The one quitting smoking symptom I was hoping to avoid this time

[grannykimmy]

Depression... every time I have tried to quit in the past it's what has sent me back to the smokes. Up until now giving up cigs has been easy. It took me a coupe weeks to give them up completely but I haven't had one since last Monday (yeah! ) and was happy about it. Then this morning it hit, the overwhelming feeling of doom and the urge to cry for no reason. Last time I quit on the patch this went on for 3 months until I couldn't take it anymore and started smoking again and right now the thought of going through that again is almost enough to send me to the store to end it before it gets worse....almost. Antidepressants are not an option for me for health reasons and I have to admit I'm scared.

I don't think it's helping that my family is watching all the negative news about e-cigs right now. It's so bad in fact that my family is starting to show concern over my vaping. My husband who was very supportive and happy when I started vaping all of the sudden is not happy after watching the coverage. A few weeks ago he was happy to have me vape in bed while reading or watching tv instead of smoking. He even made comments of how much better it smelled and how much better I smelled. Now he claims it chokes him and no matter what I'm vaping he says they all smell like a cigars even the ones that smelled good to him before. I heard him tell my son he'd rather smell smoke and he hates the smell of cigs. My middle son made a comment over the weekend about me vaping in the house while the grand kids where here even though his mother in law smokes in the house with the grand kids. I never smoked around my grandkids but now I vape in another room while they are here. My sister who at first commented on how good it smells in my truck when I vape now has coughing fits and says it makes her sick. I'm very disappointed and know they mean well but told them all I had no plans on stopping in the near future but I feel like even more of an outcast now than when I was smoking.

 

[Robino1]

{{{{{{{{ Hugs }}}}}} I'm sorry

CASAA.org has materials that could help counteract what the media is spewing.

 

[Deeo]

I was lucky enough to be able to have the time sleep alot when i quit. I was sleepy for weeks and had headaches. I was depressed i guess you would call it. I didn't want to do anything. However i wasn't depressed because i messed cigarettes. I was just drained for some reason. I was thinking about all the people that said they had lots of energy since they started vaping. My energy came back but slowly. I would get boats of energy and then crash but now i have lots more energy and i don't crash now. Maybe you just need to sleep through this part of the withdrawl. But if your crying etc and craving a smoke maybe you need to up your nic level.

As for your family being negative now. This is just something you will have to work with. Vape in a room that you can call your own. Heck even set up a computer in there too. It is hard when you don't have the support anymore. I have had lots of people down my vaping but i won't let it get to me because i know that in a year or two more and more people will be vaping and i am hoping that it is more common around here. Just so people can see this works and is not harmful. But people hear things and are ignorant to what they don't understand or truly know much about. I look at it this way, i may be the only one in my small town that vapes but as time goes on and i am healthy and still alive maybe then people with be more open to the ecigs around here. Stick to this forum for your support.

 

[3mg Meniere]

It might be the social pressure that is triggering the depression. Can you try vaping unflavored? I find that mood swings are eased by a dose of nicotine.

 

[bluecat]

I still treat my vaping as smoking. I still go outside to vape and try not to vape around my wife and kids. My did cough once but I was driving and blew a cloud in her face.

Yes.. I know the reports of vaping vs smoking. I choose to go outside and vape. I choose to not vape around my family. Maybe try a bit of that.

The comment about he would rather you smoke is disheartening and I feel for you with that one.

Also try a bit of WTA... it helps with those special days.

 

[Fisheeboy]

Hi grannykimmy, I'm so sorry to hear that things are not going very well with the vaping and the depression and the family. I can't imagine how disheartening this must be for you. I do however understand that there are numerous benefits to nicotine and I can relate to your feelings of depression. A while back I decided to not advise any one here to have a smoke if that's really what they felt like they needed. But I also will never tell anyone not to have a smoke if that's what they feel like they need. If you or any other vaper smokes a cigarett there is no reason to kick yourself over it. I pray that you never go back to smoking and I applaud you for letting the family know that you have no intentions to stop vaping. I also pray that they will eventually except that the truth is vaping is much more safer than smoking. The best thing I can see you doing is showing your loved ones the research and information on the true benefits of vaping. Educate them with facts and hopefully that will help them to see that the media is only demonizing e-cigs. Explain to them what e-liquid consists of. Explain to them the numerous success stories form other vapers. Just continue to try educating them.
One thing that is for sure is that you have a ton of folks here that do support you and we will continue to encourage you the best we can.

