Having a very hard time quitting smoking and adjusting

[edyle]

Bought my first disposable cigalike in July 2013, and had my last cigarette in August 2013; bought several systems trying things out and I suppose I'm still trying things out; got a pack on 11 miniprotank2's on the way in the mail (couldn't just order 1 or 2 because of the shipping cost to my location);

A lot of us got off the cigs by getting cigalikes at first, then after that it was a matter of switching from cigalikes to a more economical way of vaping. Don't forget your tastebuds are going to change once you get away from the smokies, so just staying away from the smokies is an important part of the journey.

 

[Navy20]

Hello Daisey Moonshine, Don't Give Up!!!! Not an easy habit to quit but you can do it. I smoked for 45 years and have been analog free now for 9 months. I was up to 2 packs a day. I kept telling myself I needed to quit, went through the motions, used the patch, used the nicotine lozenges, chewed nicotine gum, popped Wellbutrin and Chantix, and continued to smoke even when using all these supposedly stop smoking aids. I was addicted . . . Popping Chantix, wearing the patch, chewing the gum and smoking all at the same time. Damn wonder I didn't have a heart attack. I was a nicotine addict. Like any addiction, I kept telling myself I was okay, but I wasn't. I was killing myself. I was angry all the time. I hid cigarettes behind books on the bookshelf, out in the garage, in my truck. Psychologically, I wasn't prepared. I couldn't walk several flights of stairs, keep up with the Grandkids and I started to realize the advancement in the aging process. For me, I had hit bottom. It was absolutely time to give it up. I tried several brands of e-cigs before I found the one that worked for me. The analog chains and shackles have been cut and lifted. I do feel better. Breathe easier. I may have bought myself some extra time on earth. With encouragement and determination, you are going to make it also. Yeah, I know . . . The finish line is way down there, I have been there. I would imagine everyone on this Forum that was a previous smoker has been there. You are not alone. You have people on this Forum that you can turn to for advise and encouragement. We all want to see you succeed as we have. Sure, You may stumble, that is okay. Steady yourself and keep going. You are not on this journey alone. You Can Do It. You Will Do It. You Shall Succeed. And when you do, let everyone on this Forum know that You beat the beast . . . You are analog free.

 

[ThePhilosophess]

Thanks for your post. Made me review my whole process and see how far I've come from then to now. I kept a carton of cigarettes on a shelf in the kitchen, and a pack in my purse, and a pack in the car for the entire first year. I was smoking Djarum Black Clove Cigarettes. And once flavored cigarettes were banned in the US in 2009 I got started on an adventure in the black market that was harrowing and difficult. At one point I was buying them at a brick and mortar store in London for $15 a pack while on holiday there, that made my sphincter clench, but I was not going to quit smoking. Trial and error ordering from Indonesia was a race to thwart US customs stacked against tricksters from Indonesia trying to pull a fast one and get your money in return for nothing. Even answering craigslist ads and paying $140 a carton to a man who dealt out of the trunk of his car. It was comically ludicrous. The repackaged Djarum Black cigars now available in the US are not like the original cigarettes. Something about the paper is very different, the cigars taste like they are wrapped in tobacco leaves instead of paper, and it's much closer to smoking a cigar than a cigarette. So then I started buying the cigars and emptying the tobacco into a container and using rolling papers to re-roll them into cigarettes. I was obsessed and it was more than a little crazy. So vaping for me wasn't a health choice, it was an end the craziness choice. I was desperate and other brands of cigarettes didn't come close to satisfying me. It's funny to look back on now, and I haven't thought about it in a long time, but that's what made me try vaping. In the early days the nicotine hit just wasn't strong enough to even pretend to compare, let alone the flavor, vapor production and throat hit. But I was driven back to trying different vape setups, and luckily in the last few years the technology has come a long way. And eventually I had a day where I vaped more than I smoked. Then I was down to just one real cigarette in the evenings on the porch, and an unquenchable cigarette craving would drive me to the porch now and then. But eventually I'd gone a whole day, and then a week, and then a month. With lots of setbacks. But there was a shift where sometimes I was craving vaping instead of smoking, and then craving vaping more often than I craved smoking, and then cigarettes started to taste worse and worse. My friends loved hitting me up for a clove cigarette, because they knew I was carrying them and they knew they were very, very difficult to come by. And at first I was pretty tight fisted, but soon I became freer and freer at giving them out. But I still always carried them on me. Then I made it a year not smoking. That one startled me. I didn't realize it until it had already happened. Oddly enough I gave away the last few packs in the carton on the kitchen shelf, then gave away the one in the car, then gave away the one I carried in my purse. But not until it didn't matter anymore. I carried it around for months and months without ever needing to smoke one, but I needed to know it was there. Entertainingly enough I still carry my lighter. Not willing to give that up. Never use it, but something in me still needs to know it's there. And it doesn't hurt anything to carry it around, and so I do.

