How do I get the urge for a smoke to go away.....

[Ryedan]

Have a vape!

If you nic and device are set up right, the urge WILL GO AWAY.

That doesn't work for everyone. I used to vape until I got too much nic and still wanted a smoke. It took me well over a year until I got past that. OTOH, being around people who smoked wasn't too hard for me after a couple of months. People are different and there are a bunch of paths to success with this. Whatever works is the right one for each of us

 

[DaveP]

That doesn't work for everyone. I used to vape until I got too much nic and still wanted a smoke. It took me well over a year until I got past that. OTOH, being around people who smoked wasn't too hard for me after a couple of months. People are different and there are a bunch of paths to success with this. Whatever works is the right one for each of us

I'm sure it's true some people have it easier than others when they start to transition. I got caught up in the novelty of vaping as I learned all about atomizers and mods and the variety of flavors. One day I realized that I had smoked on my current pack for several days (former 2PAD guy). That was my clue that I really didn't need the smokes any more. I finished that pack and vaped instead. That was almost 10 years ago and I haven't wanted a tobacco cig since.

Quitting depends on finding the right motivation to do so. For me, it was the fear of medical issues down the road if I continued smoking. Vaping replaced the hand to mouth habit quite well and 24mg nic soothed the quitting craves.

 

[LoveVanilla]

I had to tell my brain it was lying, I didn't need a cigarette and I was getting the nicotine thru vaping. So I told my brain to shut up and have a vape LOL You know tough love

Yes, recognize the conditioning of your subconscious mind from the thousands and thousands of times smoking (and the resulting dopamine reward). Your subconscious will play games with you. One example for me, "you haven't smoked in a week, so time to reward yourself with a cigarette"... Understand and remind yourself that vaping is better than smoking in every possible way, and of the reasons you decided to quit. Finally, recognize that cigarettes only takes 3-4 seconds to trigger an effect while vaping might take 20 minutes -- so vape earlier. The urges do diminish with time and eventually you will have no real desire for a cigarette. GL

 

[dcdozer]

You may be pushing quitting prematurely. When I bought my first cig-a-like vape (Joye 510), I didn't quit smoking. I just started using the Joy 510 and smoking when I felt like it. I was learning about vaping at that point and I didn't push quitting, although quitting was my intent. Later on I bought an eGo. After a couple of months I decided I didn't need cigarettes anymore and finished my last pack.

Vape and enjoy it. Smoke one if you feel a strong urge. There's no shame in stretching out the transition. After a while of dual use, begin to stretch the time between smoking. Vape all you want. Try different flavors and find one that satisfies.

Dual use is common when you are trying to quit. High nic in mouth to lung mode may be the key. After all, cigarette smoking is mouth to lung. It's not necessarily cloud blowing. It's more about getting the nic that satisfies. Once the cigarettes are gone and you no longer crave them you can decide on the method you vape. For me, it was 24mg nic in mouth to lung mode that let me put down the smokes easily. It's more about replacing the nicotine than anythings else at first.

Agree with this. I smoked and vaped for 3 months at first. Finally set a quit date and failed. Bought a better device (switched from pen-like kanger emow mega to kanger subox mini) and the second quit date stuck.

I eventually got to a point where I can't smoke anymore - I tried a cig while on vacation and it made me feel very ill and I had to put it out. The ironic thing is I still like the smell of a burning cigarette, but they are no longer tempting. I now enjoy vaping more than I ever did smoking, but I wouldn't have believed that possible at first. Just keep at it and you will find what works and get there!

 

[Jazzman]

If anyone can figure out how to stop having cigarette cravings, even 5 or 10 years after quitting they will be filthy rich in a very short period of time. Unfortunately there is nothing like that now, but vaping has been the most effective method I've seen. Even many years after quitting cigarettes I can still appreciate the smell of a cigarette that was just lit, no other time, just that first puff I smell from others. The rest of the smell is nasty to me, so progress but not elimination of the craving entirely I guess. I have no problem resisting at all at this point, but the first puff smell can't be denied as an urge. But it does get dramatically better over time and that time is different for each of us.

