Quitting smoking

S

Spic-N-SpaN

Active member
I used to be pretty good about only chipping on the weekends after have a few drinks, then when the week rolled around not even thinking about it. Then I started smoking during breaks with friends and coworkers, and now it's snowballed into being the first thing I think about when I wake up. I've tried to quit cold turkey a few times, the longest lasting a week. But it's hard when all your roommates go out on the porch for a cig and you miss part of that social interaction. I don't want to be a smoker.

The hardest part is feeling all antsy and weird and knowing you don't have to feel like this, I just need to light one up and relax.

Any of you successfully quit, or are in the process of quitting? What worked for you? The biggest thing is I start feeling anxious, and I already have a lot of anxiety and I hate feeling like that especially in social situations.

Any of you that quit, are you still able to smoke once in a blue moon with out full on getting back in the habit of lighting on up when ever you have a little free time? Or do you have to just never touch them again?
 
I quit two years ago... Then, had one this past may at a festival and started smoking like I never quit. So, once in a blue doesn't work after you're addicted to it, especially when addicted to the idea and social aspect of smoking. I recently quit smoking and dip cold turkey again (except for the occasional blunt that may have a little nicotine). IMO you have to be ready to quit, then you can quit. But, if you have any doubts it is not going to work. I used chantax the first time around and it made me never want to smoke again. I got so fucking sick, nightmares, the whole 9. You can go that route but beware! I only was on the meds for 3 days and I was done... for two years.

You have to want to stop. Not because people say its bad for you, not because it makes you smell bad, not because now you get winded walking upstairs, you have to want to stop. Yeah, all of those reasons go into you wanting to quit, but you need to be committed.

e-cigs, patches, gum etc may help bridge the gap but all failed for me. Especially e-cigs, those just bridge the gap until you're drunk and buy a pack. Plus they hurt my throat.
 
I forgot to add, you need to for new habits. I think patches and gum do not work because you still have the habit of smoking. You enjoy going outside with friends for a smoke break. Habit is a big part of the addiction.

You can try forming new habits, and understand it is going to be weird at first. Habits/routines are good because they help you feel comfortable. You need to leave that comfort zone and be OK with your mouth watering for a cig. Few days and it goes away.

Best time to quit is entering a new setting like a new job. That way you can form new habits from the start. That is unlikely happening right now for ya so go out of your comfort zone and be ready to quit with forming new habits
 
I smoked for four years and I couldn't count how many times I "quit" for a couple weeks on two hands if you asked me to. Every time I quit I would go back to it, but every time I went back to it I remembered why I was quitting. Each non-smoking period would be longer than the previous until a couple months ago I just stopped. It was really hard not to go buy a pack after I finished my last one, it definitely took a ton of will-power but I did it and most of the time I don't even think about it. I have one socially every now and then just because I know I'm in a place where I can control myself and not fall back into the habit, but otherwise I don't smoke anymore. I feel a lot better physically, which is nice. My advice would be try to replace the habit with a healthier one (temporarily, until it's not necessary anymore). I used to pop an altoid every time I wanted a cigarette. I certainly went through a lot of altoids haha but they're significantly cheaper than cigarettes. Good luck man
 
13138649:louie.mirags said:
You have to want to stop. Not because people say its bad for you, not because it makes you smell bad, not because now you get winded walking upstairs, you have to want to stop. Yeah, all of those reasons go into you wanting to quit, but you need to be committed.
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This is absolutely true, I forgot to mention that I always SORT of wanted to, but was afraid of letting the habit go (which is why it never worked), but the last time I wanted nothing but to be done with it, I was really ready and it made all the difference.
 
I quit about 4-5 months ago. I smoked about a pack a day. Terrible.

I quit using the e-cig. I smoked the e-cig for about a month. Each week I would lower the nicotine levels down in the juice. The last week contained very little nicotine. Once I finished the last batch of juice, I just stopped. I feel quitting this way made it a TON easier.

