The mind is a pretty incredible thing. I have a good friend who always says, "it's all in your head! Just train your mind and you can do anything!" Of course he says this as he eats some of the spiciest wings in the world with no reaction to the pain of the hot sauce... only to have a really rough next day. So I guess not EVERYTHING is will-able.
When it comes to nicotine withdrawal, there is both a physical and a mental aspect to the process. My first day was the worst physically. I was shaking, my mind was foggy, I felt light headed and dizzy and I was incredibly tired. Day one was also the worst mentally. I was CONSTANTLY thinking about my Juul. The physical symptoms were just a reminder of the vaping that I wasn't doing.
Day two was far better. I didn't have ANY of the physical symptoms from the day before. In fact, I had a PLETHORA of energy. I woke up around 9:30 in the morning, got ready and met my friend for a day of bargain shopping. Normally shopping drains me but we had a blast. I then headed over to the local MMA fights and watched the fights with friends until way past 11:30 PM. Here's what's crazy: I probably had only ONE craving all day. And the craving lasted less than a minute.
Day three was much calmer. I woke up early, headed to church, signed divorce papers, then went home and relaxed all day while I waited for the newest episode of Game of Thrones (don't worry, no spoilers 
). I even sipped wine throughout the entire day (normally, this would be a trigger). Yesterday I probably had a craving come on three times? I can't quite remember- and they faded just as quickly as the day before (less than a minute). I even went to the gas station with my brother where I would normally buy pods, and didn't think about my Juul or pods ONCE. It wasn't until after I left the gas station that I thought, "huh, that could have been a trigger."
So here I am at Day 4, and I'm wondering how much truth my friend's words have- "it's all in your head! Just train your mind and you can do anything!" The physical symptoms - like being light headed, bloated and more tired than usual- are unavoidable, but get better with time. Mentally, the need or desire to smoke can be overwhelming. Here's what I have been doing when a craving comes on:
- Lean Into It. Instead of trying to think of something else or distract myself, I lean into the craving and fully acknowledge it. Instead of avoiding the thought of a Juul I think, "Right now, I could be vaping. In fact, just a couple days ago if I had been in this situation I would have been vaping. Right now, I really want to vape."
- Ask Myself "Do I Really Want to Vape?" My initial reaction to a craving is "This sucks, I want a hit of my Juul." but then I stop myself and think "Do I really want my Juul?" I go over all the reasons I quit in my head.
- The $121/month I was spending and I am now SAVING.
- The fact that e-cigarette users have an increased risk of bladder cancer.
- The fact that vaping is SO NEW that we don't even know what the long term effects will be and I don't want to be a guinea pig.
- The prideful part of me that believes I am WAY too strong to be controlled by any substance (except my ADHD meds- those suckers can control me because they work miracles lol!)
- The part of me that hates hiding the habit from my friends and family and is embarrassed to be hooked on something so silly as nicotine.
So the answer to the question "Do I Really Want to Vape?" is a resounding NO!
3. Keep it Positive. Now that I've acknowledged the craving, acknowledged my initial reaction to cave and get a Juul, and ultimately reminded myself that I in fact, do NOT want my Juul... I turn the craving into a positive. I say things like "I'm craving this right now because I quit. I REALLY quit. I'm better than vaping. I'm stronger than the cravings and I am on my way to freedom!"
So far, this has been working for me. I'm a little concerned it's the calm before the storm, however. The first four days have been a breeze for me, but I know that week one is supposed to be "Hell Week." So I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And I'm prepared! The picture with this blog is a little example of the food I've stocked at work in preparation for the withdrawals. I've got healthy options to choose from (except the Chef Boyardee - I couldn't resist 
) and some hard candies, gum and not pictured are the fruits, vegetables and hummus dip to keep me from hunger cravings! And don't worry! I usually drink 8-10 glasses of water a day, so I'm covered on the water side of things!
Let me know your thoughts on my process and preparation. Let me know if I should be worried about a coming storm! If you experienced an easy breezy day 1-4, what did the rest of your quit journey look like?
Let's kick addiction in the ass!
All the love,
Hill
