I smoked cigarettes for over 40 years, then I used Juul before quitting forever on Christmas Day, 2017.
I'm going to describe how I quit Juul, because I think it can be harder than quitting cigarettes. Here's why:
- Juul is DELICIOUS. That's a fact. Those vaping juices are mouth-wateringly wonderful.
- Vaping doesn't stink like cigarette smoke.
- Juul goes anywhere and can be used anywhere without ashtrays or garbage.
- You really don't know how much nicotine you're getting. But it's a lot more than you think.
When I decided to quit smoking, I transitioned to Juul instead of another nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) like a patch or gum or whatever. I formulated a plan in my mind ahead of time, and it went something like this:
- Buy the vaping stuff ahead of time and put it all aside. I bought a HUGE amount of Juul pods plus the equipment.
- Use up all the cigarettes I still had first (half a carton at the time).
- Once that's done, throw out all the ashtrays and lighters everywhere (car included).
- Start using Juul pods. It worked out to one per day for me, which is about the equivalent of a pack.
- CLEAN THE HOUSE
- Develop a hobby of some sort. Mine was crocheting blankets.
- Don't worry about a quit date. Just happily use the Juul pods as long as they last.
- When there were about 5 pods left, I bought things like Tootsie Pops and Twizzlers (or straws to chew on). I also bought Nicotine lozenges, but discovered they are NASTY and threw them out. Ugh.
- When all the Juul pods were used up, I threw out EVERY. SINGLE. THING. That includes chargers and empty pods. Everything went out. Gone. Don't look back.
I experienced severe withdrawal, including dizziness, sleepiness, depression, and intense cravings. I found this site a couple weeks after I quit, which was a miracle. Coming here to talk about all that really helped me through it. Plus it gave me a way to be accountable to people I came to care about.
- NOPE = Not another puff ever
- I don't do that anymore
- NMW = No matter what
- #DOF = Number of Days of Freedom
After the physical cravings were over, I had what I called "memory" cravings. We talk about that here as triggers. Smoking and vaping are intertwined in everything we've been doing in our lives for a long time. So now it's time to relearn those things without smoking. That part is different for everyone. That's pretty much the stuff we always talk about.
It will be hard. That's another fact. But it won't be hard forever. And when it's not hard anymore, you're free. So every single time I get a little twinge of a memory crave, like seeing those ads on TV now for gods sake, I remind myself that I'm FREE and I never want to be a slave to nicotine ever again.
Anyone here who would like to talk about Juul or vaping can either comment here or message me directly.
