E-Cigs: Thoughts, opinions and helpful advice.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

So I'm 34 and have smoked since I was 15-16ish. Two years ago I used Chantix and stopped smoking for 8 months. Stupidly, I started again after a night of drinking wine with the wife. She only smokes when getting the buzz on. She begged me not to smoke one, I said I'd be OK, wouldn't start back up. Two years later, I'm back to a little under a pack a day.

Today I went and bought a E-cig and they set me up. Cost about 60 to get started and a refill equal to a carton cost $17. So basically a dollar a day.

My plan is to lower the nicotine content in the "juice" slowly, till I am off nicotine all together. I'm using nicotine flavor, so it reminds me of a real cig.

Anyhow has anyone used this method to quit? If so, I would like any advice that any of you could offer. Just tired of my beautiful little girl asking me if I'm going to quit smoking. Also, my health, my teeth and overall hygiene. I remember when I quit, smelling someone who smoked and thinking to myself, "Damn that's stinks, is that really how I smelled?.

[jarl the climber]

A little off topic but how did the Chantix work for you? Did it have a lot of side effects?

[DemiNymph]

Yes the man switched successfully to the e-cig and gotten rid of the smelly cigs. It's a very easy process. Apparently he just needed something to do with his hands, and the nicotine is a bonus. He made the same comment about the smell as you. He didn't even miss the real cigs.

No side effects but your vape must come from reliable sources. There have been cases of toxicity because people gotten fake vapes which has rubbish chemicals in them. Vape is the term they use for the juice.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

A little off topic but how did the Chantix work for you? Did it have a lot of side effects?

That's why I'm trying this. Even before I quit for good on the Chantix (because you don't stop right away), I had the most vivid nightmares of my life. Also, and this was the worst of it, I couldn't control my anger. The tiniest little thing would set me into a rage. Now, that being said, it worked. I guess about a month in to taking it, out of nowhere, I had ZERO desire to smoke. It is worth looking into, if your trying to quit. It affects everyone differently. Some people used it at work, with no side effects and quit easily. It truly does work, its just how bad the side effects bother you.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

Yes the man switched successfully to the e-cig and gotten rid of the smelly cigs. It's a very easy process. Apparently he just needed something to do with his hands, and the nicotine is a bonus. He made the same comment about the smell as you. He didn't even miss the real cigs.

No side effects but your vape must come from reliable sources. There have been cases of toxicity because people gotten fake vapes which has rubbish chemicals in them. Vape is the term they use for the juice.

Yes I've heard this, the place I go, a friend owns it, and is a very upstanding person.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

Just stop smoking cold. No crutches, no patches, no silly crap - 2 weeks of feeling bad and you'll be free.

And then you don't need to look like a numpty sucking on a pen everywhere.

I've tried that a thousand times. You sound like my father. "Its all in your mind son, grow some damn balls! Have a little will power!" Lol, I wish it was that easy for me.

[BLU-RAY]

I have multiple friends and acquaintances who have quit by doing this, so it's certainly a thing. Best of luck to you!

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

It really is that 'easy' if you yourself actually want to stop.

If you're trying to do it because someone has badgered you into it, then good luck! (Seriously, good luck!) :)

No I've tried quitting multiple times, like I said once successfully with Chantix. Just to many side effects to use again. I want to quit badly, thanks for encouragement!

[S John]

I have multiple friends and acquaintances who have quit by doing this, so it's certainly a thing. Best of luck to you!

Same. Including one friend who was a very heavy smoker.

I've got a nicotine problem myself, though it has been quite a while since I could call myself a smoker. I quit smoking and went to the gum and then... proceeded to chew the gum for three years. Alcohol is my main trigger. If I'm just going about my day I don't get too many cravings. But put a couple beers in me and I'm literally tearing up cushions and looking in every crevice of my home for a spare piece of gum that may have eluded me. Or, even worse, I'll just decide that I don't give a fuck at all and go buy a pack of cigs. Then in the morning I throw the remaining smokes away and decide that I'd better go get some gum to have on hand so I that don't end up smoking again. :lol:

It's been a pretty vicious cycle fro me, so ... good luck! I'm currently attempting cold turkey. Hopefully I won't snap and murder anyone.

