters.

I feel tons better than when I smoked all day, plus I don't have to go outside when it's 105 with 90% humidity just so I can come back smelling like hot sun and ashtrays. But then, I didn't switch to vaping because I wanted to quit smoking. I started vaping because I like it more than smoking. If I smoke now and then, it's not a fall off the wagon, because it's not like I quit smoking anyway. I just switched brands, and sometimes when you switch brands, every now and then you want the old brand.

If you're only smoking one in the morning, then I think you're doing great. You've got to be feeling better, you stink less, your mouth doesn't taste like cancerous growth, and you're saving a ton of money. But all that means squat to me. I just like to vape. If I want a Winston now and then, screw it, I'll have a Winston.

 

[vapinmachine]

My dad smoked 3 cigs a day for years. He never developed a cough and the docs said his lungs were in excellent shape. I have a hunch that if you smoke so few a day or every other day the damage may be benign. It's just a hunch though!

Currently I've decided I'm not "quitting" - and that I'm just vaping because I prefer the taste and effects over smoking. I still have a pack of cigs, and my apt is a smoking friendly place with ashtrays around. If I have a friend over who smokes, by all means go ahead!

I've noticed smoking delivers nicotine much faster than vaping. To get the nicotine rush with a cig is = to chain vaping my e-cig 5+ times. However, the taste of a cig is by far worse, and much more abrasive to my mouth & throat.

Let's reverse the scenario. Let's say you couldn't vape at all and had to smoke, would you crave the vaping? I know I did. When my charger broke with each cig I just kept missing the vape more and more and more. When I could vape again I found much more satisfaction.

 

[Nyxie]

Well, I started vaping for a few reasons but not to quit smoking really. I am a gadget nut. I saw them and had to have the gadget. Then after I got the gadget home, I saw it could actually help me smoke in my house. :::hhaaaaaa::::: (whatever the church noise movie sound is ya know) LOL. I had not smoked in my house for about 4 yrs at that point. My hubby's kids have had asthmatic episodes in the past and he asked that I not smoke around them when we met. Not to mention he was a nazi ex smoker himself, somehow he liked me enough to look past my stinky habit LOL. I totally respect his wishes, especially where the kids are concerned. There I was tossed out to the patio or garage with my trusty friend, Newport 100. At least he (my hubby) usually hung out there with me LOL. I think if he had not we would still not know each other or be married because I was ALWAYS outside. So I thought holy cow I have a new gadget and can smoke in the house and be a normal part of the family. Wahoo. I just happened to not smoke anymore while I was out. With the help of the ecf I figured out that if I up'ed my nic I would not need the morning cig and it worked. Not having the morning cig makes me not want any. I tried one just to see and it was gross. I still have those butts outside but they don't look like they are going anywhere soon.

 

[mianker]

Concentrate on the good and don't beat yourself up for a slip....negative feelings are non-productive.