Easy approach to quitting

Discussion created by aull on Apr 25, 2017
Latest reply on Mar 30, 2020 by Barbscloud

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This may not work for everyone, but it it worked for me. After more than 40 years of smoking I had my doubts that I could quit. My doctor put me on Chantix. (If not allowed to mention a product: a prescriptoin drug that blocks the nicotine receptors in the brain.) After 8 days, I put away my cigarettes and starting vaping ZERO NICOTINE e-cigs. The no nicotine is important here because I was this able to overcome my chemical habit but the vaping managed to satisfy my psychological habit. Through time I realized that I really did not need to vape, which is great since vaping is probably not exactly healthy for us either.

This is was truly an easy way for me to quit and I urge some of you to talk with your doctor about trying this approach. The key though is NO NICOTINE, I am really stunned that I was able to do this and have been smoke free almost four years.

Outcomes

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Youngatheart.7.4.12 Apr 25, 2017 5:05 PM
Welcome to our community!
Congratulations on your successful four year quit!
i am not so fond of the e-cig - and suggest you might also have been successful had you inhaled through straws cut into lengths.
Nice of you to join us to share your story!
Nancy
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- Benedina @ Youngatheart.7.4.12 on Aug 24, 2019 4:38 PM
  STRAWS ! Thank you! I’m going to run up and buy some, cut them in half. Between cigarettes and then vaping, I have OVER 45 years of the hand to mouth habit to break !
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  - indingrl.01.06.2011 @ Benedina on Aug 24, 2019 5:11 PM
    CONGRATS YOU will be a success staying a non smoker - Yahoooooooooo - get those straws and fyi CINNAMON sticks work too - just sharing to be HELPFUL -
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    - lanerobin65 @ indingrl.01.06.2011 on Mar 30, 2020 2:44 AM
      Crazy thing! I was doing the straws, you know cutting them to cigarette size and pretending. Problem was I actually put one in my mouth and without thinking I lit it like a dummy! I'm so frustrated with myself! As long as I really focus on not smoking I can not smoke but if my mind starts wandering say to checking my bank account or looking at my to do list the next thing I know I've got a lit cigarette in my mouth. I'm really having a hard time but I've never committed publicly to quitting until now. Thank God I found this site.
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      - Youngatheart.7.4.12 @ lanerobin65 on Mar 30, 2020 10:09 AM
        Welcome to the community!
        
        I would recommend that you write a blog to introduce yourself to the community (Home-top left --- Post to My Blog-center box). You might include a bit about your smoking history, your quit date, and anything else you care to share. Responding to one like you did will not get you much participation; the one on which you commented was written a bit ago and the only folks who will see your post are those still here who responded back then.
        
        Wondering how you are getting hold of a cigarette to light? If you have quit, there should be NONE anywhere in your possession. No keeping any "just in case!" When you quit (and as long as you keep lighting one, you have not quit!), you should put any remaining under running water and squish them in the trash. If you live with a smoker, you should ask them to hide any cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays out of your sight.
        
        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 easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware. I credit it in large part with my success at quitting. You can search for it online or at your local library.
        
        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.
        
        It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
        
        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-instead-of-smoke
        
        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
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Thomas3.20.2010 Apr 25, 2017 7:52 PM
Anybody with COPD or Asthma needs to consult their pulmonologist before using ecigs without exception. The flavors used in vaping have ultra -small particles that literally shred your lungs when inhaled.
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- aull @ Thomas3.20.2010 on Apr 25, 2017 9:39 PM
  Thank you.
  Maureen
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- Wantingacig57 @ Thomas3.20.2010 on Apr 29, 2017 1:05 AM
  Thank You, Thomas !!!!
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Thomas3.20.2010 Apr 25, 2017 7:58 PM
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/concerns-explode-over-new-health-risks-vaping
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freeneasy Apr 25, 2017 10:43 PM
Congrats on your quit.
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shashort Apr 26, 2017 1:16 AM
Congratulations on 4 year of not smoking. Thanks for sharing your story.
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aull Apr 26, 2017 7:38 AM
Absolutely agree that vaping is hardly healthy, but because I used zero nicotine I was able to wean myself off the whole business. The goal is obviously no smoking and no vaping!
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- jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 @ aull on Apr 29, 2017 7:06 AM
  Most vapers are never able to stop because they won't allow themselves to unlearn the hand to mouth and inhale ritual.
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lanerobin65 Mar 30, 2020 11:14 AM
Thanks for the advice. I have a quit date. I'm preparing. I've been reading alot of information this morning and have been able to use that as a tool to keep from smoking. I usually light up within 5 minutes of getting out of bed. It's been over an hour. I would be a liar if I said I wasn't apprehensive about quitting. I've been smoking for 45 years. But I have alot of reasons for wanting to quit and everytime I light a cigarette it makes me feel depressed and hopeless and beaten down. I feel so much better mentally when I wait. The thing is... since December something has changed with my breathing and not in a good way. I've been on steroids and antibiotics that didn't help much. I'm short of breath. I was walking 2-3 miles a day before December. Anyway I'm using everything I read here to help and feel more determined than I have in the past. Thank you so much for reaching out to me and for all the info that I'll definitely read. God bless.
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- jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 @ lanerobin65 on Mar 30, 2020 11:18 AM
  My Welcome To New Members (12+ Years Of Watching)
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- Barbscloud @ lanerobin65 on Mar 30, 2020 11:45 AM
  Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your decision to quit. Understanding nicotine addiction and having a quit plan made all the difference for me achieving a successful quit. We're here to support you. Just reach out if you need encouragement and to share your experience.
  Barb
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Easy approach to quitting

Outcomes

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