Psychological? Or Habitual?

[sonnyinbc]

Seems to me the last thread I started on this subject has wound it`s way a little off course. So at the risk of boring you all? Lets begin again. Some background.

Started ecigs early Jan. Before that always,always a 2 pack or more a day smoker for the past 50 years. Ecigs have helped a whole bunch, but they have not proven to be the holy grail.

When I started ecigs, I stopped smoking in the house during the day (when the wife was at work) stopped smoking in my seperate computer/tv room in the garage/stopped smoking in my new red ranger. And therefore restricted myself to only smoking outside. Jan/Feb/ we are talking winter here.

After about 3 weeks of ecigs, all 3 batteries died,and went back to analogs, but not the usual 40-50 per day, rather no more than 20 for the eleven days it took for my batteries to be replaced.

Okay, now I am down to no more than 5 analogs per day. It should be noted that when my batts died//never went back to the gross amount of analogs. Also should be noted, that as I type--am having my rum and coke and no urge to leave the vape and go to an analog.

And herein lies the dilema? Or question? It seems to me that I have replaced the nicotine easily, but also seem to now identify going outside with having an analog? And it appears to me to becoming habitual?

And this it seems is the enigma? Is this psychological or habitual--or a combo? Maybe to some it seems simple enough to just go outside and vape? Not working for me yet--And Spring Is Coming Soon..

Okay, I admit I am a nicotine addict-no question about it. And I suppose that going from 50 analogs per day down to 5 is a victory in itself.

Just saying to myself--this is only a small battle won//I still can`t seem to win the war?? Will say though, sure am feeling a whole lot more energized--guess that is a good thing

Wonderful forum--so glad to be here.

This time around, please please, nothing about who is lying and who is not, just some thoughts and helpful comments.

 

[breakfastchef]

As you noted, e-cigs are not the 'holy grail'. Therein lies the tough questions you posed. I think tobacco smoking involves a physical and psycological addiction. If you are not mentally prepared to call it quits, then most anything you might try would meet with mixed success. And, yes, overtime, smoking becomes very much a habit - one with coffee, one each time you start the car, gotta have a few during cocktails, etc.

Kate will likely pop in here with some good links on this subject. I recall one of her links discussed things that draw us to analogs beyond simple nicotine. Interesting read.

On a personal note, I stopped smoking analogs 16 days ago. I have a highly additctive personality, but I seem to be beating this tobacco thing. It has me puzzled. That said, between day 10 and today, I have encounted a half dozen situations where an analog would have been wonderful, but I did not light one up. I have six unopened packs of Newports in my desk drawer and I am not so tempted that I want to open one up.

 

[sonnyinbc]

As you noted, e-cigs are not the 'holy grail'. Therein lies the tough questions you posed. I think tobacco smoking involves a physical and psycological addiction. If you are not mentally prepared to call it quits, then most anything you might try would meet with mixed success. And, yes, overtime, smoking becomes very much a habit - one with coffee, one each time you start the car, gotta have a few during cocktails, etc.

Kate will likely pop in here with some good links on this subject. I recall one of her links discussed things that draw us to analogs beyond simple nicotine. Interesting read.

On a personal note, I stopped smoking analogs 16 days ago. I have a highly additctive personality, but I seem to be beating this tobacco thing. It has me puzzled. That said, between day 10 and today, I have encounted a half dozen situations where an analog would have been wonderful, but I did not light one up. I have six unopened packs of Newports in my desk drawer and I am not so tempted that I want to open one up.

I think I just have to be willing to accept the first drag and the next dozen therafter are the best.??

Am going to try going with two atomized carts with topping up per day..

Reason is--this new fresh one is like bliss.. And thanks for your contribution to this question. Kinda answered it here--just been going or trying to go too "CHEAP"

Yep--just puffing on this new one and it is awesome!! No harshness in the throat, no too nasty of a buzz..etc.. Just nice nic buzz.

Thanks.

 

[shoes]

ok I am very similar to you. Been off regular smokes for 5 weeks. Every morning I get up walk out past my desk and head for the kitchen. This is the first week that I haven't just about died walking past my desk and picking up a cigarette. Not that I don't grab for my e-cig, but I don't look for a cigarette pack. I can't belive that it took that long to get over just that little thing.

 

[Wildsky]

I think those trying to quit, should try not to create new routine's with the e-cig. Its those routines that really kill a person.

 

[WhaTchoo-TalKin-BoUt]

I cant seem to get over the when i wake up analog and after i eat analog, i used to smoke approx 1 1/2 packs a day and now im smoking about 5-8 ciggs a day,but im trying to quit and its alittle at a time but im happy with myself i think..Does any one else just have to reach for an analog when they wake up though?

 

[quester]

I cant seem to get over the when i wake up analog and after i eat analog, i used to smoke approx 1 1/2 packs a day and now im smoking about 5-8 ciggs a day,but im trying to quit and its alittle at a time but im happy with myself i think..Does any one else just have to reach for an analog when they wake up though?

