Awesome to hear you are quitting nicotine! I too found it more difficult to quite vaping than I did smoking cigarettes.
For me it was the attachment level with the vape that seemed to make it so difficult. I had it in my pocket 99% of the time, whereas cigarettes I didn’t. It felt like, and sometimes still does after 6 months nicotine free, I’m missing something, something essential like my phone or wallet. Plus the added ridiculous rational that “it’s not as bad as smoking” layered in did not help on the mental side.
The nicotine withdrawal was hard for me, both mentally and physically. If I’m being honest (which I feel is important, I don’t want sugar coat the struggle ahead) nicotine was the most insidious brain altering substance I’ve chosen to quit. My brain knows alcohol and cocaine are bad for me because of the intense immediate negative consequences during and after drinking/using.
Nicotine doesn’t have such intense and clear negative effects besides a morning cough and poor lung capacity. So my brain consistently tells me “it’s fine to take a puff here and there” and “it’s not as bad as drinking/using” or even “smoking calms you down, isn’t that worth it?” which are all rationalizations to an everyday, all day addiction that will shorten my lifespan.
The strength and length of craving will decrease with time. Utilize the tools talked about here and other threads like the one below to help build a strong toolkit for dealing with this particular chemicals absence. I’m a fan of an oral replacement, like a toothpick to give a hand to mouth movement (which I still use during more intense cravings)
I’m glad I quit, and wish I had done so much sooner. As Rage Against The Machine once said “It has to start sometime. What better place than here? What better time than now?”. I’m glad you made this choice too, I’m looking forward to sharing the fresh air with you! Definitely don’t hesitate to post here or reach out if you need more support! ![]()
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