Thanks for all the replies. Just talking with people about it and how they (or their friends and family) went about quitting is actually a big help, believe it or not. So, the conversation here is very helpful and I really do appreciate it. It's a really bad habit and I hope anyone else here that's trying to quit can find success.
It's still early, I know, but I've yet to have a cigarette since starting this thread. It's been almost 7 days! (Not that big of a deal, I know, but it' still kind of a big deal to me - I hadn't gone a full day without one in at least a dozen years, and there is sort of a mental accomplishment to the whole thing.)
I still crave them pretty bad, but the e-cig has helped a lot with that. I worry that I'm going to spend just as much money on juices and hardware, but I figure the health benefit outweighs the financial benefit.
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AtomicDumpling (01-15-2015),Dom Heffner (01-15-2015),kaldaniels (12-22-2015),RedFanAlways1966 (01-14-2015),westofyou (01-15-2015)
Congrats BRM, 7 days is a huge step-don't underestimate that! Are you doing an E-cig or vape (I don't know the exact differences). I have tried the E-cig but it didn't do anything for me really, am thinking of going and checking these vape things out.
UNC Tar Heels 2017 National Champions 6 time NCAA Champs!!!
57, 82, 93, 05, 09, 17
Go Heels!!!!!
I've never smoked, I don't think I would be interested in it anyway but what I have seen smoking do to my family has only cemented it in my mind. My grandfather quit smoking when the doctor told him it could be effecting his blood circulation. He quit cold turkey. But several years later he still got lung cancer and died from it at age 72.
My dad smoked for years, by his own admission he drank too much and smoked too much because he never really thought about living too long. He quit a few times by using the patch, but ultimately always found his way back to cigarettes. I was very much used to sitting in the 'smoking' section of restaurants in New Jersey. But then he had his heart attack at age 58. He still chews nicotine gum on occasion, but hasn't smoked in nearly 9 years now.
So yeah, not to be a downer, but I always encourage people to give up smoking, which I know is hard, because it's ultimately not worth it for yourself or the people who love you.
“I don’t care,” Votto said of passing his friend and former teammate. “He’s in the past. Bye-bye, Jay.”
I smoked for about 21 years and have been off of cigs for six months now thanks to vaping. It's the only thing that ever kept me off of cigarettes for more than a week. I tried out one of the entry level eCigs for a month last summer and went down to about 5-10 cigs a day almost immediately (from 20+) and that was a good enough impression for me to invest in one of the nice model vaping rigs. The upgrade was pricy, but the difference in quality & taste made it a wise decision in that the 5-10 droppped down to 1 or 2. That's when I went from thinking "maybe this will actually work" to not even thinking about having a cigarette. Now (six months later), I couldn't tell you the last time I bought an actual pack of smokes. It's also nice having a sense of smell and taste again
Oh and cost-wise...I splurge on the vaping accessories and juices and my monthly cost is still only about a quarter of what it would be if I were smoking.
bigredmechanism (01-15-2015),George Anderson (01-16-2015)
Thanks! So, e-cig = vape. It's the same thing. Some gas stations and convenience stores sell cheap e cigs that sort of look like plastic cigarettes, but my experience with one of those was short and I didn't care for it. The one I have been using sort of looks like a pen. It cost me like 25 bucks and it came with 2 vape 'pens' which as a nicotine addict it's a relief to have a backup in case you run out of battery or liquid. I've also bought a bunch of different flavored liquids to buy. In total I've spent ~70 bucks, and I estimate it will last me 2-3ish months.
If you need any recommendations or help I'm no expert but I can certainly point you to a good vendor website.
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Thanks BRM. We have a local store called Vapor Girls that sells all sorts of accessories and liquids, I am going this weekend to check them out and hopefully get something. I too have tried that convenient store e-cig thing, and it sucked and just left me frustrated and wanting a real one even more. I need to quit though, hope the vaping can help me quit those and then hope its easier to then back off that to I am down to nothing. Again, congrats on your accomplishment so far, cant wait til I report same results.
UNC Tar Heels 2017 National Champions 6 time NCAA Champs!!!
57, 82, 93, 05, 09, 17
Go Heels!!!!!
Hey bigredmechanism,
Congrats on making it through the first 7 days. The first week is the hardest in withdrawling from anything. Keep plugging along.
[Phil ] Castellini celebrated the team's farm system and noted the team had promising prospects who would one day be great Reds -- and then joke then they'd be ex-Reds, saying "of course we're going to lose them". #SellTheTeamBob
Nov. 13, 2007: One of the greatest days in Reds history: John Allen gets the boot!
bigredmechanism (01-16-2015)
The thing with the vaping is you have to do it longer to get your fix. If you just vape for as long as you would normally smoke a cigarette, you won't get the same amount of nicotine and you'll be craving again. Just suck on that thing for a while until your craving is gone, even if it feels like you're doing it too long.
The other thing I do is I still smoke a cigarette at the good times, like after meals and stuff. So about 5 cigarettes a day vs. 25. I think my lungs are OK with that.
I tried the vaping a few times before I started doing it this way and it didn't stick, I always went back to the smokes because they were better. But I've been doing it this way for almost a year and it's fine.
bigredmechanism (01-16-2015)
Allen Carr's book is called The Easy way to quit smoking. I quit Jan 18 without any other help after smoking for 20 years. I have not touch once since. I listened to the audio book. It works along with a lot of prayer.
I gained 31 pounds. I have since lost 18 in 18 weeks.
Quitting smoking was a great choice.
"My mission is to be the ray of hope, the guy who stands out there on that beautiful field and owns up to his mistakes and lets people know it's never completely hopeless, no matter how bad it seems at the time. I have a platform and a message, and now I go to bed at night, sober and happy, praying I can be a good messenger." -Josh Hamilton
Boss-Hog (12-22-2015),kaldaniels (12-22-2015),redsfandan (12-31-2015),Roy Tucker (12-29-2015)
A pet theory of mine is that a part of the obesity epidemic has been caused by less nicotine being consumed as a society.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
George Anderson (12-30-2015)
I had an easy time quitting, personally. One day I didn't have enough cash on me to buy a pack of camel lights and bought some pall malls instead. Smoked one cig, threw the rest of the pack in the trash and haven't smoked one since. That was 12 years ago.
Chip R (01-06-2016)
lol correlation does not equal causation has to be one of the more condescending things I've seen posted here. Thanks dude, I had no idea that was a thing, and my post definitely deserve that since I declared it to be 100% true without a shadow of a doubt.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Sea Ray (12-28-2015)
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