Make sure you tell everyone you know that you quit smoking ! Make sure you have people to hold you accountable.

[proximo]

I totally agree with you about having someone to push you and keep you on the right track. I remember many months ago when I got my first 808 and took a drag and was like "I can do this" and that was really it for me, I never looked back. Now I have a ecig station with a flavor station lol more flavors then I know what to do with but as many have said.. You will need to experiment with many a flavors and flavor mixtures to find the right blend.

I know for me it was always drinking that was the trigger.. and I like to have a glass a wine when I get off of work so.. low and behold I would not smoke all day and then smoke like a half a pack or more after work.. stupid how that works out.

Anyhow what caught my eye about your post is that after me vaping for a good while now I have finally convinced my wife to make the switch today is day 3 and I have been on her to keep it up and it seems to be working. What I have found is that after the first few puffs you don't miss a real cig and you just start to enjoy the different tastes and vapes.

Good luck with it, I know its hard but if you can stick it out for a few more days I think you will be in the clear!

 

[zuzette]

i hope it works for you. making myself feel terrible never was a good motivator for me. i respond best to self encouragement and celebrating every success instead of public flogging for every failure.

 

[Liquid_Drummer]

i hope it works for you. making myself feel terrible never was a good motivator for me. i respond best to self encouragement and celebrating every success instead of public flogging for every failure.

Well, I think that when I typed that I was feeling down because of some domestic issues. I am not really putting myself down but more about not patting myself on the back too quickly then getting hit with a bad craving with my guard down. Also, I want to be held accountable if I slip. I think my post echoed how I was feeling at the time. Figures though. Soon as I quit a bunch of B.S comes up and it is not me being a jerk or moody from lack of nic. I am dealing with someone that has Borderline Personality Disorder. It is very mentally tiring and stressful.

 

[vsummer1]

I didn't tell anyone. If they can't figure it out for themselves, they don't need to know. Seems silly to run around declaring "I quit!!! Look at me!!!!" If they ask me about my PV, I will be happy to explain it to them.

 

[Liquid_Drummer]

I didn't tell anyone. If they can't figure it out for themselves, they don't need to know. Seems silly to run around declaring "I quit!!! Look at me!!!!" If they ask me about my PV, I will be happy to explain it to them.

Well, I know myself. If someone doesnt hold me accountable I am more likely to slip up when under pressure. Ya know, everyone has to find what works and I think I have. If I didnt crack after the crap that went down today I feel pretty sure I am in for good and that is so very liberating.

 

[RosaJ]

You have it within yourself to be successful at quitting the ciggies. Whether it's cold turkey after you start vaping or if you wean yourself off. In my opinion, when you want other people to nag you (that's the way I see it) you're giving them your power and your permission to put you down. You're good enough, you don't need to give anyone the opportunity to make you feel inadequate.

If it's any consolation to you, I smoked for more than 40 years 1 1/2 pad. My daughter suggested she buy me a start up kit to give them a try without any pressure whatsoever that I had to quit smoking. As a matter of fact she said even if I didn't quit and went back to smoking it was absolutely fine with her. A week and a half after I took the first vape, I lit up a cigarette because I didn't want to put my body through withdrawal symptoms and it was such a horrible experience I gagged. Haven't touch them in more than 9 months. Don't have cravings nor any inclination to buy a pack just in case.

 

[klynnn]

Nobody can make you stay off cigs but you.

 

[zuzette]

Well, I think that when I typed that I was feeling down because of some domestic issues. I am not really putting myself down but more about not patting myself on the back too quickly then getting hit with a bad craving with my guard down. Also, I want to be held accountable if I slip. I think my post echoed how I was feeling at the time. Figures though. Soon as I quit a bunch of B.S comes up and it is not me being a jerk or moody from lack of nic. I am dealing with someone that has Borderline Personality Disorder. It is very mentally tiring and stressful.