The two most important things about trying to quit using the e-cig are

1. Don't cheat with real cigs when your using the e-cig.

2. Don't puff on the e-cig all day. Since its pretty much orderless, you can smoke it anywhere. This makes it real easy to over consume and puff on the thing all day long. Don't do that. Make a valid effort to put it down and use it only when needed.

I feel a TON better. I will never touch a cig ever again. I have already been tested by going out and getting drunk. I stayed strong, and it feels great.

Good luck.
 
13138649:louie.mirags said:
I quit two years ago... Then, had one this past may at a festival and started smoking like I never quit. So, once in a blue doesn't work after you're addicted to it, especially when addicted to the idea and social aspect of smoking. I recently quit smoking and dip cold turkey again (except for the occasional blunt that may have a little nicotine). IMO you have to be ready to quit, then you can quit. But, if you have any doubts it is not going to work. I used chantax the first time around and it made me never want to smoke again. I got so fucking sick, nightmares, the whole 9. You can go that route but beware! I only was on the meds for 3 days and I was done... for two years.

You have to want to stop. Not because people say its bad for you, not because it makes you smell bad, not because now you get winded walking upstairs, you have to want to stop. Yeah, all of those reasons go into you wanting to quit, but you need to be committed.

e-cigs, patches, gum etc may help bridge the gap but all failed for me. Especially e-cigs, those just bridge the gap until you're drunk and buy a pack. Plus they hurt my throat.
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Chantax. I took that too. HOLY STOMACH NAUSA. I lost count how many times I got sick from taking that shit. If I didn't eat within 5 min of taking the morning dose, I would puke.

Nightmares were insane as well.

It worked for like 1 year, then I started back up again. E-cig has been the golden ticket for me.
 
13138687:speedin said:
Chantax. I took that too. HOLY STOMACH NAUSA. I lost count how many times I got sick from taking that shit. If I didn't eat within 5 min of taking the morning dose, I would puke.

Nightmares were insane as well.

It worked for like 1 year, then I started back up again.
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Dude, it was horrible. All of the negative side effects were true, not just warnings. I stopped after three days - never again!
 
Nobody likes a quitter. I must a cigarette is tasty after a fresh bong rip or a good bit to drink.

Drinking and smoking is like pooping and peeing. Can't do one without the other.
 
13138726:GrizzlyBurr said:
Nobody likes a quitter. I must a cigarette is tasty after a fresh bong rip or a good bit to drink.

Drinking and smoking is like pooping and peeing. Can't do one without the other.
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Seriously dude? You have that little control over your bowels?

I never smoked too frequently but I definitely developed the habit. I rarely smoke now but I crave when I'm drinking. It's easy to think "oh it's just in good fun" and lose sight of long term (well, even short term) consequences.
 
13138842:louie.mirags said:
It might be a dude thing, but it definitely just happens without your control
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Hahaha I know (source: I'm a dude), I was joking. That being said, I imagine that if you tried, you could make it happen.

/derail
 
13138843:blondie. said:
Hahaha I know (source: I'm a dude), I was joking. That being said, I imagine that if you tried, you could make it happen.

/derail
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ha for some reason I thought you were a female in disguise. You could try holding your peter as you pee but that will hurt.

for some reason the term "peter" makes sense when I reference my penis with the action of peeing
 
13138839:blondie. said:
Seriously dude? You have that little control over your bowels?

I never smoked too frequently but I definitely developed the habit. I rarely smoke now but I crave when I'm drinking. It's easy to think "oh it's just in good fun" and lose sight of long term (well, even short term) consequences.
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I have full control over my bowels thank you. It's just a saying relax.
 
Weed is your friend. Always have some.

Then buy the cigs you hate the most- IE viginia slims and you won't want to smoke them unless you need one when drunk. Dont buy what you like. That will ween you off them.

Once you pass that point only smoke other peoples smokes.

Do not go from smoking regularly straight to only bumming though that doesn't work and manipulates your homies and will make them hate you.
 
13138726:GrizzlyBurr said:
Nobody likes a quitter. I must a cigarette is tasty after a fresh bong rip or a good bit to drink.

Drinking and smoking is like pooping and peeing. Can't do one without the other.
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False, all false.

