Giving up Nicotine

[Efour]

I've known a lot of ex-smokers who went cold turkey, many of whom threw that same thing at me - I can do it, so can you... About half of them (that I know of) have taken up smoking again at some point in their lives... so far. All of them say they still miss it, despite quitting as many as 45 years ago.

I've done it twice, now... Each time I got well past the cravings, agitation, irritation, irritation and all that... then one day I just went out, bought a pack, rolled up and got on with it.
The wife has done it, but I'm fully expecting her to start again, too.
The odd one is people who get cravings despite never being smokers themselves!

So yeah, the reality is that you've never actually quit, you're just not smoking at this time. How long that lasts is up to you. 8 years is a pretty long time and a good effort... At least try and get further this time.

Weird way to look at it but im not gonna argue. "i have quit" until i next smoke... I quit 13 years ago and so far i think i thought once, yeah i could smoke a cigarette if someone gave me one, ive never thought id buy a pack, which would pretty much indicate my "non smoker" status


Not smoking is so EASY. To maintain a smoking habit you need say 10 to 20 fags or rolling tobacco, whatever is your poison. If you simply STOP BUYING THAT ****, it soon becomes really, really hard to smoke... There is only so much poncing fags that people you know will tolerate

 

[DoneADougalOnSofa]

I gave up vaping a couple of months ago after vaping for 3 years. I just went cold turkey, because I'm no good with giving up things when temptation arises and it's easily accessible. When you've formed a habit it's difficult to give it up as I find there is a strong compulsion to continue doing it, but it becomes easier as the memory fades. I'd say after 10 days you won't really think about it.

In my experience, the best thing to do would be to bin everything and maintain a strong will power, reinforced by thoughts about why you want to give it up. I recommend looking up Jerry Seinfeld's 'don't break the chain' method of self motivation to help you along the way.

The things that made me give up were:

1. Health issues: inflammation and muscle aches, and my ribs felt tender. I also had multiple sinus infections over the years.
2. Money: vape juice and replacement coils are expensive.
3. Recent media reports about people dying and contracting lung disease after vaping. Might not be related to vape juice in the UK, but nevertheless it seems sensible to not inhale such substances into what is a sensitive organ. You also generally don't pay for lung abuse until later in life, when it's much too late.

Sounds ropey!
I'm a vaper, but I'm not advocating anyone to continue if they want to stop. Each to their own.

I'd just like to say a couple of things...

1. Sounds like you may be intolerant of PG. Those aren't symptoms readily associated with vaping, but they indicate a reaction to something- PG is usually the one.
2. True, unless you get into rebuildables and DIY juice. More expensive than smoking, though?
3. The illnesses and deaths in the US have been categorically linked to illicit THC products (sold on Facebook and Instagram). The CDC have FINALLY admitted this, despite three months of attempting to pin the blame on nicotine ecigs. Cannabis publications such as Leafly were on it straight away- the CDC ignored them, and thousands of people telling them the score, for months. Many more got ill in that time, as users were not being warned about the THC carts. Most THC users wrongly believed that ecigs were the problem instead!
The situation is a proper mess of propaganda, puritanism, and poorly-disguised revenue protection.

The media seem to be roundly ignoring this, and continuing to publish the same old scare stories over and over. Possibly something to do with Mike Bloomberg pumping $160m into banning vaping... while developing his own device, called Hale. No corruption there, sir, oh no.

NOT ONE of the illnesses or deaths in the US has been confirmed as caused by nicotine vaping. Over 90% now confirmed as from these bootleg products, the rest likely not admitting, as in most states it's a felony...
The culprit is pretty much universally thought to be tocopheryl acetate- used to thicken and cut THC oils to boost profits. It's presence has been found in 100% of the cases.
See also RCP and PHE updated statements regarding the issue.
There are huge financial reasons for the 'war on vape' in the States. I could go on about that for half a day, but I won't...

Again, I'm not trying to persuade anyone to carry on vaping if they want to stop. You do your thing, I'll do mine.

But the amount of flak flying around at the moment is insane. There's nothing coming out of the US which can be described as 'facts' on the issue of vaping- just pure spin and corruption.

 

[DoneADougalOnSofa]

My apologies for getting carried away there...

 

[Bony Maloney]

This. I tried all sorts to stop but cold turkey and willpower is what cracked it.