[deleted01]

My brother's currently using e-cigs to quit. In the past few months, I think he's only had 4 cigarettes, so they seem to be working.

I personally enjoy smoking, and know I wouldn't be able to quit unless I really wanted to. I have cut down considerably, and can now recognise craving vs habit. Coffee is one of my craving triggers (alcohol was too, when I used to drink), but it's a habit for me to smoke while driving. I try to limit the habit ones and only give into them when I truly want a cigarette.

Good luck on your giving up journey!

[Spockydog]

After smoking for 30 years, I quit at the beginning of November. Cold turkey. My own personal experience is that if you really want to quit then you should be able to do so without using any of these so-called aids.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

Well, one day no cigs. A few have said you've quit cold turkey and I bow down at your feet. Ive tried that 100 times, I can go a week and then I breakdown and go back. The Chantix was the only thing that worked. And as I said I am going to lower the nicotine content in the vape every two weeks. I know I can quit, just not cold turkey, I'm a mental midget, what can I say.

And of course I'm doing this for myself. I don't want get cancer or any of the other diseases associated with smoking. When I quit before I felt better than I had in a long time. I get a physical and blood work done every year and I am in perfect health the Doc says. So this is for me, and wanting to live a long productive life.

[Dr. Pepper]

I smoked for about 15 years. Tried every which way to quit, never thought I'd actually be able to quit for good. I thought that I'd just always be a smoker. I didn't even want to quit. I quit over 3 months ago and it was wildly successful. I ended up using the book Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking. I think it's something that all smokers should give a try, whether they want to quit or not. Everyone I've passed it on to has been successful. It's one of those things where you have nothing to lose save for the cost of a pack of smokes (though it's usually available at most libraries). The premise of the book is to smoke while reading it, but that's not a requirement if you've already stopped. I didn't pick up this book until I had already stopped for two days but it really made a huge difference.

Good luck. Quitting is hard.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

Thanks Dr. Pepper! did you quit cold turkey? Or did you use something to help ween you off? I will pick the book up, anything to help me get over this hurdle.

[Dr. Pepper]

I did cold turkey. But, and I swear I'm not making it up, it didn't feel like it was cold turkey. Not with reading the book. There's something about the book that did something to that mental midget that prevented cold turkey quits in the past. I do think people should use the method that works for them, but after trying so many different methods in the past, I'm a huge fan of this book.

[polishgenius]

I had a mate who tried to quit by various methods several times, and failed. Then one day he sat down and worked out to the pound how much his habit was costing him per year, and with that shock was clean from then on.

Whatever works, I guess. I suspect that method has more effect on penniless students than more well-off types.



On the subject of the topic: just don't put it through the wash. My brother started on the e-cig in the summer to try to quit but failed to remove it from his pocket one day, broke it, and has fallen back into old habits.

[The Tower of Almond Joy]

Hi Samwell! I have quite a lot of info on vaping and ecigs. My husband had a mild heart last year on Feb 3 and that was the day he quit smoking, He had smoked for 44 years. He said he could not have done it without vaping nf juices and white cloud ecigs. He tried several ecigs and found that the white cloud draws more like a cigarette. He said it helped with oral fixation and it gave him something to do with his hands, He recommends Ego style batteries, We buy ours at Zero Gravity here in town they also have a website. He likes the White Cloud ecigs nf, cirrus 2 model. You can get disposables or the ones you charge that has refill catridges. They are available online. You can also buy a bottle of vegetable glycerin to dilute the ejuice as you cut down on the nicotine.

