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Give and get support around quitting

kamissa
Member

Anyone using nicotine vape products?

anyone on here trying to quit using nicotine vape products?

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25 Replies
AnnetteMM
Member

I can tell you that I vaped for two months before I stopped using nicotine.  Vaping helped me disconnect from cigarettes, but I did not consider myself "quit" until after I stopped all nicotine.  There are studies now that vaping is not really safer than smoking, so it's absolutely not a long-term alternative.

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to the community!

If you search with the magnifying glass in the top right corner, you can find lots of good information here on vaping.  Here is a recent blog about it:  /blogs/Thomas3.20.2010-blog/2018/04/06/end-the-ends.

The most 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.

 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, quitsmokingonline.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. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested in My Quit Plan http://www.becomeanex.org/my-quit-plan.php

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.  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.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three 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, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.

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

Jennifer-Quit
Member

None that I know of.  In my opinion, by vaping you are trading one addiction for another.  There are lots of new reports coming out about the dangers of vaping - cancer and lung damage are two that I can think of off the top of my head.  Do some research.  Quitting smoking will be the best thing you will ever do for yourself - do it right!  Best wishes!

anaussiemom
Member

Many non-nicotine vaps out there.  Anything can become a new addiction. Swapping old (cigarettes)  for new is quite common.    People who  start to  shop frequently, eating, browsing the web,.... Many of these and more not so good addictions, in the long run.

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Jennifer-Quit
Member

non-nicotine does not mean it is safe.  

anaussiemom
Member

Sure doesn't!

kamissa
Member

thanks!

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bonniebee
Member

I used them  very cautiously in conjunction with the patch and lozenges in the early weeks of quitting . I stuck to a very disciplined plan that I actually wrote down because I did not want to trade one addiction for another I wanted my freedom back . I never invested in one of those vaping  kits I simply used the lowest nicotine disposable e-cigarettes . It worked for me but as I already said I was very careful  about how I used them and I got off of them quite easily the patch was my main NRT.

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bacardigirl
Member

I didn't use vaping to try to quit, but I did vape when I was a smoker. When I quit, I gave both up. By vaping, you are still holding on to the psychological addiction (hand to mouth, etc) and that is most of the battle when quitting. 

A little advice -  bite the bullet,  quit the entire habit and use the EX community as your greatest tool for support. If  can do it,  anyone can. I was a 30+ year smoker and it was my best friend and worst enemy the entire time. By vaping, you never get rid of the "habit".

Good luck to you -- you have a ton of support here!