Post: #1

If you were ever a smoker, or smoked in the past, did e-cigs help you quit? Used them in the past and started again, same thing, I find myself still wanting a real cigarette, although I'm not smoking the real cigarettes quite as much. E-cigs seem like cigarette mitigation if anything, not really a way to quit real cigarettes entirely. Some people seem to have quit very easily only using e-cigs.

Using the high level strength blu e-cig. Have used other ones too, there's still something about the real cigarette I prefer.

Post: #2

Slightly off topic but here's what I found successful in getting my patients to gain their freedom from cigarettes:

- First of all, you need to change your psychological relationship towards cigarettes. If you need cigarettes to relax, to have something to do with your hands, to kill time, etc. then you will find it nearly impossible to quit. Because psychologically you are in the loser's position, and no one wants to be a loser. If you need tips on how to change your psychological relationship to cigarettes, I suggest you read Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking, which addresses a lot of common excuses that smokers use to smoke. But basically you need to plan out new ways of relaxing, keeping yourself busy, etc. that don't involve smoking.

- Once your mind is prepped to gain freedom from cigarettes, you can then get some medication that will take the sting off the physical withdrawal symptoms. Varenicline (called Champix in most places) has worked wonders in my patients. You can take it for 3 months but most of my patients only take it for a month or two because they are liberated from smoking so quickly while on it. It can have nasty side effects though, usually nausea and insomnia but one patient would fly into fits of rage (not sure if that was the meds or the withdrawal, though). Another medication is Wellbutrin (Zyban), and usually people that don't do well on Champix will do well on Zyban.

Note that the medication does not work if you are not psychologically prepped to stop smoking, so don't bother taking any smoking cessation medication/device if you still believe that cigarettes help you get through a rough day or that cigarettes help you maintain weight or etc. etc. The medication does nothing for the psychological craving for cigarettes it only dampens the withdrawal syndrome.

- It's okay to have a moment of weakness after having quit for a few months and then you end up smoking again. Just prep your mind and then try quit again, if necessary taking the medication again.

It sucks having to take medication and handing over money to Big Pharma but 3 months at most of handing over cash to the pharmaceutical company for a mind-altering drug versus a continuing lifetime of handing over cash to the tobacco industry for a mind-altering drug is to me the lesser of the two evils.

Disclaimer: I have never been a tobacco smoker myself. I have, however, managed to get several of my patients to gain freedom from their cigarettes.

Post: #3

I think it's always been a psychological craving for me. I've never understood how anyone smokes a pack a day, or even a half pack.

Never liked strong cigarettes either. Only lights, 3 or 4 per day is my maximum, more on weekends if I'm out partying.

Post: #4

Thomas, I think it's called Chantix in the US. I would not recommend using it because a lot of people with underlying psychotic issues become suicidal while using it.

I used to rip through a pack of smokes a day without much of a problem and tried to tone it down to about half a pack a day but was not getting anywhere. I managed to quit about three weeks ago by just going cold turkey. I bought some nicotine gum and used about six pieces until the glands in my throat swelled up and I quit that nonsense. When I tried the e-cig last year and ended up going back to smoking once my cartridges ran out, I ended up smoking more because it's more effective at delivering nicotine than a cigarette.

What really helped when going cold turkey was breaking my nose and getting a balls-out sinus infection. I had a low fever for about eight days and spent all my time trying to empty my sinuses of blood and mucous. I didn't want to do shit, much less smoke. Once I got over my anxiety about not having cigarettes on me and realized that I can live another week's worth of swing shifts without smoking a cigarette it was much easier to quit. The physical addiction is an unpleasant three or four days but the psychological hold is weirder and stronger in ways.

Post: #5

I was actually off cigarettes for a while but then I bought an e-cig thinking "hey, what's the harm?" Next thing I know I'm smoking real cigarettes again. Nicotine gum, while a good way to get to that point where the taste of cigarettes is undesirable again, becomes its own addiction.

