But I know what you mean. I still felt compelled to tell people I was on the gum, and I didn't really feel like I completed the act of quitting until I quit the gum too. I just wasn't in a hurry to do that

It's a pain in the ass to quit, and this it the first time I've made it this long, but I'm using "aids".

I just can't white knuckle it. I've tried that a bunch of times and it didn't work.

I cannot believe I've gone a week without a true cigarette.

I think one reason I was successful was that I eventually stopped seeing it as "depriving myself of something I want". Even when I was craving, I didn't "want" if that makes sense. I was fucking done with smoking, mentally.

It also helped, at $7 a pack, to keep a running tally of how much money I would've spent on "unacceptables", regardless of whether I actually saved the money or not (I didn't). But it was really the only way I had to quantify the experience.

Congratulations on that one week! That was 49 bucks that were better spent elsewhere!

I do not want to smoke ever again, and they are expensive, horrible for your health, and hello, I have much better use of my lungs!

I went to the grocery store, and could *smell* every smoker in there. I have to think I smelled like that, too.

It was disgusting.

Once I felt like I bad bad b.o. all the time (and always the only one!), it became much easier.

Go get 'em!!

stunk so badly.

I went to the store, and it was probably just because I had quit, but I could *smell* everybody that had smoked. It smelled like smoke and mold. Something old dragged out of the attic and full of dust.

mold. Now mind you, I love libraries, but when you smell like a library combined with cigarette smoke, it is ... unpleasant.

has to be the last time. I'm too old for this shit.

If you don't feel right saying that you quit, tell people that you switched; that's what I do.
I started using an e-cigarette in January of last year (it took me all of four days) and here's the deal. Yes, you're getting nicotine (and you can transition to using lower and lower amounts, even to zero), but there is so much in cigarettes beside the nicotine that's bad for you. What makes them evil is what happens with combustion (carbon monoxide, tar). The e-cig has no combustion...and the liquid is composed of glycerine, propylene glycol, nicotine, and flavoring.
It's funny, considering how vilified it has been, but nicotine is the least bad part of a cigarette!
I can breathe deeply. No coughing up yeccchy stuff. No stink. My daughters aren't grossed out. I don't have to go outside. My car and my house and my hair smell fresh and clean. I stayed at a non-smoking hotel a few months ago.
I even got my singing voice back!
I should mention that I smoked for about 48 years. My grandfather died of lung cancer; my mother has emphysema.
This is so great it's like witchcraft! AND it's more enjoyable than the real thing!

it has been so easy.

I wouldn't smoke a cigarette now if you PAID me.

I still think I'm "cheating". But I don't have the stink, the stigma or the hacking cough.

Good job. I "quit" a year ago this month. It took me until mid-summer to get over thinking that if e-cigs disappeared from the face of the earth I would be back to cigs in about...two seconds. Finally in about July I realized that I might just have a chance of not returning to smoking if I couldn't vape.

It was quite easy and I've cut down my nicotine to almost nothing. I still need the e-cig, though. Even if it has 0 nicotine in it and I haven't touched it for a day and a half. It's a head job.

Yep. Experiencing that.

Thanks for saying this, it resonated with me and I am resisting the urge.

the points of not smoking were:

Saving money (at 10 bucks a pack it adds up)

Living healthier, and hopefully longer

Not making a mess

Not starting a fire

And, lastly, not looking all day for the non non-smoking area.

The one thing I did NOT stop for is to have someone tell me that a substitute for cigarettes is as bad as the butts themselves. They aren't, and having a bit of nicotine in your system isn't the end of the world.

Good luck and good health quitting and accept no guilt for switching to e-cigs.

and I am committed to quitting for good.

You're not yet free of nicotine but you're miles ahead of all the nastiness that comes with smoking.

I smoked most of my life, quit in 2010, used hypnosis, it took three visits but it worked.

I'd sooner jump into a hive of yellow jackets than get back on cigarettes. I cannot believe how much better I feel.

… and because these things aren't regulated, I'd eventually say there is risk until cessation.

You don't really know where the little cartridges are made that are not regulated. What we inhale truly becomes systemic in our body.

