Nicotine Addiction

deensamwin

So......I've really truly changed my life around for the better with eating and staying fit but still one thing remains and it's holding me back. I managed to quit smoking cigarettes a couple years back, but I still vape with a nicotine level of 6 mg. I've tried everything. I feel like this is the last hurdle to a completely fit and healthy lifestyle. Does anybody out there have a secret remedy? Lol

JeromeBarry1

My dad smoked. He picked up the habit in the Army. When the price rose to $0.40/pack, he quit. Just cold turkey quit. Something about your relationship to nicotine has to change. You can find it and make it happen.

cwolfman13

deensamwin wrote: »

So......I've really truly changed my life around for the better with eating and staying fit but still one thing remains and it's holding me back. I managed to quit smoking cigarettes a couple years back, but I still vape with a nicotine level of 6 mg. I've tried everything. I feel like this is the last hurdle to a completely fit and healthy lifestyle. Does anybody out there have a secret remedy? Lol

I wish...

G085H173

Try and go a day without nicotine and then go and beast yourself. If it's at the gym, no dicking around between reps. Really beast yourself. Then after a day of recovery and vaping, go and do it again, beast yourself as hard as you can. If you notice that you are rougher and suffering a bit more, that's not your body telling you it's sore after the first workout, that's your body telling you to ditch that crappy drug. That was the psychological lock in the bottom I needed. Worked for me, give it a go. What to lose?

JDixon852019

What if you did nicotine free vapeing for awhile and see if you get used to it. That way you can hold on to the psychological crutch while you transition. That is how I quit.

WickAndArtoo

Have you tried tapering the level down? I personally quit cold turkey, it didn't align with the type of life and person I wanted to be but I also had to quit drinking alcohol too, because I had no restraint (from nicotine) if I had a couple of drinks. My personality is all or nothing, I just had to tell myself I'm never doing it again and it made it easier for me because it was a black and white decision, after the first few weeks of no nicotine it was so much easier to convince myself that it wouldn't make sense to smoke since I had made it so far! It's now been over three years. Good luck!!

comptonelizabeth

I quit smoking cold turkey 15 years ago then,stupidly,started vaping 2 years ago. For some reason I find it much more addictive than cigarettes and harder to stop. I guess like the above suggestions, try reducing the nicotine levels gradually or switch to an alternative nicotine replacement therapy product and reduce that way.

Gimsteinn

Go cold turkey. It's the only way to do it. Using nicotine gum, band aids or vaping will only stretch out the time it takes you to quit.

LoveGhouse

I like G085H173's approach. I vape too & it's the one bad habit I'm trying to quit. So I started by setting mini goals and challenges that are outside my norm... run to town without, don't hit it till noon, skip Saturday etc .... once I've accomplished one little goal, I feel great, know I can do it and shoot a bit higher each time after that
Hope that helps & good luck!
Always remember when doing things - if it were easy everyone would do it.

samhennings

deensamwin wrote: »

So......I've really truly changed my life around for the better with eating and staying fit but still one thing remains and it's holding me back. I managed to quit smoking cigarettes a couple years back, but I still vape with a nicotine level of 6 mg. I've tried everything. I feel like this is the last hurdle to a completely fit and healthy lifestyle. Does anybody out there have a secret remedy? Lol

I smoked for 20 years, tried to quit and failed countless times.

Finally cracked it just over a year ago, this is what made the difference:
https://www.nicorette.co.uk/products/quick-mist?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=[nicotine%20spray]&utm_campaign=go-gb-eng-ps-nicorette-gp-exa-quickmist&gclid=CL3GkrrA39ACFWa37QodDuMGoQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

I live in the UK and so was given it free by an NHS scheme, I have later realised this was fortunate as they are really expensive!

Anyway, what I found was the problem is two fold. Genuine Nicotine addiction, and the habits surrounding that.