First, a bowl of some good grass is a great breath freshener after a cigarette (yeah, they're both nasty but cigarettes are the worst).

And drinking+smoking=deathly hangovers. As much of a smoker as I've been, generally I don't get the urge when I'm drinking unless everyone else is smoking and even then I refrain more than usual.

I've been on the E-cigarette and they really do help you get off cigarettes, but not smoking. Cigarettes are nasty when you can enjoy an e-cigarette, but like mentioned by others it's not really a great habit to be puffing on an e-cig all day. But it's a start.
 
Just do it. Smoke weed instead. Chew gum or get some hard candy if you need to.

You just gotta just do it. If you quit for a week a month whatever think about it as a number. If you smoke a cig you're back to 0. The farther along you get the easier it is but just remember how far you've made it and use that to get through each day.

It was much harder to quit dipping imo. But it's been 3 years since I've done either. Done for life.

On a related note I hate everyone on facebook going "I finally quit smoking cigs" and it's been like 2 days or maybe a week. Everybody is like OMG THATS AWESOME and a week later they're smoking again and the cycle repeats.

Just fucking do it. That's the trick, just do it.
 
13139350:theabortionator said:
Just fucking do it. That's the trick, just do it.
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Nike's marketing team was on one when they came up with that.

i started smoking like 3 years ago and off and on between the ecig/pipe for the last year and the e cig does make it easier to get off cigs if you use it appropriately and decrease the nicotine steadily.

i made my roommate start smoking last year at this time and he already took the ecig route to quitting. but he had the mindset of really wanting to be done for good and thats what it took. you have to want with the core of your soul to be done.

for me personaly, i think like you, there is a social alleviation it provides that I'm not willing to let go of yet and its nearly impossible to resist after alcohol. i don't want to smoke at all long term so i hope that spark will ignite the fuel to end it as soon as my person doesn't feel like it needs cigs anymore...
 
I dont smoke but this is what ive gathered from a few family memebers that have.

You have to WANT to quit. My uncle tried to quit many ttimes but he just felt pressured because he knew it was bad. Finally one day he woke up and just wanted to be done with it. I think he used chantix but only for the first few nights and never finished the complete cycle or whatever.

Good luck though. Shit's nasty as fuck.
 
Weaning off definitely helps. I agree with the kid up a few posts who said BUY CIGS YOU HATE. It makes it so much fuckin easier to just say, every time you have a slight urge, "nah, these really aren't that appealing." The key is to build up your willpower "muscle memory." Willpower, like many other things controlled by the brain, works like a muscle. The more you train it, the stronger it will be. Basically, the more times you can say 'no' in a day, the easier it will be the next day! Once cigs are off of your every day, conscious mind, the task just gets easier and easier.
 
13139605:saracheezy said:
Weaning off definitely helps. I agree with the kid up a few posts who said BUY CIGS YOU HATE. It makes it so much fuckin easier to just say, every time you have a slight urge, "nah, these really aren't that appealing." The key is to build up your willpower "muscle memory." Willpower, like many other things controlled by the brain, works like a muscle. The more you train it, the stronger it will be. Basically, the more times you can say 'no' in a day, the easier it will be the next day! Once cigs are off of your every day, conscious mind, the task just gets easier and easier.
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Still stand by using the e-cig along with lowering the nicotine gradually. Haven t smoked a e-cig or real cig in over 5 months. Feel great.
 
13164448:speedin said:
Still stand by using the e-cig along with lowering the nicotine gradually. Haven t smoked a e-cig or real cig in over 5 months. Feel great.
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word man, eCigs work awesome. I haven't had a real cigarette in over a year and a half, probably coming close to two years. Mind you I'm still using ecigs, but I like being able to smoke and not feel so guilty about smoking. I enjoy the act, the social interaction and everything about smoking. The things I hate are the chemicals and the dangers tied to the actual cigarette. I'm not sure if I will ever 100% quit smoking my ecig, but I know I will go on breaks where I wont use it at all and then I can just come back to it whenever if I want to.