I'd be a lying if I said I never smoked, but I don't smoke cigarettes since the early 80's. Being a respiratory therapist and working for as many years with the effects, I do see that a lot of people are reaching for e-cigarettes. I don't discourage it, but I say that the behavior has to change so that you eventually get off both.

Big respect for anyone working through this process.

in quite a long time that I have quit smoking - again.

I've been off of regular cigarettes for 7 days. I never thought I could make it that long without being an utter basket case.

I think it's safest to buy American-made. I mostly buy from a company in Michigan that custom-mixes their product.

starts messing with your head. You'll have a cavalier thought of 'I could handle just ONE cigarette, no problem!'

Once you've gotten past week 2, stay the course and by week 8 you are for sure out of the habit.

I tried the ecig, really hard, several times. I tried huge nicotine, different flavors, every combo I could, but my lungs felt like they were filling with fluid or something, it just didn't feel intuitively right, I knew something was funny. It turns out there have been several studies linking them to pneumonia and lowered immune defenses. I'll just have to do without them.

So I just finally said I'm going to not smoke today, and I'll continue going forward, one day at a time and fight the mental demons that creep in. I use a reframing technique, where, when the desire for a cigarette arises in my mind, I replace that thought with something far more pleasant. Right now it's the jasmine that's blooming in my garden. I think about that and the craving for a cigarette soon passes.

Good luck, you'll manage it and totally succeed!!!!

I'm hoping that after a while, I'll kick the e-cigs, too. First, though, I have to get out of the habit of lighting up. I really do feel a hell of a lot better!

But thought I would post the link in case this thread inspires someone else to want to try them to help them choose which type might be most useful.

I'm using WhiteCloud brand. They have the fl!ngs that you can throw away and the Cirrus type you can refill.

Those are what I'm using, but to be honest, the fl!ngs seem far better than the refillable ones.

Interesting, because the article seems to say the refillable ones may help more people successfully quit.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/04/researchers-say-the-type-of-e-cigarette-you-use-can-determine-whether-you-quit-entirely

I've been toying with the idea of trying them out but haven't done much research. I'll probably go with a cheap version to see what all the hype is about but something that the liquids are made in USA.

not sure why they work better, but so far, they do.

I really just sort of walk by the displays. I go to two tobacco shops so can probably ask there but just wondering since you seem to have tried a few different ones.

But I haven't tried everything out there, and I'm not trying to shill for one brand or another - just saying what worked for me.

I'm dubious when anyone tells me something on the internet, and you should be too, but these WhiteCloud disposables worked for me.

I'll keep them in mind. (I thought Flings was just slang term for ecig, didn't realize it was a brand.)

My wife quit about three and a half years ago. She still uses the gum. So what? She doesn't smoke.

My daughter switched to e-cigs over a year ago and still vapes. She quit smoking, period.

I went cold turkey last June, and joined my wife and daughter as a non-smoker.

Congratulations Aerows, you've joined the non'smokers too.

basket case when I tried to do it cold turkey. I made it about a week and was such a demon everyone around me was praying I'd smoke a cigarette.

This time, I'm doing a LOT better, and I have absolutely no intention of ever going back. Why stink, lower my life expectancy and reduce the quality of my life?

I have no reason to light up.

I looked into using that years ago, when cigarette packs listed the nicotine content right on the side. I've always smoked ultra light versions of cigarettes, and if I smoke a Marlboro Red, i feel like I'm going to pass out. A boss of mine was using the gum, and one piece had the equivalent nicotine of two Marlboro Red cigarettes per piece. I think I'd have a heart attack right there, or pass out or something! Is the gum still that strong? Literally, with one Marlboro Red, I cannot walk across the room. And I've been a heavy smoker for 30 years now.

On edit: I just did some poking around and found what I couldn't find before on the Google. My cigarettes have .5 mg of nicotine per cigarette. The gums, it says, run 2 to 4 mg. So that's like me smoking 4 cigarettes or 8 cigarettes all at once!

So, can the gum be cut into smaller pieces or something?

