Still smoking support and chat thread

[FinallyQuit]

Thanks guys! It has been some few weeks since I last smoked, since I gave myself the ultimatum. In fact I'm not struggling right now, but I have been there and done that many times. Struggling sucks and you don't get any medals for it, so I don't do it anymore. And I try not to give myself permission to smoke, but if I get the urge and get tired of fighting it I try not to beat myself up over it. Then I get angry because I can't make it stick, then I get sick of the smell and the cough and being short of breath, so I quit again.

It's just one of many reasons why I try not to compare myself to others. We are not wired the same way, and I don't recognize my own accomplishments just my flaws. I never feel good enough compared to others. Nobody else quits like I do, and that's okay. I'll just go live on the private island with friends who get me!

 

[Timothy Moore]

Thanks guys! It has been some few weeks since I last smoked, since I gave myself the ultimatum. In fact I'm not struggling right now, but I have been there and done that many times. Struggling sucks and you don't get any medals for it, so I don't do it anymore. And I try not to give myself permission to smoke, but if I get the urge and get tired of fighting it I try not to beat myself up over it. Then I get angry because I can't make it stick, then I get sick of the smell and the cough and being short of breath, so I quit again.

It's just one of many reasons why I try not to compare myself to others. We are not wired the same way, and I don't recognize my own accomplishments just my flaws. I never feel good enough compared to others. Nobody else quits like I do, and that's okay. I'll just go live on the private island with friends who get me!

Don't feel bad. I just went 3 over my goal for today and probably will smoke a couple more here before I go to bed

 

[Thayamax]

Don't feel bad. I just went 3 over my goal for today and probably will smoke a couple more here before I go to bed

Don't you feel bad either. Some days are worse than others and tomorrow is another new day.

 

[AndriaD]

I'll just go live on the private island with friends who get me!

That's exactly why I'm a hermit -- my husband is the only person who *really* gets me, or ever has, though my son comes pretty close too. Everybody else just thinks I'm a weirdo. Which is fine, because I am. Blessed with a weirdo husband and a weirdo son.

Andria

 

[etherealink]

Thanks guys! It has been some few weeks since I last smoked, since I gave myself the ultimatum. In fact I'm not struggling right now, but I have been there and done that many times. Struggling sucks and you don't get any medals for it, so I don't do it anymore. And I try not to give myself permission to smoke, but if I get the urge and get tired of fighting it I try not to beat myself up over it. Then I get angry because I can't make it stick, then I get sick of the smell and the cough and being short of breath, so I quit again.

It's just one of many reasons why I try not to compare myself to others. We are not wired the same way, and I don't recognize my own accomplishments just my flaws. I never feel good enough compared to others. Nobody else quits like I do, and that's okay. I'll just go live on the private island with friends who get me!

Honestly, it took me nearly a year to quit and I didn't really understand that I had quit until I *shocker* bummed a cigarette...

Because I didn't want to get my mod dirty!

The cigarette did nothing for me, in fact it was very disappointing... as an avid cloud chaser who is down to 3mg nicotine when dripping, the fact the nothing I did could make a cloud from a cigarette made me laugh; the taste that I used to love was just nasty; the camaraderie doesn't exist like it used to when I was a teenager and started smoking.

But it does exist with vaping. Its the fact that everyone is helping everyone with everything... its even a hash tag.

And honestly, if what you are doing isn't working... try shaking it up, dramatically. No need to go spend tons of money, try a dramatically different flavor or maybe a new kanger sub-ohm coil.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[Claudia P]

FQ I'm sorry if I upset you. I KNOW beyond any doubt that no one can quit smoking unless they really really want to for themselves. Not for any other reason, it simply won't work unless cigarettes are banned and no one can get them. Do not beat yourself up over smoking, that only makes it worse.

I also believe that nicotine is probably the least addictive substance in cigarettes, if that were not true all of the nicotine replacements would work quickly and easily, and none of them do.

