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

Give and get support around quitting

DeniseZ
Member

Vaping is harmful!!!!

I smoked regular cigarettes for 12 years, I quit for 5 and then I started vaping. It was good at first because it kept me from wanting cigarettes but then little by little I started getting bigger devices because it just wasn't enough. Then the problems started creeping in like coughing phlegm difficulty breathing. I never told my doctor I Vaped because I didn't want her to know that I do something so stupid. But now today is the day I quit I have the worst sinus infection of my life and my breathing is so labored and I'm only 43. I don't want the burden in my hand any more ...or the weight of carrying that thing 14 hours a day. Vaping is NOT A safe alternative to smoking, don't let the e cigarette  companies  tell you any different.  There's absolutely NO regulations or oversight of the manufacturing of cotton coils, ejiuce, or cartridges.  Most components are made in China with no oversight. Please , let's get more people on the ex vape forum!!! 

Labels (1)
19 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

The vaping devices are just another nicotine delivery system designed to create another generation of addicts....and. as usual, our government has been slow (or not willing) to act on them.  I am sorry you were caught in their web of deception.  Getting off of them is similar to getting free from chew, or cigarettes.  You might start by gradually reducing the amount of nicotine in the juice...over time.  I will recommend some reading for you, and planning and preparation steps.  Every time you see "smoking," just sub vaping and the same for device for cigarette.  The journey for both is similar.  I think it might be a bit more difficult to get away from vaping since you could do it most anywhere, anytime.....but if you commit to doing what is necessary, it IS possible.  You might search for "quit vaping" with the magnifying glass in the top right hand corner to find others' experiences. 

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.


 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-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

Giulia
Member

Thanks for the warning.  

Don't know if you've tried any saline nasal solutions for helping to clear out your sinuses, or the neti-pot thing, but you might give those a try.  Can help get some of that gunk out.   If you really have a sinus infection, you might want to see a doctor and perhaps be put on an antibiotic.  They can last a while and are really unpleasant.  But it sounds like you've had them before, so you probably know all about that.  

Quitting vaping with a sinus infection is a god thing to do!  

DeniseZ
Member

Thank you! I'm vape free for 14 hours now and I can breathe!!! Still

coughing but it's coming up...and getting out of my lungs.

sweetplt
Member

Always seemed no different then smoking cigarettes, but that is just me...more younger people enjoy the vape...and will find themselves addicted...I do hope word starts spreading...thank you for this blog post...~ Colleen 143 DOF 

0 Kudos
VAPEASDEADLY
Member

I am here because of my adventures in NICOTINE. I quit cigarettes in 89, didn't do anything until i went through a divorce in 2002, started with a can o' dip, and a cigar, on again off again and picked up a vape in 2014, I am 49 days off the damned RJR VUSE Vibe, can say unequivocally that Monkey was the hardest of the lot to shake.
I've been using my nasal lavage since i quit, still have crap draining. Sudafed and Mucinex are helping a bit. Still have labored breathing 49 days into my quit, along with a mental fog, someone here labeled "No-Man's Land"

Keep coming back.

DeniseZ
Member

Wow. Your story stirs me. It's so hard to overcome vaping because it is so

easy to do everywhere. I hope your breathing eases and things return to

normal for you soon . Keep in touch!

On Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 3:41 PM VAPEASDEADLY <communityadmin@becomeanex.org>

intervention
Member

Glad you have been able to quit smoking and vaping, and I hope you get to the doc for your sinus infection. 

I wouldn't be too quick to say that vaping caused your infection. It certainly could have aggravated it, but not likely to have caused it.

No one claims that vaping is safe; it's just 95% safer than smoking. Looks like it helped you stay away from the stinkies, which is what is designed to do. It serves no other purpose. It is a proven, evidence based tool for smoking cessation, This is based on science, not the ecig companies (it would be illegal for them to make that claim). 

0 Kudos
elvan
Member

Congratulations on quitting.  You can do sinus irrigations with a little glass of salt water, a very small amount of salt in warm water, just put the glass up to your nose and block one nostril.  If you do have an infection, it may hurt but it should unblock the sinus.  I also recommend generic mucinex which thins down the secretions so you can cough them up more easily.  Turn the shower on hot, stay in the bathroom with the door closed and breathe in the steam.  

I really hope you feel better soon.  Recovery is a one day at a time journey and we are more than willing to help you in any way that we can.  VAPEASDEADLY‌ is a great resource for helping vapers.  Honestly, I am so glad that people who vape are coming here now...I hope more and more come and start their recoveries.

Welcome,

Ellen

I am an ex-smoker (20 years) who turned to e-cigs as a way to stop smoking cigarettes. It worked, but obviously, I just traded one addiction for another, and now I'm left with the same nicotine dependence. I was smoking a cigarette shaped e-cig manufactured by Greensmoke, but they were bought out by Marlboro - go figure! So, now I'm smoking a Juul, and I hate it. I have lost several and keep one on the charger at all times because I literally can't be without it. It's a terrible addiction that I want to be done with. I've tried quitting e-cigs before, but can't seem to get past day three. Last week, I tried a patch and that helped, but they're so expensive, and also I hate relying on an external aid that is prolonging my addiction.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get through the first week? How do you get through the brain fog and lack of energy? And how long does it last? My new quit date is tomorrow so I appreciate any advice or suggestions. Thank you!