cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Give and get support around quitting

bpens1
Member

Quitting the JUUL: Caving in to The Crave

HI all! I started smoking the Juul almost a year and a half ago. I bought one for my boyfriend at the time because he had a terrible smokers cough and as a result of being around it all the time, I got addicted to it. Even having never smoked a cigarette before! My goal for this year was to be completely over the Juul, but I’ve already tried four times with no success. One time I went a week and a half without, but when I got back home from school (where the shop is with the cheapest pods) I caved and bought two packs. For me, it never seems like the right time. I’m in school, so I’m already stressed about schoolwork and to add being stressed about not having nicotine on top of that... just not a good combination. A couple weeks ago, I tried to quit by buying strawberry pods made by Eon Smoke (they are cheaper). I knew I liked the strawberry, just not as much as I liked the mint flavor, (which is part of the addiction for me). So I figured I’d be done after finishing the strawberry pods. Nope. I “just wanted my last taste of it to be mint.” Bought two more packs. I’m about done with the first pack (I go through almost one pod a day) and I NEED to be done after this second pack. I know I can quit, it’s just been proving more difficult than I thought. Any advice would be wonderful. Thank you

Labels (1)
0 Kudos
4 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Doesn't matter the delivery method, you are in fact addicted to nicotine.  You could be addicted to chew, or lozenges, or e-cigarettes.  It's all nicotine.  My recommended reading is about quitting smoking, but it all is just as true for the Juul.  The only thing I might add is that you might start by getting a pod with zero nicotine (if such a thing exists) and subbing it for every fourth, then third, then every other session.  That way you can gradually reduce the amount of nicotine you are getting. 

The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site.
 
You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.


The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
 Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!


 Nancy

elvan
Member

Welcome to EX, please pay attention to everything that YoungAtHeart‌ has shared with you because you will find it to be of great value in your recovery journey.  Quitting is NOT an event...it is a one day at a time journey.  You are an addict and nicotine addiction is no joke.  We have all been through the beginning, some of us many times, no matter how you decide to do this, you need to do it one step at a time.  You need to identify your triggers and then you need a plan for what you will do INSTEAD of using the JUUL...

My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  Read blogs...as many as you can, see what is working for other people.  Drink lots and lots of water to flush your system of nicotine, take deep breaths...breath in and hold and then exhale very slowly through pursed lips.  It will help you to focus as you control your breathing.  A respiratory therapist told me to get some bubble juice and take a deep breath and exhale SLOWLY...if you exhale too fast or hard, you get no bubbles.  It really is a crave buster.  No crave every killed anyone but nicotine has an endless list of people who were harmed or killed.  All of the suggestions Nancy has made are excellent...

You do not have to do this alone, we are here and we want very much to help you.

Ellen

0 Kudos
CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

bpens1

How are you doing? 

Mark

EX Community Manager

EX Community Admin Team
0 Kudos
maryfreecig
Member

Keep challenging yourself to change. When you accept that you mean business about quitting, you'll be able to pull through the stress you feel. Stick with Ex, it's here to help and it's here 365. Yes you can, one day at a time.

0 Kudos