What makes some smokers so resistant?

[ShyDragon]

My sister is the resistant one. I really want her to switch but she always has an excuse - she's afraid of getting pneumonia from the vapor that remains in her lungs, it doesn't look like a cig, it's too harsh (she smokes lights and I'm at 20mg nic so I believe her. I just wish she would listen when I try to explain that it doesn't have to be that harsh. I needed it because I smoked full flavor camels,). My husband and I have helped a few friends make the switch when they asked about it and I'll be here if my sister decides to take the plunge, too.

 

[jeapa]

What fourthrok said. Until you are truly ready in your heart and in your mind, you are going to use any excuse to keep smoking. And I know for me, the more someone tells me what I should or shouldn't do, the more I want to do the opposite. But I'm just stubborn that way.

Also, how many times did you try to quit over how many years? I can't even count how many times I tried over 25 years. I would succeed for a while at times- 3 months, 6 months, but would always go back to it. I tried cold turkey, patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers, wellbutrin... nothing worked. Has she tried and failed before? Maybe she is afraid of failing again.

God Bless that wonderful man that I married. He has never smoked a cig in his life, and put up with that stench on me for 15 years.

Your story reads just like mine Tidegirl. My dh put up with my smoking for 25 years and rarely complained. I know how much he desired for me to succeed Everytime I tried to quit and he never made me feel bad when I failed. He is fine with me vaping as he knows this is keeping off the analougs.

 

[gamadnechmad]

Your story reads just like mine Tidegirl. My dh put up with my smoking for 25 years and rarely complained. I know how much he desired for me to succeed Everytime I tried to quit and he never made me feel bad when I failed. He is fine with me vaping as he knows this is keeping off the analougs.

I must join the "my DH is awesome" group here. He quit smoking about 3 yrs. ago. -Not a peep about my continued chain smoking. Very supportive (& amazed) with vaping instead.

OP - if my husband had complained, chastised or demanded that I quit or switch to vaping, I'd have never picked up an ecig & would probably have just taken up permanent residence outside except for sleeping...just to show that I wouldn't quit except on my terms. Ya - my inner teenager is a real brat! I'd say that when someone comes and asks for info. or assistance, that's the time to give it.

 

[x1zz1x]

It really boils down to the individual not wanting to quit.

 

[skydvejam]

It was rough for me to quit, very rough even with my wife quitting with me. She was able to do it cold turkey, but she also started about 14 years after I did. She is glad that I am using ecigs and any time she says anything about them I ask her is she would rather me go and get a pack of smokes. That ends it in a hurry.

 

[MarleysChains]

I can only speak for myself, but initially I was intimidated by the entire ecig thing. Before I tried vaping I couldn't see myself using even an ego with a vivi-nova and I just didn't see the point in the cig-a-likes. I also didn't think that anything could ever help me get off cigs as I had tried just about everything to quit. I spent a ton of money on NRTs and prescription meds and just didn't think it would be worth the investment on another thing that I thought was sure to fail. Am I glad that I couldn't have been more wrong and got over the initial intimidation of vaping

 

[Codex Gigas]

Well, it's months later and she still gets an attitude if the topic comes up. And like I say, it's not so much a matter of the boyfriend or me wanting her to switch, she's mad that he wants to tell me about his R Tank or Electric Angel.

I don't watch television. The vibe is the same as if I always looked around to people talking about whatever show was on last night two minutes into their conversation, rolled my eyes and asked them if they are done talking about the television yet.

Huh. Maybe I should start, I do hear the plot to a whole lot of shows that I've never even considered watching...

 

[BostonVape]

if someone doesn't want to save a ton of money, improve several aspects of their health, and get to vape flavors like birthday cake - then FORGET THEM

 

[BostonVape]

My sister is the resistant one. I really want her to switch but she always has an excuse - she's afraid of getting pneumonia from the vapor that remains in her lungs, it doesn't look like a cig, it's too harsh (she smokes lights and I'm at 20mg nic so I believe her. I just wish she would listen when I try to explain that it doesn't have to be that harsh. I needed it because I smoked full flavor camels,). My husband and I have helped a few friends make the switch when they asked about it and I'll be here if my sister decides to take the plunge, too.

you can always get a low nic level one for her to try and see if that helps the harshness? - and the pneumonia issue from what I have read is a bunch of BS anyways - get some research that shows the pro's/con's to both and that should help ease her worries.

 

[Myrany]

My 2 cents on it

Remember all the smoking Nazi's? Remember all the people over exaggerating their coughs as they walked by? Remember all the offhand nasty comment "man SOMEONE stinks" while looking right at you. All the newstorys about 2nd hand smoke? In short ALL THE CRAP smokers had to deal with?

I can't speak for anyone else but I got pretty defensive about it. I had to build a wall between myself and the world. Didn't mean I didn't see and hear all that stuff. It didn't mean all that stuff didn't hurt and make me feel like a bad person at times. It also didn't mean I didn't have a little voice in the back of my head nagging me that if I just capitulated and quit I wouldn't BE a bad person.

Smokers can do some pretty heavy head games to themselves.

I can totally see how the lady in question might feel like her back is up against a wall and she is cornered. She feels like that habit she has been derending to the death is under attack. She feels like SHE is under attack. Worse that voice in the back of her head is saying what if they are right?

When she reconciles the headgames she will quit. Hopefully ecigs or something like them will be around when that time comes. Just don't push too hard or she will be afraid to ask for help when she IS ready.

