I wanted to share my story with newcomers, lurkers, and vaping vets alike in hopes that it might help someone in their journey to quit smoking. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or share a story of your own. Here's my deal...
I started smoking when I was 13. Up until a few months ago, I've smoked at least a pack a day. I'm now age 40, so for those of you keeping score, I was a smoker for about 27 years.
Throughout those 27 years, I've attempted to quit about a dozen times. Well, actually, I have probably attempted to quit more - but I'd speculate that there's been at most twelve times where I've went more than three days without lighting up. Of those ~12 times, there have been three times that I've managed to not smoke for 28 consecutive days. Of those three times, the first was when I was in boot camp and smoking was not "permitted". I did start back up the minute I was "allowed" to. The other two times I quit for more than ninety days was due to illness or injury and I attempted to ride the momentum.
The maximum amount of consecutive time I've been without cigarette has been 87 days. In all of those instances, I did not "admit" to quitting. In reality, I was not committed to the cause. I wanted to leave an "out" so that I could figure out a way to save face and resume smoking.
I once modified my "quitting" to permit a smoke if I was at the bar. As a result, I'd often take my laptop to the corner bar and work from there (I work from home) so that I could smoke without breaking my own rules.
In my past attempts, I've tried quitting cold turkey, I've used the patch, I've tried the gum, and I've went to the doctor to go through some smoking cessation class and I've been put on Wellbutrin. None of them "worked" for me. I smoked right through the Wellbutrin. The gum was an absolute joke. It tasted horrible and made me want to smoke. My arm would begin to tingle when I tried the patch. If I put the patch in an area away from my arm/chest/shoulder area, I didn't feel like I was getting "enough" nicotine.
The patch also made my heart feel as if it was racing. In fact, I went to happy hour one day while on the patch. I was drinking it up with the guys and forgot I had quit smoking and was on the patch. My heart felt like it was going to explode, though I had a REALLY nice buzz to go with it. That was the last time I ever tried the patch.
About 4 years ago, I was introduced to the concept of the e-cig. A friend of mine used them and I was fascinated. He set me up with a starter kit. The method he used was a bit too complicated for my level of commitment and smoking seemed too much like "work". He was using some sort of "drip method" as he called it and apparently I was doing something wrong because I felt like I was chasing my fix all day long. I ended up lasting about a week before I set the e-cigs aside and went back to the analogs.
Fast forward to last year. Last year, right around this time, I asked my daughter what she wanted for her upcoming 13th birthday. She is not a spoiled child, as she often thinks of others before thinking of herself. She told me that considering I was turning 40 a bit after her birthday, she'd like me to quit smoking for her birthday. I tried to laugh it off and ask her what else she wanted but she kept going back to my quitting smoking. Her birthday came and went and I did my best job to "guess" what she "really" wanted but it always came back to my quitting.
My 40th birthday also came and went and I was still smoking. Throughout the rest of the year, she'd ask me at least three times a week when she was going to get her b-day present and of course, I'd ignore her.
In October, something might have been happening. I'd find myself waking up in the middle of the night a few times a week being short of breath, having a cold sweat, and my heart feeling like it was bouncing around in my chest. If I said this didn't have me worried, I'd be lying. Speaking of lying, my wife noticed I was waking up but to prevent her from worrying I'd tell her that either I was having a bad dream. I tried telling her one time that my back was bothering me but that went against the REAL reason I was lying to her. I did not want her telling me I needed to go to the Doctor because I did not want the doctor to deduce the conclusion that I needed to quit smoking.
The waking up bit continued on through December and on into the new year. Someone using their common sense (which is not all that common to be honest) would have either cut back on their smoking or even quit altogether by now. Instead, I found myself smoking nearly two packs a day - probably as a response to the stress of waking up short of breath and worrying that something is wrong.
