How long have you been smoke-free, and how did vaping help you to quit?

[Eskie]

I was another accidental vaper. I had tried all the usual patches, gum, hypnosis, acupuncture, and chantix (only thing chantix did for me was make me not want to drink coffee, totally unacceptable), and accepted I'd always be a smoker. I did find the nicotrol nasal spray worked great as long as I kept using it, but it was expensive and did a real job on my sinuses so that was out.

I was traveling a lot to see my daughter in college and one trip decided to give a cigalike a shot as I was tired of taking the elevator down to the lobby to go outside every time I wanted a cigarette when in the hotel. Picked up a Vuse to try it out, and after 4 days of no elevator use for my nic ifx, I was converted. Stayed with that for many months and many, many cartridges before changing over to a "proper" vape and been at it ever since.

 

[Bigbob2322]

I quit June 18th 2014. I smoked for 43 yrs of my life and for about 25 to 30 of those yrs I was smoking 2 packs a day and 3 to 4 packs on Friday and Saturday being out at lounges drinking. Every day I would wake up and cough up the nasty crap and feel as horrible as the stuff that I coughed up looked. I tried many times to quit using various methods and nothing worked.

I had a colonoscopy done back in 2013 and my doctor told me after the procedure was done that I had to quit because it was going to kill me which I already knew of course and after telling him I tried many times he suggested E- cigarettes to me. Driving past a vape shop a week later I decided to go in and see what these things were all about. The store clerk said sit down and brought out trays of flavors to try and after about a hour I found 2 I liked and never smoked another cig since. vaping saved my life.

 

[DeloresRose]

I wish I could say I’ve been smoke free since I first switched to vaping. Back in September ‘13 I got my fist vape and had quit a 1.5 pad, 35 year habit in about a week.

I had several tragedies back to back, but I stayed off the smokes until early ‘17. In another incredibly difficult time, I lapsed. Frankly, at that point I didn’t care if I lived or died. I never quit vaping though, and I never went beyond 4-5 cigarettes a day at my worst.

But during those dark times, I was absent from ECF, and in early ‘18 I knew I needed to come back. I did, and went on a mission to find new gear to help me get back off the smokes. Quite a shopping spree ever since. But I did get off the smokes last fall, not sure of the date.

I relapsed again last weekend, with my mother’s funeral. The whole family was in town. Five days with all those smokers.

I guess I have to admit this is something I will always have to struggle with. And I hate that. But I also think, with all the tragedy of the last few years, it’s pretty amazing that nicotine is my drug of choice, and not something far, far worse.

Anyway, I’m back on the wagon now. I reset my quit date to Thursday, 10/3/19.

 

[DDDWho]

I smoked for 60 years. In April 2016 they found cancer in my right lung. I quit that day never to put a cigarette in my mouth again. No force on earth could cause me to restart. There are other side effects to smoking. During a visit to the surgeon who remove part of my lung just a week later. He discouraged an aneurism in my main artery at the “Y” in my lower abdomen. Caused by smoking he said. Another surgery.

 

[Jwaterski]

Been 6 1/2 years or so now, and vaping didn't help at all, as has been repeated by experts every day in the news!! Didn't help my wife either, who is about 3 months in after I finally got her to try a pod kit. Even though it obviously doesn't help, even my doc says so, I think I'll keep vaping just in case..

 

[DaveP]

I found vaping in early 2010. Joye 510 and eGo were my first vapes. After vaping 24mg juice for several months I found myself down from 2 PAD to an occasional cigarette. I'd smoke in the mornings with coffee and after a meal.

A pack was lasting me a week instead of half a day. I realized that my vape was all I needed, so I finished the last pack and never bought another. That was easy. My vape replaced smoking. I really could have quit smoking the first week. My 24mg juice was taking the place of the cigs.

I tapered down from 24mg to 3mg in the first year I vaped and I've been at 3mg for most of the last 10 years. This week I mixed up some 18mg unflavored and plan to see if 18mg will break the chain vaping at 3mg and let me vape 2 or 3 times an hour like I did with tobacco. We'll see. If not, then I'll dilute the 18mg back to 3mg and continue on.