 

[Doberz]

I didn't read through all the posts, so I'm sure someone has stated something similar to my opinion. But, the first step in switching to e-cigs is the smoker has to WANT to quit already. If they still enjoy smoking, e-cigs will not work for them. I don't even recommend or try to explain e-cigs in detail to smokers that have no want to quit. When they ask what I'm puffing on, I will say an e-cig. Then I ask them, do you want to quit? If they say no, then I will give them the quick explanation. If they say yes, I will provide them with a thorough breakdown of the e-cig, the choices that are out there, and then give them some links to sites that carry products I think they'd be interested in.

But to be honest, out of all the smokers I've told about e-cigs, none of them switch. The ones that do try it out, ALWAYS go and buy something I told them not to. Like my old boss, she was interested. So I told her about 510 batteries and egos. Gave her links, etc. And she comes to work the next week with a Blu kit.. She hated it and just kept smoking. I wanted to scream at her for not listening to me.. It's pretty irritating. I mean, I've only vaped for 4 years now.. What the heck would I know about it, right??

/end rant

 

[SABOTEUR]

There will probably always be some percentage of smokers resistant to vaping no matter what. Take my wife, for instance. BLU disposibles are probably best for her since it's the closet thing to analogs, only...the menthol flavor isn't strong enough for her.

Purchased a Smoov kit not too longer ago...at her request. I had wanted to purchase something other than a pen style for her, but I have to admit how impressed I was with battery development. (A big improvement over the pen style batteries of several years past.) In any event, after purchasing the kit, she won't use it. She says refilling the cartridges and...eh...recharging the batteries require too much effort. If I don't refill or recharge FOR her, it doesn't get done. Since i can't always be with her, my wife inevitably goes back to cigarettes when her carts run dry or her batteries die.

It's what she's used to.

But my wife has cancer and diabetes. She just got out of the hospital due to complications resulting from her illness. Just last week, she FINALLY gets how concerned the family is concerning her resistance to using a safer alternative.

Maybe NOW she'll cut back a bit on smoking.

But I wouldn't bet my life on it.

 

[SABOTEUR]

...the first step in switching to e-cigs is the smoker has to WANT to quit already. If they still enjoy smoking, e-cigs will not work for them.

Actually, they have to want to be open-minded about a safer alternative. They have to be motivated to try something different.

I've been vaping for 4 years. I had no intention to quit smoking, but I was motivated to switch because I got fed up with escalating cigarette prices. I didn't need any coaxing.

People are creatures of habit. We're also resistant to doing anything that other people may look unfavorably upon. Much easier for many people to keep smoking than to go through the hassle of trying something they see as inconvenient, ineffective and quite possibly embarrassing.

 

[Ravensfan]

All that I know is that I will never become one of those nagging ex-smokers. I am all about personal freedoms, and if someone wants to smoke, have at it. I am a firm believer that the second hand smoke is a nuisance, and nothing more. I do not believe that it triggers asthma attacks or any of that BS. I don't know how asthmatics left their house before 1990 when people were allowed to smoke everywhere.

 

[mewrei]

Smokers I've run into mostly are of the opinion that it "can't possibly provide a good analog for tobacco" A lot of them are turned off by the pen-style eCigs you buy at truck stops as well, so they prejudge the entire thing by the lowest common denominator. Plus, I think some people just love their tobacco, in spite of the risks.

 

[Doberz]

Actually, they have to want to be open-minded about a safer alternative. They have to be motivated to try something different.

Actually, my first step was wanting to quit.. And what goes along with that is trying different things. They both go hand in hand, and it starts with the initial, "I need to stop this". Then it follows with, "let's try something different". Not that it really matters either way.

 

[SABOTEUR]

Actually, my first step was wanting to quit.. And what goes along with that is trying different things. They both go hand in hand, and it starts with the initial, "I need to stop this". Then it follows with, "let's try something different". Not that it really matters either way.

I stand corrected. I probably should have said wanting to quit smoking is not the sole motivation for people switching to vaping. Nonetheless, some form of motivation is required; reasoning with a smoker is not enough.

 

[CandyTX]

I haven't read all the responses, but hubby's been vaping for over 2 years. While I was mostly a social smoker, it just never really appealed to me. I wasn't disdainful of it, but the one time I tried it, I HATED it. It was crappy stuff from China and menthol and it tasted like gorilla .... to me and I got juice in my mouth that burned my lips.

The ONLY thing that made me try it was that I had been smoking analogs for 2 months because of being on narcotics (they make me crave nicotine). I was starting to get the smoker's cough and I smelled him vaping apple pie and was all... okay, I'm done with this stuff... give me a set up. I used ONLY it for 2 days and was hooked.

I think the more you pressure her, the less effective it's going to be. She has to come around in her own time.

 

[Bullette the Cowdog]

SNIP...

I don't watch television. The vibe is the same as if I always looked around to people talking about whatever show was on last night two minutes into their conversation, rolled my eyes and asked them if they are done talking about the television yet.

Huh. Maybe I should start, I do hear the plot to a whole lot of shows that I've never even considered watching...

Naaah, don't do it Codex.
TV is a brain sucker.
The fall of the Roman Empire was due to their society's emphasis on entertainment.

 

[CGlassford]

But to be honest, out of all the smokers I've told about e-cigs, none of them switch. The ones that do try it out, ALWAYS go and buy something I told them not to. Like my old boss, she was interested. So I told her about 510 batteries and egos. Gave her links, etc. And she comes to work the next week with a Blu kit.. She hated it and just kept smoking. I wanted to scream at her for not listening to me.. It's pretty irritating. I mean, I've only vaped for 4 years now.. What the heck would I know about it, right??

/end rant

The word you want here is ASKHOLE......A person who asks for your advise, yet does the opposite of what you told them.