Now, despite my smoking, I've always been active. I play soccer three days a week on average. I've done so most of my adult life despite being a smoker. Recently, I've found it more difficult "keeping up" but of course, it wasn't the smoking. Instead, I blamed an injury from two years ago that I never "truly" recovered from. It also didn't help that I was at the heaviest weight I've ever been at, which I was quick to point out to myself.
As the new year turned, I committed to dropping 10-15% of my body weight. To help this and my overall fitness, I joined a higher level adult club soccer team that recently formed. This would give me an additional six hours of exercise per week. Of course, when I joined - I had a built in excuse as to why I couldn't keep up. The average age on the team is about 23 years old and I'm the only "over 40" on the team. Actually, I'm the only "over 30" on the team, so expectations were low for me.
I only knew two people on the team (the coach) and the youngest player on the team. The coach ensured I was properly introduced to the team and helped me "fit in". I noticed that there were a few smokers on the team, as they'd step out at halftime to smoke on the evenings where they were not "selected" for the weekly game. I also noticed that a few of them were puffing on this cigarette looking thing (it looked exactly like the e-cig I tried a few years ago).
At one of the games, I got talking to one of the e-cig users about his. He said he smoked for years and recently switched to it. He had a Blu starter kit. I told him how I tried a similar one before and didn't like it, citing how I was always chasing and how it was too much work. He explained how easy his was, as the cartridges were prefilled and he's not once found himself chasing, and that it has kept him smoke free for about six months.
I was impressed. Without mentioning it to anyone at home, I bought a starter kit of my own. I didn't mention anything because I surely could have been talked out of "wasting my money" very easily. I also didn't want to go "on the record" as quitting. I discreetly charged up my starter kit and the next morning, I smoked with my wife in the morning like I normally did, took the kids to school, and came back puffing on the blu. It hit the spot.
My wife was a bit sceptical, as I tried the ciga-likes before and failed, so in her mind, I was probably wasting money. She's very supportive of anything I do but she does call it like she sees it and to her, it was a waste of money until proven otherwise.
I stayed with the blu's for a little over a month. I even went to Blu's website and ordered refills so I could get them "cheaper" than at the store. They were working for the most part. Though, there was a box of refills that had different color threads than the ones I had been using. These "seemed" different and caused me to feel like I wasn't getting "enough" out of them.
About three days into the different threaded ones, I was going absolutely nuts. I knew I needed to come up with some sort of solution and fast, otherwise I was going to revert back to the analogs.
I went to the only local vape shop I knew of at the time with my eyes bugging out. The owner of the shop put me into an eGo Twist (claimed it was a genuine - it was not). She also set me up with a backup battery (a smaller battery, not a twist) and gave me some "homemade juice".
I charged up the twist and the backup but couldn't bring myself to try her juice. I found another local vape shop, which I'd probably have visited first if I had done a bit more homework, where I bought juice from them that was within my comfort level.
I went back to this particular shop a week or two later to buy new tanks (Kanger t3s), as I needed more tanks due to ordering some juice from Mt. Baker Vapor. Fast forwarding a bit, I have an MVP 2.0 coming in the mail tomorrow and I am so excited. It is my gift to myself from myself in celebration of being smoke free for three months.
Today, I am now on day 90 of not smoking. Unlike times of the past, I will now say I have quit smoking. I no longer have the urge for an actual (analog) cigarette. I'm also going to step out on a limb and say that the guy from my new soccer team probably saved my life.
In the three months since I've quit, I have not woke up short of breath, I've not had the night sweats, and my heart is not on the brink of coming out of my chest. My lung capacity has increased significantly - though there's still a way to go. My overall fitness level has improved and all the while, I've managed to get half way to my goal in terms of weight loss! I'm also proud to say I gave my daughter the birthday present she asked for last year. Just last night, when I asked that yearly question, her response was that she wanted me to continue not smoking for her birthday this year. No problem at all baby girl, no problem at all
I started smoking when I was 13. Up until a few months ago, I've smoked at least a pack a day. I'm now age 40, so for those of you keeping score, I was a smoker for about 27 years.