I am now trying to quit smoking too. I enjoy smoking and quitting is not my idea, It is for health reasons (I found out this past Weds that I have a hiatial hernia in my esophagus along with a severe case of gastritis. ) My drs are trying very hard to help me with an emphasis on diet and supplements and acupuncture. I figure if I am doing all this, I might as well quit smoking too, so I will feel better. I just got a vaping kit with battery and charger. I am starting to use the vapor a few times a day to get used to it. I put my cigarettes where they are not easily accessible. I also ordered some ecigs (Njoy Gold which are the lights) I like that flavor.

The hardest part for me will be not having that first cig in the morning when I get up and after meals. I have heard that drinking lemonade is supposed to get the nicotine out of your system. Cigarettes have over 400 chemicals in them. That is bad, but the nicotine is the real culprit. Many years ago, I heard that from a lung dr that my mother tricked me into going to see in the cancer ward at the hospital. I was so mad a her for doing that and I did not quit smoking. Basically I normally don't like being told what to do.

Feel free to pm me if you want. Thanks to the poster who gave the link to Alan Carr. I think Ashton Kutcher and Ellen Degeneres quit using his method.

[sj4iy]

I'm thinking about buying these for my mom. She wants to quit, but she's been smoking over 40 years now, and I'm under no illusion that she has the willpower to quit cold turkey. But I thought that maybe if I bought this for her, she might give it a try and at least she wouldn't be sucking smoke in her lungs anymore. Let me know what you think.

[butterbumps!]

I think I have a useful testimonial for this (thanks Dr P for linking me).

Dr Pepper actually gave me the Allen Carr book a couple of months ago, right after she'd quit. I wasn't even thinking about quitting at the time (and for the record, I was a very enthusiastic smoker, to put it mildly. in case it matters at all, I smoked for just about 10 years total). I started reading it because I was curious (I did try Chantix in the past, which not only has shitty side effects, is just a bandaid that hides the real issues behind why smoking is so sticky).

After reading the book, I stopped smoking completely (and keep in mind, I wasn't even looking to quit at the time). I read it twice back to back, and put out my last cig during the second reading. It's cold turkey, but not in a way that requires any will power, as Dr P says. Unlike Chantix or other strategies, it's framed in a way that addresses the reasons behind why you smoke (it's the drug, not you), the mental tricks the nicotine is playing on you, and puts smoking in terms that makes it clear you're not actually giving a damn thing up by quitting-- that the cigs themselves are what creates "the void." You'll need to read the whole book, but the best analogy used was thinking about smoking like wearing a pair of too-tight shoes just for the pleasure of taking them off.

I don't think e-cigs are the greatest idea if you're actually trying to get off cigs. It's just going to keep the cycle of nicotine in your system, which creates the need to keep relieving the withdrawal of nicotine.

Good luck! PM me if you have questions or anything.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

I'm thinking about buying these for my mom. She wants to quit, but she's been smoking over 40 years now, and I'm under no illusion that she has the willpower to quit cold turkey. But I thought that maybe if I bought this for her, she might give it a try and at least she wouldn't be sucking smoke in her lungs anymore. Let me know what you think.

It the same as cigs (obviously), but I seem to get enough satisfaction from them. Yea so it for her, at least your not getting all the toxins as you do from cigs. Two days now, haven't even thought of smoking a cig. I'm gonna lower the nicotine content slowly. The cost is cheap, after buying my the battery and all vape attachment to fill with the vape, it basically equals a $1 a day to use the vapor setup. And I'm alreading hacking up all the junk in my lungs from smoking cigs. I will keep everyone posted, when I lower nicotine content and how I'm doing. Nice to know I have the support of you guys, greatly appreciated!

ETA: the biggest bottle of "juice" (that's what they call it at my vendor), they say is equal to a little less than 2 cartons I believe. So its a dollar a day to vape, compared to $7 a day to smoke. I'm feeling really good about making this choice.