This & I also read Allen Carr's "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" That was 18 years ago. Had a cigarette whilst reading the book & I haven't smoked since.

 

[ttaskmaster]

@ttaskmaster you really need to be more positive than that. That's a proper glass half empty approach you have.

I'm not gonna sugar-coat quitting any more than you'd expect me to sugar-coat vaping... Yes it's 95% safer than fags, but it's still not pure air and thus not 100% safe to inhale.
Yes, you might find going cold turkey works best for you, but plenty of people did not even decades later and you need to be aware.

This doesn't mean attempts are fruitless and quitting the fags, pipes or stogies is a good goal to have. Be aware that you may fall and it will be hard to get back up, but don't kill yourself over the fall and whatever else you do just be sure you do get back up...

Weird way to look at it but im not gonna argue. "i have quit" until i next smoke...

Reason I said that was because it's the mentality a lot of addiction therapies prefer you adopt - Alcoholics, gambling, drugs, whatever: You're an addict. Just because you haven't drunk/smoked/done whatever in X years, doesn't mean you can relax your guard, drop your walls and retire your coping mechanisms.

 

[snips86x]

*snip
Reason I said that was because it's the mentality a lot of addiction therapies prefer you adopt - Alcoholics, gambling, drugs, whatever: You're an addict. Just because you haven't drunk/smoked/done whatever in X years, doesn't mean you can relax your guard, drop your walls and retire your coping mechanisms.

It's funny you mention that actually. After 8 years of not smoking, it was easy to get back to it while drinking with friends and family with smokes on the table. Just pick one up, and light it.

Regardless of how long you've quit, I think there is still an element of addiction there. If this wasn't the case, then people wouldn't search for alternatives or pick it back up again.

 

[Josh]

Smoked 20 a day at one stage, moved to 6mg vaping and dropped down to 0mg after 2 years with a view to quit totally.

Spent 6 months or so tapering down to 0mg and now been vape free for 1.5 years and smoke free for 6-7.

Tried gum and patches etc, vaping worked really well for me but you have to want to quit.

 

[House]

Agree it is easy to fall off the wagon, i quit when i was 30 for 6 years, then i moved to Korea for the first time, lasted about 1 month before i folded after a few drinks. quit on and off for a few years after that.
However I finally quit last year, watching my father die struggling to take his last breath is an image that will never allow me to smoke again.

A friend of mine used to give me grief for smoking after his father died of lung cancer, and i used to laugh it off, first thing i did after my dad died was call him and apologise for being so flippant.

That and the cost in the UK is amazing now, a pack each for me and the wife, your looking at over 8k a year, back in Asia I was paying $1 a packet roughly so cost didn't matter.
At UK prices thats a life changing amount of money,nearly £700 a month extra back in my pocket.

 

[ttaskmaster]

Regardless of how long you've quit, I think there is still an element of addiction there. If this wasn't the case, then people wouldn't search for alternatives or pick it back up again.

Precisely.
You have to be aware of that element, and how easily you can slip right back in... and more importantly, be prepared to deal with both of them, if ever they crop up!

 

[Dirk Diggler]

It's funny you mention that actually. After 8 years of not smoking, it was easy to get back to it while drinking with friends and family with smokes on the table. Just pick one up, and light it.

Regardless of how long you've quit, I think there is still an element of addiction there. If this wasn't the case, then people wouldn't search for alternatives or pick it back up again.

It was easy to pick up a cigarette for the very first time, light it, and be a smoker for 30 years. But you weren't born an addict. When you start smoking, you start a cycle and when you stop, you break that cycle. It's not helpful to view yourself as a perpetual smoker who has periods off the fags; it's the opposite that's true.

If 8 years with no dependency doesn't prove you don't need to be smoking, then what does?

 

[iamdjdz]

I stopped smoking after I started as a teenager when I was 23, started vaping at 27 as a substitute for going for shisha which I did on and off for the time between (due to cost). I'm now addicted to vaping, sub ohm 3mg now, build my own coils and buy in bulk to save money. I just wish I'd never started vaping again. Almost every day I want to quit and I really struggle with just a few hours without. I just don't want to throw everything away as I know a couple hours later I'll be buying a new vape. I hate the addiction but sometimes love vaping.