Throughout those 27 years, I've attempted to quit about a dozen times. Well, actually, I have probably attempted to quit more - but I'd speculate that there's been at most twelve times where I've went more than three days without lighting up. Of those ~12 times, there have been three times that I've managed to not smoke for 28 consecutive days. Of those three times, the first was when I was in boot camp and smoking was not "permitted". I did start back up the minute I was "allowed" to. The other two times I quit for more than ninety days was due to illness or injury and I attempted to ride the momentum.
The maximum amount of consecutive time I've been without cigarette has been 87 days. In all of those instances, I did not "admit" to quitting. In reality, I was not committed to the cause. I wanted to leave an "out" so that I could figure out a way to save face and resume smoking.
I once modified my "quitting" to permit a smoke if I was at the bar. As a result, I'd often take my laptop to the corner bar and work from there (I work from home) so that I could smoke without breaking my own rules.
In my past attempts, I've tried quitting cold turkey, I've used the patch, I've tried the gum, and I've went to the doctor to go through some smoking cessation class and I've been put on Wellbutrin. None of them "worked" for me. I smoked right through the Wellbutrin. The gum was an absolute joke. It tasted horrible and made me want to smoke. My arm would begin to tingle when I tried the patch. If I put the patch in an area away from my arm/chest/shoulder area, I didn't feel like I was getting "enough" nicotine.
The patch also made my heart feel as if it was racing. In fact, I went to happy hour one day while on the patch. I was drinking it up with the guys and forgot I had quit smoking and was on the patch. My heart felt like it was going to explode, though I had a REALLY nice buzz to go with it. That was the last time I ever tried the patch.
About 4 years ago, I was introduced to the concept of the e-cig. A friend of mine used them and I was fascinated. He set me up with a starter kit. The method he used was a bit too complicated for my level of commitment and smoking seemed too much like "work". He was using some sort of "drip method" as he called it and apparently I was doing something wrong because I felt like I was chasing my fix all day long. I ended up lasting about a week before I set the e-cigs aside and went back to the analogs.
Fast forward to last year. Last year, right around this time, I asked my daughter what she wanted for her upcoming 13th birthday. She is not a spoiled child, as she often thinks of others before thinking of herself. She told me that considering I was turning 40 a bit after her birthday, she'd like me to quit smoking for her birthday. I tried to laugh it off and ask her what else she wanted but she kept going back to my quitting smoking. Her birthday came and went and I did my best job to "guess" what she "really" wanted but it always came back to my quitting.
My 40th birthday also came and went and I was still smoking. Throughout the rest of the year, she'd ask me at least three times a week when she was going to get her b-day present and of course, I'd ignore her.
In October, something might have been happening. I'd find myself waking up in the middle of the night a few times a week being short of breath, having a cold sweat, and my heart feeling like it was bouncing around in my chest. If I said this didn't have me worried, I'd be lying. Speaking of lying, my wife noticed I was waking up but to prevent her from worrying I'd tell her that either I was having a bad dream. I tried telling her one time that my back was bothering me but that went against the REAL reason I was lying to her. I did not want her telling me I needed to go to the Doctor because I did not want the doctor to deduce the conclusion that I needed to quit smoking.
The waking up bit continued on through December and on into the new year. Someone using their common sense (which is not all that common to be honest) would have either cut back on their smoking or even quit altogether by now. Instead, I found myself smoking nearly two packs a day - probably as a response to the stress of waking up short of breath and worrying that something is wrong.
Now, despite my smoking, I've always been active. I play soccer three days a week on average. I've done so most of my adult life despite being a smoker. Recently, I've found it more difficult "keeping up" but of course, it wasn't the smoking. Instead, I blamed an injury from two years ago that I never "truly" recovered from. It also didn't help that I was at the heaviest weight I've ever been at, which I was quick to point out to myself.
