Harmless Cigarette

[MisFitz]

I have not had a chance to look through some of the more recent posts but wanted to get people's thoughts on the new Harmless Cigarette product that is out there.  It's basically sucking air through a tube that resembles a cigarette.  There are different flavors.  I have tried the oxygen one (which is basically nothing but air) and the mint one.  The mint one somewhat resembles the menthol flavor.  But in the end it's just air.  It is supposed to help with the hand to mouth part of smoking. I am on Day 3 of my quit and have not used the ones I have so far.  I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are if you think they can be helpful or if you think they resemble smoking too much and make it a slippery slope.  Has anyone out there had an success/failures with them??  Or does anyone have an opinion?

[JonesCarpeDiem]

My opinion is that mimicing smoking does not allow you to unlearn the psychological connections, it just pacifies them.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

It's why the majority of ecig users are never able to stop using them. They were never willing to allow the time to unlearn the connections by making new memories without the ritual connections.

[MJL2017]

I completely agree with Dale. I actually have one but aside from trying it out prior to my quit date, I haven't used it for the very reason that I needed to get rid of the ACT of smoking every bit as much as the addiction. Same reason I don't use a cut straw, or any cigarette sized/shaped object.

MJ

[MisFitz]

I guess I have to agree with that. My ititial thought was that maybe it would help in the beginning to get you through the withdrawal part. And then you can focus on the psychological part from there. I like the idea of these better than e-cigs due to there being no nicotine or chemicals. But I found them to make me want a real cigarette rather than help much. 

[bonniebee]

Straws helped me ,everyone is different, I still pick up a straw now and then when I have stress and a temptation to smoke  better then picking up the cigarette !

[Daniela2016]

I used the e-cigarette when I joined here, after quitting smoking, using it to decrease the level of nicotine, and of course to satisfy the hand to mouth habit.  But Dale's "using it is just smoking with a battery" along with finishing up Allan Carr's book, made me stop the use of it.  Whatever smoking aid I ever used, it was to just push out the day to say good bye to the nasty habit.  It was an excuse to keep getting the nicotine high.  It was long after I quit when I started thinking back and see it for what it was: not a reason, but an excuse.

I know many who've been helped by smoking aids, but I also know people who remained addicted to the nicotine gum no less than 6 years after they quit smoking.

It would be up to you to make the decision, I have not tried the Harmless Cigarette, so I shared my experiences with you, and I hope it helps.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

I used a cut straw but never to inhale or hold like a cigarette. I chewed on them.  🙂

[JonesCarpeDiem]

This is why I always steer people away from self dosing NRT's.

[crazymama_Lori]

save yourself some money and just cut up straws.  Or even cinnamon sticks if you have any around

[Sootie]

First---is that really what it is called? "harmless cigarette"? Because I HATE the name and the connotation connected to it........there is no such thing.

That being said---I get that this is a prop, a tool.....but I have to agree with many who commented before me.....you can't be truly successful at quitting smoking if you have to continue to mimic smoking. The best way to quit is to disconnect from smoking and all of it's little rituals....including the hand to mouth. You have to create a new way that you live and that doesn't include putting something up to your mouth every 10-15 seconds 15 to 20 times a day. You're certainly right that "it's better than smoking....." but, it's keeping you connected to the smoking patterns and that is never good.

JUST MY OPINION.......

Stay Strong

[Thomas3.20.2010]

I would be very careful about the flavor as well. Flavors for e-cigarettes consist of ultra fine particles that are inhaled into your lungs and tear holes in the fine tissues of the alveoli. It wouldn't surprise me if the flavors in these "harmless" cigarettes did the same! The only things I inhale into my lungs are fresh air and Dr. prescribed medications. 

[Giulia]

I have a different "take."  I cut up straws that were just about cigarette size in width and put a little wad of paper in them to create a kind of "draw" that was similar to smoking.  It gave me NO satisfaction as far as nicotine, but it DID give me that hand-to-mouth feeling like I was smoking something.  (And it did cause me to take those same kind of deep breaths I was used to.)  I'm not sure how long I used them, but there were two things that happened during the process.  1) it gave me a "feeling" of completeness.  2) it did absolutely NOTHING for the nicotine depletion in my body.  