Nicotine is a tough thing to quit. Smoking is hard because... how many times do you go to the smoking area of a bar and meet a new girl? There's a lot of positive reinforcement. Quitting is hard, but doable. For me, the best way to quit is to completely go cold turkey right after a big binge. That way it's easy to feel repulsed, and the withdrawal becomes a sort of "kick in the ass" that I need.

It's dumb, but it works for me, until the next regrettable "hey this one smoke won't make me want to smoke again" situation a year later.

Post: #6

E-cigs have been the only method that have helped me stay off cigarettes, but they are not considered to be helpful in quitting nicotine. It's more harm reduction than cessation.

The first few days have been the hardest for me, because cigarettes deliver the nicotine much faster, plus the taste is different. Then I got used to it by changing my habit - instead of going for a cigarette every 40-60 minutes I'd just puff my e-cig pretty much constantly - a puff there, a puff there. Nowadays I never feel any craving as I have a constant supply of nicotine at hand.

Personally, and this is just me, I do intend to quit nicotine, too, and think that this CAN be an intemediate step, though going cold turkey is probably a better way if you can do it.

Post: #7

Having been nicotine-free for the last 3 years, I can tell you that the only way to quit is cold turkey.

Post: #8

I second germanico's post. Cold turkey is the best way despite being a special kind of hell for the first 48-72 hours. By the fourth day all the nicotine's gone and the cravings are only (heh...) psycological.

I've used e-cigs before and they just made me want a real cigarette. They also contain nicotine.

Cold turkey is the way.

Post: #9

You can get E-Cigs with varying amounts of nicotine. If you're interested, I'll post more info.

Post: #10

Yes, the E-cigs worked for me.

I bought one of those bigass one's because the battery lasts for 1 week before I need to charge it. I loved the Blu's, but the battery's last like 30 minutes.

Post: #11

I can now confirm that e-cigs did help me quit. Them and going cold turkey 2 weeks ago.

E-cigs helped me in two ways: psychologically by changing my habits, and physically by reducing the amount of harmful substances that I inhaled. What remained was nicotine, however.

I had one of the eJoy series with lots of spare parts to assemble another AND a backup single-use e-cig of another brand. One evening the eJoy started giving me attitude - no matter how many parts I switched it wouldn't work. Them being quite new as a technology you can expect failures.

I still had and used the single-use backup that evening but but saw this like a good opportunity to quit nicotine as such. Instead of buying a new e-cig the next morning, I went ahead and toughed it out. After two weeks it feels like I am on the other side.

Post: #12

I used the patch earlier in the year. Only used it for a couple weeks and I was good.

I started up again a month or so ago. And then I just quit again five days ago. I think my will power has increased because it was pretty easy this time.

E cigs didn't help me at all. I had one but I couldn't stop puffing on it.

Post: #13

I used Chantix. It was supposed to be a 12 week process, but I stopped taking the pills after 6 days when the urges went away and didn't smoke again.

You can smoke regularly, and your cravings just drop. Very easy to do. Crazy dreams at night and some nausea were the only side effects.

Post: #14

I've been filling tobacco for quite some time now, and it has an unintended consequence: it made me reduce smoking because it gets a little bit tiring to fill those tubes with tobacco after some time, especially when hangover when you don't have any pre-filled and you need to fill them again while you want to go to a café for some coffee. I won't stop smoking because I don't want to, but this is a good way to at least reduce smoking. I tried e-cigs but they are like those weak slims cigarettes for women or ultralights: you feel like you aren't smoking at all and don't help at all: you just keep puffing.

Post: #15

E-cigs helped me to quit smoking. Though it was just a replacement.

It took about 2 weeks of smoking e-cigs to get me to quit smoking. Basically I would break down every couple days and a have real cigarette. When I did though, they disgusted me. Cigarettes tasted even more like ass than usual after smoking e-cigs.(I recommend Tasty Vapor,great flavors. Butter rum and Atomic Cinnacide were my favorite.)