She said that rush you get from a Marlboro Red is from increased carbon monoxide, not nicotine. She says nicotine from the gum is regulated by how/if you chew. To get nicotine, she chews a little, then tucks it between her cheek and gum. You can also just take it out if you're getting too much. She says too much can cause hiccups and/or a feeling of contraction in the throat.
If you try it, she recommends the 2mg gum. She also recommends this site for anyone trying to quit. http://whyquit.com/FFN/

I smoked for almost 40 years. 2 packs a day for most of that. My wife was about the same. You can quit once you really set your mind to it. Everyone I've known who has successfully quit has told me that. I was very doubtful until it happened to me. Once it did, it was much easier than I thought it would be.

Come Hell or High Water, I am going to stay off of the coffin nails.

I almost got tempted the other day, but I refuse to destroy the progress I've made.

So I'm using an e-cig? So what? I'm not killing myself as quickly as I would be on the lit up coffin nails.

I quit cold turkey and I was of the opinion that that was the best way to kick the addiction. It is the fastest way to break your dependency on nicotine, but I think it's also the hardest. I was very hard to live with for about a month.

Now days, I'm in the "whatever works for you" camp, just as long as you are completely abstaining from tobacco. Even if you use an e-cig for the rest of your life, you'll be well ahead of the game compared to if you had smoked real tobacco, both financially and with your health.

Keep up the good work and I wish you continued success in your abstinence.

the kind words!

My mother tried SO hard to quit. I know she had a lot of stress in her life; my father is a very bossy, self-important guy. I wish, so much, that she could have used the easy way with an e-cig to wean herself off. Now, with the emphysema, she has to use a nebulizer every day, and her energy level is terrible...and of course, she's caring non-stop for my dad, who has many health issues and dementia.

I just hit maximum with my smoking, and decided I couldn't take it anymore, but I had an alternative. I have never made it this far before, and I hope to make it forever.

is an asshole, but I'm hanging in there.

The e-cigs help, but I've had some white knuckle moments.

I will not go back.

I CANNOT go back.

I'm staying strong. This is a landmark for me.

You have to be able to be a bigger asshole. I can be, and I have faith that you can be, too.

Stay strong.

It's kind of yucky tasting but anything beats smoking.

a couple minutes, sometimes in a few seconds.

When it hits you, think of Bambi (the deer, the stripper, whatever works for you!) or something pleasant and enjoyable. Replace the thought that you want a cigarette with a more enjoyable image. It's called reframing & transference.. a technique taught to me by a pretty smart shrink.

I've knocked off a 1.5 pack a day habit for about a week now. I'm managing it pretty well. I've smoked all my life on and off, 10 years on, 10 years off and so on. I'm ready for the off switch now, especially with prices so high.

Good luck, the urge does pass and you are definitely stronger than it is!

It's probably not as bad for you.

I still want a cigarette occasionally, and it's been years since I smoked one.

So far, so gook Aerows.

Nicotine is NOT the enemy!
The combustion (and whatever crap is added to cigarettes) is what makes smoking so bad.
I feel no shame in needing the nicotine, no more than needing my morning coffee or a hit of chocolate at weak moments.

for 3 years, believe it or not. I don't care much for chocolate, I'm just a huge tea fan. I drink unsweetened decaffeinated tea by the quarts (fresh brewed, of course).

A lot of things I have attributed to different states of being I think I was attributing to the wrong thing. It has been the damn cigarettes all along. I'm no longer as lethargic, and I just plain feel better.

It wasn't the nicotine. It was the destroying of my pulmonary system caused by smoking cigarettes!

I guess they work because I see very few actually smoking anymore; their all using e-cigs with a variety of different scents. I've worked with these people for decades and they smoked as long as I've known them.

The bad part is that nobody seems like they're "quitting", but rather trading one form of habit for another.

My lungs feel a hell of a lot better and I have a LOT more energy. It might be trading one habit for another, but one will kill and depress your system - the other doesn't (or at least as much?)

Some are so used to them they have cell phone holders with built in e-cigs.

But I'm trying my best to stay off the coffin nails so if I have to put up with a little shaming by non-smokers, I'll deal.

