Our quitting of cigarettes thread

Chicago fans represent!

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So first off, I feel somewhat ashamed. I got kind of high horse about nic vaping on this thread, then quietly picked it up again months ago. Sorry, y’all.

Well guess what? Since letting it weasel its way back in I got worse than when I dropped it last time in a drunken haze. It’s disrupting my sleep as it always has (staying up late then not sleeping well). It’s never helped my anxiety, getting spun up to the point of losing effectiveness.

All of this is a risk not just for mood, but my general sobriety. It’s insidious because once I’m hooked I get a fear of losing my balance without it. A very real fear of losing my sanity. I have new weapons against that fear now though, so can I use them?

Deep breaths. Continuing to take inventory today, rereading this thread, seeking a plan of attack.

(And if it needed saying my sobriety from booze is, for me, still priority one.)

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No shame here, my friend. In the last month, I have come the closest that I have in 20 years to picking up a cigarette. As I sit here, I can smell and taste what that would be like - and I know that I would be immediately hooked again.

For me, when that crazing hits hard, it is WAAAY past time for some quiet. I know that I am not managing my anxiety in a healthy way - or that there is some need I am not meeting. If I’m honest, I can see that I am usually exhausted and need to go to sleep.

No judgement or beating yourself up, now. All the Zen and deep breaths…:hugs:

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On Sunday it will be 5 weeks for me and with all this surfing I’ve been doing I am so glad I quit smoking

You don’t need to say sorry! Addiction is a bitch.

I know @Mobius had success getting off the vape by reducing the nicotine levels. Although I suspect if that was me I would just up my intake :thinking:

What worked for you last time? Anything you can take from it to get you back on track?

You definitely have a ton more skills you can put to it this time around! And that includes recognising when the time is right and what you need to do to keep yourself in the best place.

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Last time I just dropped it and, in all honesty, drank more, sooo… :grimacing: I’m a wee nervous.

Not too worried that’s a problem this time, but still on guard. The patch has helped in the past too, getting over the habit before tapering down the actual nic. May be that time again.

I’m in no hurry just yet, so plan before action. May try at least to cut it off after dinner for a start.

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And yeah. This is my issue with the vape. It’s so dang easy to puff like a locomotive whenever/wherever. Not my first ride on this train yet here we are again. :roll_eyes:

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It’s so easy to slip back into it. And once you’re in it’s hard to get out! It’s like the Venus fly trap thing, I can’t remember if that’s Allen Carr or Annie Grace but it’s such a good analogy.

Plus one for patches, it’s what’s worked for me. Breaking that habit as well as weaning down the nicotine.

But stopping after dinner sounds like a good place to start :blush:

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Yeah vaping intakes are very different to cigarettes. I found it very easy to take a drag, put it down, take a drag, put it down literally all day long.

I definitely found reducing the nicotine levels helped me like Sian said. I had what you could call a plan. I knew my goal, i.e. I want to quit in (x) months so every second month I reduced the nicotine level by one factor. I started on 18 then gradually went down to 0. The first 2 days after reducing were a bit jarring but nothing too uncomfortable. I stayed on 0mg for ages though, much longer than I needed as I just enjoyed inhaling vape. It got to the point of being pointless though, I even cut out the flavour and vaped pure 100% VG just to give my brain the realisation that the whole thing is utterly ridiculous, just run a bath and breathe in steam.

Anyway, get your head into the game and you’ll be fine :muscle::muscle:

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Continuing the discussion from Ok smokers / ex smokers:

Welcome, @MysticalShaman! Saw you hunting for threads on quitting smoking. I think this is the most recent active thread (?).

Nicotine is a tricky beast indeed. :confused:

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Thank you so much! I just found this app/forum literally like 20 mins ago lol I’ve been clean and sober for almost 5 years BUT still have this treacherous addiction to cigarettes :sob: I am at my widths end and MUST quit.
Thanks again for the reply :slightly_smiling_face:

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Agreed nicotine addiction is a bitch. I think it’s because it’s so easily available and relatively socially acceptable (compared to abusing other drugs).

Why do you want to quit? And what, if anything, have you tried so far?

@EarnIt I feel the same atm. How are u doing now?

@MysticalShaman I’m going to quit smoking in the morning, so sick of it, wanna do it with me?

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I recently just got 30hours cigg free

Nic gum is a HUGE help

It was weird…
When i first started quitting like a month ago it seemed impossible it took a bit but then a light just flashed in my head and i decided that was it… I dont want to smoke ciggs anymore. Im just starting to clean myself up from all this stuff. It just came to me in thought and every second my cigg timmer gains seconds just is incredable and its such a great feeling. The light of an idea that went off in my head must have been pure motavation.

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I quit smoking tobacco and pot in September 2015. Never had another drag and never will. Even though just like with any addiction I still take it one day at a time. What made it work for me were these things:
I studied. I learned about addiction in general and addiction to tobacco in particular. I read Allen Carr’s "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. And I learned a lot from Joel Spitzer’s website http://www.joelspitzer.com/resources/ and Youtube channel. Now these men both promote quitting cold turkey and that’s what I did too but they are good sources of information for all who want to quit by whatever means
The most important thing I learned from this was to have the right mindset and attitude. It’s not about willpower. it’s about having the right reasons and the right mindset to quit. I wanted to quit because smoking did nothing positive for me at all. And I realised smoking was slowly killing me. I smoked 2 packs a day for 35 years. I do have some COPD but I am so glad I quit when I did.
I also found great help in a website that’s aimed solely at quitting smoking. I joined the day I quit and am still an active member there.

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Still going strong

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Today I will not smoke

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I like this one. Very instructive and helpful. It was to me anyway

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