I will never consider myself a non smoker until/unless I can quit vaping. The truth is I don't want to quit smoking, I enjoy the act of smoking.

During those first few months I was vaping 24 mg juice and I went through serious withdrawal, including depression, pain, and what I call a foggy brain. I couldn't concentrate on anything and had debilitating muscle pain. Now I am down to 6 mg, but am only there because I started dripping and building fairly low ohm coils, I do think I could probably drop even lower now.

Without dripping, lung hits, lower ohm coils, and really really good juice combined with good dependable mods I would never have made it. I'm fortunate to have been able to afford spending the money on these things and I realize not everyone can. Now that I have quite a few good mods, attys, and a pretty good stash of really good juice I am no longer spending hardly any money on vaping, just a bottle of juice now and then. At my current level of vaping I figure it will take me at least another year before I actually start getting back some of what I have spent.

Does vaping completely satisfy my urges, no it doesn't, but I enjoy the flavor and the act of inhaling the vapor. The truth is that smoking a cigarette didn't satisfy me either for a long time before I quit smoking them and I remind myself of that when I feel something is lacking.

But I can walk and breathe at the same time now and I'm not coughing up a lung every morning, I don't wake up coughing anymore, well not until I got this stupid cold anyway.

I am about as weird as one can get and pretty much a hermit because of it, I don't socialize much because there are very few people that I have anything in common with around here and my family is all in California, 2000 miles away. Being old and retired I don't have to deal with people unless I want to and I'm sure that makes things easier as well.

 

[AndriaD]

You know, I just wanted to throw in, that I think the folks in this particular thread are some of the nicest on ECF. So what if some or all of us are still struggling with smoking/not smoking -- we're all TRYING and trying to help each other too, and that's really what counts. That's really why I keep hanging around in here; you folks helped me a LOT when I was back to smoking in the summer, and I know for a fact, there is nothing EASY about quitting smoking, e-cigs or no e-cigs.

It's hard to tell from the particular counter I'm using, but today makes 12 weeks smoke-free (AGAIN!) and a lot of the reason I've made it this far is because of you wonderful folks. So THANK YOU for being here!!!

to all of you!!!

Andria

 

[Timothy Moore]

Well, this morning started off w/ me doing much worse than yesterday. Pretty much smoked non-stop the first few hours of the day. Then around noon, I stopped and took inventory of where I was, how I was feeling, where my head was and what I was thinking about.It is never too late to start the day over. A morning failure doesn't have to become an all-day failure.

After reassessing, I got my head cleared, spoke openly w/ those I needed to speak to (realizing keeping feelings buried has a real negative affect), got some prayer time in and found some peace and got back on track.

Decided today instead of making a ration of how many analogs I could have, I would try to just shoot for having one every 2 hours.
Seemed to work well for the rest of the day. Kind of using Andra's point of "I can have one in X amount of time."

Did slip an extra 1 in after dinner. Other than that been doing pretty well and vaping my head off in-between.

 

[ShariR]

Tim, don't use the tobacco out of the cigarettes! You will just be dosing yourself with all the nasty chemicals BT puts in there. Totally not the way to do it. Lox has done extractions and there is a thread on here where extractions are done. I believe they are using cigar or pipe tobaccos, definitely NOT cigarettes! But check it out. I hear some of them are coming up with some tasty liquids. I know they talk about it in the NET thread here.

It's amazing to me how "user-driven" vaping is. The community has made vaping what it is. Yes, you have advancements by this or that company based on R&D, but a lot of advancements are from the tinkerers.
I am still not aware of the pyramid teabags. Gonna have to google that one.

Speaking of tinkering: I have seen one or two videos about people steeping tobacco in PG/VG. I am considering putting about 30ml of a PG/VG mix in a food processor with the tobacco from a pack of cigarettes. Of those who have tried this that I have seen, they just pretty much stuffed the tobacco "as is" in the mix. Thinking food processor will help "puree" the leaf to maximize surface area and, by result, the extraction process.

