Said perfectly.

I would be curious to hear from ex-smokers who used this method to quit. I am betting that there is not as high quit rate as there is for other methods.

I do believe that Strappy is/was using this method. Would like an update.

Hey, Lady Pamela!

So what happened with the testing? All clear?

I do use e-cigs and also have strong options on the use of them. For one, I do see them as a substitute for smoking and keep the same behaviors as I did when I smoked. I do not vape when I'm in a restaurant, meeting, in my cube at work. I do not vape in other peoples homes. My feelings are even though the vapor is "generally recognized as safe", I do not wish to impose on others.

My reasons for wanting to quit smoking is not so much the addiction, but the health concerns. Inhaling burning material, inhaling tar, etc. is known to be horrific for my body. My mother passed away from COPD, I keenly understand smoking to be deadly.

FTR, I'm 30 years clean, 19 years sober. Unlike my drinking and drugging, I didn't lie, cheat or steal to smoke, I didn't ignore responsibilities nor did my personality or values alter when I smoked. I didn't smoke to run away from my feelings, I did use it to take a mental time out so I could go back and work on those feelings.

I smoked off/on for over 30 years. I've gone cold turkey, used the patch, gum, Zyban, Chantix. I've had smoke-free periods ranging from 1month to 8years. In all of these attempts, the craving didn't leave me, I always felt that I was just holding on... barely. One thing that always happened was I was unkind to myself. I was unkind if I smoked and it often felt unkind to not smoke.

In some cases, the least upset could get a cancer-stick in my mouth in no time flat.

With e-cigs, I'm not ingesting toxic material known to cause cancer. Am I getting nicotine? Yes, when I'm using liquid that has nicotine, although much of what I vape has 0nicotine. Does nicotine make me lie, cheat or steal? No. Is nicotine itself bad for me? From all that I've read, not in the quantity I ingest.

Is all of this rationalization? Perhaps, but one thing I know for certain, I have not smoked during a very trying period of time. I know if I didn't have my trusty e-cig, I'd be back smoking.

This is my experience, your mileage may vary.

Loren

Daktari,

I completely agree that it requires a lifestyle change to successfully quit all nicotine. I quit for 2 years in my 20's cold turkey. I am eager to quit now and not return to this awful habit. I plan to make adjustments in all things connected to my nicotine habit in order to officially quit.

I understand that simply substituting the e-cig for a real cig is not great, but it's also, at least from what I read, much better than smoking something burning/on fire and known to cause cancer among other diseases. All moral debates aside, if you need the crutch to wean off nicotine, at least in my eyes, that is okay, as long as you work toward the goal of being nicotine free. If you do not and maintain a habit of vaping nicotine liquid, then it's still better than smoking a lit cigarette.

Meri :moonstars:

I read the last 2 posts, this one being one of them, and this is my thought. As a smoker, I have noticed there are different types of smokers. Some are rude and do not care where they light up nor who is affected, and that has always bothered me. Then there are others who are respectful and understand the consequences of smoking and do not impose that risk on others. I imagine this is just an extension of behaviors developed over life and tied to your particular sense of respect/ethics/consideration/social responsibility. That does not mean I have never smoked somewhere it was best not to. I am human. But, I have always tried to keep it respectful, to the degree that you can considering what you are doing.

As a vaper, I will follow the same principles I follow with smoking cigarettes:

1) I will not smoke in anyone's home and I will not vape in anyone's home.

2) I will not vape in situations that are obviously inappropriate (children's birthday parties, hospital, inside a restaurant or store (even if it is allowed), etc.

3) For me, a sense of shame has always been attached to smoking. I will likely carry this same feeling into vaping. I don't fight that shame because I think there is a plausible reason my conscious is telling me to feel shame (just my opinion and I don't throw this on anyone else). As such, I will likely not vape in public often, if at all.

4) If I were in a vaping-accepting environment, then I likely would go ahead and do it. This would be rare occasions, I would think.

5) Do unto others as you would have done unto you - that is what I try to live by, though I'm not always successful. This just gives me a common sense template in making decisions that affect others. I will adhere to this in vaping until I am 100% nicotine free, at which point I will put vaping aside.

If I were in a public place and someone vaped, I'm not sure if I would think it was wrong or not. I can understand needing to do it. I think it would disturb me if someone vaped in a totally inappropriate environment, but I don't think most people would do that.

I'm so encouraged to see this thread here. It gives me a sense of support while making this transition using the e-cig.

:balloon:

I agree that how one quits is not the focus, it is the desire...the will and finding a way. We are all different....and our needs are equally as different in our approaches to 'whatever'. I applaud and support anyone who wants to quit, tries to quit and even if unsuccessful is not judged by me because they did not quit like i did. I would encourage and continue to support the desire. What is the right way for you may not make it right for me. I am/ nor you are any weaker....no less strong....and in fact we are very human in making bad judgements at times. But I get back on that horse.....and try try again.....and I love myself for this.... being human....I would have it no other way! It has been 3 1/2 years, who cares how I did it.....or how many times it took.....I choose to see the successes!

What app? I would like to try this...

Thank you!

:cigar2: blech, over this habit.

Bumping up this post; it bears repeating for several reasons. Don't ignore the laboratory results and FDA enforcement actions...

Okay, done! Thank you for telling me to read the entire thread, Lady. Wow, you guys are a heap of support for me. I will just keep reading the thread every day.

Congratulations to everyone who has successfully quit or unsuccessfully quit and still see themselves as "in the process of quitting", wherever you may be on that spectrum.