 

[Weizenheimer]

Tell your family to stop being mindless lemmings and show them the actual scientific research.

If you can be depressed for 3 months in a row, you need to go see a professional.

 

[DavidOck]

Might try some juice with WTA. It might help with the depression, as it contains some of the other alkyloids from tobacco that are missing from "regular" juice. And/or maybe just up the nic percent?

And definitely check out CASAA's site for honest research on the effects of ecigs on the vaper and on "second hand." (NO risk from second hand vape in the workplace was one recent finding...)

Yes, the occasional battery goes bad. But it's the same type of battery used in cell phones, laptops and lots of other consumer gear. And with ecigs, can usually be traced to user error, although of course there's bound to be the random manufacturing defect. the "upsurge" in poison reports? Well, having helped raise four, I can definitely say that kids will get into anything. So isn't that really the parents' problem of securing the juice?

 

[daleron]

Bless your heart grannykimmy

I know the loss of cigarette's can worsen depression, so so sorry you can't take an anti-depressant to counter-act that

{{{hugs}}}

 

[BostonVape]

The 'fake coughing' fits are THE WORST! I know several people who pull that crap and its so annoying..

You didnt cough when I was smoking cigs around you, but now water vapor makes you cough? Gimme a break lol.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

There are other things in cigarettes that together create what is essentially an antidepressent. I would recommend that you look into WTA liquid. Whole Tobacco Alkaloid liquids.

As for the sudden change of heart the people around you are expressing, it's amazing how the mind can trick itself into hating something they didn't mind before. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. If bad press did this to them, I would recommend gathering some good press to show them. A previous poster recommended CASAA, and that's a great place to start looking for studies. It's disheartening to see how the media has been exaggerating any issues regarding e-cigarettes. Most of the evidence that points to e-liquids being evil has been missing some vital information. An example it that the cases of overdosing on nicotine were mostly related to e-liquid that contains 10% nicotine levels. Not the 3.6% that is most commonly the highest you'll be able to find via retail. Also, the one death by nicotine was a suicide where he injected it. It wasn't an accidental death. Of course, liquid nicotine is dangerous to a child or pet, but so are most medications you take that are in the house, household cleaners, electrical outlets.... It should be kept out of reach of any children, but the vapor we exhale contains such a small amount of nicotine that it's insignificant.

 

[graybuck]

I had this same issue, it was like nothing I had ever experienced in my life. The depresion was terrible. I could hardly get up for work in the morning, and had no desire to do anything I once enjoyed. I went to having one smoke in the morning. This was a significant improvement over my pack or more a day habit. and It helped ease the depression. After a while I found I could skip a day. There is no rule that says quiting has to be 100% on day one. Just start cutting back until you no longer have the desire.

 

[Skorpeyon]

It's unfortunate that your family can't be more supportive. I recently admitted to my father, who has been a huge anti-smoking guy since before I was born (I'm 31) that I smoked and that I was now, instead, vaping. The true irony is that my mother already knew (shredded a pair of pants with a pack of cigarettes in the laundry one time at their house) and it was HARDER to convince her that this was a good thing. I wanted them to know for several reasons, the main one being that I was going to be doing it in the house and that I was tired of hiding it from them. I also work with my father, and I wanted to be able to do it at work without him flipping out on me.

The day I admitted these things, my mother kept acting like the vapor was smoke, freaking out about it, and I kept having her smell the different juices I was using. I far prefer fruit and/or desert flavors and I think that helped to show her that there was nothing like tobacco involved in what I was doing. I explained to her multiple times how the devices worked and it was still quite annoying just how little she "got" it. I finally explained to her that it was simply far better for me than cigarettes were. She asked me why I couldn't just not do either. I explained to her that, frankly, it's because I don't want to, and this is the lesser of two evils. Even if this turns out to be bad for me, it's far better than what I was doing.