Then again I may not do this. Just thoughts in the head right now. After all, I have a storehouse of nic concentrate as well as a few WTA bottles. Not really NECESSARY but thought interesting to try.

 

[ShariR]

Hi Thaya! Great to see you! I have missed you.

Are you sure it is the strength of the flavors, or might it be that you can now lower your nic level again. I think I am still addicted to the nicotine in my liquids. I went from 12mg down to 6mg and even lower in my Russians and KFLs and found I was antsy and chain vaping more. I upped the nic back to 12mg and I am easing off a bit again. So it looks like my level is now set at 12mg for a good while again.

I have been vaping some of my Caramel Pear Black Tea at 6mg and 0mg and it is as full of flavor as it is at 12mg. But I miss the nicotine.

I feel like my taste buds might be returning after a long time gone. I've found that lately my favorite flavors are too strong. I've always needed in your face flavors to be able 6 taste them, now it seems I have to add custard to them to tone them down. I'm not complaining since I love custard, but it's just strange after all this time. I have lots of juice i don't like and I don't think even custard will help them.

 

[ShariR]

I just got done catching up on the thread for the past several days. Wow. Very happy to see some of the old crew here telling their stories again. We do need to remember our journey and pass that on to the newer vapers and those that are still struggling. I believe it helps both the teller and the listener.

My father in law died on Mother's Day 2013. We went back to CT for his funeral a week later. I came back to TN and while buying a carton of Marlboro Lights 100s I spotted a Blu ecig at the counter and said to myself, what the heck, I wonder if that would work, and bought one. That was around June 7 or so last year. I used it about a half hour, and knew I could not quit with just the Blu. So I got on Google and started searching. I found ECF. I read everything on here for new vapers without going into the interactive forum. It took me days of reading and rereading stuff to try to figure out what all this was about.

On June 12, 2013 I knew I had questions still unanswered so I joined. And got on the New Members Forum. Read a bunch then started a thread so I could get some help. I got some great feedback and info from Ocelot and Baditude and several other veterans. I can not remember how I found this thread, but somehow I did. So here I was and I read the whole thread before I got the courage to post here.

I was fully embraced and welcomed by all, pretty much within an hour or so. I spent a couple of weeks asking questions and getting very detailed answers regarding how to buy my first setup and juices and comparisons of what the different options were at the time. And I was still smoking my 2 packs a day throughout this process while I was trying to decide whether to buy a Spinner or a Vamo or SVD. All sight unseen since I did not know of any vape shops near me.

And the stories! Oh, they helped. They helped a lot. I had found my home here on ECF and I had not even started vaping yet. I got my Vision Spinner 1300mah and a 510 atty and a couple of Evods at the end of the month and started vaping. I had purchased a large lot of juice off the classifieds here, mostly 24mg MBV with 3 to 5 extra flavor shots (I had no idea what that was or meant) and started sampling. Found out quickly that I could not vape cinnamon and hated menthols and mints. I did find a vape shop and bought a 24mg Blueberry Tobacco that I really liked and that was pretty much all I vaped. I went on a juice buying spree, searching for something I like and could vape to satisfy me.

In that first week I found out that I had to up my nicotine level from 18mg to 24mg and then I popped the coil on my only 510 atty. I cried and then posted about it here. Daleron sent me a 510 atty, Mr.Mann sent me a 510 atty that he primed for me and my holy grail juice, NLV Gold. Lox and Jazz sent me juices and a care package. Several others sent care packages. What an amazing thread community!

My first 4 months of vaping were awe inspiring and hellish at the same time. I was in this thread almost 24hours a day since I could not sleep. I was (and still am) the resident Vampire. I stopped smoking on 7/12/13 and have not picked up a cigarette since. But it was a very hard fight at times. Vaping until I was nic sick and my heart was racing just so I would not have that cigarette. Holding a cigarette in one hand while vaping with my other hand for over 20 minutes all the while telling myself that I would not light that cigarette. Getting through our neighbor/friend die suddenly of cancer and going to the funeral with only a couple weeks vaping and not having a cigarette.