Also if anyone hasn't yet, check out the Wiki page on Nicotine and look at the health effects part.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine
 
I quit cold turkey a year ago. smoked a pack a day at least. Like everyone else said, you have to be ready to quit on your own. Deciding to quit is easy, staying clean over the long term is hard. The way i stop myself from relapsing is simple. Every time i want to smoke I think about dying. I think about how horrible it would be to live the rest of my life in a hospital in agonizing pain. Being pumped full of god knows what to cure my cancer, all because of a stupid cig. By quitting smoking, your actually saving your own life. Pretty easy to stop when you realize that you WILL die much earlier if you do not stop.
 
I smoked for 15 years. First and foremost the truest statement in this thread is, you have to actually want it. Those who quit over and over again never actually want to quit because they actually LOVE smoking. Until you want to be a non-smoker for real, you will always be a smoker who goes months in between binges.

I got to a point where I had more friends who didn't smoke, than did. And I wanted to be on that side, the non smoker. So I stopped buying packs and started puffing on an e-cig. I quit my favorite smokes first -- after a meal, with coffee, while drinking (the absolute hardest and biggest test, for sure), while driving...

And e-cigs, the cheap ones, so gross. They taste awful. And that is how I weaned myself. Its been just over a year, and I have had one here and there while buzzing, but a few puffs in and I was sick. Can't even finish one. So I might get a craving, but once you wean yourself enough -- they become harsh and gross again. I have now gotten to the point where when I'm buzzing and I feel like having a smoke, I can easily pass because I know it will just taste gross and I'll regret it.

It takes a ton of effort, because if you smoke you know how wonderful they can be, in all their disgustingness. But you will never be successful if you don't truly want it.
 
13164526:Lé.Skiing said:
word man, eCigs work awesome. I haven't had a real cigarette in over a year and a half, probably coming close to two years. Mind you I'm still using ecigs, but I like being able to smoke and not feel so guilty about smoking. I enjoy the act, the social interaction and everything about smoking. The things I hate are the chemicals and the dangers tied to the actual cigarette. I'm not sure if I will ever 100% quit smoking my ecig, but I know I will go on breaks where I wont use it at all and then I can just come back to it whenever if I want to.

Also if anyone hasn't yet, check out the Wiki page on Nicotine and look at the health effects part.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine
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can you recommend an e cig? one that's not massively shitty gas station but not top of the line $$$$ as well?
 
13164544:snwbrdmilf said:
I smoked for 15 years. First and foremost the truest statement in this thread is, you have to actually want it. Those who quit over and over again never actually want to quit because they actually LOVE smoking. Until you want to be a non-smoker for real, you will always be a smoker who goes months in between binges.

I got to a point where I had more friends who didn't smoke, than did. And I wanted to be on that side, the non smoker. So I stopped buying packs and started puffing on an e-cig. I quit my favorite smokes first -- after a meal, with coffee, while drinking (the absolute hardest and biggest test, for sure), while driving...

And e-cigs, the cheap ones, so gross. They taste awful. And that is how I weaned myself. Its been just over a year, and I have had one here and there while buzzing, but a few puffs in and I was sick. Can't even finish one. So I might get a craving, but once you wean yourself enough -- they become harsh and gross again. I have now gotten to the point where when I'm buzzing and I feel like having a smoke, I can easily pass because I know it will just taste gross and I'll regret it.

It takes a ton of effort, because if you smoke you know how wonderful they can be, in all their disgustingness. But you will never be successful if you don't truly want it.
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Good for you Ashley!
 
13164548:momsspaghetti said:
can you recommend an e cig? one that's not massively shitty gas station but not top of the line $$$$ as well?
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There are tons from many different companies. What I used for a long time and enjoyed was a Mini-Protank ecig. The company I buy from is unlimited ecigs, but that's because it's my brothers business. I know that it's all high quality product that comes out of there. It has all of the proper certificates and what not(one of the most important being overcharge protection, plus if it breaks they are usually really good about replacements). Some other companies you can check out are innokin, Dovpo, tesla, and kamry. They have some pretty neat stuff.

