Just SAY NO to cigarettes!!🚬 🚬 🚬 🚬

Edward_Alexander

@skiphunt said:
I was just kidding about "quitters never win" lol

Seriously... I stopped smoking cold turkey. The first time I stopped it was for a drug study where I wasn't supposed to be a smoker, so there was a financial incentive. It wasn't that hard and I knew I could pick it right back up after the study. Only, I didn't have any desire to so I went with it.

Fast forward a year later... I traveled to Peru and had the B&B pick me up from the airport. When we arrived the Belgian owner, behind a beautiful mahogany bar, said "Welcome to Peru! First drink is on the house." So, I had a few drinks with him and he lit up a cigarette. It seemed like a cigarette would go so nicely with that experience. I asked if I could have one.

That was it. One cigarette and I was right back to nearly 2 packs a day.

A couple years later I had a vision in the desert. Whatever entity was presenting this vision, conveyed to me that I could smoke all I wanted up until a particular birthday. Then I must stop. If I ignored the warning... I was shown a glimpse of my future.

In the vision I was in the hospital. Some friends came to visit me. I suggested we go outside to the smoking area. We walked down the hallway and I was pushing an I.V. pole. When we got to the smoking area we all lit up. I remember being confused as to why I wasn't bringing my cigarette up to my mouth to smoke.

Then I realized... I was smoking out of a tracheostomy tube.

I'd had similarly strange visions before and they had all came to pass. So, on that birthday... at midnight... I took my last puff and then threw the rest of my tobacco into the fire.

Stopping smoking was the hardest thing I've ever done, but a few things helped me.

1. words matter. Notice I've said that I "stopped" smoking vs "quit" smoking? That's because psychologically or subconsciously the word "quit" meant that I was giving up on something... or that I was defeated. Always saying that I "stopped" smoking, meant that it was MY decision and that I would be victorious over the addiction.

2. I replaced the oral fixation with regular chewing gum. Not the nicotine kind, but just something to keep my mouth occupied.

3. I got one of those one-hitters that looks like a cigarette. The hole in it was fairly small and the intake resistance was similar to that of a cigarette. So, I could go through the motions of smoking... sometimes with others that were smoking... but not actually be inhaling a cigarette. More of a crutch to get me through weak moments. If I didn't have the one-hitter with me, I'd put my index and middle fingers together and sort of adjust a gap that felt approximately like the intake resistance of a cigarette.

All worked for me. I haven't smoked in 13 years.

Good luck to all who decide they're tired of being slaves to the tobacco industry and decide to STOP smoking today.

That’s just an amazing story. Glad you ended up free from it all!

BroCoast

I quit using Snus earlier this year. Highly effective and discreet.

Telstar5

Never smoked a cigarettes in my life but if I ever get the proper investors I’m gonna start a cigarette company . Why? Because I’ve got the perfect brand name ….”AuV3”….

jdp000

Congratulations and good luck! I’ve got ten years off of cigarettes and 10 years on smokeless tobacco.

HolyMoses

Addictions to drugs and cigarettes (also alcohol) must be hard - for a guy like me that never have done drugs & ciggs (just a small minimal alcohol consumption) it's a choice I had already in the early 80's - skip shit and buy fun stuff instead for the money...

My addictions in life have been synths, computers, HiFi, LP's & CD's etc etc - and since 2008 it has been 100% Apple addictions with a LOT of MacBooks, iMacs, iPhones and fuckin' expensive iPad upgrades almost every year since 2010...

So, message from the old to the young people - don't let the drug/smoke/alcohol businesses fuck your wallet even day, every week, every month and so on til' you are dead, poisoned by the crap...

NeuM

Good for you! Stay healthy and have fun with the new iPad Pro.

