[Joxster]

Congratulations to all the people on this thread who managed to successfully kick the habit!

I've been a silent spectator of this thread for quite sometime now, but lacked the motivation or willpower to give up smoking, so I didn't comment anything. I can now proudly say that after 17 years of smoking an average of 20 cigarettes a day (more on the weekends or with drinks), I managed to quit the habit 5 months ago, and haven't touched a cigarette since.

However, before anyone congratulates me, I switched over to vaping in place of the cigarettes, and I am vaping a cigarette flavored liquid which has 6 mg of Nicotine. The goal is also to give up the vaping, but I guess gradually reducing the Nicotine content in the liquid that I am vaping is the first step.
I am confident that I will be able to quit the vaping very soon as well.

Originally Posted by Suraj25

Is there anyone here who went from smoking -> vaping -> completely stopping?

I would also be interested to hear from anyone who has done this, on how they went about it.

Cheers

[Thad E Ginathom]

Well done for quitting the smoking habit. Next thing is, if you want to carry on down this path, to quit the nicotine addiction.

I don't know, but it might just be that my previous comments ( a couple of posts back) about cutting-down as quitting technique for cigarettes could also apply to vaping as well?

I am confident that I will be able to quit the vaping very soon as well.

Confidence doesn't necessarily last. Fix an absolute date while the confidence is running strong. Or cash in your all your confidence and quit nicotine altogether right now?


.

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Well done for quitting the smoking habit.

Thank you!

I don't know, but it might just be that my previous comments ( a couple of posts back) about cutting-down as quitting technique for cigarettes could also apply to vaping as well?

Well, I would initially be reducing the Nicotine content that I am using in my vape, without reducing the frequency that I vape.

Confidence doesn't necessarily last. Fix an absolute date while the confidence is running strong. Or cash in your all your confidence and quit nicotine altogether right now?

Haha, I definitely believe you on the confidence bit. Thanks to your suggestion, I have fixed a date to stop vaping as well.

I will drop an update here once I stop vaping

Cheers

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I've quit smoking since a month now (cold turkey obviously) and have switched to nicotine chewing gums (Nicogum from Cipla). Started with the 4 mg gums (3-4 a day esp. after the meal) and now I'm on 2 mg ones.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

In short, cold turkey is the best way to quit. I did it just over four months back, and have not touched a single one ever since. Not a day goes by when I do not have a temptation to have a drag, but the intensity of temptation does get lower by the day.

Way to go @Gannu_1 and arindambasu13.

Originally Posted by 2500cc

I've been smoking for past 25yrs, I want to give up but find it very difficult due to lack of will power. Weekly I used to buy 4 packs od 20s, however for last one month I have bought it down to 3 packs a week. Planning to take up vaping for a while before, I completely give up smoking. I tried stopping abruptly many times, but couldn't due to various personal reasons. Looking for suggestions and motivation.

Here you go and hope it helps: My 2 ps (Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking)

There is plenty of updated info on the effects of smoking on the internet. Do yourself and your family a favour - just quit and it is only the cold turkey method that works.

Forget about trying to wean yourself off this addiction. It is binary - either you smoke (1) or you don't (0). Even a lower number of cigarettes cause harm.

Originally Posted by Suraj25

Approximately 2-3 drags gives me a nice buzz and now my craving for nicotine seems to have increased. Hoping to stop completely in a couple months.. lets see how it goes. Is there anyone here who went from smoking -> vaping -> completely stopping?

I stopped cold turkey and firmly believe that's the only way to stop smoking. Yes, it is hard but your effort pays off. It is all about will power. Just use it.

To those who believe vaping can help, well, IMHO you are living in dream land. That is an addiction too!! If you need 'assistance' then use nicotine patch or gum programmes. Makes it easier.

All this said let's get one thing straight - the addiction to nicotine is what fuels your craving for it. So feeding that monster albeit in another form, will not cure your desire to smoke/vape. To me vaping is almost as bad as smoking.

As a non smoker for the last 14 years and 3 months I wouldn't even chew a nicotine gum..forget smoke a cigarette. I treat ANY nicotine product as I would nuclear waste.

Good luck! Hope you (and all other smokers) quit this killer addiction.

[vinit.merchant]

Agreed cold turkey is the best way to quit, but may not suit everyone, depending on the will power and the years of addiction. So now we have an alternative to intake nicotine than cigarette.

But then it is also true that vaping has its own set of issues later on, and one can get addicted to it the same way as a cigarette. So it is best to get rid of vaping before getting addicted to it.


PS: 2nd Sept, completed 6 months of quitting. Feels good. Had an issue at the 3 month mark, lasted roughly for a month. My wife and my doctor termed it as withdrawal symptom, I call it some short circuit or chemical reaction (!) in my brain for lack of nicotine. And for that 1 month that it lasted, I regretted every day that why I quit smoking. But did not pick up the cancer stick again. And I was able to sail through.

