Done with Juul

[Janet999]

I've been smoking cigarettes since 15 for the last 12 years. Only quit once, for a year in there. Within the last 2 years I've transitioned to mostly vaping, primarily Juul and other vapes as well.

On Sunday night I decided I had enough of it and got rid of all my vaping stuff. Monday and Tuesday I smoked the rest of my cigarettes and still had awful headaches. I didn't realize the true extent of how much I was vaping; how I was doing it all the time, everywhere. 

Wednesday I bought some nicotine lozenges and have been using them every 2-3 hours. When they're gone I will be done with nicotine for good. 

I miss it, but I know thats just the addicted part of my brain trying to justify using to feel better in the moment. 

The thing I keep reminding myself is that I don't need to give in to what will feel better in the moment. It's okay to sit with some uncomfort! It will get easier! I can do something that is hard and I can feel good about myself for making it through! 

Hope everyone else is doing well  

[Roj]

Congrats that’s so awesome....you’re right, the addiction is talking so just listen and than kick it to the curb and be done with it...a smoke free life is wonderful

[sweetplt]

Hello and Welcome to Ex’s Janet999 

Congratulations on your decision...you have some good insight about addiction already which will help you so much...it is uncomfortable for awhile, but eventually you create new memories and become more comfortable in your quit skin...also, keep busy...ie., walk, exercise, pray, drink lots of water, do a jigsaw puzzle, etc., in the beginning we are trying to find healthy items to replace out smoking...hang tough and keep close to the site for support...Many of the blogs from the Elders will help you greatly in your journey...Happy Thursday...~ Colleen 318 DOF 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!pst

Congratulations on your decision to break free of nicotine addiction. You sound like you already have some good insight into what is required.  It isn't going to be easy - but it IS doable!  By doing both cigarettes and vaping, you were probably able to get a nicotine fix almost constantly, I'm guessing.  You will need to get through both the physical AND psychological aspects of this addiction.  The physical is most difficult the first three days - then it's mostly out of your system and you will feel your body adjusting to life without the drug for a couple of weeks.  Then the physical withdrawal tapers and you just need to get past all of the triggers and associations you have built up over time.

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 .
 

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

[Barbscloud]

Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your quit.  Sounds like you put a plan into place and are moving forward with it.  If you haven't already, spend some time on this site reading posts to continue to educate yourself about nicotine addiction.  Having an understanding and knowing what to expect on this journey, really helped me to be successful this time.  If you need support, just reach out.

Barb

[AnnetteMM]

Sounds wonderful! You are on your way, for sure.

Here's what I wrote about my Juul use:

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/people/AnnetteMM/blog/2019/09/08/how-to-quit-juul-or-vaping-in-ge... 

[maryfreecig]

You are working your quit! Keep it going. You are right, you will get to a better place, the unpleasant stuff won't last. Congratulations on all your progress!

[elvan]

Great job, you really are being honest with yourself and you know that nicotine is trying to pull you back, keep in mind that it will keep trying and it just may throw a full blown tantrum or two, trying to convince you that you need it.  You DON'T need it.  You are so young, I am really happy that you are taking this step now and not waiting.  

Congratulations on your decision and welcome to EX,

Ellen

[Janet999]

Thank you! Looking forward to it

[Janet999]

Thank you! I will  

[Janet999]

Thank you! I quit drinking a month ago, I feel like if I can keep that going I will not give myself the  chance/excuse to smoke.

[elvan]

Very good thinking.  Drinking has caused more than one quit to fail.  I really think you've got a handle on this.  Stay close to the site, read, comment, see what is working for others.  

Ellen