EDIT: S#@%&;! I got rickrolled by another zombie thread resurrection.

jwmmakerofmusic

Since my last reply to this thread, I had become readdicted to vaping in middle of March 2022. I was stressed dealing with the noisy neighbour from hell in my flat (long story I won't bore you with), but I recently realised it wasn't his fault that I chose to resume the bad habit. Two years, many attempts to quit, and several thousand dollars down the pisser later, I finally quit for good this time. This time I'm determined to make it stick. Been 5 days, and I'm getting through it. I turn 40 Thursday, and I refuse to enter my 40s while still vaping, let alone vape in my 40s and beyond.

That said I'm still addicted to nicotine, but this time I'm using Zyn pouches. They're still a rubbish waste of money, but it's about 1/4th the cost per month of vapes. They also taste better. However, you know what tastes best? Is regular good old-fashioned gum. Not the nicotine gum what tastes like cardboard, but nice, regular minty gum.

The only thing I liked about vaping menthols was that really intense throat-cooling effect. Didn't care much for having a chronic cough from the vaping. So, once I replace Zyn pouches with gum, I'm sticking to really intense mint flavours. Ice Cubes is a proper brand for that. So is Wrigley's Extra. (Oddly enough, I find fruit flavoured gum to taste rather abominable.)

In summary - I quit vaping and replaced with Zyn pouches. And in the coming weeks, I plan to replace Zyn pouches with gum and to become free of nicotine.

jwmmakerofmusic

@NeuM said:
Good for you! Stay healthy and have fun with the new iPad Pro.

EDIT: S#@%&;! I got rickrolled by another zombie thread resurrection.

Odd reference to the Rick Roll since this thread seems mostly focused on giving up (bad habits).

michael_m

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@NeuM said:
Good for you! Stay healthy and have fun with the new iPad Pro.

EDIT: S#@%&;! I got rickrolled by another zombie thread resurrection.

Odd reference to the Rick Roll since this thread seems mostly focused on giving up (bad habits).

😂

ExAsperis99

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Since my last reply to this thread, I had become readdicted to vaping in middle of March 2022. I was stressed dealing with the noisy neighbour from hell in my flat (long story I won't bore you with), but I recently realised it wasn't his fault that I chose to resume the bad habit. Two years, many attempts to quit, and several thousand dollars down the pisser later, I finally quit for good this time. This time I'm determined to make it stick. Been 5 days, and I'm getting through it. I turn 40 Thursday, and I refuse to enter my 40s while still vaping, let alone vape in my 40s and beyond.

That said I'm still addicted to nicotine, but this time I'm using Zyn pouches. They're still a rubbish waste of money, but it's about 1/4th the cost per month of vapes. They also taste better. However, you know what tastes best? Is regular good old-fashioned gum. Not the nicotine gum what tastes like cardboard, but nice, regular minty gum.

The only thing I liked about vaping menthols was that really intense throat-cooling effect. Didn't care much for having a chronic cough from the vaping. So, once I replace Zyn pouches with gum, I'm sticking to really intense mint flavours. Ice Cubes is a proper brand for that. So is Wrigley's Extra. (Oddly enough, I find fruit flavoured gum to taste rather abominable.)

In summary - I quit vaping and replaced with Zyn pouches. And in the coming weeks, I plan to replace Zyn pouches with gum and to become free of nicotine.

Here's hoping you're still smoke-free, @Edward_Alexander. And good luck, @jwmmakerofmusic . Also, just a reminder, it's never too late to quit again.

I stopped cold turkey one day when I was out of smokes and had been out late the night before. I still stunk from the bars and felt like shit. I was engaged to be married, and in that moment, I had a vision of myself on my honeymoon, walking up to some incredible vista in Costa Rica, taking in the view...and then patting myself down, looking for a pack of cigarettes. Right then, I was like, nope, I'm done.

And I was. But it wasn't easy. After working in restaurants for years and nonstop touring in the 90s (when you could still smoke in bars and restaurants in New York!), smoking became part of my life. I was also writing for magazines then, and the cigarette was so insidious. Having a tough time with the lead of the story? Have a cigarette. Did you finish a paragraph? An outline? A sentence? Here's your nicotine reward.