 

[DaveP]

If anyone can figure out how to stop having cigarette cravings, even 5 or 10 years after quitting they will be filthy rich in a very short period of time. Unfortunately there is nothing like that now, but vaping has been the most effective method I've seen. Even many years after quitting cigarettes I can still appreciate the smell of a cigarette that was just lit, no other time, just that first puff I smell from others. The rest of the smell is nasty to me, so progress but not elimination of the craving entirely I guess. I have no problem resisting at all at this point, but the first puff smell can't be denied as an urge. But it does get dramatically better over time and that time is different for each of us.

Almost 10 years after smoking my last cigarette I still like the smell of a freshly lit cigarette, too. I've stood around people who were smoking and never wanted one once I started vaping. I'm happy with my vape and I remember the times I tried to cut down smoking and was unable to quit for good before I found vaping.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

It is a head game.

I naturally was disgusted with smoking and what it was doing in my life. I made a list of reasons to switch. Looked at it maybe once since I had an attitude against my smoking.

That is the game, a head game. To switch, I had an attitude that made it easy. I quit the moment I started vaping. The nic was strong, yes, but who cares about nic. The issue is all the other chemicals, the smell, the hesitation of women to kiss me...A slew of others.

It is a head game, Get a 'tude.

 

[Jman8]

I think others have kinda said what I'm going to say, but I think I'll be a bit more direct. I would say give yourself permission to enjoy a cigarette. I completely understand how that may seem contradictory to desire to quit, but with vaping in the picture, it is IMO, the best strategy.

When it comes to smoking cigs, telling yourself you can't smoke, or you really ought to not smoke is essentially a surefire way to keep the cravings coming up again and again. Usually in very subtle ways.

Giving yourself permission to smoke is one thing, but giving yourself permission (or allowance) to enjoy a smoke is another thing. It counters the self narrative that you really ought to not smoke because 'smoking is bad.' Basically, if your honest with yourself about your desires, yourself won't seek to sabotage you based on forbidding type strategy.

If you stick with vaping, you'll eventually see that you (strongly) prefer vaping. You'll get to the point where you have full permission to smoke whenever you want and yet you prefer vaping, and oddly don't smoke much at all. At some point, you'll then likely not have another cigarette for many months in a row.

I say all this as one who (proudly) dual uses and who's had a smoke recently, but around 1 to 2 in the last 3 months. I do look forward to my next smoke. I believe it could be months from now that I have it, or it could be tomorrow. Doesn't matter, IMO. I've cutback so much, I find it really challenging that smoking in moderation is detrimental to health in any significant way.

 

[Belinn]

I'm sorry you are finding this difficult.

Please keep reminding yourself that your health (and the health of people breathing around you) is worth the effort.

Most often when I talk to a person who is not satisfied by their e-cig I find that they are using a lower nicotine liquid.

For a long time smoker, with greater than a pack a day habit, using an old style device (cig or cigar shaped not sub ohm) I don't think 24 or even 30 mg/ml is too high a starting place.

A much smaller number of people are using too high a level of nicotine.

If you give your body an instant nicotine fix, without spending time on the other self soothing behaviors which were a part of your smoking habit, it is likely to leave you unsatisfied.

I think that if you have recently been smoking cigarettes you might need to duplicate that experience as closely as possible. Use a cig-alike for a while, not a mod. Use tobacco flavored liquid for a while, not nicer flavors. Smoke at the same places, with the same people, listening to the same music, for the same amount of time.

Yes you heard me right; I do not think you should necessarily avoid smokers. You might find that secondhand smoke is comforting. If it's disgusting to you, move away, that's fine. But if it is comforting go ahead and use that to ease you through this transition.

I have what seems to be an uncommon attitude toward nicotine. I believe there are some people who should not give up nicotine because they are at serious risk of falling back into smoking.

It seems absolute truth to me, beyond question, that some people are using nicotine to self-medicate. It helps them manage their emotions, which leads to more moderate behavior, which results in a more successful life

Think of the guy who goes out for a smoke rather than argue with his boss and maybe lose his job.

If that guy was a reformed smoker, who had used an e-cig to quit smoking, and then had eventually given up the e-cig, what is he going to do at this moment of extreme stress and emotion?

We might hope he would do some deep breathing. Or maybe he'd walk around the block. Maybe he'd run four times around the block. It takes quite a bit of running to achieve the calm that a cigarette provides.

I think probably he would walk across the street to that little store. And I think he's more likely to find a pack of cigarettes in that store than an e-cig.

