I'm kind of mixed on the idea of "not trying to quit" analogs and just letting it happen- I'm sure it works for some but it didn't for me. I subscribe to mind over matter in as much as you have to truly want to stop, and you have to get past some tough urges to light up. I agree completely that you shouldn't beat yourself up if you slip, but think of it as slipping on skates or falling off a bike (or making a mistake at whatever you like to do) - not cheating- ... try and think about how you might do something to get past the same urge the next time you have it, so you don't slip again ... maybe it's upping the nic, changing the juice you're using or getting up and going for a walk- only you will be able to figure it out... what's most important is that you keep trying to get past the urges - one at a time.
I know some folks claim that they just smoked analogs less and less over time till they no longer wanted them- maybe that will work for you, but it didn't for me. I found myself smoking more plus
vaping more with that approach. Whatever was in the cigarettes had me craving analogs when I vaped- so I'd get an urge, then vape and then light up 5 minutes later....
Why do they put 3999 other chemicals in cigarettes? To keep you addicted. It's not discussed much here as we tend to focus on what's in our juice or what device we're holding as opposed to what's missing, but there are a lot of other chemicals beyond the nic in analogs that drive those urges. For some of us the urges/addiction are stronger than others. I'm now 6 weeks without an analog - weeks more than I've gone in 35+ years.
While I originally thought
vaping was an acceptable alternative, it took work to give up the analogs- I went back and forth for several months, never lasting more than a few days before I allowed some excuse to send me to the store for a pack or bum a smoke from a neighbor.
For me, I had do decide and commit to myself that I would do everything I could to never have another cigarette- ever. And even with constant
vaping, I still had to deal with strong urges to light up...
Beyond replacing analogs with e-cigs, what helped me the most this time around was getting to better/more powerful devices than the standard 510, and going for a series of acupuncture treatments (something a friend had suggested a couple of years back- (I laughed at the time). While it's not a silver bullet, it helped reduce the intensity and duration of the urges. Also, something about the acupuncture made the cigarettes taste metalic... Scheduling the treatments allowed me to set small incremental goals for myself ... just make it to the next session.... I slipped once a day after the first treatment - bought and smoked a pack over a 3 day period - but I stuck with it... after 3 sessions I started moving the sessions further apart - had my last treatment today and the thought of lighting up is now nauseating.
Keep trying
Best wishes
-Jim