Sometimes I think the whole point in changing a habit like smoking isn't the doing it or not doing it, it's the struggle. It's reminding myself I'm just going to try. I'm not going to worry about last week or next week or even what I may or may not smoke in three hours, but what I'm going to try right now. Maybe I'm going to try and vape, maybe I'll give in and smoke, but as long as I keep struggling there's a chance that at some point I'll look back and realize I haven't smoked a cigarette in 2 years, or 5 years.

When people who don't vape ask me about the nicotine levels and if I'm trying to lower myself down to a lower level I always say that's next year's problem. Today I'm just going to vape.

Best of luck in your attempts!

 

[Daisey Moonshine]

I remember clove cigarettes from way back in high school. They were thin and in a purple box. They were very popular in California.

 

[DelboyinDorset]

My brother used to bring back from Russia L&M's which were flavoured for the Russian market, he brought back coffee, apple, cinammon, spearmint on subsequent trips and always the ubiquitous "Royal" variants which were like £1.50 per 200 and were like smoking rusted wire wool dipped in lung graters, kind of like a French ciggie dipped in road tar hehe and they weren't the cheapest either, there was a brand which was about 5 pence a packet and only the desperate smoked them

 

[eLefAdEr]

I remember clove cigarettes from way back in high school. They were thin and in a purple box. They were very popular in California.

Back when I was an undergrad, a foreign exchange student from Germany introduced me to Djarums. I had picked up the smoking habit before, and managed to quit cold turkey each time with relative ease -- but those cloves, man..... I was hooked. I had a terrible time trying to put them down for good. It felt like each time I wanted to kick the habit, it got more and more difficult to do so.

Finally managed to break away from them after about a year, but it wasn't long before I was smoking regular cigarettes again. On and off, on and off, and soon it was a regular 1/2-pack-a-day habit for roughly two years until I saw a family member using an eGo and decided to give vaping a try.

Boy, am I glad I did. The nicotine gum just wasn't enough to keep me away from cravings, but once I found out that I could customize a nicotine level with nearly every flavor under the sun, and for less of an impact on my wallet, I was well on the way. Today marks my 1-year anniversary of vaping and it feels fantastic.

My only advice is this: do whatever feels comfortable to you! If vaping just isn't doing it, that's OK. It's not for everyone -- what's important is that you are giving it a try. There is most definitely an adjustment period. In my case it was about two weeks until I realized certain things just weren't "right," like lowering my nicotine level from 24mg/mL to 18, and keeping hydrated to prevent headaches. There is plenty of support here, so you came to a great place to share your story!

 

[savannah31411]

I didn't so much quit smoking. I just left smoking behind. There's some really good juice on the web. naturally extracted tobaccos to me at least far surpass the flavors of cigs. naturally extracted tobaccos.com is a great place to start. All the flavor and no carcinogens . They make smoking a cig feel old and dated. Try the natural tobacco thread right here on ecf. Lots of tobacco vendors listed there. Remember tobacco's not bad smoking is.

 

[ccubed]

Wow. Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply and in such detail about everything you went through. I bet it was hell. That's kind of where I am right now between heaven and hell. It feels like the more I try to quit, the worse I want them.

These last two days I have been trying to occupy my time by cooking in the kitchen. I made (authentic) chicken enchiladas yesterday from scratch. Today I made chili relleno's with fresh pico de gallo in the hopes that by keeping myself busy, doing all that crazy, time consuming prep work will help distract me from smoking cigarettes for awhile.

Hi Daisey and I am glad you are sharing your experience with us. There has been a lot of good advice offered and what I love about this community is that we are here to support one another. At some point in your vaping journey your current challenges will be uniquely useful to someone else and your experience will truly help someone else.

That being said, there is one way that will guarantee you an analog free day. And it is really very simple. All you have to do is pack up some of your home made chili rellenos with pico de gallo and ship them to me in Colorado. The action of packing and sending them will absolutely keep you analog free.

