Vaping is harmful!!!!

[DeniseZ]

I smoked regular cigarettes for 12 years, I quit for 5 and then I started vaping. It was good at first because it kept me from wanting cigarettes but then little by little I started getting bigger devices because it just wasn't enough. Then the problems started creeping in like coughing phlegm difficulty breathing. I never told my doctor I Vaped because I didn't want her to know that I do something so stupid. But now today is the day I quit I have the worst sinus infection of my life and my breathing is so labored and I'm only 43. I don't want the burden in my hand any more ...or the weight of carrying that thing 14 hours a day. Vaping is NOT A safe alternative to smoking, don't let the e cigarette  companies  tell you any different.  There's absolutely NO regulations or oversight of the manufacturing of cotton coils, ejiuce, or cartridges.  Most components are made in China with no oversight. Please , let's get more people on the ex vape forum!!! 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Nicotine addiction is nicotine addiction - no matter the delivery device - and how to beat any of them is about the same. Every time you read :"cigarette" in the information I will give you, just sub "Juul."   The one thing different I would recommend is that you first start to reduce the nicotine content of the pods.  Start with a lesser amount in, like, one in every four, then three, etc. until you are only using the smallest amount.  That way the physical withdrawal should be more manageable.

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 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.

After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract.   I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion,  3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire and 4) you can become addicted to that and it has not yet been proven safe .
 

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

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

[intervention]

Congrats on quitting smoking! The worst is over. Now you want to quit vaping as well. I suggest you will do better by cutting back on the nicotine bit by bit until you go without any nicotine for a while; it should then be much easier to quit vaping as well.

Unfortunately you can't do it with a JUUL; the FDA won't let them sell lower nicotine pods. I suggest you get a cheap pod system that lets you put in your own e-liquid. Start high (24-18 mg) and then go down to 12, then 6, then 3, then 0 for a bit. You will then be free from any nicotine dependency and hopefully can quit with the many wonderful suggestions you will find on this site.

[Giulia]

Any documentation on the fact that the FDA won't let them sell lower nicotine pods?  I've only read articles such as:  https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/12/17565066/juul-labs-reduces-nicotine-dose-virginia-tobacco-mint-fl...  which seem to indicate they were reducing the amount of nicotine.

[elvan]

tracieandcompany‌ Please pay attention to the advice that YoungAtHeart‌ has given.  This addiction is the same whether it is an e-cigarette or a regular one.  It is the nicotine that we are addicted to and delivering it hand to mouth with vaping seems to be seriously aggressively growing the addiction.  The journey to recovery is the same no matter what, it is one day at a time, sometimes, one feeling at a time.  It is not easy but it IS doable.  I smoked cigarettes for 47 years and I have been free for over 5 years now.  I had quit many times in the past and did not succeed but the difference THIS time was EX and my own declining health that I could no longer deny.

Stay close to the site, read blogs, comment, be a part of the community and you WILL begin your recovery.  I used the mantra NOPE, Not One Puff Ever when I first quit and I cannot tell you how many times I said that simple word...out loud, silently, in a scream, I stayed as close to this site as I possibly could and it NEVER let me down.

Welcome to EX,

Ellen

[tracieandcompny]

Hi Ellen,

Thank you so much for your reply. It really helps to know that I'm not alone. I've had a few slip-ups over the last couple days, and have gone back to using my e-cig. Yesterday, my boyfriend broke up with me - on day 3 of my quit. Which, I know isn't a valid reason or good excuse, but I was not strong enough yet to stay resolved. I am re-calibrating my start date and re-committing to being done with all nicotine. The hard part with quitting e-cigs is that I don't have any of the bad smoker's symptoms, like a cough, and it's so easy to just grab my Juul and puff on it. Ridiculous, I know! 

Also, I am job searching and spending a lot of time sitting at my desk on my computer, which is a challenge for me, since I always used my e-cig during that type of activity. It's not as though I actually enjoy the feeling of having the nicotine flow into my head. It makes me light-headed and a little nauseous first thing in the morning, or after a few hours of not using it. Obviously, it's not a good thing for me, and I know this.

Here's the big thing and the reason I went back to it. Without the nicotine, I feel like a zombie. My brain doesn't seem to know how to function and I'm literally so tired I want to sleep all day. If I could just get past this part I feel like I would be able to make it. I bought a package of patches and tried that a few weeks ago. I've also tried the gum.  Both of those things helped a little, but nothing replaces the energy spike that puffing on the e-cig gives me. So stupid, and I really want to quit. 

I appreciate any advice and or suggestions you have.

Tracie

[elvan]

Wow, you have just written a great testimonial to why NOT to vape.  I think that the fact that you can do it so often and so surreptitiously makes it harder than quitting smoking in many ways.  I do see many signs these days that say No Smoking and No Vaping but I don't know how well they are enforced.  I know that vaping is a huge issue at our local high school and likely middle schools as well.  Addiction is rough, no one ever woke up and said, I want to be an addict when I grow up.  Recovery is a one day at a time journey and sometimes, it has to be one FEELING at a time.  We are always going to have good days and bad days and we have to learn to get through them without using nicotine or any other drug that is so addictive.  

I think almost all of us have felt that zombie effect at the beginning of a quit.  We have ALL looked to nicotine to comfort us because we did not learn how to deal with our feelings as we were growing...the way people who have never been addicted did...gradually, as part of our emotional development.  We are emotionally stunted when we smoke or ingest nicotine.  I did not use any NRT's but I don't have anything against them.  You need to choose YOUR way and you need to do what works and know that you do not have to take this journey alone.  I am sorry about the boyfriend, I understand, I quit so many times and I was convinced that if I could get my chronic pain under control that I would be able to be smoke free.  The truth is that smoking never really did anything other than to distract me while it fed my addiction and gave me relief for the time before the next trigger or crave hit.  I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am to be free from smoking, free to go forward and GROW.  It really is an amazing journey once you get past the beginning and you recognize that you ARE growing.  I won't tell you that it is easy because that was not my experience but I WILL tell you that it gets easier with every moment you put behind you and build your freedom.  

Being tired and feeling like a zombie WILL pass.  We are here to help you in any way that we can.

Ellen

[tracieandcompny]

Thanks Ellen! I guess it all comes down to being courageous and facing life head-on, with no reliance on any external stimulus, relief or imaginary comforter. Nicotine doesn't help my problems go away, or make challenges any easier to face. I've just gotten in the habit of thinking it does. I know it's going to be possible to give it up, I just have to get mentally prepared again to go through the physical withdrawal and feelings of brain fog. It's like making an appointment to have a procedure you know is going to cause pain. I keep putting it off. 

Thanks again for your encouragement and kind words.

Tracie

[elvan]

You are right about that...but preparation can be a great friend to your quit and believe me, once you begin to really FEEL things, a curtain will be lifted on your emotions.  I remember how scared I was but I am so happy to be free now and to know that it is my CHOICE, just like it is yours.  Smoking or vaping just stuffs things down but neither help us to really learn how to deal with life.  Stay close to the site, read and read and read some more.  You will realize that you are NOT alone.

Ellen

[anaussiemom]

I got very sick from vaping 6 months of steroids various kinds.   So dangerous.  My sis same kind of issues.  It almost killed her.  There was no juice flavors back then.  Hope you are well?

Vaping Is Very Dangerous!

[DonnaMarie]

The zombie effect during withdrawal reminded me of the addiction’s strength and power. But I believe we are stronger than that and we have the ability to push back. 

Donna

day 157