And we might consider this a bad outcome, because he's smoking, and smoking is really bad for you. But he still has his job. Losing your job is bad and the consequences are much more immediate than the consequences of smoking.

So what I'm saying is that you need to know who you are. Is smoking just a bad habit or is it a tool that helped you manage your life? For me nicotine is a tool. I suspect that it is for you too.

I think it's fine if you're able to use your e-cig less and less until you're not using it at all. I just also think you should keep it in your pocket, so that when you want a cigarette you have a choice.

I hope it goes well for you

 

[Bunnykiller]

took over a year to get over the "urge".... but what I did do was dual usage... when the urge was too much I had a portion of a ciggie, and then vaped till satisfied. Eventually the urges diminished and became full time vape. Ciggies supply more than just nic... one needs to ween themselves off of the other chemicals in tobacco too.

 

[TonyD64]

I don't think the urge ever goes away. It's been over eight months since I quit and I still could go for one but then I think about why I quit. Right before I gave up Cigs I had a bad cough to the point that it was making me barf and I said if I keep this up it's going to kill me and I said enough. I also see a guy probably ten years older than me at the supermarket who needs oxygen and I see him struggle with the hose and tank and I know it has to be tough for him. Over the summer I had a bunch of tests done on my Heart and a breath test was part of it. The Tech who did the test said my breathing is great for my age and I'm in my fifties so that felt good and yes little by little it's getting better all the time. This is something to think about too, I was never a Jogger because really it's not my thing but now I can Jog if I need to, the last time was like six city blocks and I wasn't bent over ready to barf on the grass like when I was a heavy smoker, Pad. Just think about the future and think how hard it's going to be when you get older because there is no guarantee anybody is going to be around when you need help. Vaping will work, it did and it does for me. Best Wishes!

 

[dcdozer]

I don't think the urge ever goes away. It's been over eight months since I quit and I still could go for one but then I think about why I quit. Right before I gave up Cigs I had a bad cough to the point that it was making me barf and I said if I keep this up it's going to kill me and I said enough. I also see a guy probably ten years older than me at the supermarket who needs oxygen and I see him struggle with the hose and tank and I know it has to be tough for him. Over the summer I had a bunch of tests done on my Heart and a breath test was part of it. The Tech who did the test said my breathing is great for my age and I'm in my fifties so that felt good and yes little by little it's getting better all the time. This is something to think about too, I was never a Jogger because really it's not my thing but now I can Jog if I need to, the last time was like six city blocks and I wasn't bent over ready to barf on the grass like when I was a heavy smoker, Pad. Just think about the future and think how hard it's going to be when you get older because there is no guarantee anybody is going to be around when you need help. Vaping will work, it did and it does for me. Best Wishes!

Of course everyone is different, but I will say it has been over 4 years for me and the urge to smoke is gone. For me the urges stopped after about a year. So it is possible for the urge to go away given enough time, but YMMV. Keep at it!

 

[AvaOrchid]

It’s been a day and half with out cigarettes, and I have quit multiple times before using sub ohm setups and a salt nic device. I have multiple of both. This time though... all I can think about is having one cigarette... how do I get this urge to go away? To not want to have one.. I’ve been vaping my a** off but i’m starting to smell them and they smell like s*** I’ll say that. Everyone around me smokes so it’s just kind of hard to this time I guess... my whole family smokes, my parents, my friends , I have a couple that vape but I don’t see them that much. Idk, just wanted to see what made it easy for everyone to finally quit. Thanks!

I can't say what will work for others but I had to play a mind game with myself. The only way that I could quit was to know that I myself and only I was driving the choice to quit. I had to literally keep cigarettes accessible but not opened in my home for the first 3 months. Every time I wanted one I told myself just to wait for a few minutes and would involve myself with vaping and watching a video or reading a book or anything else and by the time that my prescribed amount of time that I forced myself to wait was done I had stopped thinking about it and I would just continuously do that every time I started thinking of a cigarette until I stopped thinking about them. I definitely don't think that that's a great way for the majority of people to quit I think that having the stuff around is more likely to make people fall off the wagon for the majority but there are a certain group of people who have a mindset where they panic when something's not available and that makes them want it all the more and then after they've committed to go and pick up the thing that they're trying to avoid at that point they've already invested so much time in it they figure you might as well just go ahead and do the thing you're avoiding (god that sounds insane).....and therefore that method worked for me. I suppose if you don't feel like that would be something good for you (which again will place you in the majority) just the part where I told myself to wait a few minutes and started vaping and doing other activities without having cigarettes on hand would be something worth a try for you. My dad was the one who quit that way and that's how I quit so I had the guidance of somebody who had already achieved success and who has a similar thought process as I do. Oh I thought I should also mention that it didn't take me the whole 3 months to stop having those cravings at least with any sort of frequency it took me a few weeks. Then I completely forgot that I even had cigarettes and discovered them three months later so I don't want you to think that it took me in entirety of three months and that it'll probably take you three months of constantly thinking about cigarettes because it won't the first week is the worst in my opinion