If that fails, then make some home made enchilladas (preferably chicken) and then pack some up and send them to the same address. That would be a surefire way to not smoke an analog.

If that fails, then I hope that some laughing helps. Sometimes I can get so serious about serious subjects and forget that humor in the right doses from the right places at the right time from the right source can be a wonderful solution.

Wishing you a analog free life an incredible vaping journey. And keep sharing here in ECF. Namaste.

 

[ZeroOhms]

Once you figure out how to really "enjoy" vaping, it will get much easier. i was lucky enough to quit on day one, but i had a few close calls. those moments kicks in like a freight train out of no where and hits you hard. for me, it sprung out when i was having hard time with vaping. either the gear wasn't working properly or i was going through ....ty batch of samples. mistake i made was trying to vape through it. instead of replacing the atomizer, i tried to vape it until the tank gets emptied. instead of quickly switching to a flavor i like, i continued with crappy tasting samples. i didn't realize how dangerous this was until i found myself grabbing a lighter and about to head out to a store to buy a pack!

during the initial stage of quitting, find a reliable way of vaping and always have that as a backup when you are experimenting. even now, as i am trying out different coil builds and loads of samples, i always have a tank filled with favorite juice ready to go. if i get stuck with a bad coil or juice, i quickly switch to trusty one and kick back and vape on. to me, this isn't an option but requirement when you are trying to quit.

Also, the best way to find a good tasting juice initially is to visit local shops and try out as many samples as you can. people at local shops around me are pretty good at picking out a good juice. online sample ordering takes too long and will take long time to find one you really like.

vaping isn't like smoking. when done right, it gives you so much more. good luck and stay strong!

P.S. i love ECF! this site and members are freak'n awesome!

 

[Raccoon_Canada]

it took me 2 days, i kinda was compering a real cig to the e-cig and after 2 days comparing i vaped like crazy to the point where i said ok my body is pomped up on nicotine, after that night i told my self vaping is like smoeking you still inhale, you still get your nicotine and.....wait for it...wait....... and............... you love the taste ))))))), where with real cigarettes i was getting sick of the taste slowly it tasted like old shoe. and since i got my perfect flavor i havent smoked for 6 days and most liekly wont have to, becouse i get my nic by vaping and i love it. when you tell your brain vaping is like smoeking and you stick to it and most important you find a flavor you love, it be easy

 

[MacTechVpr]

Once you figure out how to really "enjoy" vaping, it will get much easier. i was lucky enough to quit on day one, but i had a few close calls. those moments kicks in like a freight train out of no where and hits you hard. for me, it sprung out when i was having hard time with vaping. either the gear wasn't working properly or i was going through ....ty batch of samples. mistake i made was trying to vape through it. instead of replacing the atomizer, i tried to vape it until the tank gets emptied. instead of quickly switching to a flavor i like, i continued with crappy tasting samples. i didn't realize how dangerous this was until i found myself grabbing a lighter and about to head out to a store to buy a pack!

during the initial stage of quitting, find a reliable way of vaping and always have that as a backup when you are experimenting. even now, as i am trying out different coil builds and loads of samples, i always have a tank filled with favorite juice ready to go. if i get stuck with a bad coil or juice, i quickly switch to trusty one and kick back and vape on. to me, this isn't an option but requirement when you are trying to quit.

Also, the best way to find a good tasting juice initially is to visit local shops and try out as many samples as you can. people at local shops around me are pretty good at picking out a good juice. online sample ordering takes too long and will take long time to find one you really like.

vaping isn't like smoking. when done right, it gives you so much more. good luck and stay strong!

P.S. i love ECF! this site and members are freak'n awesome!

Awesome contributors is right! And thanks for your good observations.

It is all about flavor and finding the right temperature (resistance) that gets us the vapor and flavor we like. But you're right that you have to have reliable wicking for us to succeed and get there. So thanks for your like on my post http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...08-alternative-ways-clean-4.html#post11850838. I really appreciate that.

Good luck all.

