Vaping has me hostage! I hit the vape every 2 min and to think I’m quitting is scary! Ive thrown my vape with the decision of quitting but I find myself buying another the next day. How do I get start? Where do I start??? I WANT TO QUIT!!!!
Hi Ben. You have come to the right place. We are all addicts here. Tomorrow some of the ladies will get you started with the things you need to read to get started. I came to this site everyday and did the reading. I was smoking 2 packs a day. I had been smoking for 52 years. With the help of this site, I quit 10 years ago. You can do this.
Of COURSE you are scared! You are addicted to a powerful drug, and getting off of it and not knowing what will happen IS frightening. I think when you better understand this addiction, make a plan how you will be successful, prepare to be successful, you will be less so. You will do this one day at a time, so don't be looking further ahead than that.
Congratulations on your decision to quit! It's common sense that anything you put in your lungs that isn't clean air can't be good for you! You will need to substitute “vape” or “device” as you do the reading I will recommend. Research suggests nicotine may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Because vaping is available to you most anywhere, anytime, I believe it might be more difficult from which to break free than regular tobacco products - but it CAN be done! There is a blog written by one of our success stories that you might find informative: I Quit Smoking and Vaping - EX Community . If you would like to use a quit aid and would like information on the various ones, let me know.
I recommend that you educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind To that end, I suggest Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.”, which can be purchased online or borrowed from your local library. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction : Nicotine and Your Brain.
The idea is to change up your routines so the vaping associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from where you vaped. Maybe switch to tea for a bit. If you always had that first puff 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 vape so the view is different. Take a different route when you are out and about so you aren't driving by your vaping supply shop. Take the Daily Pledge each day, Just look for it on the home page. It helps to hold yourself accountable to your quit and the community..
You need to distract yourself through any craves. You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), 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 vaping thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits. Get busy! Here is a list of things to do instead of vape if you need some fresh ideas:
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want to vape" 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!
@Ben22610 . I quit vaping cold turkey on Saturday. Today is day number 4. You have to make your mind up that no matter how hard it gets, you're gonna quit and you’re not turning back. On the other side of the fog lies a beautiful horizon. I found this community of beautiful people on Sunday night. It’s been very helpful for me. Welcome Ben. We are here for you.
Walk don't run. The decision to quit is not about blindly jumping in, do or die, gotta, have to... take the time you need to figure out how you will quit. There is no shortage of information online and here at Ex about tips and tricks to stay occupied through the first few days and weeks of a new quit. And there is helpful info on Nicotine Replacement Therapy so that you can decide if that is right for you. Also there is info on medications that dampen the brain's desire for nicotine. All of this stuff you can learn about first. When you've decided and planned that's the time to pick a quit date.
Take this one step, one day at a time. You'll get where you want to be when you give yourself what you need first. Almost no one quits peppy shnappy. We all have had to face our fear, but quit anyway!!! And it works.
You already know how miserable smoking makes you, and you know the disadvantages of smoking on your health + you really want to quit. There are no positives to a nic addiction, there are no gains. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, by ridding yourself of this horrid addiction. Take the time to read and learn and educate yourself on how your quit will look. Before I found this site 2 weeks into my quit, I spent hours on whyquit.net. Watched every single video, listened to every sad story, every dirty lung video, I watched. I had been under the spell of the addictionfor too long and had been telling myself lies for so long, that I needed a huge dose of reality about the harms of smoking.
@Ben22610 Welcome Ben. Have you considered a quit aid? It has made quitting possible for many of us. It sure made it easier for me with the physical withdrawal.
No matter how you choose to quit, cold turkey or with aids, you need to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and have a quit plan. Many have found success with knowledge and preparation. It took me 50 years and many attempts to finally get it. I went into my quits blindly and was never successful. In addition to some aids for my final quit, I found the Ex a week prior to my quit. For the first time I learned how to quit and had the support that was always lacking.
Right now, you're working through the process of your desire to quit and the addiction wanting you to keep it up. You can win that internal battle by educating yourself about nicotine addiction and putting a plan in place with how you'll deal with cravings, identifying your triggers and creating the new associations you'll create instead of smoking.
And you just found an amazing group of quitters the are here to support you on this journey to becoming an Ex. There will be ups and downs, but that is part of the journey. We're here for you, so just reach out anytime we can help or want to share your experience.
You can do this…be sure to do the work suggested by those who responded above me…you need to set a quit date, and plan for that day like no other…if you can do 24 hours free, then you can do 48 hours free, etc., Keep busy/and/or rest. Come to the site daily to help others and/or to get help.
You are so worth this quit… ~ Colleen
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