My father, the next day, cracked a joke to a co-worker about me "puffing on a hooka". I pulled him aside and explained to him that he really shouldn't make jokes, that it can upset me a lot when he does, and I want to keep THIS as my habit rather than returning to cigarettes. He said he understood, that he was glad I was doing something healthier, and that he would refrain from those kinds of comments (he also threw in an excuse that someone else he knew called it their hooka, but I pointed out that person wasn't me, and I didn't like it).

I think what you need to do is get very educated on exactly how vaping works, what is in the liquids you consume, visit CASAA (as others have said), print out some of the information that you find, and sit down with your husband and get him to understand that not only is this healthier for you, it's healthier for him. Explain and have a heartfelt talk, and also mention how you're feeling. Tell him you feel upset about him making comments that he'd rather you be smoking, and explain to him how much more poisonous that would be to the both of you. Getting him on your side is truly the most important thing. Once he understands and supports you, I think the rest will follow, especially with your children. If not, you may want to pull them aside and have a chat with them as well, one at a time or in a group if you feel comfortable enough.

Another thing is to talk to a doctor about your depression. I had horrible anxiety issues (which can be similar to depression and is often treated with similar meds) on and off and never associated it with whether or not I was smoking. I did, however, talk to my doctor about it and he prescribed a low-powered anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medication that has really helped a LOT. Soon after I started taking it I held a meeting at work and was the center of attention. Normally this would cause me to almost go white with fear (literally) and be very shaky, stutter a lot, etc. I was fine. I didn't feel like being in front of a group of people was going to give me a heart attack for the first time in a long time. If you are having trouble talking with your family, this may also be a good FIRST step since it can help give you some confidence to say something, and may help you get your point across more firmly than you might if you were nervous or anxious or depressed.

 

[DaveOno]

Grannykimmy,

So sorry, but we are ALL pulling for you. What helped me was when I realized ok, Dave, you may never quit nicotine, but now you never have to smoke to get the fix. And don't need itchy patches or questionable pills. This vaping thing is doing it! Yea!!!

And when stressed, where I might cave and buy a pack in the past, I now realize that no, I have a much better option.

As to the illiterati, just smile and reply that you have researched this as much as you can, and to my knowledge, only some "Norman Einstein" who injected eliquid has died. As opposed to the approx 1,300 who died from cigarettes in the past 24 hours! In the US alone!

And remember, Lots of people thought that new fruit/veggie from the new world was poisonous and wanted to ban it. And I'm so glad wiser heads prevailed.

Cause I love tomato.

 

[Ca Ike]

Right now I'd say most of your depression is coming from your families BS. If they are pulling the fake caughing fits and such then its them that need an attitude change and some re-education. Ignorant arrogance like you describe from your family pisses me off and the fact that they are leaping to join the media hype with these type of tactics makes me think they won't even bother to look at any positive info you give them. Sorry for the rant, but far too often these days people just cave in instead of fighting back. Start off like I did with my family and be cordial pointing them to the available studies on the CSAA site and even to these forums to educate themselves. Hopefully they are not lemmings and are willing to learn for themselves instead of parroting the BS put out by the same organizations now going bankrupt by the drop in tobacco tax funding and BT because of their drop in profits. If they don't bother to look at any of the info you pass on to them then its time to get ...... and "bring out the belt" so to speak, especially with your middle son and his HYPOCRITICAL BS. ARRRGGHHH!! Ignorant arrogance combined with hypocrisy!! Can there be anything worse!!!!

OK, OK deep breath, some good vape, more good vape, ahh relaxed vaping bliss achieved I guess I'll be irritated enough for the both of us


Depression, though is a normal part of breaking any addiction and really requires effort redirecting your energy into something you can enjoy about vaping which will help your success level. For me I made the "Flavor Chase" my new focus and I found the excitement/anticipation of a new flavor or tank helps a lot with the "lows". Since I'm a tinkerer by nature I've added rebuilding to the mix and have turned my vaping into a bit of a hobby as well. Good luck with everything and most importantly don't give up.