The physical withdrawal was real, but it was really only rough for about a week, and I took it as a perverse challenge. The habit of smoking, though — whew. But I developed a trick. I told myself that every time I had the urge to smoke, I could — but I had to wait for 60 seconds silently. If I still wanted a cigarette after that time, well, so be it. Amazingly, that 60 seconds was like a mini-meditation that took the panic out of the act. And in the end, what is a cigarette but meditation anyway? Breathe in, breathe out.

jwmmakerofmusic

@ExAsperis99 said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Since my last reply to this thread, I had become readdicted to vaping in middle of March 2022. I was stressed dealing with the noisy neighbour from hell in my flat (long story I won't bore you with), but I recently realised it wasn't his fault that I chose to resume the bad habit. Two years, many attempts to quit, and several thousand dollars down the pisser later, I finally quit for good this time. This time I'm determined to make it stick. Been 5 days, and I'm getting through it. I turn 40 Thursday, and I refuse to enter my 40s while still vaping, let alone vape in my 40s and beyond.

That said I'm still addicted to nicotine, but this time I'm using Zyn pouches. They're still a rubbish waste of money, but it's about 1/4th the cost per month of vapes. They also taste better. However, you know what tastes best? Is regular good old-fashioned gum. Not the nicotine gum what tastes like cardboard, but nice, regular minty gum.

The only thing I liked about vaping menthols was that really intense throat-cooling effect. Didn't care much for having a chronic cough from the vaping. So, once I replace Zyn pouches with gum, I'm sticking to really intense mint flavours. Ice Cubes is a proper brand for that. So is Wrigley's Extra. (Oddly enough, I find fruit flavoured gum to taste rather abominable.)

In summary - I quit vaping and replaced with Zyn pouches. And in the coming weeks, I plan to replace Zyn pouches with gum and to become free of nicotine.

Here's hoping you're still smoke-free, @Edward_Alexander. And good luck, @jwmmakerofmusic . Also, just a reminder, it's never too late to quit again.

I stopped cold turkey one day when I was out of smokes and had been out late the night before. I still stunk from the bars and felt like shit. I was engaged to be married, and in that moment, I had a vision of myself on my honeymoon, walking up to some incredible vista in Costa Rica, taking in the view...and then patting myself down, looking for a pack of cigarettes. Right then, I was like, nope, I'm done.

And I was. But it wasn't easy. After working in restaurants for years and nonstop touring in the 90s (when you could still smoke in bars and restaurants in New York!), smoking became part of my life. I was also writing for magazines then, and the cigarette was so insidious. Having a tough time with the lead of the story? Have a cigarette. Did you finish a paragraph? An outline? A sentence? Here's your nicotine reward.

The physical withdrawal was real, but it was really only rough for about a week, and I took it as a perverse challenge. The habit of smoking, though — whew. But I developed a trick. I told myself that every time I had the urge to smoke, I could — but I had to wait for 60 seconds silently. If I still wanted a cigarette after that time, well, so be it. Amazingly, that 60 seconds was like a mini-meditation that took the panic out of the act. And in the end, what is a cigarette but meditation anyway? Breathe in, breathe out.

Funny you should mention meditation. This is exactly what I've been doing to help quit vaping in addition to journalling. Vaping is so easy to do. Just pick it up and do it anytime you wish. Have a couple of vaping sticks in case one runs out of battery, etc. It's more addictive than cigarettes as with cigarettes I can't smoke it in my flat nor indoors anywhere.

Zyn pouches are easier to control the amount of time between each one. But still, I plan to start replacing Zyn pouches with gum and just get rid of nicotine out of my life for good. One meditation at a time, one step at a time.

