cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Give and get support around quitting

Ashcoleman
Member

How do I fill the time where I (used) to vape? Ps... I do it constantly.

I just completed 7 successful days of quitting my ecig, but went back to it because it seemed to get worse and worse every day- I thought it would get better? My moods were unreal.

When I quit smoking I had no choice because I found out I was pregnant and my instinct to protect my child was far stronger than any addiction... but why can’t I apply that same logic to myself now?? They need a mom to be around forever (or as long as possible)! Also... what the HELL do you do to stay occupied? Because I vape I literally do it all. the. time. Sitting at my desk, watching tv, driving, you name it. That hand to mouth is way worse than when I had to walk outside every hour for a smoke. Are there any ex vapers that have found helpful solutions for this? 

13 Replies
JACKIE1-25-15
Member

Short answer /blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke?sr=search&searchId=c73a...‌  or Vape

Long answer

Welcome to Ex You have come to the right place for support to quit smoking. Education is the main key to a successful quit.  Start first by educating yourself on the addiction to nicotine.  It is advisable to read Allen Carr's Easyway to Quit Smoking which can be found on pdf on the web.  Another good site to get info is www.whyquit.com.  There are several articles to read.  Nicotine 101 and Freedom From Nicotine My Journey Home.  If you are ready quit that is great. Quitting takes planning and preparation go to EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  to decide how you are going to go about quitting. To get help on navigating the site go to. Community He My lp.  Again Welcome, there is more to come.  If you have any questions you can do a search with the magnifying glass and type any keywords for research on a topic.  If you have any questions just ask and give us the opportunity to respond.  We are here for you. 

 

Barbscloud
Member

Welcome to the Ex.  I agree with Jackie.  I don't think it makes a difference if its smoking or vaping, but there are ex vapors out there that may have a different perspective.  .  There are lots of things to do instead of vaping/smoking.  Exercise is great if you can.  Go for a walk.  I used chewing on straws and sour patch kids hard candy.  I'm not sure we're always as logical as we'd liked to be when there's an addiction involved.  Pick a quit date and educate yourself about nicotine addiction and prepare for you quit.  The more that you understand this the journey, the better your chances for success.  We're here to support you.  Just reach out if you need help.

Barb

sweetplt
Member

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s...please read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX here you gain knowledge about quitting and making lists on what to do in place of smoking in your case vaping.  The quit is all about putting in place new healthy habits instead of smoking, vaping, etc., Breaking the addiction is not easy, but it is doable...Jackie JACKIE1-25-15 above me has given you 100 things to do instead of smoke...I love the list...also, come here and help encourage others along this journey...Glad you found us...~ Colleen 136 DOF 

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Addiction to nicotine is the same no matter what the delivery method, and the path to freedom is the same.  I might add that it might be a bit more difficult for vaping because, as you mentioned, you were able to get an almost constant hit of the drug.  You might start out by weaning yourself down to a lower and lower level of nicotine, then to a cartridge with a very tiny amount, then to zero nicotine.  You would still continue the hand to mouth and inhale, but without the reward.

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 is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read.  Every time it mentions smoking or cigarettes, just replace them with vaping or "the device!"


 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.

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 after you have tried to delay and distract.   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.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four 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,  3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire and 4) you can become addicted to that and it has not yet been proven safe .
 

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-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

elvan
Member

Welcome to EX...try hand to mouth with cinnamon toothpicks or lollipops, drink water from a straw...LOTS of water.  There are a couple of vapers here who are fairly new, I really think it is a lot like quitting smoking and it is one day at a time, one feeling at a time, you can fill your time with all kinds of things.  First of all, STOP vaping ALL the time.  Don't allow yourself to vape in your house or at your desk, don't allow yourself to vape in the car.  Find things to do with your hands, knit, crochet, garden, draw, paint, color...any number of things here.  You will save a LOT of money...set it aside and plan a reward.  

Glad you found EX,

Ellen

Ashcoleman
Member

Thank you so much everyone! Looks like I need to do some reading and get a solid plan in place!!