:bouquet:

Food for thought:

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/...psbd333381.jpg

Keeping the same behaviours is what kept me smoking each time I tried to quit.

As you know, if you don't take the first puff of anything then you won't take the second.

I wish you all success in eventually quitting putting stuff in your lungs. :chaplin:

I am finding that keeping a log of my smoking habits is helpful, though tedious and boring.

:clover:

Today I only smoked 10 cigarettes! Woot woot. I think the vaping thing may be my final and long-awaited answer.

Hello everyone. I have a little over seven months free of smoking. I smoked my last cig on a muggy evening last summer. Woke up the next day and just decided I was done. The first few weeks I really wanted to crawl out of my skin. I was beyond irritated with any and every little thing. That eventually passed.

Yesterday I was driving and saw a woman walking on the sidewalk smoking. I watched as the smoke flowed from her mouth and thought about how awful that taste is. I was one of those funny smokers. I couldn't stand how my hands smelled after smoking. My breath tasted icky and and I hated to empty my ashtray because I didn't like touching it because of the smell.

I have no desire to smoke again but I wont say that I wont ever do it again. Sometimes I do miss it. For now though, I'm a non smoker. And it feels pretty good.

I wish you all luck and continued support with your battle, however you choose to approach it/conquer it. It really does get easier with time.

:)

Hi, Sparkles. I am curious about the above. Why do you say that for now you are a non-smoker? Is your goal not to remain smoke free for life?

Very interesting!

Made it to 16 months.
 

The regret will be greater than the moment in lack of discipline
 

OK LP, so think of this exactly how it is feeling to you. This is another level you have reached my friend. The 16 months of success have given you possibly some false security at times and now is when you need it the most. So many things going on in your life, energy is hard to come by. You got this dear.....you have the strength of 16 months within you that you have accomplished.....never to be taken away, never. Time to build another level, you won't keep feeling this pull towards smoking with negative energy. It will change by your doings. Call up your strength, and do not allow the mortal weakness that is in your mind over smoking again. Your past is just that.....this level needs your future dreams, loves, and whats in your heart. There will be other levels even after this my friend, but I agree this place is the hardest after being so successful. Smoking is not in your future, cast it out. You control this about yourself, not the weakness or misplaced desire. We are human sweetie, I know you read this post from me with the affection I have for you and having followed you in this smoking cessation from month one with great admiration. My words are for you, my light is arriving with my words. Sweet 16 my dear.......how cool is it to be there 2 times in your life huh?? :)

sweet 16 ain't what it used to be .... :)
 

Congrats LP......sweet 16......so many amusing things to say about that! :) You have done something wonderful for your future. You are more than worth it. So it is not about "earning it".....or having it "owed to you from past sacrifices".......you deserve it LP.......just because you are making it happen for a future with so much more to accomplish. :)

Huh?
 

Well said! <grin>

You Can Do IT!
 

Try vaping (e-cigarettes)?
 

For those still unable to kick "the stinkies"...have you tried vaping (e-cigarettes)? I smoked since I was 15 and was up to 2 1/2 packs a day when I started vaping. I am 63 now and nothing ever worked, not the patch, not the gum, not the pills...nothing. Since starting to vape, I have not picked up a regular analog cigarette. A lot of the cigarette habit is the hand/mouth for a lot of us too. I believe that is why vaping has been so successful for me and many, many others

Smoking is not a habit, it is an addiction, and one that has a stronger hold on the user than some of the hardest drugs out there. Tobacco cigarettes have horrible ingredients including (but not limited to) over 4000 chemicals, 30 of which are known carcinogens, tar that coats ones lungs causing many, many health issues, and carbon monoxide. The one fairly benign ingredient found in tobacco cigarettes is the nicotine. Ironically, it is the nicotine that is addictive. In comparison to the other ingredients, nicotine is basically harmless. It is comparable to caffeine in that it is harmless, yet addictive, in small doses, but can be dangerous in large doses. Replacing smoking traditional cigarettes with vaping eliminates all those horrible ingredients while still delivering small doses of nicotine. The benefits are the same as quitting smoking cold turkey, yet the user still enjoys the physical act of smoking and doesn't experience any withdrawal symptoms. It is the individual user's preference, but one can indeed "step down" to smaller and smaller doses of nicotine until vaping 0 nicotine strength juice and thus, gradually eliminating the addiction. A freind on Face Book posted: Jill should be commended on her 3 months tobacco/smoke free and encouraged in her vaping quests. Keep it up Jill, you're doing great!!!"

Are you thinking about your plan to quit? A plan is helpful. I quit over 2 years ago and I am so glad I did.

I smoked 2.5 packs a day and my addiction was costing me the cost of a car payment.

Good luck and don't forget you can do this!

Congrats to you all!
 

Whether it's 10 years or 10 days, congrats.

I've been smoke free for a bit over 4 months, but this is the first time where I've not fought the craving on a daily basis, so I have a lot of hope that this time will stick.

Like a few folks here I vape and it's working for me. I started vaping in Dec. 2012 and for the first 2 months did have the periodic smoke. I smoked 6 cigarettes in 2 months, since then, none at all.

You know, at first this bothered me, but after thinking about it I'm going with "take what you want and leave the rest."

For those who are not smoking, whether by sheer will power, patches, gum, zyban, chantex, vape, lollipops, cinnamon sticks, toothpicks, gritting your teeth, sucking your thumb, etc. Good luck and good wishes.

Loren