My friends in this thread were here, holding my hand and supporting me through it all. Atta boys and kicks in the .... when needed. As it should be and very much appreciated.

In many areas on ECF you will read stories of how people pick up an ego or cigalike and never have another cigarette and never want one again. That is not the norm. If you are smoking over a pack a day and for a long period of time your cigarettes are your best friend and most people would probably give up food or sex before they would give up their cigarettes. I was sure I would die with a cigarette in my hand. I started smoking at 11 years old. 46 years. Rarely ever wanted to quit and never was successful, except for 6 months with Chantix 4 years ago. Then the first big thing, a neck surgery, sent me right back to smoking as much as before. I tried Chantix again the beginning of 2013 and it made me suicidal, really. It was bad. I was nuts. All I thought about was how to kill myself. Went on for almost 3 weeks after I stopped the Chantix. That is some bad stuff.

Vaping is not easier than smoking. There is a lot more involved. A lot more to do, a lot more choices you have to make, a lot more maintenance and how am I going to carry all this stuff around???

It works for a lot of people. It is more enjoyable than smoking for many. It is a hobby for some. You can stop smoking by vaping. But it is a process, a journey. It took me 2 weeks to find my all day vape and it was a gift from a kind friend here. It took me 6 months to get my Provari, which is all I use now. 8 months to find the Russian 91% and KFLs that I use now. Over a year later I still only have 3 juices that I can vape for days at a time. Most of the rest of almost 200 different juices I do not like or they do not like me. I have severe reactions to custards and cinnamon. These things you learn along the way. A big dose of stubbornness was a must for me for vaping to be successful for me. But I vape and it works. Period.

P.S. I still get cravings, but occasionally. I got a real bad one last week while watching a movie where I saw someone smoking. I thought, gee I would like a cigarette. 30 seconds later the craving was gone. Keep your hands and mind busy and keep vaping. Switch up your juice or your equipment. Clean your vape gear and rewick/new head and change your batteries. Vape some more.

Sing the Rolling Stones song, Satisfaction.

 

[Timothy Moore]

Heavy smoke morning. Pretty much same story as yesterday.
However I just got the eRoll that generous lurker sent me.


loaded it up w? WTA, and I am very impressed w/ its performance.

Also, my Dad started vaping a few months ago. He went w/ the iTaste mvp. I had never really been into box mods myself, but he seemed to take to it well.
Except 1 of the boxes he got had a slightly tighter button. He has neuropathy from diabetes, which makes the tighter button a lil' harder for him to operate. So I ordered him a 3rd, and I ended up inheriting the "tighter" mvp. Must say I am impressed w/ that as well.

Currently got my nautilus on it.

 

[EastSideLove]

Hey everyone I am new to this thread and ECF in general. I've been vaping for about 3 months now. Over that time I haven't quit cigs completly. Not even a total dry spell. The most success I've had is getting down to two or three cigs a day. I've been able to keep it at that low level for about two weeks at a time sometimes more. But here's what I've noticed: vaping success seems to be almost dependent on novelty. When you first start cutting back on cigs is easy, when you get new gear or new juice cutting back is easy, because you've got something new to try out and you're exploring a new corner of the habit of vaping which in a way is more complicated than smoking is. The newness of it keeps you vaping more than you are smoking. However, this gets expensive quick and for a poor college kid I don't want to have to depend on new gear to keep it up. I've heard people on this thread say that they focus on their motivation, which is essential and I am going to work on that for sure. But I am wondering if anyone has noticed the same thing and/or has any comments and experiences they'd like to add on. Does anyone have a way around this, do you find you eventually become settled and satisfied for good with the gear you are using?

-EastSideLove

 

[ShariR]

Hi EastSideLove and welcome to the thread! I was a Connecticut girl, down in Milford on the shore. So where in CT are you? I am out in the Nashville area now.