For example, I used to smoke at the same times every single day (on the way to work, mid morning, lunch..). I came to realise that probably half of those cigarettes werent even genuinely "wanted" but were consumed through habit.

The spray did a very good job of quelling the genuine cravings, which then enabled me to break those habits.

Once the habit was gone, and I hadnt done the mindless hand-to-mouth thing for a month or so, it was surprisingly easy to just stop using the spray.

Given that you vape I suggest you havent changed anything about your smoking habit, aside from using a device instead of a cigarette.

I quite at the beginning of last September and havent touched a cigarette since, and it really hasnt been difficult to maintain.

Perhaps some gum/spray/some sort of nicotine substitute would help you like it helped me?

samhennings

comptonelizabeth wrote: »

I quit smoking cold turkey 15 years ago then,stupidly,started vaping 2 years ago. For some reason I find it much more addictive than cigarettes and harder to stop. I guess like the above suggestions, try reducing the nicotine levels gradually or switch to an alternative nicotine replacement therapy product and reduce that way.

I never tried vaping, but one thing always bothered me with it.

With a cigarette it is a fintie thing, isnt it? It has a beginning and an end. It might take 10 minutes but thats it.

You can vape literally all day! Never could get my head around that difference.

coalz

I need to quit too!! Cold turkey is best but not for all. I think the hardest part is breaking down the association Incorporated in daily rituals. Analyze an average day and recognize when you mentally crave nicotine...with morning coffee, driving in the car, after a meal, after a drink? Start with one thing & remove the smoking element . Slowly chip away 1 thing at a time until you are finally free! Slip ups may happen but don't quit quitting!
It helps to replace a bad habit with a good habit so consider the alternatives. Also do the math & realize how much $$$ you'll save!

tahxirez

There is a physical addiction which makes you uneasy and empty when not smoking. This leads you to think that smoking will relieve these negative feelings and/or relieve stress etc. However the only thing intaking nicotine relieves is nicotine withdrawl. This is the uneasy or empty feeling. Get support: Quitnet.com, go there, read profiles, participate. I also read Allen Carr's book (Easy way to stop smoking) its pretty hokey but it got the message across, possibly through straight repetition. Good luck!

rainbowbow

i vaped for over 5 years, around 6 and 3 for the last two. then for the last 6 months i vaped 0. then one day i woke up and just had no desire to vape anymore.


don't give up, you can do it.

PennWalker

deensamwin wrote: »

So......I've really truly changed my life around for the better with eating and staying fit but still one thing remains and it's holding me back. I managed to quit smoking cigarettes a couple years back, but I still vape with a nicotine level of 6 mg. I've tried everything. I feel like this is the last hurdle to a completely fit and healthy lifestyle. Does anybody out there have a secret remedy? Lol

I don't know where you live, but if you're in the US you can often go to free stop-smoking/stop-nicotine classes at many hospitals. Many years ago, I stopped smoking cigarettes cold turkey but knew I would start again, so I signed up for classes. It was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Also, the withdrawal/suffering is not as bad as the flu and mostly goes away in a few weeks. Good luck. Millions of people have quit, so can you.

comptonelizabeth

samhennings wrote: »

comptonelizabeth wrote: »

I quit smoking cold turkey 15 years ago then,stupidly,started vaping 2 years ago. For some reason I find it much more addictive than cigarettes and harder to stop. I guess like the above suggestions, try reducing the nicotine levels gradually or switch to an alternative nicotine replacement therapy product and reduce that way.

I never tried vaping, but one thing always bothered me with it.

With a cigarette it is a fintie thing, isnt it? It has a beginning and an end. It might take 10 minutes but thats it.

You can vape literally all day! Never could get my head around that difference.

Exactly and this is why I'm finding it much harder to quit than cigarettes.