I'm finding that it's easier to cut down the vaping if I lay it down someplace where I have to walk over and vape. Then, I lay it down again and walk off until the urge hits.

 

[Vicman]

I'm another who quit by accident. My brother bought me a cigalike from some Chinese company. Cheap little thing that had the tightest draw. I thanked him and put it in my desk drawer. A few months later, I was pulling an all nighter for work and had 2 smokes left. It was raining and my car was out getting repaired. Was about to walk the two blocks in pouring rain to get a couple packs but I remembered the odd ecig thing my brother got me. I charged it up and it got me through the night.

The next day I started to think I could save money and vape every once in a while as smokes were over $8 in Cook County and cartons were $66 in the bordering counties. I was buying 2 cartons every week to ten days. So I went and bought the Blu starter kit. Did not like the tight draw but it was better than the cheap thing I had on my desk now. Found Blu to be pretty costly and the cartos didn't last long. Seen a vape shop named Quitters just opened up a little bit away from me and went in. Bought 2 egos and 5 C5's with a few 10 mil bottles of different flavored eliquid.

That set up got me from 2+ PAD to about a PAD within a week. Was down to a half pack a day within 2 months and started liking vaping more than smoking. Still was missing something though. Went back to the vape shop and bought a MVP 2 with a couple evods and Davidi tanks (I know I spelt that wrong) and a few more flavors and bam, found something I could vape in the morning and after meals to take the place of a smoke. Had 3 smokes left at the beginning of December and smoked one about a week before Christmas, another on Christmas day, and then smoked the last one on 01/03/2014. Lit it up, smoked about a third of it and ashed it out. Never had another.

I thank God my brother bought me that little ecig from China. It was terrible but got me to stop a 27 year habit with really little to no discomfort. Always thought I'd die a smoker as I couldn't quit no matter how hard I tried. Used gum, lozenges, the patch and none worked. Gave up trying to quit.

 

[Opinionated]

I'd been trying to quit smoking since I was 27 and no matter the method I was unable to quit my 2 PAD Marlboro red habit..

Things got dicy in 2007 with my health, when I was told my throat was covered in pre cancer cells. My doctor told me to quit smoking then or the precancer would likely turn into full blown cancer and I would die.

I made sincere effort to quit again, I was now trying to save my life, yet was still unsuccessful in quitting and finally resigned myself to death..

by 2013 I stopped being able to breathe. At that time my lips were turning blue with the simple exertion of housework, and I could no longer make it to the mailbox without rest breaks.

I felt like I was suffocating while alive, and that was terrifying..

I didn't see a pulmonologist then because I was afraid of the prognosis, I knew it was bad, and decided that was all I needed to know. I was fairly certain at that point that I was dying, and didn't care to hear it officially..

I went to my regular doctor at that time and asked about vaping for smoking cessation since I had heard good things and my doctor was well informed about vaping and told me for me it was a good option since nothing else had worked.

I bought an Ego with a CE4 kit from eBay for 10 dollars, and two small 10ml bottles of ejuice from Carolina flavors.. I wasn't going to waste much money that way if it didn't work..

But work it did and I quit smoking the day I got those in the mail. That was June 4 (or was it the 6th?.. I have CRS disease.. haha)

I quit for a full year, and then decided to try and quit vaping so I threw everything away, and found myself smoking again within a week..

My husband was a smoker, and he smoked around me and in the house, so this made it too easy when I wanted to pick something up to grab one of his cigarettes..

I was back to smoking just like always.. then realized I was being stupid and bought another Ego kit off eBay and more ejuice and quit smoking once more..

I was getting sick of that darn leaky constantly needing replaced CE4 after the second go of it, and that was when I found this forum..

I count myself as having quit in June of 2014, even though I had that relapse a year later. I don't count it because the only reason it happened was because I was dumb enough to throw all my vape gear away in order to make quitting vaping easier..

I just didn't know me quite well enough.. lol.

So that's it. I vape. I count it as 5 years now..