For a lot of people the novelty is a big thing. I think the younger you are the more you like a lot of change, this holds true for a lot of things in life in your youth. I am an old lady now and I like what I found works for me. I stopped smoking pretty quick, stayed with my first setup for about 4 months and then found my permanent mod, the Provari Mini at 6 months and I am still happy with it and feel no need to shop for anything else. I still use the 510 attys to drip with that I started with over a year ago and have been using Russian 91% and KFLs for over 6 months now.

Vaping can get quite expensive if you have a need to try the newest things out there. It is like a woman with shoes. How many pair do you really need? How many do you want? It is a decision like all else. My approach was to spend some time learning how to vape on my original setup. Find a few juices that I knew I liked next. Once I had the all day vape down, then I researched different things to see what would make my vape experience better and easier and more reliable.

If you keep changing mods and toppers at the same time as you are on a juice search it will be hard to tell what is working for you and where the problem is when you have one. Too many moving parts. How often did you switch brands of cigarettes? Same kind of thing with vaping.

A lot of people have several to many different mods and toppers and juices. They find the combinations that work best for them for the best flavor. Or a setup to produce big clouds or whatever they think is important for them to be satisfied. You will find that certain toppers will work better on certain mods and some juices will taste different in different toppers.

I like reliability and consistency. I like the variable voltage (and variable wattage). I like to be able to adjust the heat to fine tune the taste of my vape. I use a Provari Mini and KFLs with Koh Gen Doh cotton. I build my own coils between 1.5 and 2.0ohms for my Russian 91s and KFLs. It took me 8 months of constant vaping and no smoking to come to this setup that I love. I only have 3 juices that I can vape for days. I am no longer on a hunt for new ones. I am just starting to make my own juices and that will be a long learning process too.

Keep vaping. You will find combinations that you will love and will satisfy you. Most vapers are curious and want to try new things with their gear. Most learn to get a couple of setups they can rely on and enjoy and have a backup and then save up for new toys once in a while.

Tell us what you are using for gear and what juices you are vaping. Getting down to a few cigarettes a day is a great accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. Do not think you have to keep throwing more money at vaping to stop those last few cigarettes. You are still early in your journey. Try to relax and enjoy it. Half of not smoking is in the mind and habits and the other chemicals in cigarettes that take some work to get out of your system.

 

[GtrSoloist]

It's good to see so many familiar faces... and on a not entirely unrelated note, after reading through the last several pages, I can I relate with a lot of the issues I am reading about.

Much like FQ, quitting for me doesn't come from a place of a desire either because I love to smoke too. Also I get a lot of crap from family for vapeing. Regardless of what I say, what I give them to read, or links I send them to they still are unconvinced they are safe, or safer even than tobacco. It's a strange predicament when out of one side of their mouth they say "I want you to quit smoking," and then when I'm messing with a mod or coiling a dripper they turn around and say, "Why don't you just smoke instead?" I'm sure some of you have dealt with this as well.

I am seriously stressed about my back. I broke it a little over a month ago and still haven't seen a specialist. Apparently there is only one specialty center that handles these types of injuries on my insurance and they can't see me until next year at the soonest! I'm supposed to wait 3+ months after a spinal fracture...really? I'm a bit concerned because parts of my feet and legs are going numb randomly when I'm sitting and laying down. I should tell a Doctor right? /frustrated At least I get to see a Cardiologist in a couple weeks. note: The Doctors here are generally really good, however there is a noticeable shortage. The insurance companies, like everywhere else suck and are reprehensible for profiting from the suffering of others.

My smoking has been out of control. I recently got some WTA from Aroma, so I will make an effort to start vaping again. All I'm doing is sitting/laying watching tv or on my laptop all day. Between that, the stress and the pain it's a conducive environment to smoke like a chimney.