Once a year I go to spend ten days in New York, where my family is. I stay at my sister's apartment. She had granted me dispensation to smoke but the keeping the stink away from her and her daughter was quite difficult.
This time, no such worries. I can puff my sweet fruity e-juice and not have to worry about keeping the room I sleep in tightly sealed at all times (and sealing up all my butts in ziplock bags). When we walk-and-shop I can pull out my itaste, grab a few puffs, and put it away (no need to waste half a cig). No shaming my daughters, who were horrified by my smoking. No need to hide the smell when I visit Mom. Just have to make sure I bring my charger and plenty of juice.

I already try to eat healthy, but I've had issues with being unable to keep any weight on. I have more energy now, so I can actually lift more weight and sculpt the muscles I want to - because I can breathe again, finally.

I've backslid a few times (mostly because my boyfriend still smokes the real deals).

These are the one. Tastes like a Marlboro.

http://www.modernsmoke.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=61

I mail order them.

I can barely remember what a cigarette tastes like. I do have a few bottles of tobacco flavors but I never use them. I'm in love with citrus fruits and blends. Favorites are raspberry-lime and honeydew-lime. Tart, like me!

I am one week 2, and I haven't eaten a puppy, destroyed property, or generally felt horrible.

I am SO thankful for all the ways we can get off of these coffin nails!

I smoked Marboro Reds for 2 decades.

I have three packs of them, all sealed and I just *look* at them.

I don't want them anymore.

mug a baby for a "smoke", then chewed the nasty gum or puffed off the e-cig - but I am genuinely getting used to being off the coffin nails.

I even bought the gum at the store. I refuse to go back. I have a few moments when I want to do so, then I realize how horrible, smelly and unhealthy they are.

I'll chew gum, use e-cigs and stand on my head if it keeps me the hell away from smoking cigarettes.

Take a look at the ECF or Electronic Cigarette Forum. Lots of info, tips and tricks there!

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/

Thank you!

Unless you have high BP or an existing tumor.

In fact, my doctor says it helps older people with memory.

It's the catching-crap-on-fire and sucking smoke into our lungs is the problem.

I think e-cigs are fantastic and haven't touched a cigarette since leaving France after WWII.

I would not have guessed you were anywhere near that old.

Assuming you were a 12 year old French smoker, you'd be almost 80!

I landed on the beach in France four days after my 18th birthday (couple weeks after the beach was captured --- THANK G-d) and served as a English/German/Polish translator for the duration of the war. It was fun for a young Jew to be in charge of Nazis, except that I had to fight the urge to kill cuffed men.

My family had fled Germany (really the area around Germany/Poland) not quite a decade before.

So, yes, I am older than even that. I used to drink scotch with Tip O'Neil (who was my boss for a good decade) if that helps you.

I'm also crotchety and very cynical about the establishment of both political parties at this point.

Taste like crap, blows small bubbles, but beats the *SHIT* out of smoking.

If you asked me last month if I could quit smoking, I'd say no.

Ask me now - the answer is YES!

The worst for me was when I was drinking, the two go hand in hand, so I quit drinking at the same time.

I smoked heavily for over 45 years and truly believed I could not quit. I quit last June, smoking my last cigarette as I read the last chapter of his book. He predicted that would happen and it did.

It wasn't easy and it's still a struggle, but I feel liberated. I am no longer a slave.

E-cigs are not bad and they help lots and lots of people stop smoking. I support anyone who can give it up….

but for me, it was the addiction to nicotine that I wanted to be free of, so it just wasn't an option.

I do not think I will ever smoke again.

Best of luck to you, dear Aerows.

that if you would have asked me last month if I could quit - I would have said no. I know I needed to quit, I wanted to quit, and didn't think I could.

But, I did. If I have to chew the awful gum, use an e-cig or whatever helps, I've quit and I am STAYING that way.

You are exactly the kind of person it speaks to - strong, independent and not willing to be a slave to big business. You can download it or maybe get it a the library.

Using nicotine substitutes is fine and you may decide that's the way it's going to stay. But I am thrilled to not be beholden to anything or anyone.

Free. That's all there is to it.

Huge congratulations to you. I believe in you. I believe you can do this.

I will check it out!

I'm going through a rather stressful series of life events, but guess what? I'm still NOT SMOKING!

If my neurotic self can quit, I'd wager everybody could.

You are stronger than big tobacco thinks you are. You've been their patsy for far too long.

Fuck them.

thank you. I haven't caved yet, and I refuse to do so!