DonnaMarie
Member

You have asked the question of all questions. I sew, I paint, I do anything other than reach for a cig (or in your case the vape thingie). I also have a quit smoking rock that I kept in my pocket to fiddle with when my hands needed something to do. I played with grarock.jpgphics and made a bunch with numbers on them and posted my progress on Twitter every day. I just used Paint, which comes with Windows, but it took time to find pictures, add numbers to them, and post them on Twitter. I came here a lot and let my fingers do the walking through the message boards here. I even dusted my house - horrors! - which is something I hate, but I did it. Walking. Cinnamon sticks. Anything. Read all the quit smoking and quit vaping articles on line you can find.

Let us know what works for you so it can be shared along the way.

Donna

Day 123

VAPEASDEADLY
Member

I can relate to the crazy feelings, especially the 1st couple of weeks of being of the ecigs.

the disturbing fact is, I got away with vaping where smoking wasn't allowed.  I was a stealth vaper. I could carry the Vuse Vibe, or Solo ANYwhere. and no one would know except me. (which is b&llsh*^) the wife knew. the family knew. I just didn't want to own it.
I came clean with family after a week of being OFF the Vibe because i was Bat Scat Crazy!! I had to seek help, which is when i also came here.

I've started quits before, go a day or so, and back because of the crazy emotions.

Just begin again. Find every single of the e-cigs and batteries in your house and throw them out. Do it in a fashion that puts finality on your quit. Don't take the risk of having one around.  Avoid locations where you'd buy them including convenience stores.
I avoided convenience stores for the 1st month.  Now i rarely go in one. I used to be there every day or so.


Journal about the things you did to get nicotine, along with WHY you want to quit and stay quit.
Write out goals, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, etc. See how those goals would work better without nicotine in it.,


Serious, when that feeling hits you, get on here, and write about it for a few minutes and the cravings will pass. "The Olde timers" like elvan JonesCarpeDiemYoungAtHeartsweetplt  and others baby sat me through a lot the 1st month.

My old AA sponsor would say to those who'd slip on booze.. "Just begin again. "

1. Don't beat yourself, you DESERVE to be free of the screaming capuchin monkey on our back, which ecigs becomes.
2. Get plenty of rest.

3. Drink a lot of water

4. Get cranberry juice for the 1st several weeks to aid in detox.
5. have something available to fidget with. ( I bought several hot wheel cars)

the truth is the best thing to do is to start moving, and just keep moving.
I got past what i felt was the worst, and then got hit with confusion, mental fog, and thought , "well this sucks.."

I start my days now by eating breakfast, something i never did in nearly 60 years. this does a couple things,

it helps reduce the morning "anxiety/craving" .. At work, i get up and move at least for 5 minutes an hour.


Exercise and activity helps with the Dopamine system restoration as the nicotine receptors scream for nicotine, exercise will help reduce the screaming brain.

Another thing in started doing is using a Bullet Journal. Lots of amazing resources on YouTube and elsewhere to help me restore some focus.


here is my take on e-Cig, and Nicotine in general . NO AMOUNT of NICOTINE is safe. I think the safety issue claims by the manufacturers are because of the known carcinogens in regular tobacco. e-Cigs have not gone under the same FDA scrutiny... YET. My experience the last  months of the e-cig was near anorexia, I had lost my appetite, and weight to the point the weight loss was a problem as well.

The hand to mouth stuff, I did and do substitute healthy snacks,  such as pretzel sticks, carrots, celery stuff that won't make me balloon. 
I am seeing my doctor today as well to discuss untreated Attention Deficit Disorder. It seems likely something i've had all my life to some degree and Nicotine was a way I used to self medicate, to the point.

Nicotine in ANY form, Cig, chew, pipe, e-cig, gum, patch, etc, is still keeping the crazies in the system.
by the end of my 2nd week, i didn't even think about nicotine, only about the pressure of life with out.

Think about your kids, (and if your like me, some day grandkids) . I want my next 30 years to be full and enjoyable . Now I can even imagine occuring. I hope i have at least that long. I wouldn't if i were to use nicotine.


I am 43 days in today, I am in what someone calls No Mans Land, I am in mental fog, my focus is sluggish. I used to use Nicotine as way to have mental focus. 
I am beginning to realize I need to look at my life holistically with means I may need medical help with focus in the way of medication for ADD/ADHD.

In terms of hobbies, I have Dozens. I need the focus to do them and do them without nicotine.
Don't hesitate to direct message any one here. But writing as you did is a sure way to keep yourself on track with your quit

AnnetteMM
Member

Well said and nicely written! Good on you for sharing such great information.