 

[ncolwell]

I'm so sorry that you're dealing with this. Congrats on your time being cigarette free.

The fact that you made it this far without a cigarette proves that you can handle it. However, and take this from someone who used to have severe anxiety over the thought of "never smoking again", it can really trick your mind in a bad way if you tell yourself that you're not going to ever smoke again, especially so early in the game.

It's been seventeen days since I had a cigarette. When I made up my mind that I wasn't going to smoke anymore, and I was going to vape instead, I almost lost all of my reserve within the first 24 hours. I had gotten angry at myself for smoking (I was a secret smoker), and I had thrown my cigs away in a place away from my home. I went back to that place the next day, but I wasn't able to recover them. In that moment, I thought to myself, "What are you doing? Why are you acting so crazy? Just for a cigarette?" I was using the Blu disposables at the time, and I thought to myself, "This is going to have to work for you today. Just today. I'm just not going to smoke today." I didn't tell myself that I was done smoking forever, because I knew I could handle the first day. Then, I told myself the same thing the next day. And the next day.

When you quit smoking, it can feel like you've lost a "good" friend. We tend to romanticize smoking, and it really feels like a loss. It might help you to make a list of the negative effects of smoking, and keep that list around to refer to once you start missing it.

As far as your family goes, I agree with the others that education is needed. In your current state, you might not feel like you can educate them yourself, or that they'll even listen to you. Since you said that medication isn't really an option (and I don't think medication is the "best" solution all the time anyway), perhaps you should seek out a counselor that you can talk to. A counselor will listen to your concerns and help you make sense of how you feel. He or she might even be willing to go to bat for you with your family in offering you the support you need.

As always, please know that we are all pulling for you, and you have friends here. We have to stick together, and when you're family isn't being supportive, please come back here and post.

We're all in this thing together. This is hard, but in the end, it's going to be worth it.

 

[Rat2chat2]

I am so sorry you are having depression. Although I know you love your family and they love you, if it were me their comments and concerns would probably add to my depression in all honesty. It is hard to make everyone happy but impossible if you are not happy yourself. I'm sure you have tried to tell them how you feel and how much you need their support. If they are not willing to listen, I'm sorry but it is more their problem than it is yours. Yes you can do things to help the situation. You can not vape around them. You can find information on the internet to try to share the benefits with them. But the bottom line is if you think you are doing something that is beneficial to "you"....... you will find a way. Vaping calms me down the same way my o'l friend seemed to do. (cigarettes) I smoked and vaped for a good while and just kept cutting back until it got to the point where I preferred vaping. I think it almost tricked my brain because I never had any problems. Vaping has been the only thing I have ever tried that kept me smokefree this long. I guess what I am really trying to say is that you should not let anyone or anything stand in the way of something you really want. Eventually, I hope your family start to understand and will give you the support you need. Of course you've pretty much got the support thing handled here with the wonderful people of ecf who really care. Good luck to you and I really hope I read about your future success with vaping. Sending good thoughts your way.

 

[klynnn]

Sorry for your troubles. I hope it gets better for you. My family knows better than to pull that kind of crap on me.

 

[vjc0628]

I'm lucky my wife understands the truth
but that didn't come easy it takes time and research and providing facts with proof

her family on the otherhand is overcome with propaganda
one time her uncle saw my vaping
immediately looked angry said what is that

I told him he looked like he bit into a lemon
and said you know those things are killing children

I have come to realize the larger majority of people will believe a lie before the truth 90% of the time
they will believe the quick 1 line sentence
before reading the 5 pages of evidence

this is true not just in vaping but politics religion and whatever else people can be made emotional about

 

[yzer]

Depression can be a serious illness. Make an appointment to see your physician right away. Your doctor may make a prescription or he/she may refer you to a mental health specialist that may prescribe treatment and/or therapy for you and your family. There are more anti-depressive drugs out there than doctors can shake a tongue depressor at. They will find something that will work around your other health issues if that is the best solution.

So, look to the bright side and make the move to get things better.