All I can suggest to people aspiring to quit, once you are through with a week, you just have to control yourself for that only that one drag. Resist THE ONE drag and you are through.
If you want to quit but cold turkey is difficult for you, then go to a place for 3-4 days where you cannot find cigarettes, and make sure you do not carry any. Tirupati is one such place that comes to mind.

PS: I got myself admitted to a hospital, as I had a few screws and a plate in my ankle to be removed. Smoked my last before getting admitted. Got discharged in 2 days, but this time I was adamant not not picking it up again, plus I knew how much that one drag costs, as that is what triggered the habit again the last time I quit. After smoking for 22 years, I feel I smoked enough for my lifetime, and some more.

[Samurai]

Removed personal attacks and tit for tat arguments. Keep the debate rational and impersonal. - Support Team

[bblost]

Originally Posted by bblost

140 days.

I actually had to use excel to calculate the number of days since I had my last cig.

But I miss them so much.

I have decided that the key thing is to not take another puff.
So I am only fighting the next puff.

Smoke free for 10 years and a few days.

I am surprised I have held off having that next puff for so long. While I don't think about it so much, I still miss my smokes.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I missed the habit for a while, especially the whole roll-you-own trip. Can't remember when that passed away completely. Update us in another ten years

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

... ... ... Had an issue at the 3 month mark, lasted roughly for a month. My wife and my doctor termed it as withdrawal symptom, I call it some short circuit or chemical reaction (!) in my brain for lack of nicotine. And for that 1 month that it lasted, I regretted every day that why I quit smoking. But did not pick up the cancer stick again. And I was able to sail through. ... ... ...

That must have been a very tough time. Congratulations for sticking with it and getting through that.

Once one has given up for a week or so, one has given up. Much of the worst has happened already. All my giving-up failures were one-day failures, that is to say that I may have started the day with good intentions, but went downhill from there. It takes some work to go on and give up for real. When I see people start again after months, or even a few years, I think what a waste of the effort they made.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Once one has given up for a week or so, one has given up. Much of the worst has happened already. All my giving-up failures were one-day failures, that is to say that I may have started the day with good intentions, but went downhill from there. It takes some work to go on and give up for real. When I see people start again after months, or even a few years, I think what a waste of the effort they made.

The effort that goes in quitting is enough motivator to not touch it again.

Although i confess i still roll a few for my friends sometimes, mainly because they still can't roll as round and perfect as i do, and I still enjoy the rolling part. But then, thats it. Now i no longer feel the urge even when I rolled it myself

[GTO]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

The effort that goes in quitting is enough motivator to not touch it again.

That is so true!

One gives up smoking with a lot of effort, will power & planning. You'd have to be a fool to start smoking again after going through that.

One tip from my side: Increase your focus on fitness (or start if you weren't into fitness) once you quit smoking. That'll remain your biggest motivator. Make your body your temple.

Since I quit smoking, I've actually become a lot more particular about what I eat too. No more junk week-old frozen Dominos pizza for me. When I want to eat a pizza, I eat from local eateries that make a fresh pizza for me.

[Thad E Ginathom]

GTO, there are many such fools! Many of whom probably thought. "you'd have to be a fool..."

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by GTO

One tip from my side: Increase your focus on fitness (or start if you weren't into fitness) once you quit smoking. That'll remain your biggest motivator. Make your body your temple.

Not necessarily true. I have been a gym rat for the last decade and more, but had been a smoker for almost the same amount of time. In fact, I used to look forward to the after workout smoke. Smoking urges rarely follow reason, and while I knew that smoking immediately after the workout would negate a lot of the fitness gains, it did not stop me from giving way to my craving. Of course, I can put it down to a lack of will power and reason, but it was what it was. Not to mention that rationality and will power are probably the two biggest casualties in smokers!

Not saying that starting on a fitness track is bad thing, it is in fact a great thing- and if you can manage to have your fitness goals demotivate you from smoking, then nothing like it. But I personally have not had any success worth mentioning with that path.

[Thad E Ginathom]

When I used to sail regularly I loved the combination of fresh air and smoke!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Not necessarily true. I have been a gym rat for the last decade and more, but had been a smoker for almost the same amount of time.

Likewise - I've been working out since as far back as I can remember, and was a smoker for 22 years.

My point was, to *remain a non-smoker*, focus on your fitness & respect your body. That will provide you with additional motivation to be off cigarettes.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by GTO

My point was, to *remain a non-smoker*, focus on your fitness & respect your body. That will provide you with additional motivation to be off cigarettes.

Agreed. Like I had mentioned earlier, if fitness goals can work to prevent one from smoking, that is a win-win situation!

It is of course easy to be wiser after the event, and I had very little luck trying to follow and implement the above principle