Then about 1 1/2 years later I got seriously involved with Mary Jane for about 2 months. During which I quit e-cigs.

Post: #16

I switched to the smallest refillable rechargeable e cigarette I could find. Really just a hookah pen but small. It prevents me buying a pack of smokes. I still bumb and smoke when I'm boating and occasionally when I'm golfing with friends, but I don't buy a pack for a long drive or to smoke on my back porch anymore.

Yes, the e cig industry has helped my health a ton.

Post: #17

The problem I found with ecigs was they just don't go out. I smoked on that thing for an hour! I know I've had enough once I get to the end of a real one.

Post: #18

I havent stopped but scaled way back by just never buying cigs. I basically only ever smoked while drinking. So now if I'm out I force myself to ask a few people to bum one or two.

Helped me scale back from half a pack a day to maybe 4-5 a week total. I guess I should totally stop at some point, but this works for me for now.

Post: #19

my cousin started using these about a year ago. He went from smoking 30 cigs a day and he now hasn't touched one in over a year.

I'll be getting on it shortly, right now I'm smoking about 5 a day so I keep delaying it but I know I need to do it eventually.

Post: #20

Yes the link you provided are basically what I use, but as small of battery and cartridge as you can find...I got this one from a local place in my town

Post: #21

(08-13-2013 09:41 PM)la_mode Wrote:  If you were ever a smoker, or smoked in the past, did e-cigs help you quit? Used them in the past and started again, same thing, I find myself still wanting a real cigarette, although I'm not smoking the real cigarettes quite as much. E-cigs seem like cigarette mitigation if anything, not really a way to quit real cigarettes entirely. Some people seem to have quit very easily only using e-cigs.

Using the high level strength blu e-cig. Have used other ones too, there's still something about the real cigarette I prefer.

Smoked for 8 years. At the end close to 35 cigarettes per day.

There is only one way to quit - cold turkey. Everything else is a bullshit.

You will only really suffer for a couple of weeks and after a month there are no physical symptoms, only psychological.

Post: #22

A few years back I managed to quit using the patches. That and keeping away from drinks/foods that made me crave smoking. Coffee/Tea/Chocolate/Fast food and keeping Gum and Water within reaching distance at all times. I found that this method coupled with doing push ups everytime I would crave or any way to make myself slightly out of breath increased my chances significantly.

Post: #23

I will say that if you intend on quitting smoking, you better take a long hiatus from drinking as well.

Post: #24

(06-25-2014 04:13 AM)Hades Wrote:  I will say that if you intend on quitting smoking, you better take a long hiatus from drinking as well.

Bingo! I quit drinking before I quit smoking. Was off the booze for five years before going back to Mr. Jack Daniels.

Post: #25

My father used to smoke around 2.5 packet per day (yes...) and he had been a smoker for 40 years.

Currently he's using the e-cig to "reduce smoking" and after 4 years he is now stable at 2-3 cigarettes per week, generally after really heavy lunch/dinners.

I used them too.
I am 30 and I smoke since I was 15. On average, it's 1 packet per day.
After 1 month of e-cig I was smoking 1-2 cigarette per day and after 3 months I was down to 2-3 cigarettes per week.

I had some problems in the office: my colleagues said I should not smoke inside the place, even if it is an E-cig.
I stopped after 4 months due to the annoyed complaints and re-started cigarettes.
I use the e-cig for special situation (dating a non-smoker or going to have dinner with a non-smoker friend) but I mostly smoke my old Marlboro Light 100's.

If you really want to start "quitting smoke" by using the e-cig, go with a REALLY high dosage of nicotine for the first days.
I started at 18 mg for the first week, moved to 12 on the second and to 6 at the end of the first month.
At around the 2 months mark I went to 0 mg nicotine and still felt fine.

24 mg - tried once, after the third puff I was retching and nearly vomiting.