Ultimately because it really gave me "nothing" physiologically,  there was no point in doing it.  Because it didn't fulfill that need.  Psychologically - that too wore off eventually.  It began to seem really silly to "pretend smoke" straws.  In other words all the reasons I initially used it became un-necessary.  Though I do admit I did have to sort of wean myself off the "smoking of the straws."  But even now, after an 11 year quit - if I'm having a real doozy of a craving (and yes, they do happen once in a while even now), I'll sometimes just put my two "cigarette fingers" together and inhale through them like there was a cigarette there.

My opinion on the "Harmless Cigarette" ... sounds very similar to that old plastic cigarette thing with a little menthol in it they had back in the 60s? I think it was.  It looked like a cigarette with a tan filter, was made of plastic, had a small hole toward the filter end and I think it had some menthol flavor in it.  Anybody else remember that?   Man, could probably sell it on Ebay for a fortune!  

If you're smoking AIR - I don't see a problem with that.  Because eventually, like happened with me, air really just doesn't give you that feeling of "completeness" you want and you can let it go more easily, perhaps, than letting go of an NRT.  Yes, it DOES give you the same hand-to-mouth reinforcement and as it says it's a "HABIT REPLACEMENT."  But in that sense I would stay away from any flavorings which are more enticing.  Just cut up a straw.  It's cheaper.  But ultimately do you want a "habit replacement" or to get rid of the "habit" altogether?  I'd opt for the latter.

[bacardigirl]

Personally, I don't see how it can help with the 'hand to mouth' when that is a huge part of smoking - the way I see it, it is encouraging the hand to mouth, not helping you learn new habits. Also, you are still inhaling...for me the nicotine was a small part of quitting smoking, the act of smoking (hand to mouth, inhaling) was the bigger issue. It was harder to unlearn the act of smoking.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

The ritual is so deeply entangled in our psyche.

I would say it is 90% of quitting.

[crazymama_Lori]

I did the cut up straw/cinnamon stick thing for about a month and then just didn't bother anymore.  Seemed like I just needed that at that point

[bonniebee]

I found the straw helpful to me too Giulia Giulia I did not just chew it as Dale did I actually drew air and I did my deep breathing through it and just as you said my need for it's use gradually wore off until one day i thought to myself i haven't even used my straw in days !

[MisFitz]

Thanks for the feedback guys.  You all kind of confirmed what I was thinking myself. I bought these a while back and have had them sitting around but I think tonight I will just toss them.  I'm on day 4 now and haven't used them at all yet so there probably isn't much of a point to try them out now.

[elvan]

Good for you, congratulations on day 4.  I absolutely think that keeping the hand to mouth ritual going plays into keeping the psychological addiction going and that's the hardest part.  

Ellen

[Daniela2016]

You are right, congrats on 4 DOF (days of freedom), you are on the right path, keep walking it! There is light waiting for you.

[Sootie]

Giulia brings up a very good point......although I'll still say I think you should avoid re-inforcing the hand to mouth thing because it seems to backfire on some people.......the deep breathing (or what I STILL call smoking breathing) worked great for me when I first quit and I still do it from time to time to calm down. If I was sitting at my desk and REALLY craved a cigarette.....I would simply "breather" as if I was smoking....no straw or pen or anything.......just smoking breathing. And it REALLY relaxes you and gets you through a crave. I used it OFTEN on the phone where smoking was a real trigger.

