Vape as smoking cessation

bykfixer

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Habits, triggers and knowing of them is a cornerstone on stopping.
My mom smoked 2 cigarettes a day. One after lunch and one after supper. But she enjoyed both. Most smokers only enjoy a few a day but puff, puff, puff on a bunch more. Why?
Habits and triggers mostly. Coffee was my sisters first trigger of the day so she switched to green tea. Her morning commute was another, which she said was the hardest one to over come. That was a habit. She started out using nicotine losenges on her ride to work with success. She stopped about 15 year ago and still does a losenge after lunch and after supper. Her husbands first trigger of the day was a shower. Yes a shower. He said he smoked at least 2 in the shower. How? Got me but he said that was the hardest habit to break.

A coworker told me he stopped smoking in 1974 but still wants one at certain times like while having a glass of beer after cutting grass.

I still smoke some but not after meals, nor with coffee. Not anymore. Used to be when working indoors I'd light up as soon as I went outside but not anymore. My achilies heel is while carrying on a conversation around other smokers. So I make sure I have to walk at least 50 yards to obtain a cigarette. I take a puff or two off a vape on occasion like when driving. A 1.5 ml tank lasts about 2 months.
 

jimjonas9384

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For months after, the moment I finished a meal and put my knife and fork down on my empty plate I would think "cigarette" and then almost as quickly I would remember I don't smoke anymore.
As its very hard to stop smoking for a chain smoker.
I hope you're getting my point.
 

chip100t

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As its very hard to stop smoking for a chain smoker.
I hope you're getting my point.
I don't know how far off a chain smoker I was me being on 40 a day. But the first thing I did when I woke was smoke a cigarette, also the last thing at night and if I woke up in the night come to think about it.

Also what helped me was reading a little book that said to think of your addiction as a little monster and the physical craving you suffer as it's death throes. And the harder the craving got was a sign you were defeating it and they would eventually get easier and disappear as it eventually dies.

It sounds silly but it makes you think positively of your cravings if that makes sense.
 

chip100t

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What was the name of that book ?
It was a long time ago and it was in a friends van who was trying to give up at the time. I remember It was small and reminded of a children's book, apart from being about helping to quit smoking.

It's title I don't remember I'm afraid.
 

Remembertheslap

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Well, I must say this thread has brought me (and wifey) some good laughs and good vibes ☺️ You're a natural storyteller, mister Bykfixer.

I've read the whole thing, over the past few evenings while puffing my Eleaf Basal loaded with pure unflavored VG and nic at 24 strength. 1.5 ohm coil running around 4.5 watts.

Fairly specific setup, dialed in to mimic a tobacco pipe, tweaked for maximum economy and minimum health impact.

I'm a "no intention of quitting" vaper. Personal belief is nicotine is beneficial for some people, or at least on balance not significantly harmful. But I'm not arguing with anyone. There's some statistical evidence pipe smokers live longer than mean. Or maybe it's an urban myth...

My vape habit is to puff it just like a pipe, swirling the vapour and mostly not inhaling, blowing rings, occational inhaling a small quantity. This requires a pretty strong nic content, obviously.

Started off with the store bought flavors and quickly found my body doesn't like PG. Or flavors. I like the flavor of nicotine and VG. Subtle sweetness with pepper.
 

Remembertheslap

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IMG_20220701_231755556.jpg
 

bykfixer

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When I was in a vape forum they called those "toodle puffers" slap. When the place began getting bombarded with THC products I walked. Half the people their acted like they needed to go back to smoking. A whole buncha cranky people.

But the toodle puffer crowd knew how to have a nice time and were generaly chill folks. If I remember correct they liked one called Pravarious(?) or similar. I prefer a more modern approach to vaping mainly because old school products like you use are only available at head shops where I live and I prefer not to buy online anymore.

I still use 6 strength Black Note Virginia Tobacco (formerly called Prelude) in a 9 watt device that uses a 1.5 ohm refillable pod tank when I vape. It looks and holds like a carpenter pencil but puffs like a cigarette. It took a whole lot of trial and error to find the one I liked. The juice is a 50/50 vg/pg but I prefer 70/30 or thicker. Yet the flavor is spot on for my tastes. Mrs Fixer is highly allergic to pg and when she vaped took long drags like she was "puffin on a j". Little by little she stopped vaping at all.