 

[Worzel]

I remember back in '06/'07 when Camel came out with the flavored cigarettes that came in the tins. The only one that wasn't overpowered by cigarette taste were the orange ones. But still, cigarette flavored orange. Not my cup of tea. I just like the flavors I get with vaping. I cannot just stick to one. I gotta try them all!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[DelboyinDorset]

And it is allowed to stumble on occasion by the wayside, no judges holding up marks or anything, take it as you want to, play World of Warcraft or something similar that takes up your mind as well as keep your hands busy as that helped as well as I had set myself the rule no more smoking in the place and it made it easier to just sit and vape rather than stand up and smoke outside.

 

[KC0YNU]

Daisy
do not give up!

I had been a smoker for 40+ years,at one point 4PAD.
I tried patches,gum,welbutrin and chantix, the lowest I could get was PAD.
started with cigalikes at work because smoking was not pemited on property and not allowed off property during shift hours(not even breaks) 12hour shifts.
bought an ego with 18mg nic/with out trying dropped to 1/2 PAD.
Upped the nic to 24mg/celebrated the cigarette that I did not smoke.
bought a couple more ego batteries and CE4 clearomizers,started trying flavors other than tobacco.
bought a twist or variable voltage ego, started to really enjoy the flavors more.
worked down to 2 cigs a day/one i morning and one at night.
After studying info on this forum bought an MVP and Iclear16.
and finally after a year am now cigarette free/vaping my face off but cig free!

Hope you find this and words from others here helpful.


VAPE ON !!!!!!!

 

[MD_Boater]

Daisy, this is going to sound SO wrong, but trust me.

Do not try to "quit" smoking.

Step #1 - Start vaping.

Step #2 - Enjoy vaping as a new hobby. Seems like you are on your way. Get equipment that works for you, and some liquids that you actually like the taste of.

Step #3 - Whenever you want a cigarette, do it, but only after you make yourself vape first.

Step #4 - Gradually replace smoking with vaping. This one happens mostly on its own. If you got step #2 right, you're going to end up enjoying it more and more. One day, you will be smoking, and it will hit you like a ton of bricks. You're going to be in the middle of puffing on a cigarette when all of a sudden you will realize that you like the taste and experience of vaping better. I remember my last cigarette. It was puff #3 on one I had just lit. I looked at it and realized that I no longer liked it. I put it out, and grabbed my PV. That was my last one.

You don't need to "pressure" yourself into quitting. I tossed my last few cigarettes in the trash after having them sitting on my desk for 3 weeks after I quit. I was a RYO guy. I have a can of tobacco, filters, and papers sitting within 3 feet of me right now. As a matter of fact, I have always loved the smell of unburned tobacco. Every now and then, I will open up that can and take a big whiff. I just did exactly that after typing that sentence. Too bad tobacco doesn't taste or smell like that when it is burning.

Best wishes and good luck...

 

[cowbooger88]

I know that feeling! When I first got the ecig I still smoked analogs then left the ecig behind. I realized I love smoking (keep reading it gets better haha)
I actually didn't touch it for a month. But....As most people who live paycheck to paycheck, my bills overlapped by like a lot. I had no choice but to just vape! Which I actually hated for the first two days. But even after payday and smokers around me...I've realized I love my ecig. I can't say I don't still want a cigarette, but I haven't lapsed either. Sometimes it takes a huge force but I've seen people that do both. Nothing wrong with what you do.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[Completely Average]

Daisy, this is going to sound SO wrong, but trust me.

Do not try to "quit" smoking.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is what I tell everyone considering converting to ecigs.

View them as a supplement, or an addition to your smoking. Don't bother trying to instantly replace analogs with ecigs. Instead, start using the ecig, experiment with different flavors, find a combination that you like. Once you find the right ecig and liquid for you then you'll just gradually get to the point where you prefer the ecig to the real thing.

A lot of times it's simply a matter of retraining the habit of smoking. You're getting the nicotine, but you're not following your old smoking habits. It generally takes a little time to retrain your mind and body to get into the habit of reaching for the ecig, but once you do the analogs will be easy to give up.

 

[Cranky99]

Many of us keep 1 tank with high nic, and another main one with the lower nic.

You sustain the habit of smoking by using the low nic tank, but if your body craves more nicotine, you just use the high nic tank for a moment. Gradually your body craves less nicotine.

I do this except I have three levels. My lowest is zero for the times I have vaped almost to having a headache but my hands still feel the need for the motions of smoking.

 

[Streamlined]

You are not alone. I am having trouble giving up smoking too

 

[Daisey Moonshine]

I hear you Streamilined. It is very hard to quit smoking.