BroCoast

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Since my last reply to this thread, I had become readdicted to vaping in middle of March 2022. I was stressed dealing with the noisy neighbour from hell in my flat (long story I won't bore you with), but I recently realised it wasn't his fault that I chose to resume the bad habit. Two years, many attempts to quit, and several thousand dollars down the pisser later, I finally quit for good this time. This time I'm determined to make it stick. Been 5 days, and I'm getting through it. I turn 40 Thursday, and I refuse to enter my 40s while still vaping, let alone vape in my 40s and beyond.

That said I'm still addicted to nicotine, but this time I'm using Zyn pouches. They're still a rubbish waste of money, but it's about 1/4th the cost per month of vapes. They also taste better. However, you know what tastes best? Is regular good old-fashioned gum. Not the nicotine gum what tastes like cardboard, but nice, regular minty gum.

The only thing I liked about vaping menthols was that really intense throat-cooling effect. Didn't care much for having a chronic cough from the vaping. So, once I replace Zyn pouches with gum, I'm sticking to really intense mint flavours. Ice Cubes is a proper brand for that. So is Wrigley's Extra. (Oddly enough, I find fruit flavoured gum to taste rather abominable.)

In summary - I quit vaping and replaced with Zyn pouches. And in the coming weeks, I plan to replace Zyn pouches with gum and to become free of nicotine.

Good luck. I am on day 10 nicotine free cold turkey.

Been using 2-3g medical weed a day to deal withdrawals. I quit alcohol too and it’s fine, Garlic Z has me sleeping like a baby.

JohnnyGoodyear

Best thing I've ever done (apart from the bourbon and the heroin), miss the performance every day.

Fingolfinzz

Nicotine is a real bastard. I quit cigs in 2019 using Juul and then quit Juul using Zyn. Still on Zyn but I’ll take that over cigs any day. Cigarettes are the fucking worst. Nicotine is really hard to kick though

jwmmakerofmusic

@BroCoast said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Since my last reply to this thread, I had become readdicted to vaping in middle of March 2022. I was stressed dealing with the noisy neighbour from hell in my flat (long story I won't bore you with), but I recently realised it wasn't his fault that I chose to resume the bad habit. Two years, many attempts to quit, and several thousand dollars down the pisser later, I finally quit for good this time. This time I'm determined to make it stick. Been 5 days, and I'm getting through it. I turn 40 Thursday, and I refuse to enter my 40s while still vaping, let alone vape in my 40s and beyond.

That said I'm still addicted to nicotine, but this time I'm using Zyn pouches. They're still a rubbish waste of money, but it's about 1/4th the cost per month of vapes. They also taste better. However, you know what tastes best? Is regular good old-fashioned gum. Not the nicotine gum what tastes like cardboard, but nice, regular minty gum.

The only thing I liked about vaping menthols was that really intense throat-cooling effect. Didn't care much for having a chronic cough from the vaping. So, once I replace Zyn pouches with gum, I'm sticking to really intense mint flavours. Ice Cubes is a proper brand for that. So is Wrigley's Extra. (Oddly enough, I find fruit flavoured gum to taste rather abominable.)

In summary - I quit vaping and replaced with Zyn pouches. And in the coming weeks, I plan to replace Zyn pouches with gum and to become free of nicotine.

Good luck. I am on day 10 nicotine free cold turkey.

Keep on going mate! We both got this!

Been using 2-3g medical weed a day to deal withdrawals. I quit alcohol too and it’s fine, Garlic Z has me sleeping like a baby.

Whatever works for you, keep on with the keep on. Proud of you mate.

---

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Best thing I've ever done (apart from the bourbon and the heroin), miss the performance every day.

I understand. The only thing I'll miss about vaping is that throat cooling effect of the menthol, but shit. Ice Cubes gum has a more intense throat cooling effect, so fuck vaping. I sure don't need it.