The first thing in the morning analog with coffee is proving to be the hardest one for me to leave alone. Maybe it's because I'm barely awake and still a bit on "auto-pilot"?

After I eat, it's not such a big deal. No analogs allowed (on fire, anyways) in the house. It's easier to just stay where I'm at on a full stomach and vape.

 

[ejfan1977]

I do believe that it is both. When I smoked analogs, I always smoked outside. I never smoked in my house because my husband is a non/anti smoker. So when I first started the e-cigs, I was smoking them in the house, but I kept on feeling like I had to get up and go outside. I was a very restless feeling. So I finally did go outside to puff on my e-cig (it was 23 degrees out) I took 2-3 drags and went back inside. Too cold! That restless feeling lasted for a few days, then I was able to relax.

Now I now I'm addicted to nicotine and always will be. I do believe the "once an addict, always an addict" philosophy because when I have quit in the past it has only taken one cigarette to get me back in the cycle again.

Now this time around I haven't told myself that I quit smoking... I just stopped using cigarettes. So far that psychology is working for me. Plus, I had no intention to quit cigarettes, it just happened, So I have not had the psychological stress/anxiety of thinking about quitting. I think everybody can relate to that anxiety when quitting.

That is how it has been working for me! Honest!

 

[ChainSmkr]

And herein lies the dilema? Or question? It seems to me that I have replaced the nicotine easily, but also seem to now identify going outside with having an analog? And it appears to me to becoming habitual?

And this it seems is the enigma? Is this psychological or habitual--or a combo? Maybe to some it seems simple enough to just go outside and vape? Not working for me yet--And Spring Is Coming Soon..

Hi Sonny,
I think you associating going outside with having an analog is a habit based on boundaries that you've set for yourself. At work, I must go outside to smoke. After 9 hours/day 5 days/week of this behavior, I find that my heart skips a beat when I light up at home. Something goes off in my head that says "OMG you can't smoke in here, go outside". Then the 2nd thought kicks in that says "Wait a minute, this is my house and I can smoke indoors if I want". Throughout the entire cigarette I'm still thinking I should really go outside lol. What was happening was that I was breaking a pattern/habit and that resulted in conflict.

As for your case, here's what it sounds like to me. Its true that you've associated going outside with smoking an analog, but what is more important to realize is that you've trained yourself not to smoke inside anymore. This means that once you are outside the restrictions are off and your brain says "Hey, I can have a cigarette now". You have successfully set boundaries: vaping inside the house/car, smoking outside only. The next step to conquer is the smoking outside. Alternating 3 behaviors when you're outside (smoking, vaping, neither) should be a good start at breaking that habit. Just remember to mix it up and not follow a 1, 2, 3 pattern, and know that deep inside you're probably just craving an analog. As you said, we've won the battle but not the war yet. Eventually, when you're outside your thoughts will become those 3 choices instead of the one you have now.

Those are my silly thoughts Smoking is a psychological and physical addiction but I like the word habit. I'm a compulsive smoker that lights up out of habit over craving most of the time. Substituting my e-cig for analogs has been most helpful but not won the war for me yet either. It sounds like you've made remarkable progress already in a very short time. Cutting back from 40-50 cigs per day down to 5 is terrific. I'm down to 20 from 60 in about a month but have hit a wall - so I'll be coming up with a new game plan for myself. I wish you continued success!

 

[V-Power]

The method I'm using when I feel like an analog, and that so far seems to be working for me (VERY early days, I know) is, I say to myself "Just have a few puffs from the ecig first - then you can have an analog if you still want one". This way, I don't feel as though I'm denying myself anything - I have given myself permission for the analog. And then, once I've had a puff or three from my ecig, I find I don't actually want the analog any more.

It takes a little bit of will power, but it is only a tiny tiny bit... I don't have much will power to play with!

 

[breakfastchef]

I think I just have to be willing to accept the first drag and the next dozen therafter are the best.??

That is my experience. Carts do not last very long. Once the cart is 1/2 way depleted, vapor production is pretty meager. When you have some leisure time with your e-cig, you could try dripping directly on the atomizer. This way you will get freshest, fullest vapes. When I am home in front of the computer is when I tend to drip. Otherwise I have refilled carts and smoking juice for topping off.

Keep in mind that e-cigs cannot duplicate the throat hit and lung-filling sensation of an analog. To me, after the first few vapes in the morning, I feel like I am sucking on an ultra-mild, super-low nicotine cigarette. Perhaps that is why I still vape heavily.

You really have to be more involved with the e-cig than an analog. Carts need to be refilled routinely, batteries have to be charged, extra atomizers on-hand for the certain failure and keep plenty of smoke juice in stock.

 

[Mr.Vape]

Might just be me, but I haven't had an analog, or even been tempted to have an analog, since i got my first battery actually charged up and could start vaping on thursday night.. This includes the wake up and after meal analog temptations most people have.

