Help, I'm slipping!

[JoeD4]

Been doing really good the last 3-4 weeks since I quit smoking, but the last couple of days I've been smoking again. Maybe 3 or 4 analogs a day. A lot less than the 25-30 I was smoking before, but it still bothers me. It makes me worry that I'm going to go back to it full time. Any advice, tips, stories, encouraging words or tricks out there? I really need this to work for me. Thanks.

 

[thelook]

First do not beat yourself up.
How long did it take you to reach 20-30 cigs a day habit?
I bet is was NOT overnight!
And to quit overnight, that is amazing.
So if you slipped up and had a few dont worry, it is still better that the 20 or 30 you were doing before.
Hang in there and lighten up on yourself

 

[doots]

Hi Joe.
it is common to want to go back after several weeks..

up your nic level and when you get the urge, hit the vape hard and the feeling will go away.

it takes time. maybe even 6 months to get away from that urge..

good success to you!!!

 

[Blaze]

First of all, you need to congratulate yourself on the major accomplishment. 25-30 cigs to 3-4 is a MAJOR accomplishment. Second, you've got to give yourself more time to adjust, I'm about 2 months into it, and I still smoke about 9-10 a day (down from 35-40 daily). Just stick with it, only you know when your ready to make that leap

 

[TheBlueAdept]

2 weeks in, now down to 1 or 0 analogs a day... It'll happen for you just keep at it!

 

[techtony]

Don't beat yourself up! You're doing far better than some.

 

[beranzo]

You can't kick yourself. It's a normal reaction.

After a "failed" vaping attempt last summer (I call it "failed" because I kept up on what as going on and am back to vaping again), I purchased me eGo in January. For 2 weeks I didn't even touch an .... log, but when I went to NYC for 2 days for my birthday, I bought a couple packs of Dunhills (yeah, went classy!) for me and my cold-turkey quit cousin, who had not bought a pack, or smoked much for 8 months, even though I had continued smoking. For those two days we enjoyed (?) - at least sometimes - our cigarettes, and when we returned back upstate, we both went back to smoke free lives - him just not smoking, me vaping on my trusty eGo, and purchasing tons of crazy good juice...

What I'm trying to say is, it's OK to smoke from time to time, even to go through a pack in a couple days (which, now that I think of it, I used to go through over a pack a day), and then return to vaping. Don't flog yourself, don't feel guilty.

When it all comes down to things, you'll be smoke free in no time. IF you feel the urge, and vaping isn't helping, try snus (the swedish variety) or nasal snuff. I have a large tin of snuff that I use when things get real bad. Though I barely use it, I don't feel guilty for using tobacco fromt ime to time.

All that said - try different types of PVs. My eGo was my 3rd device, and I found it to be perfect to me...my 901 and 801 didn't fare so well last year - though both still work, and I do enjoy using them from time to time now, I couldn't see myself using them as a replacement for the nasty cigs.

 

[TheBlueAdept]

...For 2 weeks I didn't even touch an .... log...

I know I'm pretty new here, and this has probably already been said, but this had me ROFLMAO.

Maybe this is the secret to completely kicking regular cigs? Think of them as ".... logs" instead of "analogs"!

 

[Kent C]

Been doing really good the last 3-4 weeks since I quit smoking, but the last couple of days I've been smoking again. Maybe 3 or 4 analogs a day. A lot less than the 25-30 I was smoking before, but it still bothers me. It makes me worry that I'm going to go back to it full time. Any advice, tips, stories, encouraging words or tricks out there? I really need this to work for me. Thanks.

Although I didn't intend to quit, it just happened - I did an experiment - when I get the urge I'll hit the ecig first three times then if I wanted a cig I'd have one. That never happened but after about a month, I started to get a stronger urge - I was getting mental pictures of my self smoking on the porch - a favorite place to relax and have a cig... And the fact that I had already gone a month was a factor - even though I didn't intend to quit at first, now, I didn't want to start back up ;-) But I kept with my original plan - hit the ecig first and the pictures went away in a few weeks and it's been rather easy since then. Really no desire for a cig at this point and it's been that way for months now (I quit almost 9 months ago).

The other thing that has been observed here on this forum and with my wife who still has about 4-5 a day, is that unlike other methods -that 'one cigarette' isn't going to throw you back into your former habit of 1 or 2 packs a day. People are so used to that 'one cigarette' or on a diet 'one doughnut' scenario that blows it all that the fear of that is common but you'll see (or most likely you'll see) that isn't the case with ecigs because you're still getting the nicotine and the vapor. So there isn't the same urgency to go back to a pack a day as there would be with nicorette, patches, etc.

Hang in there, Joe - hit the ecig first when you go for your cigs - perhaps top off with a higher level nic ejuice. That's another thing I did during that period - I normally was vaping at 18mg then so I'd top off with some 24mg - that helped.

 

[CaptJay]

Agree with Kent. If the urge becomes so huge that hitting the PV doesn't help (and you hate snus or dont want that) then go ahead - have one. We aren't anti-smoking nazis here, no-one (I hope) is going to go postal on your habit. Most of us enjoy smoking, just don't enjoy cigs. But don't make cigs that 'banned' thing that makes them oh-so-much-more attractive by virtue of the fact its now 'forbidden'. Make them instead 'last resort'. Much less attractive now aren't they? lol
I'd jsut keep doing what you're doing, and trash the guilt side. Guilt serves you no purpose at all in trying to quit.
best of luck mate

 

[Kilroy]

During the first two months strong urges were frequent. I was lucky and was able to avoid them. Now the're rare and pretty easily dismissed. Frankly I think that I'd choke on one at this point.

