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Give and get support around quitting

gababyyy9494
Member

Need of support

This Covid-19 pandemic has gotten the best of me (my anxiety). I have not caught the virus yet but it has heightend my anxiety therefore naturally for me increasing my need for nicotine. Being ocd and suffering from panic attacks I have turned to nicotine my whole life. I quit cigarettes in january 2019 after switching to the Juul. I went from a pod every three days to one and a half pods a day in months. My breathing is suffering harder than it has when I was smoking (for 10 years) and has caused me many issues. No matter what I do (patch and nicotine gum) I cant put this thing down. I really just need words from others and advice for what has worked for them whether it was putting down a cigarette or a Juul device. Please help:(

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6 Replies
Maki
Member

Yes you can . 

Get rid of them and refuse to use them as a coping tool , do something different , do something better . 

Walk , walk lots ... it helps . 

Disract , delay , discuss , deep breathes , drink water , don't smoke , don't vape . 

Halt . Hungry , have healthy snacks , angry , take time outs, lonely , reach out , tired , rest . 

Stop

            taking one puff .  vaping is a reaction , not a solution .  The solution to be free is not to vape . 

Pause before you buy , pause before you throw a quit away . Vaping is not worth it . 

RoseH
Member

Throw them away and don’t buy any more.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  I am going to send you a private message to help you form a plan to quit for good!  If you don’t “have em” you can’t lose your quit!

sweetplt
Member

Hi gababyyy9494 

I am so sorry you are suffer so much anxiety from the COVID...first, limit your television and social media because so much of it isn’t true...as long as you are doing the best you can by staying safe, you have really no control.  You do have control whether you smoke or not...so it is a good thing to work on.  

I am sorry to say, you traded one addiction for another...plain and simple...you are addicted to nicotine...and you need a process and a choice to quit.  First, Choice to plan on quitting and do it...Next, read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX and replace smoking with vaping.  Plan for that quit day like no other...Then read posts here and become knowledgable about addiction and quitting...Lastly, throw away the night before your quit day all smoking/vaping paraphernalia.  Come here to the support site...we are here to help you through this journey.  It is so doable, but takes hard work...

Start working hon...~ Happy Friday ~ Colleen 634 DOF 

Always start your journey with some breathing exercises...will help that anxiety and OCD...

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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

 

Although primarily a smoking cessation site, I have seen a huge increase in the number of people coming for help to break free from vaping. 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! 

The first thing you need to do is educate yourself on this addiction, plan,  prepare, garner support and commit to never vaping again.  We can help with all but the last. . Choose a quit date in about a week or ten days while you do your homework for it.  On your quit date, you need to  get rid of your vape device and any liquids you have left.  Keeping it around is giving yourself permission to fail.  You will save enough money to replace any lost in this trashing by not buying them anymore.

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.” . Vaping was not a concern when this was written, so you will need to sub “vape”as necessary. This is an easy and entertaining read which can be found online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

 

Considering vaping to be “safe” is far from a given - there is much research to be done. What we know is that vaping raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack. There are many unknowns about vaping, including what chemicals make up the vapor and how they affect physical health over the long term. Recently vaping has been in the headlines because of the possibility of it causing severe lung damage in young people. An August, 2019 study at the University of Pennsylvania showed that a single instance of vaping immediately lead to reduced vascular function: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190820101601.htm

Nicotine addiction is nicotine addiction - no matter the delivery device - and how to beat any of them is about the same. Every time you read :"cigarette" in the information I will give you, just sub "Juul" or “vape,” or “device.”   The one thing different I would recommend is that you first start to reduce the nicotine content of the pods.  Start with a lesser amount in, like, one in every four, then three, etc. until you are only using the smallest amount, or reduce the amount of nicotine in the pods over time. That way the physical withdrawal should be more manageable. You might find useful information, as well, here: https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/quitting-smoking-vaping/quitting-e-cigarettes.

 

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.

 

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each device use, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each use off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a puff just because you think you do

 

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 a quick walk at break time instead of vaping.


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 vaping 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 vape 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 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!


 Nancy

elvan
Member

You have gotten wonderful & powerful advice above, quitting is a one day at a time journey, it is NOT an event.

Do the suggested reading & make a commitment to yourself. This is an addiction & it is very powerful but we are MORE POWERFUL!

Welcome to EX.

Ellen

Welcome! Have you discussed with your doctor options available? I too have anxiety, and used that as an excuse for a long time to keep smoking. I was finally honest with myself, and admitted I'd been self medicating with cigarettes to deal with depression and anxiety for a very long time. After discussing with my doctor, I'm using Wellbutrin this time, and it has made a world of difference. It still takes work, but it gave me the help I needed. If you don't like the idea of medication, please do some research on addiction (great resources above) and on 'natural' ways to cope with anxiety. And please, limit your exposure to the constant bombardment of bad news - it is not healthy for your mental state. Read a book, watch a movie, go for a walk, read blogs on here. You need to balance the good with the bad.