How did you quit smoking?

[Longtrang]

I had quit smoking before for almost year. Every time I was stressed, or overseas, I always ended up going back to it. Vaping got me off of cigarettes for good. It is about as addictive as coffee once you get down to 3-6mg nicotine. I can go most of the day without it now, I never could have gone all day without cigs back in the day. You have only 4 chemicals in the vapor juice (which a Cambridge medical research team has recently released a study saying that they are safer than previously thought) compared to nearly 4,000 hazardous chemicals in cigarettes. Smoking kills 50% of its users, there are no known deaths directly linked to use of a vaporizer. I tried the nic gum, the patch and cold turkey, for me personally none have been as effective as vaping.

Pretty fun too once you graduate to building your own coils. I have been on a twisted kanthal kick lately, this is my own design. One 28 guage strand twisted with 2 strands of 32. I usually keepit at .2 to .3 ohms. this build is a .21ohm.

 

[Sullie]

I quit on 12mg, went down to 6mg week 2. Tried to go back up after a month because I imagined I was "missing something". Overnic'd myself and it was not fun for a few hours. Stepping down is great. It's weird for a coupe days but then you don't even notice. It's impossible to go back up - you'll hurt yourself.

After a month yes, but I meant if the sudden drop makes you want cigarettes then it's okay to stay on the higher nic level till you stop associating the nicotine with cigs. At least that's what I found. I tried to drop the nic level too soon and I went back up. And still go slightly higher when I know I will be around other smokers...but I started smoking very young and for most of my life. What ever works is awesome. Just don't go back to cigarettes.

Vaping becomes the new habit

Have you tried vaping? Or did you used to smoke? It is a much healthier addiction and you have the ability to wean yourself off of nicotine. Which, by itself is not any more harmful than coffee.

I always wonder what the effects of vaping will be 10 years down the road. I'm not for or against, and if it helps people quit smoking that is wonderful. I too believe that cigs have got too be worse for your health.

The thing that makes me wonder about vaping is all the flavors people are inhaling. I can't imagine that those are very good for a person.

Reputable juice companies provide a full ingredient list. Many are found in common foods ingested regularly.
I can't say vaping is 100% safe but it has been around much longer than people realise. It was invented in the 60's. With the amount of money tobacco companies have and the ability to fund their own research in the U.S. if it was nearly as bad as cigs we would know.
There is a ton of info out there. Use your own discretion...this was not a decision I made lightly and consulted with multiple doctors before switching. I just wish I had done it sooner.

And to everyone that has quit: Congratulations and keep it up, how ever you did it. As we can see, different approaches work for different people and the more methods and stories we hear about the more likely the OP will find one that works for him. And anyone else who has stumbled upon this thread

 

[Longtrang]

[video=youtube;9gwx_gdZWQ8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gwx_gdZWQ8[/video]

[video=youtube;omoYma5EgsQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omoYma5EgsQ[/video]

 

[vilePossum]

I got sick as a dog last Christmas and was bed ridden for 3 days. So sick that the thought of a smoke made my stomach hurt more. Well I went three days with like 5 cigs and thought damn, those were the hardest days. So I just decided to quit. It's not been long, just shy of 4 months. But the old ball and chain and I both quit when I did, and we are doing good. So far only 1 slip up apiece and we had both been partaking in the adult beverage. But holding strong. I wish you luck.

matches with my experience (see above quoted post), best way to quit. and sorry to say, but i don't count vaping as quitting, just substituting, even though it is healthier than smoking, it is not healthier than not vaping/smoking at all. but to each his own, it's cool as long as it works for you.

 

[AntDog]

sorry to say, but i don't count vaping as quitting, just substituting, even though it is healthier than smoking, it is not healthier than not vaping/smoking at all.