 

[Timothy Moore]

Hey everyone I am new to this thread and ECF in general. I've been vaping for about 3 months now. Over that time I haven't quit cigs completly. Not even a total dry spell. The most success I've had is getting down to two or three cigs a day. I've been able to keep it at that low level for about two weeks at a time sometimes more. But here's what I've noticed: vaping success seems to be almost dependent on novelty. When you first start cutting back on cigs is easy, when you get new gear or new juice cutting back is easy, because you've got something new to try out and you're exploring a new corner of the habit of vaping which in a way is more complicated than smoking is. The newness of it keeps you vaping more than you are smoking. However, this gets expensive quick and for a poor college kid I don't want to have to depend on new gear to keep it up. I've heard people on this thread say that they focus on their motivation, which is essential and I am going to work on that for sure. But I am wondering if anyone has noticed the same thing and/or has any comments and experiences they'd like to add on. Does anyone have a way around this, do you find you eventually become settled and satisfied for good with the gear you are using?

-EastSideLove

Welcome to the thread and to vaping.

Yes, the novelty aspect can be a powerful motivator for new vapers, and many vapers are constantly looking for new toys. And yes, many finally settle on one or a few setups they like the best.

I agree with Shari, you don't want to change too many things at once at first. Not till you are well acclimated with vaping.
But I will offer two suggestions, and both suggestions require you to stop before you buy. It is always a bad idea to impulse buy when it comes to vaping.

1st, ask questions about WHAT you want to buy. Now, this one is a little hit and miss, because vaping is so subjective. But by asking questions & watching reviews you can get a baseline on a product you are interested in. Just about everything I rushed into without taking time to research it first turned out to be a bad buy. Also, by letting experienced vapers know what you are looking for in a vape, they might be able to lead you to lead you to an ever better product that you weren't aware even existed. Trust me, I've been at this for a couple years and am pretty well versed on what's out there, and I still can't keep up with every device out there.

2nd, ask questions about WHERE you should buy. Unless you accidentally stumble on the best buy, there is often a cheaper way to get what you want.

DIYing juice can be a big money saver. I haven't done all the math, but I think I end up spending less than $5 on a 30ml bottle of juice when I mix it myself. It's the same story here as w/ gear though. And mixing flavors takes a little skill and time to master. I'm no mixologist. I find a simple flavor that I like and mix that. I keep it real simple. But getting into DIY can be a little frustrating, and there is a possibility of losing money when you mix something that sounds good in theory but comes out tasting horrible. Then you end up dumping it in the toilet. (for instance, I bought some cheesecake flavoring. Didn't read reviews. Tasted like popcorn, not cheesecake. Guess what? All the reviews said it tasted like popcorn.) I've had more failures than successes in mixing. but I found a flavor or two (simple mixes) that work well for me as an all day vape. If you want to DIY to simply save money, that's what I would shoot for. Simple flavor of something you could use as your primary vape, and if you want some more flavor, treat yourself to a premade juice.
Not saying you SHOULD DIY,, just letting you know that option exists.

 

[Claudia P]

I went the new gear and juice chase in the beginning too and spent a lot of money trying this and that. I did quit the cigarettes completely about a month after I started vaping. In the beginning the hobby aspect helped me to stay away from the cigs and while expensive it was fun to keep searching for newer and better but my main motivation came from being able to breathe and the fact that after I vaped a while the cigs tasted awful.

The shopping continued until I caved into peer pressure and got a Reo mini and at last found what I had been looking for all along, a mod that just plain worked dependably with great dripping flavor without having to drip. I got a Reo grand to go along with it and since then for the most part my other mods have sat idle, I do still use my Provari with a dripper and the Sting Ray with a dripper for the times I want to switch up flavors, but am seriously thinking about another Reo which would retire one of those.

I am no longer shopping and vaping is finally becoming less expensive than smoking, I am also no longer needing motivation as cigs smell horrid to me now, but that has only been a recent occurence. I do try a new juice from time to time but as far as hardware I found what satisfies me and I don't need to keep looking for newer and better.

