[Thad E Ginathom]

My funniest given-up dream was that I was telling a friend that I had quit, and she, pointing to the lit cigarette in my hand, said, "What's that, then?" and I hurriedly put it out!

MihirC, I'm glad to hear that you are not craving all the time! Over my first months I went through a stage of on-purpose passive smoking, because I still liked the smell, flavour, etc, to being a real born-again non-smoker, wondering how people could be so inconsiderate as to smoke anywhere near others, and guiltily recalling that, not many weeks back, that had been me.

Smokers think it is ok to blow in the other direction, stand in the doorway, blow it out of the window, etc etc. Non smokers know that that is not nearly enough. And ex smokers can often be the most sensitive. Now it does more than just annoy me: it hurts my chest to breathe in smoke of most kinds. Even smells I really like, such as incense sticks.

[govigov]

Originally Posted by Rohitj92

Now I really wish to celebrate a week without smoke.
PS: I have promised myself to use the cigarette money on my bike instead. That's helping too.

Curious to know how you are doing mate!

I quite using the reduced approach and reduced day by day and finally stopped one day. It was a 3 week plan with a reduction each day. I did not complete plan and I stopped early. The day was not a special day, it was mid week, went out for a stroll in the morning, had a glass of tea along with the last stick from a road side stall. I remember the location and the setting. Afterwards, my close non smoker friend and I continued the walk to the beach and came home.

There had been some serious craving in the first month of quitting. But slowly they faded away. I used to have dreams too, but it has been a long time since I have had one now.

It has been 6 months now since I stopped hard liquor and beer. I just lost what liquor did to the body. There was no high, just regret after each glass. It was like a punishment. I still continued through the punishing phase for about 3 weeks, not sure why. Many of my daily activities after work revolved around having a glass. Cooking. Watching TV. Watching YouTube. I cannot break the pattern, as these are normal day today activities.

One day, I decided to quit cold turkey. This was again not a special day and was mid week. I flushed away about 3L of rum down the drain and threw away the bottles. I decided not to drink again. No more binge drinking. But I indulged in red wine once in a while. I decided to continue the red wine habit. These days, a bottle of red would last me about 2 weeks.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by govigov

Many of my daily activities after work revolved around having a glass. Cooking. Watching TV. Watching YouTube. I cannot break the pattern, as these are normal day today activities.

You can break the pattern, and you did

The same thing applies to smoking, and you must have been through that too: those times you always reached for a cigarette. Those times of measuring out the day in cigarettes, eg, one more then I'll go to bed.

One of the biggest behaviour patterns for drinking smokers to give up is just that: smoking while drinking. And if both become a problem in one's life... it's going to be tough.

I had a great conversation with a guy on a train, once. He had been an alcoholic. A real spirits-for-breakfast-and-all-day man. He told me that he was aware of his problem, spent some time researching and looking for help, and was still doing that when he woke up one day and threw the morning drink away. As in, never mind all that, I'll just do it/. And he did.

My tobacco habit, and his drinking were not really on anything like the same scale. His problem, and its effect on his life, was staggering compared to mine. But we found something in common: we'd both beaten an addiction. It was good to talk.

It sounds like you got your life back. Good work, good for you!

[abhi182]

For what it's worth, I have been a smoker for 15+ years at a pack a day
I had never in all these years tried to quit as I was petrified of the withdrawal symptoms - something most smokers who get on long flights already know even without having tried to quit

I am glad to report that I was able to go down to zero Cigs within a week thanks to Vape Mods with absolutely no effort from my end at all!

I had thought of vaping as a fad till I decided to pick a very basic disposable ITC ecig on a whim (its called Eon) - while it wasn't quite enough as a cigarette replacement, I did notice that it helped cut on the irritability quotient (from nicotine reduction in the bloodstream) if I used that instead of a regular Cig

Encouraged by the experience, I decided to go the whole hog and ordered a moderately powerful vaping mod with a large capacity tank (Innokin coolfire IV/iSUBG sub ohm tank in case you are interested in the details)
I am glad to report that within a week, I am down to zero cigs with no effort from my end at all
So much so that I had continued to stick to my morning and evening cig ritual (deeply ingrained) for the first few days after switching to this (just so that I do not regret the choice)
Over the last couple of days, these few Cigs started becoming progressively less enjoyable.
Yesterday, I threw the morning Cig by the time I got halfway through and the evening cig after the first drag..

I would gladly recommend vaping (but with the right equipment) to anyone who is trying to quit in the least hasslefree (actually zero hassle) way possible

[noopster]

^^You are still ingesting poison (nicotine) and feeding the addiction that is enslaving you by replacing smoking with vaping.