Spliner1969

I quit smoking using vaping over six years ago. I vaped for the longest time and worked my way down to 6mg then to 3, then to 0, then quit. Honestly, at 6mg it's very unlikely it's the nicotine you're addicted to all that much, it's the habit or the throat hit. Learn to make your own liquids. It's easy as hell just practice safety with nicotine in higher concentrations, most vendors will sell it to you unflavored in 24, 36, 50, or 100mg strengths so you can mix it down yourself. I used to buy a liter at a time at 50mg and mix my own at whatever strength I wanted.

Cut yourself down to 5mg, then 4mg, then 3mg, then 2mg, then 0. Alternate between 0 and 2mg for a while.. that's what I did. When I wanted to quit completely I simply stopped taking my e-cig with me when I left the house on purpose. One of my favorite things to do was vape and drive, so I cut that out. It was a little tough at first, but not all that much. Took about two months of leaving it at home for me to forget about it completely.

Soon it'll be impossible to buy the stuff to make your own liquids, heck it may even be illegal to purchase e-liquids and e-cigs soon so quit now while you have the chance. It's all about breaking the habits.. focus on that.. and you'll get it. Just don't go back to cigarettes, that's what the tobacco companies want, and its why they have lined the pockets of lobbyists to get e-cigs banned.

whattheJKD

Nicotine is a mental block. If you get past that, physical side effects/withdrawals are almost nonexistent (I had a mild headache for 3 days). Allen Carr's book the Easy Way to Stop Smoking de-brainwashed me past the mental block and I quit after reading it several years ago after being a 15 year pack a day smoker. Same thing for a friend of mine (who gave me the book). It's on amazon. Bet $10 you'll ever spend. Good luck- I hope you do this nice thing for yourself!

sherryminch

Hey now.....

I was a two and a half pack a day smoker for 40 years.....tried to quit 9 different times....tried every nicotine replacement option out there....even prescription meds from my doctor.......none of them worked.....then one day while I was surfing on the web looking for a natural option I found a little herb called Lobelia......I did some research online about it, then tried it.......within two weeks I smoked my last cigarette and have not looked back since.....I took it all told for about a month and found I didn't need to take it anymore after that......it made the cigs taste horrible (for me, anyway) and curbed the cravings......during the first week of taking it I dropped from 2 1/2 packs down to 1 pack, it worked that good.....it's just a suggestion and it may not work as good or at all for you, but what would be the harm in trying?? If you want to try it you should be able to find it at a health food type store or you can buy it online and it's fairly cheap......a lot cheaper than any NRT.......good luck with your efforts and stick to it, don't ever give up on it.....your lungs will thank you for it.....

marm1962

whattheJKD wrote: »

Nicotine is a mental block. If you get past that, physical side effects/withdrawals are almost nonexistent (I had a mild headache for 3 days). Allen Carr's book the Easy Way to Stop Smoking de-brainwashed me past the mental block and I quit after reading it several years ago after being a 15 year pack a day smoker. Same thing for a friend of mine (who gave me the book). It's on amazon. Bet $10 you'll ever spend. Good luck- I hope you do this nice thing for yourself!

Not everyone has the same level of addiction, some have a bit more than some little ole mild headache...could have dealt with that easily enough with ibuprofen and caffiene.

marm1962

Mine was done with drugs. I tried to quit a multitude of times over the years and never got farther than one day (with my husband screaming at me to go smoke a f'n cigarette....lol) In 2008 a doctor convinced me to try chantix and 8 smoke free years later I am glad she did. I only needed to do it for 1 month too, not the usual 3.