Then again I got e-cigs because i really wanted to stop smoking analogs to begin with, so I was more than ready to quit'em after waiting a few weeks to get an e-cig.. That and I'm vaping my head off, but that seems to be normal for when you first get one.

 

[JeremyJames]

It is both psychological and habitual, I was a two pack a day smoker for 15 years and I have been using ecigs now for around 40 days using no analogs. I thought for me that my addiction to ciggarettes was a lot more physical then mental when I began this quitting journey but something I have come to realize is that Nicotine withdrawl is actually a very minor part of ciggarette addiction, I am sure everyone is not the same but I feel that nicotine will be fairly easy to quit in comparison to smoking analogs or just plain smoke/vaping in general. I find that if I start my day without nicotine I can easily go all day with very very minimal cravings, but when I do start my day with nicotine it seems like my tolerance builds throughout the day and as the day goes on I will vape progressivly more and more, Nicotine addiction is just really that short term for me. There is a lot more things addictive in analogs, I am not sure what because I am no scientist but for me there is some chemical/chemicals that are a lot more addictive then nicotine in analogs.

 

[JeremyJames]

I cant seem to edit my message above but I just want to mention that in this 40 days I started with the 36MG and I am now down to 11MG, I found out very easy to step down this way and I almost feel like I could step down a lot faster (like 1 level every 3 days).

 

[sonnyinbc]

Thanks for the replies and encouragement everyone. Guess I should have read this thread before going outside for my first analog and coffee of the morning

This is a wonderful forum and I am glad I joined.

 

[UkUsa]

Sonny - it took me a while to get past the morning one. Then one night i thought about it, topped off a cart well, left a battery on the charger. The next morning instead of going out wit hthe dogs i let them out and came back in to sit at the computer. Fresh battery, freshly topped off cart, cup of coffee and ECF. Once i dont that first one i realised i didn't have to go outside when it was -20 and freeze my ... off. That was a big plus.

I didn't find that it was will power more a question of reprogramming and rational thinking that got me past it.

If you really want to stop the analogs then you will need to tell yourself that. Also as an idea you could try putting your cigs somewhere not so easily accessible and have your ecig where they would of been.

Good luck and happy vaping.

 

[VapinAbby]

When I started vaping I pretty quickly went from a pack of analogs a day to 5. It took me a couple weeks to get past the 5. I would smoke them outside while taking the dogs out. It was kind of hard to give up.

I got past it by taking my ecig outside. I would use it in my same smoking spot. First day I replaced 2 of my outside cigarettes with vaping. Next day another, then the last two.

After a couple of days of vaping only.. some outdoors, mostly indoors the weather turned bad. I wasn't looking forward to going outside to vape and realized I didn't have to. From then on everything has been pretty easy.

Try taking your ecig out with you a couple of times a day and follow your same smoking ritual .. same spot, same time.. You might find that your brain is just looking for the routine and you don't really need an analog.

Abie

 

[Wildsky]

Wow Abie, your situation sounds so much like mine... cept I'm still stuck on the 5 analogs a day. I also am so used to taking the dog out and having an analog its really difficult. Yesterday I did vape out there once instead of an analog, but I still ended up having 5 analogs because I was up later than normal (being saturday night)

 

[keg]

Addiction is an interesting thing, I truly believe most everyone has it but what we do with it is a whole different story. Some can harness it and achieve great things and we call that "drive" others are on street corners and we call them "bums".
I became addicted to drugs at a very young age, full blown addict. All day everyday. To make a very long story short I have been 100% sober from drugs and booz for almost 14 years and I'm 30. Do the math, I was a pup.
Now, on to our little friend the analog. SCREW the analog. One to two packs a day since I was 14. Numerous efforts to quit, hypnosis, patches, inhalers, gum and cold turkey. Fail.
I have analyzed this addiction up and down till my face turns blue. Is it oral fixation? Is it nicotine? Is it some chemical I don't even know about? Is it how ... cool I look while holding one? Is it the ritual? AHA! That is one I think it is the most for me. The ritual. My pack, my lighter and my smoke. Of course I have my favorite times, morning, after meal and mostly while having a good debate with a friend. I would say after sex but the ole lungs stopped enjoying that about 5 years ago. Its more about getting oxygen then having an analog.
I feel very lucky to have found this product and for it to have worked for me. When I bought it I had no real intentions of fully quitting analogs. As a matter of fact I thought I would try it and say "Thats nice" and throw it in a drawer to be never touched again. Hells no. I dig this thing. It is the ritual I've been looking for but really had no idea that was the key. Ritual. I like others have said to myself "if you want a analog , have one but take a few puffs from the ecig first". Works like a charm.
As a I type this I'm having my Sunday morning coffee, a normal time to be chain smoking. Nope and my girlfriend is in the other room smoking an analog right now. How freaking cool is that?
Haven't had an analog in 9 days. Damn I'm the poop!