Still smoking support and chat thread

[Hopeful64]

You go, girl! You're tuning in to your triggers and thinking of ways to get around them. I'm not even sure which cigarette of the day was the worst for me...they all were. I couldn't answer the phone without a cigarette and my car wouldn't start unless a lit a cig first. I even kept one burning while I washed dishes so I could dry my fingers to take puffs off of it every few minutes. I was ridiculous when it came to smoking constantly. Of course I'm now the same way with my vapes. At least it's way better for me.

It does get better with time. You've already cut your cig consumption in half so you're well on your way. Today is a new day, so just keep on trying. You'll get there.

Thaya

PS. I tried to post this morning after I got home from work but ECF went offline so I had to wait til I woke up to go back to work. Better late than never.

Thanks so much, @thayamax. I laughed so hard at that first paragraph!! That was sooo me! I remember dropping a whole pack in the toilet one time and drying them all out in the sun cause I barely could afford to smoke and I wasn't lettin' no pack go.....down the.....toilet! (it was clean water by the way )

''Duel fueling'' (smoking real cigs and vaping at the same time for the newcomers who might be reading) is so wonderful and weird. I'm so happy, I'm allowed to smoke my real cigs while I'm quitting them. Sounds crazy eh? Each day for me is so different. I did real good this morning and then I overused and chained a bit this afternoon so I thought I 'blew it'. But then all of a sudden I wanted my vape??? And I have been vaping for most of the night and still have 6 in my pack and it's getting late here so I may end up having another one. So I still didn't do too bad. This is when I wish I could practice self-restraint and say 'no' to the bedtime cig. Who knows, I might yet. It's all quite unpredictable to me? Lol

You are amazing helping me out and encouraging me. I don't think I could have done this without you guys. Big (hugs) to everyone tonight!

 

[FranC]

Big (((Hugs)))) back at ya. Keep up the good work.

 

[KC0YNU]

Thanks for the assistance @FranC and @thayamax you are both better at expressing the emotional aspects than am I.

 

[Topdogie01]

Tell me, friends, does it get easier in the mornings? I want my real cig as soon as my eyes open. I am trying to vape for as long as up to 10 minutes but the vape doesn't 'cut it' first thing in the morning. Does this get easier? Will I at one point, want to have the first puff on my vape?

mornings will get easier, the taste of a cigarette will eventually not be as attractive as whatever flavor you end up picking. when i actually stopped smoking i think i was using 48mg nic in the mornings for the cravings, then down to the 36 that kept me from smoking (just didnt get the urge to smoke, and when i did, back to 48mg for a few puffs till it passed). then moved down to 24 during the day and kept 36 and 48 around for cravings/little devil demanding more. eventually used last of 36 and 48 and ended up moving to a more powerful device (sigeili 100w box mod) with a tobh dripper (with chuff cap) that i started using 6mg, and dripping 24 for the strong urges when the came. eventually in the mornings i didnt like the taste of my cigarettes (still love the smell of a new pack of marlboro smooths. i ask my friends if they open a new pack to let me smell it, LOL) over the flavors i had. ended up using Horchata and Peanut butter butterscotch (fudge?) flavors. and today im using butterscotch ripple ice cream and peanut butter fudge flavors both in 3mg.

 

[Thayamax]

Thanks for the assistance @FranC and @thayamax you are both better at expressing the emotional aspects than am I.

I think you do an excellent job of expressing yourself and find your posts very helpful.

mornings will get easier, the taste of a cigarette will eventually not be as attractive as whatever flavor you end up picking.

I totally agree. I love my strawberry custard all day every day and wouldn't want to trade it for the taste of a cigarette.

Using a higher nicotine level for cravings seems to work for most people and working your way up to a more powerful device and/or sub ohming is another good strategy.

 

[Hopeful64]

Hi everyone! I thought I might give you a quick update on the Vapor Queen!Lol

I must say I am doing pretty good for being a hardcore chain cigarette smoker. I think I may have broken into my 3rd pack before I started vaping. (now that I look back on it) If I was completely honest with you it was because I never realized how much I chained those paper cigarettes all day long from the minute my eyes opened to the second I would go to bed.

I'm still kinda, half and half and I can't believe how much I am vaping to keep those cigarettes down to 17-18!! That's why I thought today, I probably, many days, opened up the third pack.

Well, let's just say that it was an easy $ 500.00-$550.00 a month habit. (and addiction) So for me to stay under a pack for the last 3 weeks is a bit of a miracle for me. I am feeling hopeful that I will not want those paper cigarettes more and more every day. It amazes me how fast one burns down now?? I don't think I ever noticed it so much. I think I am looking forward to smoking the real ciggie (and actually get a bit excited) and before I can blink my eyes, the darn thing is being smashed out in the dirty ashtray and it didn't seem like the big 'treat' after all!.

The vaping this week seems more natural to me. I still am very conscious that I am not chain smoking but it's starting to feel good in my hand. I always think it's so funny when I have a real paper one going and I reach for my vape!!! Cracks me right up.

I am not taking them to bed with me anymore. I leave them somewhere else. They always were on top on my nightstand and if I got up in the middle of the night, I lit one up. And I also lit one up the second my eyes opened. Now I vape my fake ciggie while the coffee is brewing. Sometimes I have been actually waiting another 5 or so minutes before I light the first one up. I have been practicing this for about 5 days now.

I saved $250.00 this past month. Good thing I did cause my stupid car broke down on the weekend!!!! Now, this was supposed to be the 'trip fund' (Grrrrrrr) but I have to put it on other important things right now. Hopefully, if I'm a good girl and can quit all of them, I will still have time to put some money away toward a trip for next year.