 

[DC2]

Been doing really good the last 3-4 weeks since I quit smoking, but the last couple of days I've been smoking again. Maybe 3 or 4 analogs a day. A lot less than the 25-30 I was smoking before, but it still bothers me. It makes me worry that I'm going to go back to it full time. Any advice, tips, stories, encouraging words or tricks out there? I really need this to work for me. Thanks.

I agree with what everyone else said.

But to answer your question I will ask you one first...
Can you put your finger one why you are having those cigarettes?

Is it too much hassle sometimes?
Do you feel like you are missing something sometimes?
Can you identify any particular trigger?

 

[Reboot]

Ok so you're 3-4 weeks in, you were going along just fine and now you're having a few smokes a day. Something similar (kind of) happened with me except that for me the first few months I had almost constant urges to smoke. Problem is, if I buy a pack, I'm going to smoke a pack. It takes me a couple days to get through it, but I'll get through it. I also bummed a few cigarettes off friends at work fairly often (like 1 or 2 a week).

Basically any time my vaping experience becomes less than satisfying I crave a smoke. Do you find vaping to be less satisfying than it was? If so are you still using the same atty that you've been using all along? Are you using a different juice than previously? I don't use a lot of different juices, I find one that works and stick with it if at all possible. I vape a relatively high level of nic (always 24mg) but I don't go through as much juice as most other people. What I'm getting at is if my juice or my atty is performing properly than I'm not satisfied and my thoughts turn to smoking. Once I correct the problem (usually a new atty) and I have a juice that I enjoy all is right and lately I haven't even thought about having a cigarette in weeks. (The last time I smoked I went through 2 packs in 4-5 days, ugh gross and my lungs were KILLING me).

If everything is right with my setup and my vape is good, I just don't buy the smokes and I'm usually fine. If I REALLY get an urge, I'll bum one and that usually holds me for a while. These days, I crave the vape and the smoke is a last resort if the vape isn't working quite right. I don't really enjoy them at all like I used to.

 

[MsSki]

Im only a 2 weeks into being cig free, this past weekend and today has been alittle rough, I downed the nic mg and im thinking of upping it again, because when i was higher i had no thoughts of smoking. But im not gonna go back because i know myself I wont stop. Hang in there.
Tara

 

[Doberz]

Just try to keep the mindset that smoking tastes like poo.. Seriously! And that you don't even want to smoke. Remind yourself that you're strong, and can withstand the urge to go back to a disgusting habit. I have people smoking around me all day, walk through their plumes at times, and constantly just have reminders of my old habit throughout my day. But my urges have been very minimal. Like someone said a few posts up, just hit that e-cig like there's no tomorrow when you get the cravings and they will pass over.

 

[scheherezade]

Just remeber this isn't a competition with anyone else. Everyone here just wants to support everyone else. You're doing great, so you slipped a bit. Just try to get back on track. I tend to use that "one day at a time thing myself", friends in the program. I just tell myself that I don't want to smoke right now. And I repeat as many times as neccesary, lol. It also helps to remind myself that this is an experiment to see how much better I will feel. If I smoke an analog, I won't really be able to tell, and I'll have to wait until I've gone a bit again to see what the results are. Try different approaches. If they work, they're the right ones for you. Just think of the reasons you decided to quit analogs and go from there.

 

[Metstoo]

My best tip that helps me? If I don't buy 'em, I don't smoke 'em. Helps tremendously. In fact, when I quit via hypnosis once before, my stress dreams were about when I was buying a pack at the store rather than actually smoking. Heh! Weird but true.

 

[jjujju]

Congrats on your progress!!!

All the PPs have said good stuff. I just wanted to chime in and say I'd try not to worry or feel rushed and just let things happen naturally. I have read so many posts of people who cut further and further down without trying much if at all and eventually they just were ".... log"-free (*giggle* first I'd heard that too!).

Just remember that every cigarette you DON'T smoke does you good, so if you have a few in the process of cutting down/quitting/etc no biggie. I find that stressing about wanting something or stressing about slipping up (regardless of the subject, smoking, whatever) makes you seem to CRAVE the thing more. If you REALLY want a cigarette, have one! Try the e-cig first but if it doesn't fix it, then have a "real" one! I bet eventually you won't even want to. OR, like me, I wanted to but when I tried I was disgusted/dizzy/yukkified and that just encouraged me all the more NOT to do it again. Eventually it may happen that way for you too.

 

[THeGAMe]

All these posts are correct.

Stick with it.
Find a good fluid that both allows you to get your fix, and chain esmoke without an overdose from chain vapeing, lol..

Dont give yourself a no option solution that you will never smoke again.
I will smoke again, but I know Im not addicted to a cig anymore. After 22yrs with multiple cigs every day, Ive gone a month+ without them. Sure I started up again, but in three months, I have only smoked maybe 15 packs. None the first month, none the third month, and only 15 days the second.

I dont plan on giving away my Blu any time soon, and that was the mistake. I thought I had a chance of kicking a 22yr old habit in a month.. Boo..

Anyway.. Keep it up, and dont pet the sweaty things

 

[nawcho]

What reboot said is dead on, any time i find myself craving a cigarette at ALL is when my atomizer is getting old, or my batteries are getting weak, or both..

Get yourself a new battery and atomizer and you gunna be in vaping heaven again my man.