Set a Quit Date?

[Infojunkie]

I haven't had much success trying to just switch over to the e-cig, I keep finding excuses to smoke an analog instead...faster....easier...etc.

So I'm wondering if there are other people in the same problem and if they found it easier to set a quit date, or am I fooling myself into thinking it will help me?

 

[aschmidy]

I don't know if I would have been able to quit without my quit event. I had a hotel stay and cruise coming up that were both completely nonsmoking. So I figured if I was going to switch to ecigs for a 7 day cruise and 4 day hotel stay. I may as well switch for good. I didn't quit, I just switched.
Hey! Maybe you should go on a cruise!?!

 

[jj2]

First I must admit I put myself in a situation where cigarettes weren't available.
How? Went to visit daughter and only took the ecig and wasn't going to ask her to run me to the store to buy some.
After a 2 1/2 week visit, that was it. I did give myself a couple months to get off the nicotine and I pressed for that, but I had health problems that made that a must---over 60 and saw the writing on the wall.

For you, maybe limiting yourself to so many cigarettes a day would work better. Start out with a certain number and cut one, two, or whatever a day, and stick to your guns.

 

[Automaton]

Everyone's approach is individual.

For me, the harder I try to force myself to quit, the more likely I am to fail. I got my e-cig with no expectation of a fast quit. But I stopped smoking right after I got it, and have only smoked one cigarette since.

Other people need to set a quit date to keep them on track. You may be one of them.

Find out what works for you, and do it. No matter what approach it is, I guarantee there are some people who have succeeded, and some who have failed. We are all unique.

But remember, most people do quit eventually with e-cigs, if they stick with it. It may not happen overnight, but if you keep at it, it will most likely happen.

 

[jj2]

The cruise sounds like a better idea than mine.

 

[imtheshane]

I'd tried and failed using quit dates, all the NRT products, hypnosis, and cold turkey. I had a Yeti from altsmoke that I'd bought a year previously, but hadn't used much outside of the first month I had it. One day I lit a cigarette, thought to myself again "I'm going to quit soon".

I put that cigarette out halfway when I became so disgusted with myself that I hadn't found the will to quit yet, and gave away all of my cigarettes and accessories (lighters, ashtrays, etc.) within a half hour. I've used PVs exclusively since, and haven't missed smoking at all except for a few cravings when I first switched.

I couldn't even smoke a cigarette now if I tried. They truly do taste horrible and don't even deliver as much lung or throat hit as a PV.

 

[shoey]

smoked what cigs i had left then went exclusively vapor. astonishing that it was so easy. if i'd had liquid at first i'd probably have quit immediately.

 

[Dakota]

I always thought I needed a "big event" of my last cigarette to quit.. After I got my PV, I noticed that I still wanted analogs. I was hoping NOT to, but for the first week, I still smoked once and a while. Then, on July 8th (yes, recently) I asked my friend for one. The next day I never thought about it, and soon I realized I went two days w/o an analog (note that I was a VERY light smoker). I decided at that moment that my quit date was had already happened!

basically, you need to do what you NEED. If making a party out of it works, do it. If simply weaning yourself to less and less works, do it. The one thing you have to keep in mind, is that the craving for a REAL cigarette may not go away (mine still hasn't) but my PV does the job of making the craving go away (plus they taste SOOOO much better). Even now, I'd rather never smoke again because as my last week of smoking went on, i realized it tasted horrible and my juices for my PV were way way way better.

 

[markfm]

No hard quit date for me. I needed to get the 24 mg in -- had one set of 24 mg cartos that told me they were what I needed to get to, decreased regular cigarettes a lot.

When the 24 mg liquid came in, I finished the pack of regulars I was smoking -- actually smoked 3 the last day, instead of 1 - 2, just to finish them off.

It's only been a handful of days now, but no strong urges for an analog (I was always pretty miserable on patches, gum, pills). Most of what I'm seeing is my body self-regulating -- if I get an urge, a few puffs on an e-cig gets me the nicotine, life's good.

Good luck!