 

[eola]

The first part of kicking nicotine for me was that i 100% wanted to give up!!
I have a seriously addictive nature, smoked 20+ roll ups a day for 25 years.When vaping came along i instantly gave up smoking, that was 10 years ago.Ecigs were vurtually unheard of 10 years ago and what was available were pretty useless compaired to what you can buy now.For decent mods and atty's there was waiting lists and months of waiting.

Fast forward 10 years and 2 months later, was laid up with bad dose of man flu, vaping was nearly impossible, and for me that was it no more vaping.

Sure it was hard for a couple of weeks when gaming and drinking, but if you are 100% determined to quit you will, no patches or gum will help they are **** ****

Put your mind to it and you will quit, honestly if i can do it any one can!!!

best of luck.

 

[Rofflay]

The hardsest part honestly is doing something you really enjoy in the periods where you puffed for enjoyment, Or worse if it was a stress reliever. Those voids are extremely hard to fill but completely key to doing it.


This is why Vapers have much success they vape and one habit fills the other but sadly the mixes are probably harmful as well and you are still on nicotine anyways. I did it though i have not had a smoke in years and i grew up in a house of smokers and drinkers and not touched alcohol either. It must be a good 7 years now and no way i would revert to either habit.


It makes zero sense to pay to harm your body, If you are gonna drink at least home brew it or something where you are not making another guy rich and your body poorer. Maybe thats the key really motivating yourself to hate the people who profit from the vapes?

 

[snips86x]

Trust me buy Allan carr easyway to stop smoking.. Best thing ever

This is the best and easiest way to give up, no willpower needed

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think a book is going to make this any easier. I've quit nicotine before and I can do it again.
Just need to stick with it.

 

[bainbridge]

It's incredible how even a miniscule amount of nicotine keeps the addiction going. I quit using patches 24/7 (putting a tubigrip over it at night to stop it coming off) and went through the process of using progressively weaker patches while I got used to not having the ritual of smoking, at first I was literally sitting on my hands!

Once I was onto the last of my weakest patches I cut it half, then next day cut the remaining half in half, and so on. The last day I wore a patch it was about half the size of a stamp

My thought process was that I've weaned down to such a low amount I'll be fine.. Wrong! Cravings came back stronger than ever for about a day then afterwards I was fine, haven't smoked for 12 years!

 

[Malevolence]

Smoked 20+ a day for years, decided to give up and simply stopped. No faffing about with gimmicks, I just stopped buying fags and/or baccy and that was it.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think a book is going to make this any easier. I've quit nicotine before and I can do it again.
Just need to stick with it.

If a book can assist you in understanding quantum physics, a book can help you understand how to easily stop smoking.

 

[_lecro_]

Its easy..
sit in hospital with your grandad for 3 days slowly watching him die coughing his guts up..after 50 years smoking a pipe
i smoked from around 13 to 40 ... loved every minute .. even now after 10 years of no smoking i somtime wish i could have a fag .. can still feel the nicoteen rushing through my body after first drag of the morning
ahh well .. back to the beer

 

[morbid42]

It is difficult and disagree with some comments here.

1 said the first 3-5 hrs is hardest - absolute rubbish.

Many said, oh i just gave up - in reality, no matter what they said, the only reason they did was due to a real health scare - if it was easy they would have quit long before that (these people are the most damaging)

It will be tough but you can do it. The best advice i can give is to try to change scenary for a week or two - holiday, lock yourself in house and just game 24/7 etc (easier said than done with commitments).

The hardest part i found was 2 or 3 weeks in - after spending what seems an eternity saying "im not smoking" for weeks, it dawned that id given up smoking (i hadnt really), and i had done it. At this point you stop "fighting smoking" ie you let your guard down, and youve lots more money. This is when youre at high risk of having just one, and before you know it youre smoking again.

The book mentioned in thread is good and reversves how you think eg people say if u cant give up you have no willpower - the complete opposite is actually the truth

Just use willpower, no gimmicks

 

[snips86x]

Your complete loss, enjoy the struggle... You could have got audio book for free on audible and be making life easier

Until anyone understands Allan Carr's way don't judge its the easiest and fastest way to do it

Is it a complete loss though? I quit for 8 years before after having 2 weeks off work, I knew the job was stressful and I smoked to get out the office.

Currently in my 2nd day and I feel fine. I still take regular breaks at work, just don't vape during them.

I also can't stand the guy.