Thanks for listening. I hope you are all doing well! I wish you all the very best tonight!

Love and (hugs) to all!

Donna

 

[FranC]

Keep up the good work,Donna Your doing great. It gets easier all the time.

 

[Hopeful64]

I want to tell you what I think is a funny story. But it's really not because many people have died smoking in their own homes and I do not think that is funny at all. I could have burnt my house down a million times as careful as I was with my cigarettes.

But one night recently I got up in the middle of the night and of course, lit one up. While sitting on the toilet I dropped the stupid full lit cigarette down in the vent by the toilet. And let me tell you, talk about waking up fast. I ran out into the kitchen and got a whole container of water and poured it down the vent. Stayed up for 2 hours before I went back to bed I was so petrified. Now... if I want to take my vape in the middle of the night, I will no longer have to worry about these types of problems that are created by real cigarettes. (and sometimes disasters)

Don't know what it did to the vents with pouring all that water down into them but the house is still standing! Lol

Not really funny but it does show me all the dangers I will have to stop worrying about. Like going back into the house 5 times to make sure I didn't leave one lit anywhere.

Just journaling my little stories so I can remind myself that what I am doing is such a great thing! Thanks for listening! (hugs)

 

[FranC]

It is a great thing you're doing I well understand the cigarette mishaps,I smoked for too many years.

 

[Hopeful64]

It is a great thing you're doing I well understand the cigarette mishaps,I smoked for too many years.

Thanks for the encouragement @FranC. I sure appreciate it!

 

[FranC]

Anytime at all We're all rooting for ya. You can do this.

 

[Hopeful64]

Down to 16 today. Approximately 29 not smoked.

Goodnight everyone! ((hugs)) to all!

 

[Thayamax]

Down to 16 today. Approximately 29 not smoked.

Yay, Donna!!! You're doing such a good job and we're all very proud of you.

 

[Hopeful64]

Hi guys. I guess I should write about my ''not as good days'' also? Well, today was one. I couldn't seem to get the right hit off any of my pens. They all seemed 'strong' to me? They all had news coils, juice, etc. I found myself coughing a lot today, trying to vape.

I found out yesterday that I need a root canal done within the next 2 weeks (I didn't mention this last night/ I am terrified of dentists and I think it really hit me today that I have to do this) and my car is broken down in the driveway, plus someone really peeved me off today.... so I sadly have to tell you that I smoked 20 today. Not happy with myself and I can definitely see where 'stress' is going to be the big one for me to overcome. As soon as I feel stressed I want to smoke the real deal.

Anyway, I don't want to whine to you guys tonight. I need to start over tomorrow and believe that everything I am going through will turn out OK. I am on page 89 of this thread and I can certainly see that some of you went through a lot of the same things so I felt it OK to tell you that some days I wonder if we ever truly can get ahead in this life without struggling! Sometimes, I get so tired!!

But I just can't give up! Not on this quitting cigarettes and not on life. I'm old enough now to know that most things turn out OK. I need to be the 'fighter' I always was. So I'm going to go to bed now and get up and start a new day.

Thanks for listening. And I hope you guys are all doing well today. ((hugs))

 

[FranC]

Don't beat yourself up ,Donna You did very well for that amount of stress.

 

[Thayamax]

Stressful days are the worst when you're trying to quit smoking. But you still managed to not go completely overboard, so that's a good thing. All you can do is put it behind you and start again. As long as you don't give up you'll live to fight another day.

 

[tgs3]

Stress is my achilles heel as well. Since January I have been smoking a bit less than a packet a month. I had become an occasional smoker who never had more than two a day and often went five or six days smoke free. But I still bought them when a pack ran out and carried them with me whenever I left the house. Then at the beginning of May I was suddenly in a stress situation and smoked five in a three hour period. That was a wake up call for me. I did finish that pack but decided not to buy another. That was two weeks ago. As of today, I have not changed my mind.

Remember for some of us, cutting down/quitting is a long process with all kinds of ups and downs. I started vaping in August of last year and did not have my first smoke free day until Jan 13, 2018 - over five months later.

Here is one thing that worked for me. Back in September, I realized that many times I just lit up cigarettes completely mindlessly. So, I bought a pocket notebook and wrote down the time of every cigarette BEFORE I lit up. That forced me to think about what I was doing and did I really want or need that cigarette. From that time I began to make real progress (though I still had 'bad days'). I still write down the number of cigarettes I have a day in my notebook. But since January, the total on most of the pages is a 0.

I smoked 1 1/2 pad for 45+ years. It can be done. Hang in there!

 

[Thayamax]

@tgs3 I'm sorry to hear about your relapse, but happy that smoking all those cigs was a wake up call for you. Sometimes that's exactly what we need. Your idea of writing down every cigarette before you smoke it is a good one and I'm sure it could help others as well. You're now 2 weeks without a smoke? That's terrific!

I remember when I first started vaping only I got a "quit smoking" banner for the bottom of my posts. I got a huge kick out or seeing the number of non-smoking days racking up and it kept me from lighting up. I saw it as a badge of honor that everyone on ECF could see and I didn't want to have to see it start over from zero. I actually just took it down a few months ago and it will be 5 years for me on July 2.

Anyway, keep up the good work, you're doing great!

 

[FranC]

@tgs3 Congrats to you

 

[tgs3]

Thanks Thayamax. Prior to my five cigarette smoke fest, I had only been smoking 2 or 3 per week for three months. It was not unusual for me to go four or five days without smoking. The wake up call was discovering that I was still really vulnerable in stressful situations if I had smokes on hand.