---

@Fingolfinzz said:
Nicotine is a real bastard. I quit cigs in 2019 using Juul and then quit Juul using Zyn. Still on Zyn but I’ll take that over cigs any day. Cigarettes are the fucking worst. Nicotine is really hard to kick though

Yeah, while I never smoked cigs, I picked up vaping late 2018 when the doctors told me there was nothing more they could do for my mother. Then I quit in September 2020. Dealt with the neighbour from hell and picked it back up March 2022. But, I'll be DAMNED if I continue vaping into my 40s, let alone pick that shit back up in my 40s, 50s, etc! I turn 40 in two days.

Like you, I'm currently on Zyn pouches. Also like you, I'll take Zyns and Snus and other tobaccoless pouches over vaping any day. Believe that, mate. They're also cheaper per month, and they're easier to time. (Where I could chain-vape all day long and go through 8 pods in a week, I can control how long I go between pouches.)

Right, so Zyns. Those cost me...$25-$30/week for 5-6 cans. Pods? $60-$90/week. I was constantly near the limit in my checking account. It's fucking embarrassing.

I will say this thread was resurrected at the right time for me. This is basically like group therapy for former smokers/former vapers/etc. Except, unlike group therapy, I know everyone here in this thread and have known a lot of you all for years. (I joined in 2013, but I've been active on this forum since 2015.)

rs2000

After mixing "pure nicotine" liquids for friends for quite a while and comparing their "quit smoking" and "quit vaping" success for a few years, my own conclusion is that most smokers and vapers are much more addicted to the additives in commercial products than to the nicotine itself.

Vaping on DIY nicotine liquid to quit the addiction seems to work very well from my experience, given that the psychological side of it is taken care of as well.

abf

Congratulations to everyone in this thread who stopped or is stopping the cigarette habit.
And have a great 40th! @jwmmakerofmusic

Mountain_Hamlet

Since we’re having a personal sharing moment….
After heavy smoking for 15 years starting at the age of 15 I found the best way was to have a partner to give up with. We set a date and even had patches ready to go. In the end we just went cold turkey and have not looked back since. There was a week of high emotional intensity between us that happened in bursts and then we realised it was just the withdraw process and were able to give each other the space to let it all out. Not even a craving since that day.

Edward_Alexander

@ExAsperis99 said:

Here's hoping you're still smoke-free, @Edward_Alexander..

Thank you! I am still cigarette free!

Looking back at when I started this thread in July, 2021, this coming May 31st will be three years.

The first time I quit, years ago, I only stopped for a year, before starting back up again.

I think I’m in the clear now. I don’t miss those nasty things at all.

jwmmakerofmusic

@Edward_Alexander said:

@ExAsperis99 said:

Here's hoping you're still smoke-free, @Edward_Alexander..

Thank you! I am still cigarette free!

Looking back at when I started this thread in July, 2021, this coming May 31st will be three years.

The first time I quit, years ago, I only stopped for a year, before starting back up again.

I think I’m in the clear now. I don’t miss those nasty things at all.

Reminds me of when I first quit vaping. Was off it almost a year and a half and started back up. Mate, you're an inspiration. I'm glad you're still off the gunk. Tomorrow marks one week, and I refuse to cave into the cravings.

Edward_Alexander

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@Edward_Alexander said:

@ExAsperis99 said:

Here's hoping you're still smoke-free, @Edward_Alexander..

Thank you! I am still cigarette free!

Looking back at when I started this thread in July, 2021, this coming May 31st will be three years.

The first time I quit, years ago, I only stopped for a year, before starting back up again.

I think I’m in the clear now. I don’t miss those nasty things at all.

Reminds me of when I first quit vaping. Was off it almost a year and a half and started back up. Mate, you're an inspiration. I'm glad you're still off the gunk. Tomorrow marks one week, and I refuse to cave into the cravings.

You can do it bro! Put your sights on something you could use all the saved money on. As if the health benefits weren’t enough!

jwmmakerofmusic

@Edward_Alexander said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@Edward_Alexander said:

@ExAsperis99 said:

Here's hoping you're still smoke-free, @Edward_Alexander..