I'll take that. And agreed (somewhat). But I consider vaping (definitely) as quitting smoking. Substituting? Maybe, but it's substituting something that won't kill you for something that definitely will... Plus it's far easier to quit vaping than smoking. Know why? All the extra junk they specifically put in cigarettes to keep you addicted. With vaping, it's just kicking nicotine, not all the other crap they put in the cigs. Sometimes I go for hours and hours without hitting the vape. With cigarettes - best believe every hour on the hour, or way more often.
This may come as a surprise to you, but I was actually ordered to try vaping by my doctor. He said "have you tried ecigs? They may help you quit, and they are damn sure safer than cigarettes. Try one out, and see if it works for you." (Nothing worked for me and I tried it all. Chantix was a nightmare. It stops the pleasure from smoking, but also the pleasure from EVERYTHING else. Homey don't play dat.)
So, when I vape I'm following doctor's orders. And I DID quit smoking!

 

[Comeuppance]

I had it easy in that it was giving me headaches and I only smoked 5 a day. Quitting just took a little willpower in that instance. Keeping away, though, has been tough - I just have to remind myself of how nice it is to smell things, taste things, not feel anxious about being able to duck out every 45min to an hour, and also not being self-conscious about how awful I smell.

 

[Comeuppance]

Also, the method in which I quit was cold turkey - which many argue is the best way to do it. No tricks, no substitutions, no bargaining. I learned a long time ago that I'm always going to cheat myself if I make a bargain with myself about something I know I shouldn't do.

 

[viral]

I had it easy in that it was giving me headaches and I only smoked 5 a day. Quitting just took a little willpower in that instance. Keeping away, though, has been tough - I just have to remind myself of how nice it is to smell things, taste things, not feel anxious about being able to duck out every 45min to an hour, and also not being self-conscious about how awful I smell.

It was amazing about 10 days in realizing that when you wake up, you don't have that groggy feel and your mouth doesn't taste like you've been licking a cats ass.

 

[Railsplitter]

With the amount of money tobacco companies have and the ability to fund their own research in the U.S. if it was nearly as bad as cigs we would know.

Excellent point. Tobacco companies don't want to lose customers to e-cigs, which is exactly what is happening. If they could prevent it, they would have already made their move. Chances are, they have tons of research data with nothing to prove e-cigs are even remotely as dangerous as cigarettes. I would like to see that data but we probably never will unless they corner the market on e-cigs as well.

Excellent post Sullie.

 

[Joe Watson]

deleted

 

[Longtrang]

Different things work for different people. For me vaping works and is the lesser of two evils.

 

[Charlie Mike]

I can realistically see myself quitting the vape within 2 months.

The dip stays. Doing AA without a lip in just doesn't feel right. As it is, I usually hit an average of 15 meetings a week. That means a can of Copenhagen lasts 3-4 days.

 

[Jamesh Bond]

Congrats on your progress CM.

 

[Daddyo16]

Just stop. Patches or gum may or may not help. Dip, chew, e-cigs etc. are only a replacement habit and more excuses.

You either want it, or don't.

Either smoke or quit, your choice.

For me after a week cravings went way down, and I'm busy enough that I stopped noticing after that. I was an "I love smoking a pack a day" type.

My opinion is that not smoking is no harder than sticking to a diet, PT regimen, or going after anything "hard" in life.

You either want it and crush the hard road, or choose easy and failure.

Your body and mind will reward you greatly for quitting and you will never look back- IF you're willing to do your part to get there.

This. It's called self-denial, and it seems to be foreign to most people nowadays.

 

[Sullie]

Just stop. Patches or gum may or may not help. Dip, chew, e-cigs etc. are only a replacement habit and more excuses.

You either want it, or don't.

Either smoke or quit, your choice.

For me after a week cravings went way down, and I'm busy enough that I stopped noticing after that. I was an "I love smoking a pack a day" type.

My opinion is that not smoking is no harder than sticking to a diet, PT regimen, or going after anything "hard" in life.

You either want it and crush the hard road, or choose easy and failure.

Your body and mind will reward you greatly for quitting and you will never look back- IF you're willing to do your part to get there.