 

[Bageone]

When my first ecig arrived I had one pack of cigs in the house, I told myself when it was gone it was gone... For the first week on ecigs I would take a couple drags of a cig in the morning and at night, by the end of the week I still had half a pack left and had my family witness me walking outside and tossing them in the trash. I smoked for 45 yrs/2pack a day. I have no desire to smoke except for that fleeting lil moment when I decide to grab my ecig instead ( mostly after a meal). In fact today I picked up a cigarette lighter and stared at it and asked myself why I had it in my hands. Years of smoking the only thing worse than no cigs was no lighter.
Your time to stop will come if you think of yourself as a vaper not a smoker, dive in with both feet, you will be glad you did!

 

[cozzicon]

I haven't had much success trying to just switch over to the e-cig, I keep finding excuses to smoke an analog instead...faster....easier...etc.

So I'm wondering if there are other people in the same problem and if they found it easier to set a quit date, or am I fooling myself into thinking it will help me?

Well- I did want to quit... it was a strong desire.

No quit date... it just sorta stopped.

Putting pressure on yourself to stop the analogs might be the wrong way. Generally speaking vaping tastes better than a cigarette- so maybe just let the change over happen naturally?

For me it was a moment where it just didn't matter anymore. I haven't seen the inside of a gas station in two weeks- I only buy gas now.

 

[blackwalk]

I haven't had much success trying to just switch over to the e-cig, I keep finding excuses to smoke an analog instead...faster....easier...etc.

So I'm wondering if there are other people in the same problem and if they found it easier to set a quit date, or am I fooling myself into thinking it will help me?

Do you have the right pv and juice? I prefer the ease of the pv (anywhere, anytime) to an analog (find a lighter/matches, go outside, etc...)

 

[Jonmo1]

Yes, setting a "quit date" is just putting unneeded pressure on yourself.
Pressure = ^stress = ^desire for smoke.

I used this thought process when I switched to vaping...worked fantastic..

"I'm not quitting, I don't want to quit. I'm just switching brands. And my new brand doesn't cause cancer"


But above all, if you feel you need an analog, have one. Don't beat yourself up over it.
Try to focus on how many analogs you have NOT smoked, instead of how many you have.
Eventually, you will succeed...
The taste of analogs will begin to be nasty, and you won't want them anymore.
But Even if you still have one occasionally for the rest of your life. It's a heck of a lot better than a pack a day (or whatever your rate is)...

Good luck, don't give up.

 

[Afubar]

I'm with Jonmo1, I didn't plan to quit, didn't want to quit, I just switched "brands" to quit giving money to the Feds and State for taxes. The day I got my e-cig is the last day I ever had a analog. Still had a full carton plus a half a pack left, I eventually gave the carton away, I think the half pack is somewhere in the kitchen and I'm still faintly shocked when I come across it. The only hard part was the conditioning to go outside at work to smoke, I still found myself getting ready to go outside after lunch, didn't want a cig just habit to go outside. I vape in my office all the time, only thing that's ever said is "Still off the cigs? Well, good for you, keep it up." Oh, I smoked for 43 years, at least 1.5 packs aday of little cigars, Captain Black. Good Luck!

 

[Jonmo1]

But above all, if you feel you need an analog, have one. Don't beat yourself up over it.

What I've read in this forum, some people find success by doing this..

If you feel the need for an analog...Vape for 5 minutes first...If you still want one, go have one.

 

[Nerd]

My plan was rather slapdash. I bought a pack of cigs, and an e-cig on the same day. Finished the pack in the 3 days it took to get here(AGONIZING!) and just switched. Loving it so far. I still have pangs for the repetition. IE: unwrapping the pack, taking one out, lighting it, etc... No real nicotine cravings though. I did have to throw all of my lighters away though. I sat down on the porch a week ago, popped the e-cig in my mouth and almost lit it on fire.

 

[Shaka]

The promise of e-cigs is that as long as you stay the course and keep on vaping, it WILL work...all of the time, without effort, without stress.

So stop thinking about quitting and enjoy the journey... knowing that if you keep on doing what you're doing, e-cigs will deliver on its promise!