My method to successfully quit smoking is the electronic cigarette.
I firmly believe that, beyond question, it is the most successful method in existence! As of this writing, there is an abundance of research underway that experts believe will clearly show that electronic cigarettes are far more effective than existing NRTs or cold turkey. Many people who have tried to quit dozens of times using many of the other methods mentioned here (only to eventually relapse to smoking again) feel that electronic cigarettes are truly a miracle.
If anyone tells you that electronic cigarettes are dangerous, that we don’t know what is in them or that the FDA said they contain toxins, carcinogens or anti-freeze, please read the following:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/centers-institutes/population-development/files/article.jphp.pdf
Here is the summary for those who don't like to click links...
"The issue of harm reduction has long been controversial in the public health practice of tobacco control. Health advocates have been reluctant to endorse a harm reduction approach out of fear that tobacco companies cannot be trusted to produce and market products that will reduce the risks associated with tobacco use. Recently, companies independent of the tobacco industry introduced electronic cigarettes, devices that deliver vaporized nicotine without combusting tobacco. We review the existing evidence on the safety and efficacy of electronic cigarettes. We then revisit the tobacco harm reduction debate, with a focus on these novel products. We conclude that electronic cigarettes show tremendous promise in the fight against tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. By dramatically expanding the potential for harm reduction strategies to achieve substantial health gains, they may fundamentally alter the tobacco harm reduction debate."
How to quit smoking using an electronic cigarette
The first step is to buy a good product for a good price. That means to avoid almost everything that is widely advertised or comes up in a random Google search. Such products are marketed by companies who often sell poor performing products at outrageous prices. It is also very unlikely to find a high quality product at a reasonable price in a mall, at a liquor store, or in a tobacco shop. Far too many people were introduced to the electronic cigarette through one of the outlets mentioned above only to come to the conclusion that the products do not work very well and will not work for them.
For the lucky ones that see the potential and decide to do some research, in order to find out if there is a better product, it does not take long to find out that there most certainly is. In fact, most people have no idea that an entire world of better products exists.
Now for the most important thing I can say to anyone reading this…
Not only will you need a good product, at a reasonable price, but you will need to find out the kind of electronic cigarette that you need for
your particular situation. And you will need to learn how to properly use an electronic cigarette, because there is a bit of a learning curve. The only way to do these things is to interact with those who have come before you and have experience. Unless you know someone who has successfully used an electronic cigarette to quit smoking, your ONLY option for finding such help is an electronic cigarette forum. There are excellent electronic cigarette forums that are full of wonderful, helpful people who also serve as a fantastic support group. An offline support group can be helpful, too, although quitting smoking using electronic cigarettes can be so easy that you may not need any support at all!
As for HOW you quit smoking using an electronic cigarette, I can not tell you that. And really, that is part of the wonder of electronic cigarettes. They let you quit smoking your way, on your own timeframe, in a way that is most comfortable for you.
Just as we smoked for different reasons, we also quit for different reasons. You may want to quit smoking to reduce your health risks or you may want to quit nicotine altogether. Your ultimate goal will determine if you use electronic cigarettes as a permanent replacement for harmful tobacco cigarettes or as a way to wean off nicotine at your own pace.
Either way, once you're off the tobacco cigarettes you have accomplished the most important goal, which is to stop inhaling smoke from burning tobacco. Thanks to electronic cigarettes that part can be accomplished very quickly and almost painlessly!
