Next Monday it will be 100 days since I last smoked any tobacco. I never expected to get to this stage...in fact I never intended to stop smoking but I’m glad, so glad I did. Here’s a few things I said along the way...some of them I now say to myself - “How could I have been so wrong? Did I really think or say that?”
“Just about everybody on the High Street in this man’s town seems to be sucking on these stupid looking wee box things...you’d never catch me doing that!”
...said I to my wife while lighting my pipe back in July 2015 on the day we visited Hawick to view a riverside flat. Where we lived in England we’d only seen the occasional cig-a-like and Ego devices.
“It was nice of her and Rab, but wait til you see the stupid looking E pipe thing they’ve bought me - once she’s back home I’ll quietly bin it and say it broke! “
My daughter ( a Nurse) and her partner ( a Security Control Room Operator) both quite heavy cigarette smokers had taken to vaping as smoking at work is banned for them, had liked it and bought me the E pipe kit - in silver not wood effect. Comment made to my wife in early October 2015.
“It works fine amazingly enough, but I can’t go down the street with it; it looks like a crack smoker’s pipe; I could take to this vaping thing...but only if I can get something that looks like a real pipe!”
Said 20/10/2015 after three amazing smoke free days vaping without cravings for tobacco.
“Damn damn and triple damn! The bloody thing’s shorted out...I’ll nip round to the Vape shop and see what they’ve got. Maybe I’ll get one of those iStick things Julie’s got; they seem to work!”
Said in November 2015 when the expensive wooden E Tecc pipe I’d bought in Hawick before coming out to Spain only three weeks previously died on me. Our friend Julie had by that time been smoke free for 11 months - and this was the lady who never went anywhere without an opened pack of cigarettes in her hand and two packs in her bag.
“While we’re in Fuengirola, I’ll get another iStick and a spare Nautilus Mini tank...they are absolutely brilliant - I’ll meet you in the Theatre Bar in say half an hour.”
One week after purchasing the first iStick.
“When I was in there I was having a look at their juices - for Heaven’s Sake they’ve got shelves of stuff with flavours like FRUIT, COCA FLAMING COLA, RED BULL, TOFFEE and COFFEE - can’t see why anyone would want stuff like that.”
On meeting my wife at the said Theatre Bar the same day.
“Actually you know this zero nic lemon stuff is quite nice, think I’ll try the menthol and maybe the green apple.”
A week later having bought some Silver Cig “American Tobacco” and found it the most disgusting taste I had ever experienced - “Burned Toast” would have been a better name for it!”
“What would you like for Christmas?” asked my wife in mid December 2015
“Actually I’d love another iStick/Nautilus MINI combo and a couple of packets of BVC coils for stock - these box mods are A1 Brilliant!”
“Here you go Gerry, I was down at Gibraltar and picked up a box of these Swiss Cigars they taste like chocolate, take one and stick a couple in your pocket for later!” said Gary, Mine Host, at the Carob Bar/restaurant on Christmas Day. “Thanks a lot mate, but I’ll stick with the Vape here, I do appreciate the offer but I just don’t want to ‘spoil the run’ now - haven’t lit up since October!” I amazed myself by saying.
“That’s quite something! Here I’ll give you a brandy on me instead!”
And finally a conversation back at home at Christmas between my wife and I….
“I was so proud of you, saying to Gary that you didn’t want a cigar today, you know. I never thought I’d hear that!”
“I really really don’t want to go back to smoking. I love these Nautilus Mini/iStick Combos but I’m thinking beyond all the changes in legislation later this year; I’ve been looking at what they call “squonking.” There’s a guy in America makes lovely boxes that look bomb and future proof that I know I can rebuild myself, if I have to, but they’re not cheap and I’m not sure about spending that amount on one…”
“Get one, and I’ll go halfers with you on the cost - we’ll count it as an early birthday present for you!”
