How do you get over the "pacifier" effect?

[Saintscruiser]

Kellogg, no killing of little animals!

Everyone is different.....everyone. My husband quit cold turkey 5 years ago, and you can see from my sig line what I think about that. I think you're putting too much pressure on yourself, and when you smoke analogs, we all know what pressure will do.

What I would do if it were me, is set more realistic goals for myself. If you smoke 6 analogs a day, then you just do. I quit analogs after 2 days from a 2 pad habit. Some people never pick up another one after they get their kit. That didn't happen for me. I agree that you should celebrate how many you haven't smoked. Look at the glass as being half full instead of half empty. Take the pressure off! If you want to do this, it will happen. You control this. If you have a craving, see if you can get through the next 5 minutes without an analog by vaping. If not, smoke an analog. No one is going to judge you. I think 6 analogs a day is a great accomplishment!!!!!! WTG!!!!!

 

[Bovinia]

I am encouraged by your story. As someone who has smoked for close to 35 years, perhaps my expectations are a little high.

Kellogg you have a LOT to be proud of so don't keep kicking yourself! My story is much the same as others...37 years of smoking 3 packs a day. I'm now 3 weeks into vaping and down to about 5 analogs a day, and I'm thrilled! I think the PT will help you as well as finding your groove on flavors and nic lvls.

Don't pressure yourself too much...it will happen in it's own time

 

[Hillshire_Farms]

I quit the day after I got my 510. I finished that last pack and was just too stubborn to buy any more. But I honestly vaped almost non-stop from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed that first couple of weeks. I had to switch to low nic juice because I was getting dizzy and headaches. By about the middle of week 3 I was down to a point where I would take a couple of drags every few minutes and put it down again.

I hit 7 weeks this last Friday. Now about 2 or 3 times an hour I will pick it up, take a few drags, and put it back down. But sometimes I might forget about it and not use it for an hour. Sometimes I get a call and have to leave the office for a while and decide not to take it with me. I smoked 1 or 2 PAD for over 20 years. I had pretty much given up on being able to quit. But now I have. And I'm ok.

Don't get too down about not giving up the tobacco cigs immediately. It will happen when you're ready. Focus on the progress you've made. Stick to the forums here. It's like AA for smokers. And best of luck to you.

 

[classwife]

We are all such complex beings. Just relax. One day at a time.....it is ALL good. I quit by "accident", was just playing around, decided this was better, after 1 week (40+ year smoker). That was almost 5 months ago. We are here.....

 

[KayleePup]

Don't worry about quitting all at once. Challenge yourself, ask youself everytime you crave an analog what makes you think you want it. Do you need to take a break & walk around? I found that analogs were an excuse for me to get away from everyone. No one in my office smokes. So no one looks for me if I disappear for 10-15 minutes to have a smoke. So since the first of August I now just take my e-cig and still take the same break. I now have to watch the clock though since there is no burning cig to time it by. Litlle by little it becomes easier to not smoke. Small steps, I used to smoke 3-4 analogs on the commute to & from work so I cut it by 1 (I had it timed as to when to light up to get them all in) so I vaped for the 2nd smoke for a couple days, then replaced the 3rd smoke, then I took out the ash tray, aired out the car and sprayed it with fabreze. Now I don't smoke in the car.

This past week wasn't too bad. My boyfriend broke down and bought a pack and my OCD kicked in and told me that I had to help him get rid of them (didn't enjoy them either ). I am not one that can have a pack around and not smoke the analogs. If I must have one I might be a bum and get one from someone else but most of my friends don't smoke so I have a hard time finding someone to bum from.

I also found I was wanting to snack to cut down on the vaping. Not good for the diabetes.....so now I just switch up flavors (PB Cookie from Ms T) takes care of any urge I have.

So just keep moving in the right direction and it will come. Some of the same rules apply to switching to vaping that apply when you try any other method to quit smoking. Change your habits (you have to repeat an action 20 time for it to become a 'habit' as an adult) and just keep going!

Good luck and enjoy the vaping!
KayleePup

 

[CaptJay]

I also quit 'against my wishes' lol But I didnt rush anything nor did I worry about houw other people were doing.
I spend 10 days smoking + vaping - every day my cig amount reduced in favor of vaping. I have NOT banned cigarettes but I really dont want any either. If i had mad craving then Id just have one - every time Ive done this I cant make it through one without feeling really ill. That reinforces my desire to vape over smoking.
Relax - go at your own pace - best advice I can give you lol.

