Just finished off my last juul cartridge ever and am settling into bed for the night. I think today was the toughest pre-quit day. Lots of vaping tied to behaviors and routines, and recognition that these behaviors and routines will be very different tomorrow. Felt a little sad (goodbye old friend/crutch!), but focused on the gift I'm giving myself: freedom -- being able to perform these simple actions without my addiction demanding I feed it.
I've managed to cut down my nicotine usage by about 25%, which is a good start and will make tomorrow and the following weeks/months easier. I know I can do this because this attempt is so different than the times I've quit before, which have largely been unplanned.
My second quit wasn't even intentional -- I smoked so many cigarettes at a New Years party and my hangover (and smoke-over) was so bad that I couldn't even think about cigarettes the next day. The day after that I figured if I'd gotten that far, well... The moral here being if I could quit by accident once, I can quit on purpose and hang on to it.
And now I know better. Both of my quit fails have come about because I thought I could smoke casually -- a cigarette here and there at a party or out with friends. I'm not falling into that trap again. N.O.P.E.
Taking time and space here to nail down my commitment and amplify the very good things quitting has in store for me.
• More than $3,000 is going back in my pocket over the next year, instead of to a tobacco company.
• I will gain back two hours a day in time I would have spent sneaking away to vape. That's an extra 4.5 weeks in the next year to do the things that are important to me, instead of serving an addiction.
• I will be able to go anywhere and do anything without the burden of maintaining my habit (finding nicotine and planning sneaky ways to consume it).
• While I do not currently suffer any significant health problems related to smoking/vaping, I am giving myself the gift of better health as I age. A tough benefit to cash in on in the first year, but I know the me 10 years from now will be so grateful.
I'm ready!