As the new year turned, I committed to dropping 10-15% of my body weight. To help this and my overall fitness, I joined a higher level adult club soccer team that recently formed. This would give me an additional six hours of exercise per week. Of course, when I joined - I had a built in excuse as to why I couldn't keep up. The average age on the team is about 23 years old and I'm the only "over 40" on the team. Actually, I'm the only "over 30" on the team, so expectations were low for me.
I only knew two people on the team (the coach) and the youngest player on the team. The coach ensured I was properly introduced to the team and helped me "fit in". I noticed that there were a few smokers on the team, as they'd step out at halftime to smoke on the evenings where they were not "selected" for the weekly game. I also noticed that a few of them were puffing on this cigarette looking thing (it looked exactly like the e-cig I tried a few years ago).
At one of the games, I got talking to one of the e-cig users about his. He said he smoked for years and recently switched to it. He had a Blu starter kit. I told him how I tried a similar one before and didn't like it, citing how I was always chasing and how it was too much work. He explained how easy his was, as the cartridges were prefilled and he's not once found himself chasing, and that it has kept him smoke free for about six months.
I was impressed. Without mentioning it to anyone at home, I bought a starter kit of my own. I didn't mention anything because I surely could have been talked out of "wasting my money" very easily. I also didn't want to go "on the record" as quitting. I discreetly charged up my starter kit and the next morning, I smoked with my wife in the morning like I normally did, took the kids to school, and came back puffing on the blu. It hit the spot.
My wife was a bit sceptical, as I tried the ciga-likes before and failed, so in her mind, I was probably wasting money. She's very supportive of anything I do but she does call it like she sees it and to her, it was a waste of money until proven otherwise.
I stayed with the blu's for a little over a month. I even went to Blu's website and ordered refills so I could get them "cheaper" than at the store. They were working for the most part. Though, there was a box of refills that had different color threads than the ones I had been using. These "seemed" different and caused me to feel like I wasn't getting "enough" out of them.
About three days into the different threaded ones, I was going absolutely nuts. I knew I needed to come up with some sort of solution and fast, otherwise I was going to revert back to the analogs.
I went to the only local vape shop I knew of at the time with my eyes bugging out. The owner of the shop put me into an eGo Twist (claimed it was a genuine - it was not). She also set me up with a backup battery (a smaller battery, not a twist) and gave me some "homemade juice".
I charged up the twist and the backup but couldn't bring myself to try her juice. I found another local vape shop, which I'd probably have visited first if I had done a bit more homework, where I bought juice from them that was within my comfort level.
I went back to this particular shop a week or two later to buy new tanks (Kanger t3s), as I needed more tanks due to ordering some juice from Mt. Baker Vapor. Fast forwarding a bit, I have an MVP 2.0 coming in the mail tomorrow and I am so excited. It is my gift to myself from myself in celebration of being smoke free for three months.
Today, I am now on day 90 of not smoking. Unlike times of the past, I will now say I have quit smoking. I no longer have the urge for an actual (analog) cigarette. I'm also going to step out on a limb and say that the guy from my new soccer team probably saved my life.
In the three months since I've quit, I have not woke up short of breath, I've not had the night sweats, and my heart is not on the brink of coming out of my chest. My lung capacity has increased significantly - though there's still a way to go. My overall fitness level has improved and all the while, I've managed to get half way to my goal in terms of weight loss! I'm also proud to say I gave my daughter the birthday present she asked for last year. Just last night, when I asked that yearly question, her response was that she wanted me to continue not smoking for her birthday this year. No problem at all baby girl, no problem at all
)
Yes!!! This is what I need. I said. Found a site, that had a decent price for them. (because I"m a cheapo) And I ordered a CE4, Got my clearomizor and slapped it on my old little ego battery I had gotten in 2010 and wow, I have to say so much better when I first heard about vaping. 