I respect that you recognize there is never going to be an ideal time to quit. Good on ya ...looks like I have lost most of the punctuation on my keyboard or I would give you and exclaimation point.

any way - do whatever works for you. E-cigs will help a lot. Go ahead and use a higher nic than you think you expect to need. Vaping seems to be less efficient way to get nicotine and many of us believe you will absorb less nic when you vape than through smoking. A higher nic can help ensure you dont go back to smoking. You can step down the nic once you are well off cigs. This is not an all or nothing kind of move. or at least it does not have to be. You can go about it slowly and that might help you with success.

Many of us listened to the quit smoking "experts" for years and we noticed that the success rate was still very small. Honestly - your success is not determined by the technique you use but rather by your desire to succeed. So choosing the technique that works best for you is all that matters.

 

[Mang]

Liquid, you and I stopped the stinkies at basically the same time.

Same as you last night was the first time it hit me and it's run through today as well.

There's something else in the stinkies that we're missing, I'm unsure what that possibly could be, but I had a huge cravings to light up the real thing...I mean huge. I resisted because I want this to work. I do not want to go back to cancer sticks. Over the 18 years of smoking I've done enough harm to my lungs and don't need to do that anymore.

Being held accountable is good. Letting others know what you're doing is good. But, I can't let myself down on this endeavor.

 

[bryanc]

I hope I'm not too off-topic from e-cigarettes, but I think what you are describing is simply the ugly nature of addiction, and all addicts suffer with the severe ambivalence you describe. Very strong, simultaneous, but conflicting feelings. (I.e. "I really want to not smoke, and also I really would like to have a smoke").

E-cigarettes absolutely helped many here stop smoking analogue cigarettes but not by ceasing the addiction outright, just transferring the nicotine to a less damaging form. (I'm not at all saying that is a negative thing... in fact, it's the best thing that's happened to me in years... but I am definitely still addicted to nicotine).

One way to rethink this ambivalence is to identify the part of you that is craving an analogue and call it something else. Maybe call it "Gnam". So instead of saying "I had a huge craving", you can say "Gnam had this huge craving". But screw Gnam, it's not about what Gnam wants, it's about what Mang wants.

You aren't missing anything at all about the old stinkies. There's nothing good there to miss.

 

[vsummer1]

Well, I know myself. If someone doesnt hold me accountable I am more likely to slip up when under pressure. Ya know, everyone has to find what works and I think I have. If I didnt crack after the crap that went down today I feel pretty sure I am in for good and that is so very liberating.

What is the big deal if you do "slip up" under pressure? It's like dieting, the more you freak out over it the more likely you are to fail. You are allowed to be human. I had some really BAD news Monday, and after not being able to sleep, at 3 am I had a cigarette. I don't feel bad about it, not at all.

I count the ones I DON'T smoke, not the ones I do. I haven't had one since, and if I do so what? It isn't as if I am smoking the PAD I did for 30+ years. I have no fear of smoking like I used to, I ENJOY vaping more than smoking by a long shot. But I refuse to beat myself up over the small things when I have a lot bigger things to worry about.

Chill. Do your best. Don't deprive yourself or the cigarettes become "bigger" than they really are. If you try one, I bet you won't like it, not at all! If you don't get ill from it, you surely won't like the taste at all compared to vaping!

 

[Liquid_Drummer]

I think that I am so driven to not smoke any analog cigs is that after only day 3 I noticed something weird. It felt too easy to breath. I was shocked at how fast I can take in a full breath and fill my lungs. I can only describe in this way. You go to pick up something you think is heavy then you almost fall down because it was way lighter than you expected if that makes any sense to anyone but me. This shows me me breathing was a bit messed up and I didnt even know it. I was living with constant throat and lung inflammation. I cant smoke again. I dont want another bit of tar to enter my lungs and after watching The Insider I will not give the tobacco companies once more penny of my money every again. I feel so much better. Now I dont even want one and when I smelled one last night walking in to a store it was flucking gross. I cant no believe I smelled like that ! I am an all of nothing kind of person on certain things.