Spliner1969

Chantix, Nicotine Gum, Patches, none of it worked for me until I found e-cigs. The moment I started using them I cut way down and within a week I realized I hadn't smoked a cigarette in days. Two weeks later I gave away the rest of a carton of cigarettes because I no longer needed them. That was the best feeling in the world. For those of you who were smokers (or are) you know that feeling you get when you're about to run out of cigarettes or have run out. Even if you just had one it'll be in the back of your mind that you're out and you'll want one. With e-cigs I forgot all about cigarettes pretty quickly. I vaped for years afterward and my lungs healed along the way. By the time I started to cut down my nicotine levels in my e-cigs to quit it felt like I never smoked at all. I no longer got those horrible colds in the winter/flu months, and my lungs felt great. I also could do things like take the stairs if an elevator was broken without getting out of breath. It's part of the reason I decided to start losing weight because I knew my lungs could handle the exercise. I have no doubt that e-cigs saved my life. I smoked 2 packs of Kool's a day for 22 years. Dropped that habit in a week with e-cigs.

In my opinion, it's the reason big tobacco wants it pulled from the market, because they can't control it, and it's losing them their customers. Soon big tobacco will be the only ones for the most part that can afford to go through the FDA hoops to keep the products on the market so they'll have the market cornered again. They'll then up the nicotine levels and start adding MAOI's and other chemicals to make them more addictive. My suggestion is if you have tried to quit using other methods and failed, you may want to try e-cigs now, because that option is going to be taken away soon. There's still time to use e-cigs to quit smoking and then taper down so that when they are pulled off the market you won't have to go back to smoking cigarettes. But that time is running out fast. I'm very glad I quit using them, it gave me my life back.

Skee_2802

Medication called champix worked for me. The drug literally stops the cravings. Of course it's suggested that you break away from old triggers or habits. You're allowed to smoke when first taking the drug & are expected to set yourself a quit date ( 1 wk or 2 away ). Leading up to that date & as the drug is in your system, you'll gradually notice the craving to go for a smoke die down. The drug also physically makes you hate the taste of smoking & physically feel sick if you were to continue smoking whilst taking the medication past your quit date.

It worked for me & I've tried quitting in the past a million times..
Good luck mate.

PennWalker

deensamwin wrote: »

So......I've really truly changed my life around for the better with eating and staying fit but still one thing remains and it's holding me back. I managed to quit smoking cigarettes a couple years back, but I still vape with a nicotine level of 6 mg. I've tried everything. I feel like this is the last hurdle to a completely fit and healthy lifestyle. Does anybody out there have a secret remedy? Lol

I don't know where you live, but in the US many hospitals have free stop smoking programs. If there is one in your area, you could go and just adapt it to your problem.

I quit cigarettes many years ago, but knew I would start again and went to a 6-week class for support. They trained me to think like a non-smoker. It was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I was also able to finally quit because I faced the fact that I was an addict and needed outside help. Some people can quit on their own but I benefited from a program. It's been over 20 years now.

tallee

I quit smoking for 2 years the first time with chantix. I did use food as a crutch, though. Once I was a 'non-smoker' I went back and lost the weight. Some of the best advice/tips I was given are: "losing weight will be easy compared to quitting smoking". I agree 100% with this even though I am only 52 days in to my second quit (with chantix) and have again put on weight. I talked to my doctor who agrees the health benefits of quitting smoking far outweigh the risks of putting on a few pounds. OK, more than a few. I wasn't about to start in the middle of the holidays! Another tip: use a smoking cessation app. I use "drop it" to keep track of $$ saved and health benefits. Side effects from chantix? I found myself tired the first several weeks. Rather than fight it, I slept a good 8-9 hours a night. It might have been related to the end of daylight savings time as that was the same week I quit. Vivid dreams? A few, but not nightmares. Remember there is a difference. Irritable? A little, but who isn't when they quit smoking? I am now at a point where I am almost ready to stop taking chantix. This gets a little tricky. The last time I stopped taking it I felt like I got a little moody. Not wanting to experience that again, I talked to my doctor. He suggested I wean myself off of it to avoid side effects when stopping chantix. Anyway, I have been taking chantix for about 60 days now and have been smoke free for 52. My energy level is coming back and I am ready to face a new year and lose the weight I gained as a result. Good luck everyone and Happy New Year!