I have now been officially diagnosed with stage 2 COPD over the summer, so I kind of figure that I was end stage COPD at the time i initially quit smoking since I can actually breathe again.. like, really really well in comparison..

I have no idea how my throats coming along, but I'm not dead yet.. hahaha

I'll haunt you all forever. haha

 

[DDDWho]

God bless you

 

[CMD-Ky]

Around five years off cigarettes and I used both cigarettes and vape for several months. Got down to two in the morning with coffee for a long time. Then one day, I realized that I had not smoked for many days. My star crossed love affair with cigarettes was over.

 

[ruet]

9 years this coming April. I smoked for 27 years and dipped stuff for 25. I exhausted all quit methods and was desperate. I started hearing about e-cigs and seeing disposables in convenience stores. On a lark I bought a disposable from the corner store. It was pretty good. I signed up for ECF that day and began my research to find a better unit and ordered an 808 starter kit later that day. The day I received that kit I cut my smoking by 90% and stopped dipping completely. I was done with cigarettes within a month.

 

[amoret]

6 years this week. I smoked for 42 years and after all the usual tries and fails I just quit even trying to quit. (I spent close to 2 months in hospitals the year before and 1st thing I did in the car to come home was light up.)

Then I ended up with spinal cord damage that, among other things, made it almost impossible to hold onto a cigarette - a really immediate health threat.* I'd read about e-cigarettes and not paid much attention but I figured they were about the only thing I'd never tried, so I went online to find out more and about 3/4 of the google results tied to ECF. Came by here before I'd actually spent any money and started a thread in the new members forum asking advice on what best to start with for someone with hand problems.

When I started vaping I still ended up needing to smoke a couple of times a day. Came back and asked about that and upped my nicotine amount, quit beating myself up about it, and knowing myself I allowed me to smoke 3 critical times a day. Then I ended up down to 1 and decided that was just silly. So less than 2 weeks in I was only vaping.

Of course it also helped that it was an early fall and exceptionally cold even for North Dakota. The idea of getting all of my winter gear on, starting up a very cold car, and then going in and out of the C-Store for 1 smoke a day helped a lot.


* In one of life's cosmic karma quirks In October I quit smoking so I wouldn't burn the house down and 3 months later had a chimney fire that totaled out the house.

 

[Blitzdonlife]

* In one of life's cosmic karma quirks In October I quit smoking so I wouldn't burn the house down and 3 months later had a chimney fire that totaled out the house

Life is full of irony, that's for sure.

 

[wetclay]

Someone should collect these stories/testimonies. They are fit for a "wall of quitters"
Plenty of interesting stories in ECF.

 

[mgordon1100]

I love all these stories! Especially the ones that talk about their health. But ecigs don't work. Right? Ecigs aren't any healthier than traditional cigs. Right? I really love it when people say such nonsense and don't listen to what people have to say about their experience. It's like they believe that we don't have a clue what's going on inside our own bodies. Only the ignorant doesn't feel their bodies. I feel my body talking every morning when I can breathe better. I forgot. What country do we live in?

 

[Oktayne the Red]

It's only been about 3 months for me. 25 years of smoking. I started at 24. I quit cigs and went to vaping mostly for financial reasons alone. Honestly, I enjoyed the cigs beyond the nicotine part. I still miss them when just hanging around having a good conversation or the like.

My GF got a post in her FB feed from a friend who was quitting vaping and giving all the stuff away. We saw it as an opportunity and took the stuff. A couple of cheap vapes (Boulder Rock and Aspire Breeze 2), and like 30 bottles of juice in various stages of full/empty. Finished my last pack of cigs, picked up the vape, and never looked back. Really easy, never had any fits about needing a cig, and the vape completely satisfied the nic need. Not long after I quit, we had to deal with Hurricane Dorian, and I bought a pack of cigs for emergency purposes. That pack is still sitting here sealed. I think I've done well. I have had one cig since picking up the vape, 2 weeks ago at a party with friends. Very specifically an experiment. Had one, and had no desire to have another.