Thank you! I am still cigarette free!

Looking back at when I started this thread in July, 2021, this coming May 31st will be three years.

The first time I quit, years ago, I only stopped for a year, before starting back up again.

I think I’m in the clear now. I don’t miss those nasty things at all.

Reminds me of when I first quit vaping. Was off it almost a year and a half and started back up. Mate, you're an inspiration. I'm glad you're still off the gunk. Tomorrow marks one week, and I refuse to cave into the cravings.

You can do it bro! Put your sights on something you could use all the saved money on. As if the health benefits weren’t enough!

Thanks mate! Got my sights set on surviving paying taxes and renewing my license sticker. 😂 And ASync as well.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Thebosch60

That's a killer way to reward yourself! Investing in something that boosts your productivity and passion instead of spending on cigarettes is a solid choice. I did something similar but on a smaller scale when I quit – got myself an Elfbar 2500. It helped manage cravings without going back to smoking, kind of a mini-reward system for myself.

Edward_Alexander

@tja said:

@Edward_Alexander said:

Not to mention trying to open older projects, only to discover that ipadOS had removed a few apps that I was using because I have been out of storage space on this 64GB iPad Pro 11” from 2018

I would never ever enable this auto-remove feature ...
But then, 64 GB is really too small.

Yeah I don’t miss that limited storage!

Now here I am almost three years later, and I’ve filled up just over half of my 1TB M1’s storage.

Edward_Alexander

@Thebosch60 said:
That's a killer way to reward yourself! Investing in something that boosts your productivity and passion instead of spending on cigarettes is a solid choice.

Agreed! 👍

jwmmakerofmusic

The past couple of times I attempted to quit vaping, I didn't last more than 10 days maximum before caving. I'm happy to report that it's been longer than 10 days (11 days) and I'm still going strong! 💪

Unlike the other times I used nicotine pouches to quit vaping where I pressured myself to quit those too, this time I decided I will enjoy tobaccoless nicotine pouches and their many flavours for a small while. They still cost far less money than vapes ever did (vaping pods were $400-$500/month, whereas pouches cost no more than $150/month if that). Also unlike vaping, I have far more control over how often I do the pouches as each lasts about an hour, and then I can time how long I can go between each one.

Of course I will quit pouches too when I am ready. As I said, I should've never began a nicotine addiction in the first place.

ashh

@Edward_Alexander said:
…
So I decided to reward myself for quitting smoking (again! This time for good!) A little something to remind myself what kind of nice things we can have if we just let go of the smokes!

Got myself the new M1 iPad Pro 12.9” 5th Gen w/1TB!

I'm sure you've got experience with the Cycle of Change model. It's used for a lot of different addictions these days but it actually started out with cigarette smokers. Addiction is a relapsing condition, so quitting and then starting again is just a part of that cycle. You can never begin the cycle if you don't quit, even if you're sure you won't stick to it. Do some research, find out, add it to your next try and so on. No doubt you've heard yourself say "I've quit." Those statements change over time to 'I've stopped' onto 'I don't smoke any more' and finally ' I don't smoke.'

What I'm trying to say is that your previous efforts weren't in vain. Glad to hear that you got your reward.

rentemailad742

Treating yourself to something nice is a great way to celebrate such an achievement. Investing in a new device like the M1 iPad Pro sounds like a fantastic idea, especially if it helps you with your projects and avoids frustrating technical issues.

And if you're looking for more ways to treat yourself, I've found some great vape options from the same place I get my Crave Vape. They have a variety of products that could complement your smoke-free lifestyle.

Fingolfinzz

@rentemailad742 said:
Treating yourself to something nice is a great way to celebrate such an achievement. Investing in a new device like the M1 iPad Pro sounds like a fantastic idea, especially if it helps you with your projects and avoids frustrating technical issues.

Thank you, bot. That’s so relevant. I like to take the money I saved from the merchant of death to buy some Chewlies Gum.