[tommy88]

I got the 4 week harmless cigs quit kit package and started using them together with nicoderm patch on my quit date which was Nov 1, it's now about 2 and 1/2 weeks already and im going strong and havnt had a smoke since. Even though i have tired to cut straws in the past these seem to work since they actually feel and look like a real cigarette so when i use then when i get cravings it helps distract me from wanting to smoke which is why I think it's great. I think its a ot more likely to work better if you use together with a nrt product like i am with the patch. but overall I like that the cigarettes are extremely light and feel nice to hold, the patch helps me with the nicotine withdrawal and this helps me stop cravings for the hand to mouth action when I feel like I'm getting a crave to smoke. So far all i can say is that its a blessing and i am feeling great now not smoking. this is just my experience with them #harmlesscigarette but im sure everyone has their own and wish good luck to all out there. G-d Bless!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

So do you use these harmless cigarettes to mimic smoking?  It says they are to relieve that hand to mouth addiction.

"a patented therapeutic quit smoking solution that's designed to help satisfy the psychological and physical hand-to-mouth addiction which most smokers find difficult to overcome when quitting."

So how do you  ever unlearn the hand to mouth motion? Do you just use their product forever because it's become needed?

I hope it works for you. Keep us updated.

[crazymama_Lori]

save yourself money.  get some straws and cut them up the length of a cigarette.  I used those the first couple of weeks.  All it's doing is reinforcing the deep breathing technique

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Ah. I just read it's a four week program.

[crazymama_Lori]

I saw those advertised a while ago and thought seriously, they're charging $14.95 for an empty tube when a person can cut a straw up for a whole whopping 1.35 and have a drawer full......... amazing

[crazymama_Lori]

meaning I used a straw

[JonesCarpeDiem]

they are selling the 4 week program on Amagon for $35

[crazymama_Lori]

lots and lots of gimmicks out there.  I haven't seen the TBX Free anymore advertised on late night/early morning TV.  Are they still selling that yet?

[elvan]

He said he tried cutting up straws and they didn't work for him, to each his own.  MY hand to mouth was satisfied with sour candies...to the point where my mouth was sore from all of the acid.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Lori's comment about using the straw came before I responded to her.

[tommy88]

Pretty much exactly how you put it.. the reason it works is that it basically helps distract you from wanting to light up a cigarette and a big part of the addiction is the handling of the cigarettes so when you use this with patches or anything else, the patch gives the nicotine and then you use these cigs to satisfy the hand action. But as far as unlearning the hand motion, i really think that you can decide to not use it whenever you want and also you can technically use it forever since they wont do any harm, its just like a fidget spinner kinda thing that helps keep your hands busy with a harmless solution instead of a harmful cig, so its perfect to use for however long you want. The main thing is to stop smoking, I hope this works for you and good luck to everyone! 

[tommy88]

Deep breathing is really good and helps. To each their own! If straws work, than that's great! For the amount I was spending on cigarettes...this was well worth the price. No matter what you use, any product is worth using instead of smoking

[tommy88]

Yep you can do that too if it works! Uh huh, but you get some resistance when you puff on these. Also it is shaped like a cig which helps a lot and feel good! The struggle is real no matter what!  

[tommy88]

It's honestly whatever works for the one trying to stop whether it's cold turkey, candies, chantix, these harmless cigarettes, patches, vape or straws    ! I give anybody and everybody kudos for quitting no matter how they choose to break the nasty habit!!!! Good luck  

[JonesCarpeDiem]

something like that would remind me of smoking. then, when something didn't work out in my life I would probably smoke because I was still pretend smoking with some "harmless" solution and never unlearned the connections to smoking.  if there is a solution, what's in it? It sounds very similar to vaping?

[maryfreecig]

      Not that my opinion counts, but I'll add it to the discussion anyhoo; if you feel that the fake cig you are using is really helping you, then that's all that matters. After all, it is about quitting smoking and recovering from the addiction. Eventually the bond to smoking has to be broken...if your route to that end is to fake smoke, then so be it. That brings to mind a slogan I was taught a long time ago; easy does it, but do it. Yes you can, one day at a time. Nuf said.

[sweetpea_2424]

I feel these are a big rip off. They are taking advantage of those of us desperate to quit. I have left several messages via email, phone & facebook for the money back guarantee to no avail. They have blocked me from commenting on facebook. The quit pops taste good but are just over priced lolly pops. I wasted a lot of money on this product. Putting a little cotton with a drop of lemon doterra oil in a straw would work better