And in your case, sorry to say, you haven't even given up smoking. Reducing to 2 cigarettes a day is no achievement. I was a smoker for many years and doing zero cigarettes most days. You are still a smoker if you smoke even one cigarette "occasionally".

Please don't take this the wrong way but there are people following this thread serious about quitting and posts such as yours do not help.

[abhi182]

Originally Posted by noopster

^^You are still ingesting poison (nicotine) and feeding the addiction that is enslaving you by replacing smoking with vaping.

And in your case, sorry to say, you haven't even given up smoking. Reducing to 2 cigarettes a day is no achievement. I was a smoker for many years and doing zero cigarettes most days. You are still a smoker if you smoke even one cigarette "occasionally".

Please don't take this the wrong way but there are people following this thread serious about quitting and posts such as yours do not help.

Not really - I did mention that I already threw away the last remaining cigs so down to zero...

As for nicotine,
a) It's almost universally acknowledged now that Nicotine by itself poses very little harm (more as a stimulant like caffeine)

b) Not many people necessarily have the willpower to quit smoking as well as the nicotine kick.. Many go through the ordeal of withdrawal symptoms and relapse after a few months (or even years)..

This way, I have managed to eliminate the smoking ill effects without the risk of relapsing at a later date.. Now one can argue that I am still not free from an addiction but how's that any worse than a coffee addiction?

If you were able to give up on nicotine altogether, that's great for you and respect to you for that..
However, I would think that my post would be helpful to a majority of smokers who may not necessarily have the will power to quit cold turkey!

In any case, I am actually more than thrilled given I know I have a weak will when it comes to things that harm me...
I in fact also have (had) a major drinking-smoking combo problem where I just cannot come to a stop once I start drinking+smoking together
I never had tried to quit because I was sure that I won't be able to..

The fact that someone like me was able to give up on tobacco smoke with zero fuss should be good news to most others who are thinking of or trying to quit smoking (and are OK with Nicotine if it helps them achieve that major goal)

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by abhi182

Not really - I --------snip---------- major goal)

Forget about it. It's flog, horse, dead, if you think anything apart from cold turkey is quitting here. I'm now on 0mg, but I should rather not bring that up here. I'm more surprised, though, by how people are advised to continue smoking till they can quit cold turkey.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by mayankk

. I'm more surprised, though, by how people are advised to continue smoking till they can quit cold turkey.

Mea culpa

I have a friend (in real life) who smokes 1 cigarette a day. That to me is the most annoying thing in the world for two reasons:

1. I can never stay at 1/day. In a matter of time it will go up to 10. And all this good work gone to nought!

2. Smoking less does not statistically improve your chances of being disease-free as compared to quitting completely. The latter is well documented but have yet to see studies saying "moderate smoking" is good for you, or at least won't kill you!

The vaping debate has been ongoing in this thread for a while. I am a purist and believe you either quit cold turkey or you don't. But there are alternative opinions as well.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by abhi182

Not really -

That was an advertisement on behalf of Mr Nicotine from someone who is still an addict.

On this thread, we don't have much sympathy for those who have simply chosen another way of taking nicotine. All you have done is a slight change in your habits.

Not many people necessarily have the willpower to quit smoking as well as the nicotine kick..

Rubbish. Anyone can do it. But they persuade themselves they can't. That's addiction

Many go through the ordeal of withdrawal symptoms and relapse after a few months (or even years)..

So don't even try?

Sure, most of us spent many years thinking the same, and smoking. Now we're here to help.

We'll be here when you need us. But we are not giving any rounds of applause for vaping.

[abhi182]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Rubbish. Anyone can do it. But they persuade themselves they can't. That's addiction
So don't even try?

Sure, most of us spent many years thinking the same, and smoking. Now we're here to help.

We'll be here when you need us. But we are not giving any rounds of applause for vaping.

I wasn't expecting any applause to begin with...
I just shared something that I believe can help others who may be struggling with quitting or maybe even encourage someone who may be contemplating but procrastinating!

That was an advertisement on behalf of Mr Nicotine from someone who is still an addict.

On this thread, we don't have much sympathy for those who have simply chosen another way of taking nicotine. All you have done is a slight change in your habits.

Lack of sympathy or otherwise, as an open thread, it belongs to me as much as those who think vaping as a way of giving up is rubbish...

On a side note, I get there are many (including probably you) who have given up smoking the hard way and they certainly do deserve kudos/credit/applause as well as respect (and am not being sarcastic)
However, if technology enables me to quit tobacco smoking the easy way, I will take that...