 

[LadyAnabel]

It’s been a day and half with out cigarettes, and I have quit multiple times before using sub ohm setups and a salt nic device. I have multiple of both. This time though... all I can think about is having one cigarette... how do I get this urge to go away? To not want to have one.. I’ve been vaping my a** off but i’m starting to smell them and they smell like s*** I’ll say that. Everyone around me smokes so it’s just kind of hard to this time I guess... my whole family smokes, my parents, my friends , I have a couple that vape but I don’t see them that much. Idk, just wanted to see what made it easy for everyone to finally quit. Thanks!

We all are different but I smoked a few a day at first with my vape & then I finally found a ejuice that helped take my crave away, it was a good coffee & cream. I have not had a cig in 4 years but at first I had the same trouble. Don't beat yourself up, we all been there.

 

[zoiDman]

I don't think the urge ever goes away. It's been over eight months since I quit and I still could go for one but then I think about why I quit. ...

I think for Most it Does. But the time May vary Dramatically.

For me, I had been Smoke Free for about a Year and Half. Maybe a Tad Longer. I was getting some Gas at a Station I used to buy a Lot of Cigarettes at. But hadn't been to for a Long time. The Cashier recognized me said something "Wow. Haven't seen you in Ages. Bla Bla Bla. Do you Want some Cigarettes also?"

I said "No. I don't do that anymore."

She was all "Good for you. Those things will kill you."

As I walked Back to my car, it Hit me. I Don't do that Anymore. I Don't think about it. I Don't miss it. And I Don't have any desire to start again.

It is like Eating Asparagus. I just Don't do it. So the Thought of Eating Asparagus never enters my Mind. It's just something I Don't Do.

I really Wouldn't be surprised if the Same Thing happened to you. Maybe it it Isn't for a Month. Or maybe 6 Months. Or Maybe a Year from now. But one day some event will happen and it Clicks... I just Don't Smoke Cigarettes. It isn't a Big Deal. It Isn't really any Deal at all. It's just something I Don't Do.

 

[ENAUD]

I find that taking a hammer and smashing one of my big toes will take my mind off of most any annoying thought...it will pass with time though, so the remedy may need repeating occasionally...but it can be a very effective diversion to arbitrary thoughts of doing the undesired actions.

 

[Myrany]

I think for Most it Does. But the time May vary Dramatically.

For me, I had been Smoke Free for about a Year and Half. Maybe a Tad Longer. I was getting some Gas at a Station I used to buy a Lot of Cigarettes at. But hadn't been to for a Long time. The Cashier recognized me said something "Wow. Haven't seen you in Ages. Bla Bla Bla. Do you Want some Cigarettes also?"

I said "No. I don't do that anymore."

She was all "Good for you. Those things will kill you."

As I walked Back to my car, it Hit me. I Don't do that Anymore. I Don't think about it. I Don't miss it. And I Don't have any desire to start again.

It is like Eating Asparagus. I just Don't do it. So the Thought of Eating Asparagus never enters my Mind. It's just something I Don't Do.

I really Wouldn't be surprised if the Same Thing happened to you. Maybe it it Isn't for a Month. Or maybe 6 Months. Or Maybe a Year from now. But one day some event will happen and it Clicks... I just Don't Smoke Cigarettes. It's a Big Deal. It Isn't really any Deal at all. It's just something I Don't Do.

For me that moment didn't come until I let myself stop obsessing about it. When I found a setup that worked for me. When I found an ADV. When I stopped chasing the next greatest gear. I was just set. And Cigs were not part of it.