What makes the Reo perfect for me is the 3 mil bottle in the mini and the 6 mil bottle in the grand so I don't have to fiddle, I replace batteries whenever I refill and change wicks and dry burn the coils. When I head out the door I put both of them in my purse and I'm set, no muss no fuss, if I'm going to be gone for all day I will take an extra battery and a bottle of juice just in case, possibly a bit of wire and wick, tweezers, mandrel and needle nose pliers.

Hey everyone I am new to this thread and ECF in general. I've been vaping for about 3 months now. Over that time I haven't quit cigs completly. Not even a total dry spell. The most success I've had is getting down to two or three cigs a day. I've been able to keep it at that low level for about two weeks at a time sometimes more. But here's what I've noticed: vaping success seems to be almost dependent on novelty. When you first start cutting back on cigs is easy, when you get new gear or new juice cutting back is easy, because you've got something new to try out and you're exploring a new corner of the habit of vaping which in a way is more complicated than smoking is. The newness of it keeps you vaping more than you are smoking. However, this gets expensive quick and for a poor college kid I don't want to have to depend on new gear to keep it up. I've heard people on this thread say that they focus on their motivation, which is essential and I am going to work on that for sure. But I am wondering if anyone has noticed the same thing and/or has any comments and experiences they'd like to add on. Does anyone have a way around this, do you find you eventually become settled and satisfied for good with the gear you are using?

-EastSideLove

 

[Claudia P]

I am sorry to hear about your back and problems getting something done about it.

I get no support at home for vaping either and he continues to smoke, if he quit I probably wouldn't need vaping to stay off of the cigs at this point.

I too love to smoke but reached a point fairly early on where vaping simply tasted better and cigs tasted nasty so it was a no brainer even though I still went through all of the withdrawal. I think being old has been a big help in this because I was really really feeling the effects of smoking and I'm sure I would have been in seriously bad shape had I not quit when I did, or dead by now. I couldn't walk and breathe at the same time and was waking up coughing several times a night, I was having pretty serious stomach troubles as well and had a pretty limited list of things I could eat without suffering afterwards. Since I've quit I feel about 10 years younger, much more active and my diet has gone back to normal, all without medical intervention. I guess that is my motivation now.

It's good to see so many familiar faces... and on a not entirely unrelated note, after reading through the last several pages, I can I relate with a lot of the issues I am reading about.

Much like FQ, quitting for me doesn't come from a place of a desire either because I love to smoke too. Also I get a lot of crap from family for vapeing. Regardless of what I say, what I give them to read, or links I send them to they still are unconvinced they are safe, or safer even than tobacco. It's a strange predicament when out of one side of their mouth they say "I want you to quit smoking," and then when I'm messing with a mod or coiling a dripper they turn around and say, "Why don't you just smoke instead?" I'm sure some of you have dealt with this as well.

I am seriously stressed about my back. I broke it a little over a month ago and still haven't seen a specialist. Apparently there is only one specialty center that handles these types of injuries on my insurance and they can't see me until next year at the soonest! I'm supposed to wait 3+ months after a spinal fracture...really? I'm a bit concerned because parts of my feet and legs are going numb randomly when I'm sitting and laying down. I should tell a Doctor right? /frustrated At least I get to see a Cardiologist in a couple weeks. note: The Doctors here are generally really good, however there is a noticeable shortage. The insurance companies, like everywhere else suck and are reprehensible for profiting from the suffering of others.

My smoking has been out of control. I recently got some WTA from Aroma, so I will make an effort to start vaping again. All I'm doing is sitting/laying watching tv or on my laptop all day. Between that, the stress and the pain it's a conducive environment to smoke like a chimney.

 

[JJ1977]

the crane is down for 2 days, finally down time and hello to everyone i know its been awhile wife is slave driving me keeping me at work lol

 

[Timothy Moore]

the crane is down for 2 days, finally down time and hello to everyone i know its been awhile wife is slave driving me keeping me at work lol

Welcome back