Vaping is a much more satisfying hobby to me, more than just the nicotine. All the flavors, the tech, doing it inside house without feeling bad about it. House smells much better, as do I.

The two worst things about vaping? One, justifying it to everyone. "OMG, that stuff is gonna kill you, don't you read the news?" Yup. And I read INTO the news. And if you did, you'd realize the level of propaganda and corruption that surrounds this whole ....storm. (Yes, I find a nicer way of saying it.)

And the second is more amusing. I'll hit the vape a couple of times, put it down, and a minute later I'm scrambling around the house looking for the "burning cig I've put down somewhere".

 

[chohan]

I began smoking at 14 yr old, so about 37 years until Friday the 13th, July 2012 when my 901 starter kit arrived. A lucky day for me... never smoked another cig.

Became a vape ambassador, well more like a crazed, happy zealot. Converted 12 coworkers to vaping, got into diy. Carto tanks got popular, then clearomizers, etc. I really hit my stride when I got my first Reo squonker. Used that same mod for 6 years so I reckon it was cash well spent.

Vaping has been a pleasure, hobby and perhaps a life saving ride. It's really enjoyable reading all these similar accounts.

 

[fiddleshe]

2 years 9 months and 6 days without a stinky. I dual used for a month before I could give them up altogether. I kept a pack around just in case I wanted one for 6 months. Never did.

 

[Zakillah]

Smoke free since Feb 2014.

I got a new job late 2013, in a tobacco smoke analysis lab. Early 2014 we got the first E-Zigs for analysis. So I did my part, which is Carbonmonoxide, PG, VG and Nic. Of course, found no CO, which is not surprising, but a good start.

From my previous quitting attempts, I knew my cigarette addiction had alot to do with hand to mouth motion and simply inhaling something; thats why I never tried gums/patches. But this was different. It had everything I ever hoped for and seemed too good to be true. So I looked up the testing results on the other stuff that was meassured and aside from trace amounts of carbonlys, those things were clean as air. Again, too good to be true.

I snatched one of the testing samples (I think it was a Bluu) and vaped on it during the weekend, cutting my cigarettes down to around 3 a day without much trying. I also spend practically the whole weekend on the internet researching those things and trying to choose what I want to buy next week ASAP.

Next Monday after work I went to a shop, bought a Kanger Protank, a Mini-Protank and a spinner. Then went home, bought a pack of cigarettes (because, after all, it might not work) and smoked my last 3 while I was fiddling with my new vaping stuff.
It took around 2 weeks until that nagging feeling that "something is missing" went away, but it was so much easier then cold turkey which I did that before and managed 2 smoke free years in my mid 20s.
From there on it was rapidly down the rabbit hole. I started DIY juice just a month later and at the end of the year I was using rebuildables only, my cellar was full of Nic Base, liters of PG/VG and DIY flavors, you know the drill....

As far as health improvements, I cant really tell much, the "only" thing I ever had was sometimes shortness of breath or a little trouble breething. It didnt happen often and it wasnt severe, but when it did, it still scared the living crap out of me. Since I´ve been vaping, these symptoms are gone.

And btw, I still have my last pack of cigarettes I bought the day I started vaping lying around somewhere with only 3 missing. I keep it as a trophy.

 

[mgordon1100]

I tapered down from 24mg to 3mg in the first year I vaped and I've been at 3mg for most of the last 10 years. This week I mixed up some 18mg unflavored and plan to see if 18mg will break the chain vaping at 3mg and let me vape 2 or 3 times an hour like I did with tobacco. We'll see. If not, then I'll dilute the 18mg back to 3mg and continue.

3 or 6 doesn't cut it for me. "That's the nicotine addiction." I know Einstein, go bother BT and leave me alone. Yeah, non smokers think they're so much better and smarter than us, don't they. Anyway, I digress. Eventually I cut from 24 to 18, and 12 seems a bit much for me, but 6 was just way too low. Chain vaped, as you said. Look, we're addicted to nicotine. That's the truth. You have to get the dosage you need, or it won't work and you'll chain it. I'm going to DIY again and mix 10 now. I'd say that's great success from vaping 24 for several years.