I did not realize it was 4 years ago when this thread was started. But by fall that year I had all but stopped both smoking and vaping. By spring the next year I had shaken 35 pounds, told to stop taking colesterol and a bp med too. When covid hit I put back all 35 pounds gone back to smoking 2 packs a day and in between cigarettes was stuffing cake or ice cream in my fattened face. My doctor retired to take care of his mother so I skipped doctor visits during the covid period.

In 2022 the cycle resumes. Back on colesterol and bp meds, with stamina of a 80 year old. The smoking/vaping has been greatly reduced since mid-2021 but not long ago I resumed a weight control regiment and within a few weeks had slimmed enough to tighten my belt a notch. I was the fattest I'd ever been so the belt hole is now my former fattest ever hole. The goal is to be down another belt hole by fall while reducing nicotine intake in half again. Mrs Fixer has noticed an increase in my stamina already.

See, in 2021 I went from a light blue collar worker to a white shirt worker. It was a year ago in June. I vape in meetings at times and people ask "is that thing even turned on?" because I toodle puff. I get some funny looks at times but nobody says "don't you know those things explode" anymore.
 
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Remembertheslap

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Think I'm on my fourth Basal. Had to buy the pipe stem separately. It allows me to kind of hold the mod at nipple hight, hand and mod resting against my chest, and sip it like a straw. No arm lifting effort required... It's an elegant mod, for a more civilized age. Perfect for a gentleman of leasure, in the 1920's steampunk alt-future timeline.
 

bykfixer

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I still hsve a Renova zero that gets used on occasion.

I started a fad at work where we all stopped smoking around each other in an effort to stop smoking. I'm the only one who didn't switch to chewing tobacco. I wear a nicotine patch and in a sticky situation take a couple of puffs from the Renova zero
 

AstroTurf

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Remember, what works for one person may not work for another, but it's worth exploring. Make sure to do your research and consult with a healthcare provider to create a plan that suits your specific needs.
soory... can't agree with the consultation part at all. primarily because it's not something in their sales categories... ie prescription drugs.

do your research, apply a grain of commonsense, and become smoke free.

and whatever you do, don't discuss it with your doctor.
 

vincent3685

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I smoked for over 30 years. Quit twice for about a year, each time on my own. In a time before vaping was available, what finally worked for me was a combination of Wellbutrin (Bupropion) and nicotine gum. Got the doctor to prescribe it for depression because insurance wouldn't cover it for smoking cessation.

After taking the Wellbutrin for a couple of weeks, it made the cigarettes taste bad. One day, after lighting up, I became disgusted with the taste and finally threw the cigarette down. The nicotine withdrawals were intense, though. So, I got some of the cheaper generic gum and let me tell you that was a real lifesaver. It made me realize how addictive nicotine was.

When correctly using the gum, crush don't chew, and then tuck it in the cheek, I could feel the effects all over my body. It had a calming and soothing effect. People who smoke are not just stupid or trying to be jerks. Nicotine is a powerful, physically addictive drug, like heroin. It's not just a mental habit.

Most of the time I enjoyed smoking and if not for the health concerns and the huge cost (mostly govt. taxes), I would probably still smoke.
 
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raggie33

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im proud of you that quit. it cant be easy. bet you feel better now you earned it. plus now more flashlight money
 

vincent3685

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im proud of you that quit. it cant be easy. bet you feel better now you earned it. plus now more flashlight money
Quitting was the hardest thing I ever did. If not for the pills and gum, I would have failed again. It's the nicotine that gets hold of you. There's a physical need for it. It's not a want, it's a need. Most people need help and there are solutions that will work. First and foremost, you have to WANT to quit. That's where the Wellbutrin made that decision for me. I don't look down on smokers because I know what they're going through. Even after a year or more, I still wanted to smoke. More out of habit than addiction at that point, though.
 
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