Vaping is a journey, I’ve experienced many changes along the road so far. It has amazed me I’ve got this far....and as I have said, if I, a fifty year plus Old Smoking Man can do it anyone else can!
Good luck in Your Journeys.
“Just about everybody on the High Street in this man’s town seems to be sucking on these stupid looking wee box things...you’d never catch me doing that!”
...said I to my wife while lighting my pipe back in July 2015 on the day we visited Hawick to view a riverside flat. Where we lived in England we’d only seen the occasional cig-a-like and Ego devices.
“It was nice of her and Rab, but wait til you see the stupid looking E pipe thing they’ve bought me - once she’s back home I’ll quietly bin it and say it broke! “
My daughter ( a Nurse) and her partner ( a Security Control Room Operator) both quite heavy cigarette smokers had taken to vaping as smoking at work is banned for them, had liked it and bought me the E pipe kit - in silver not wood effect. Comment made to my wife in early October 2015.
“It works fine amazingly enough, but I can’t go down the street with it; it looks like a crack smoker’s pipe; I could take to this vaping thing...but only if I can get something that looks like a real pipe!”
Said 20/10/2015 after three amazing smoke free days vaping without cravings for tobacco.
“Damn damn and triple damn! The bloody thing’s shorted out...I’ll nip round to the Vape shop and see what they’ve got. Maybe I’ll get one of those iStick things Julie’s got; they seem to work!”
Said in November 2015 when the expensive wooden E Tecc pipe I’d bought in Hawick before coming out to Spain only three weeks previously died on me. Our friend Julie had by that time been smoke free for 11 months - and this was the lady who never went anywhere without an opened pack of cigarettes in her hand and two packs in her bag.
“While we’re in Fuengirola, I’ll get another iStick and a spare Nautilus Mini tank...they are absolutely brilliant - I’ll meet you in the Theatre Bar in say half an hour.”
One week after purchasing the first iStick.
“When I was in there I was having a look at their juices - for Heaven’s Sake they’ve got shelves of stuff with flavours like FRUIT, COCA FLAMING COLA, RED BULL, TOFFEE and COFFEE - can’t see why anyone would want stuff like that.”
On meeting my wife at the said Theatre Bar the same day.
“Actually you know this zero nic lemon stuff is quite nice, think I’ll try the menthol and maybe the green apple.”
A week later having bought some Silver Cig “American Tobacco” and found it the most disgusting taste I had ever experienced - “Burned Toast” would have been a better name for it!”
“What would you like for Christmas?” asked my wife in mid December 2015
“Actually I’d love another iStick/Nautilus MINI combo and a couple of packets of BVC coils for stock - these box mods are A1 Brilliant!”
“Here you go Gerry, I was down at Gibraltar and picked up a box of these Swiss Cigars they taste like chocolate, take one and stick a couple in your pocket for later!” said Gary, Mine Host, at the Carob Bar/restaurant on Christmas Day. “Thanks a lot mate, but I’ll stick with the Vape here, I do appreciate the offer but I just don’t want to ‘spoil the run’ now - haven’t lit up since October!” I amazed myself by saying.
“That’s quite something! Here I’ll give you a brandy on me instead!”
And finally a conversation back at home at Christmas between my wife and I….
“I was so proud of you, saying to Gary that you didn’t want a cigar today, you know. I never thought I’d hear that!”
“I really really don’t want to go back to smoking. I love these Nautilus Mini/iStick Combos but I’m thinking beyond all the changes in legislation later this year; I’ve been looking at what they call “squonking.” There’s a guy in America makes lovely boxes that look bomb and future proof that I know I can rebuild myself, if I have to, but they’re not cheap and I’m not sure about spending that amount on one…”
“Get one, and I’ll go halfers with you on the cost - we’ll count it as an early birthday present for you!”
Vaping is a journey, I’ve experienced many changes along the road so far. It has amazed me I’ve got this far....and as I have said, if I, a fifty year plus Old Smoking Man can do it anyone else can!
Good luck in Your Journeys.