 

[IceMaiden101]

I also quit 'against my wishes' lol But I didnt rush anything nor did I worry about houw other people were doing.
I spend 10 days smoking + vaping - every day my cig amount reduced in favor of vaping. I have NOT banned cigarettes but I really dont want any either. If i had mad craving then Id just have one - every time Ive done this I cant make it through one without feeling really ill. That reinforces my desire to vape over smoking.
Relax - go at your own pace - best advice I can give you lol.

I agree with you 100%. If vaping hadn't been up to snuff (!) then I would still probably be smoking cigs. I was able to go all the way over to vaping because by that last cig in my pack, the hit didn't seem any better or give me any more of a pleasure factor than my e-cig and it didn't taste good either. But, gotta admit, knowing that my final pack was now empty did still cause a twinge of panic. Even a week later, I can still feel the slightest of urges but one good inhale on a manual battery or the Riva (LOVE it) and it's gone. Everyone is different. It is a great thing to be able to say that you have cut out any cigs at all.

 

[antihero]

My PV has become a pacifier. I started vaping to get away from smokes. I was a pack a day on the weekends. Pretty much only when I'm drinking. But it started to take a toll on my body. I only get hangovers after a night of heavy smoking, and body aches, like my bones Hurt. But since my eGo arrived in the mail, it's pretty much just drip, vape, repeat. And I don't feel guilty or unhealthy one bit.

 

[newbutt]

I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I wasn't even trying to quit when I got my 1rst. I just liked the taste so much, it was easy. I put down analogs in a week.
My last day, the only reason I lit up was because my battery died while I was out & about. I had a pack with 1 cig in it. It tasted so bad it gagged me & I threw it out the window after 3 or 4 drags.
I've been just over 14 months no tobacco products after 42 years at 2 packs a day. I do get the urge to smoke a cigar with my bud's once in a while, but I'm afraid of getting sucked back in.
I also believe finding your perfect E-liquid is important. I had some struggles when all I could get was the Dekang stuff,which to me has a nasty chemical taste & aroma.

Anyway, stick with it & please don't hurt your little dog

 

[Leppard Lilly]

All I know is, tomorrow will be 2 weeks since I began vaping ... I have already gone from 2 packs a day to 2-5 analogs a day! I am darn proud of that, and you should be proud of your accomplishment thusfar too! It wasn't overnight that we learned to smoke so much a day, and it shouldn't be expected that we quit overnight either. To those that never picked up another analog the day their e-cig arrived, hooray! But also to those of us that take a lil while longer, hooray too ... we will arrive on our own time! All that matters is that we arrive there one day soon.

If someone told me 2 weeks ago that I would only be smoking less than a pack a week, I would tell them they were blowing smoke out their ! I am proud of what I have already accomplished ... and will be even more proud when I smoke zero analogs.

Be proud through the ENTIRE journey of becoming analog free! Don't doubt that you ARE on your way, because you are!

Good luck ... I know we will both be analog free sooner than we think!

Keep Rockin!

 

[aschmidy]

I had some serious resistance to 'quitting smoking'. It took me three months with my ecig, after 34 years of 2 packs a day, to realize that I didn't have to quit! I just switched 'brands' to ecigs. That thought pushed me over the edge to give up those last 10 smokes a day.
Things were tough for a while. Sometimes I'd have two or three ecigs at a time loaded and ready to go with 36 mg. When one got hot, I'd set it down and grab another. When I'd want to go buy a pack of smokes, I'd tell myself that if I still wanted to buy a pack tomorrow I would. 'Tomorrow' always seemed to be a little better, and I never bought that pack again.
I am still a smoker, I'm always just one cigarette away from smoking again. I just am using an ecig today.
No tobacco for 16 months for me!!

 

[kellogg]

Thanks to everyone who replied. Today has been much easier.

You know, I went back and reread all the replies and one thing that really hit home for me was the number of people who had smoked for 30 to 40 years who did not immediately stop smoking. Maybe the longer you smoke, the harder it is to quit cold turkey.

Whatever the reason, I'm thrilled at the number of cigarettes not smoked and I really appreciate the encouragement.

 

[xg4bx]

How ironic, my gf literally called it my pacifier last night lol.

I've only been vaping for a week and today I smoked less than half a pack of analogs when usually I'd have 2 or 3 an hour. I'd just sit and mindlessly smoke, I didn't even realize how much I was smoking. I was going through a carton a week, usually menthol 100s to boot. I'm damn proud of myself today and I'm not worried that I only have a pack of analogs left because I've got a much tastier substitute. I've got higher nicotine tobacco flavored juice on it's way and I'd be absolutely ecstatic if I was cig free by the end of the week. Mainly though I'm just taking it an hour at a time now and don't want to consciously get my hopes up too high.