This. It's called self-denial, and it seems to be foreign to most people nowadays.

I couldn't (respectfully) disagree more.
You have no idea what struggles are like for another person regardless of your own personal ones.
Empathy goes a long way.
Clearly your mentality works for you but we have no idea what your situations or pasts are and how they differ from other members.
Some here may have worked harder and sacrificed more than you could ever know or understand to change their ways.
But if this is how you overcame your addictions I am happy for you and commend you for helping others. For some, this may be all they need.
But just because your addictions were overcome one way doesn't make another's methods less valid just because you don't understand them.

 

[AntDog]

^^^Here, here! Absolutely and very well said sir. :thumbup:

 

[Longtrang]

I couldn't (respectfully) disagree more.
You have no idea what struggles are like for another person regardless of your own personal ones.
Empathy goes a long way.
Clearly your mentality works for you but we have no idea what your situations or pasts are and how they differ from other members.
Some here may have worked harder and sacrificed more than you could ever know or understand to change their ways.
But if this is how you overcame your addictions I am happy for you and commend you for helping others. For some, this may be all they need.
But just because your addictions were overcome one way doesn't make another's methods less valid just because you don't understand them.

I agree 100%. You said it better than I could. The problem for me wasn't the quitting, it was staying quit. I could either keep doing the same things over and over or try something different.

 

[AntDog]

Longtrang - I know this is off topic, but in some of your pictures you look almost exactly like my little brother. I'm serious. The picture you posted where you are facing a mirror is a dead ringer for him. I showed my wife and she said "wow, Dave is letting his hair grow again?" He has shaved his head bald for the past 5 years. I swear, you look exactly like him in some pictures. It's spooky.
Aaaaaand, keep on vaping buddy! I wish everyone knew how easy it is to ditch the stank sticks with a quality setup.

 

[J_Curd]

I wholeheartedly agree with the eCig recommendations. Once you find one that hits the right way it's easy to transition. I smoked 1-2 packs of Camels a day from 14-31. Now I am 3 years cigarette free.

I use the Aspire CF Mod with Nautilus tank. While I've kept my nicotine at 18mg, if you truly want to quit (I don't) you can taper it down slowly over time. A good friend of mine has gone down to 3mg in 6 months.

Also, smoking works different than vaping, to a degree...smoking is a quick rush of nicotine to the bloodstream, which also is metabolized quicker...meaning you want another smoke sooner. Vaping is slower to absorb, so the metabolization takes longer...I can go 1-3 hours without hitting a vape these days. I used to smoke 1-2 cigs every hour like clockwork.

I tried EVERY other method to quit. Don't take the pills, they will make you crazy.

 

[coldmrk]

I probably don't count because I picked it up after quitting weed and it was only a thing for 5 years. I got up to a pack a day only when it was part of my work environment. Get a good job that you want to keep where smoking is not such a big thing, don't sell cars, don't work in a warehouse, don't work at a gravel yard ><

All those places everyone smoked all day and I couldn't stop. I'm a ups driver now and that shit just slows me down
There's all sorts of support at UPS for personal health. And every morning we have a meeting that focuses on health and safety. I was working on quitting when smoking was a topic in one of those morning meetings and I tossed half a pack and was done with it. I'm better at my job and life in general is good. I recommend looking at your health as a whole, having a list of things you wanna fix where smoking is just a part of it. I lost 30 lbs. I exercise more than just running packages to doorsteps 9 hours a day, sex is way better and I almost never get sick any more.
To top it off I smell pretty damn good most of the time.

Oh yeah, if you have a significant other with the same struggle, you have to do it together, or be strong enough to at least start without him/her. My girlfriend started it while i still burnt a couple on my lunches. I couldn't have quit fully if she didn't.
Those who mentioned Wellbutrin are correct as well. I took it for a few years when I quit weed. But it has the same possible side effects as any anti-depressant. So you gotta watch yourself on that stuff.