Edit: This is the first time I posted on this thread given the title (help other members quit smoking) and am inclined to believe that my experience may help someone else quit smoking too
After seeing the response, I read through the last few pages and was surprised to see that the general tone on this thread seems to be of a holier than thou condescension towards those who use alternate methods to quit smoking other than sheer will-power alone..

While I honestly have respect for those who quit cold turkey , I don't think everyone has the necessary inclination or proclivity to do so ..else to quit smoking would have been a commonplace story and this thread wouldn't have existed at all..
As for those who needed a crutch in the form of a NRT, don't think that makes us worthy of condescension from those who did not need one..

[Thad E Ginathom]

After seeing the response, I read through the last few pages and was surprised to see that the general tone on this thread seems to be of a holier than thou condescension towards those who use alternate methods to quit smoking other than sheer will-power alone..

I'm sorry to strike such a bad note, and I apologise for my tone. I won't try to defend it against arrogant, condescending, or even just rude.

Yes, point taken about the title of the thread. However, there was a sort-of-participating-community decision that it was as much about nicotine as it was about smoke. We did not feel supportive of those who vape any more than those who indulge in chewing tobacco, which is also an alternative.

It's like... a conversation that we had a few pages back. I'm not sure it is reasonable to expect a new member to read a hundred-page thread before posting, but we (or I, at least) treated you as if you should have known that. Probably not a good, constructive or helpful way of responding.

I am sincerely sorry about that. No doubt we have now put you off a thread that might have encouraged you to give up altogether.

My feelings/thoughts about vaping, chewing, etc, remain the same. And my feelings about accepting vaping as an alternative on this thread.

[abhi182]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm sorry to strike such a bad note, and I apologise for my tone. I won't try to defend it against arrogant, condescending, or even just rude.

Yes, point taken about the title of the thread. However, there was a sort-of-participating-community decision that it was as much about nicotine as it was about smoke. We did not feel supportive of those who vape any more than those who indulge in chewing tobacco, which is also an alternative.

It's like... a conversation that we had a few pages back. I'm not sure it is reasonable to expect a new member to read a hundred-page thread before posting, but we (or I, at least) treated you as if you should have known that. Probably not a good, constructive or helpful way of responding.

I am sincerely sorry about that. No doubt we have now put you off a thread that might have encouraged you to give up altogether.

My feelings/thoughts about vaping, chewing, etc, remain the same. And my feelings about accepting vaping as an alternative on this thread.

No apologies needed
Guess when a thread runs a hundred pages long, multiple POVs are bound to come in..
And while giving up altogether of course remains the best option, my reason to post was to share my experience with a choice , which while far from perfect, is a relatively lesser known (or at least less well understood ) option for people who may be having a hard time with the absolute right choice...

[Thad E Ginathom]

Sure, and thanks...

but having a hard time with the absolute right choice is what giving up an addiction is all about.

At the time, actually giving up (instead of talking about it or making yet another half-hearted-thus-doomed-to-fail-in-hours attempt) seemed like a really hard thing to do. Afterwards, I sometimes wondered what all the fuss was about!

[govigov]

Originally Posted by abhi182

For what it's worth, I have been a smoker for 15+ ---snip--- least hasslefree (actually zero hassle) way possible

abhi, I just want to add my two cents to this discussion. I have a lot of friends who smoke, who would like to quit and have not been successful. They in their attempt to stop smoking have turned to vaping.

Firstly, they acknowledge that vaping is new in the scene and its effects are not clearly documented. They understand they are replacing a very known satan (smoking) with a pretty undocumented one (vaping). Its effects over long time is not documented. You are inhaling chemicals into your body. They have understood this clearly. They are clear on their stand. They are going to try to vape. They will not encourage or recommend vaping to anyone, because its effects are not documented. After vaping for about two months, they have returned to regular cigarettes. They are still in their quest to "stop" smoking.

Remember, once upon a time regular cigarettes where recommended to patients to stop coughing. Look at how times have changed now. This can happen to vape too.

Please note: Many (not all) websites / youtube videos that talk about vaping are skewed in their thoughts that somehow vaping is better. Many of these are endorsed by the vaping company itself, who have vested interests.

I am just writing this, so that you can be a small part of a highly debated topic in our office.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by abhi182

a) It's almost universally acknowledged now that Nicotine by itself poses very little harm (more as a stimulant like caffeine)

Show me sources for this statement. Being universal, there should be hundreds for and very few against it.

IMO, this thread is wrongly named and that is the reason why these discussions even happen. It should have the word "nicotine" in place of the word "smoking".
As named, chewing tobacco is a great way to give up smoking. Or eating gutka.
PS: While I don't believe in NRT, note use of T - for Therapy - in the acronym. Using e cigarettes as an alternative nicotine delivery system isn't therapy, it is merely using an alternate delivery system.