Tbh though if you are just looking for something functionable and not too flashy. I would just stick with a mini-protank. For coils I would go with low resistance.

(Not sure if people dislike that I mentioned the name of my brothers business. If it's not cool then mods are welcome to remove this post. I was just saying what I used and what I would personally recommend even if unlimited ecigs wasn't my brothers business.)
 
it takes the average person 6 or 7 tries to actually quit, so if you relapse, stick with it and try again, you're not different because you didnt quit the first time.

you will feel INFINITELY better, i promise
 
E-Cigs man. They're like the best thing that has ever happened to me. The initial investment sucks but they pay for themselves two fold in the end.

The set up I have is an Innokin iTaste Clk in black

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http://www.innokin.com/index.php/product-listings/product/27-itaste-clk-1280

And a Kanger Aero-Tank Mini

mini_aerotank_3.jpg


http://www.mtbakervapor.com/accessories/kanger-aerotank-mini-dual-coil-clearomizer-tank/

It's seriously the best investment I've ever made. After smoking 3/4 of a pack a day I now haven't smoked a regular cigarette in like three months. I feel so much better it's amazing. Plus you get fucking cheesecake and shit. fucking cheesecake!

Do it.
 
Im currently trying to quit and honestly just reading through this thread makes me want a fucking cigarette so goddamn badly. It's been like a week and a half or something since i've had a cigarette. I smoke those Vue e-cig things, and it's expensive as fuck since i kinda just puff on it a couple times all day long. It's not any cheaper than a pack of smokes, honestly (at least how i've been using them). I can say though, that it has significantly reduced my urge to smoke while on the e-cig. FYI i smoked for a year and a half and was about a rate of two packs per week.
 
now i realize that this might not work for everyone, and i still haven't successfully quit completely. but when i have quit in the past i found that taking dabs or vaping weed helped a lot. smoking weed however does not. the vapour acts as an expectorant and pulls all of the nasties out of your lungs. i could be wrong here but i think that shit contributes to the feeling of wanting a cig, because each time i would cough up more stuff i would feel less need for a cig and i could breath better too.
 
if you're going to take the ecig route get a refillable one its alot cheaper. those desposable ones lasted me like a day and now i have a mech mod with an RDA. i hope someone here understands that last part
 
13165531:~bagelz~ said:
if you're going to take the ecig route get a refillable one its alot cheaper. those desposable ones lasted me like a day and now i have a mech mod with an RDA. i hope someone here understands that last part
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I have an anarchy clone and a Colorado tugboat RDA shit yeah.
 
What I do not like about ecigs are you really do not have an idea how much nicotine you're getting. It can def make you more addicted to nicotine. It is more just a hold over until you cave and buy another pack. So, IMO don't waste your money
 
13165778:louie.mirags said:
What I do not like about ecigs are you really do not have an idea how much nicotine you're getting. It can def make you more addicted to nicotine. It is more just a hold over until you cave and buy another pack. So, IMO don't waste your money
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Have you actually tried a quality e-cig set up?
 
13165790:Peach. said:
Have you actually tried a quality e-cig set up?
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yup.. when I was in the navy on a sub, they banned smoking on board. I made a deployment with smoking so it was part of the routine. We all decided to buy expensive as fuck ecigs and hopefully ween down over the course of 45 days until we got back. Didn't happen...

Then, more recently, after quitting for 2 years, I got addicted to nicotine via dutch's (blunts). I quit bud to get a job and smoked a black and mild drunk. BOOM full blown nicotine addiction as if I never quit smoking cigs. Attempted a ecig to not smell bad and help quit, didn't work.

tl;dr Yes i have tried a quality ecig set up and I stick by my point of an ecig being a place holder
 
13165857:louie.mirags said:
yup.. when I was in the navy on a sub, they banned smoking on board. I made a deployment with smoking so it was part of the routine. We all decided to buy expensive as fuck ecigs and hopefully ween down over the course of 45 days until we got back. Didn't happen...

Then, more recently, after quitting for 2 years, I got addicted to nicotine via dutch's (blunts). I quit bud to get a job and smoked a black and mild drunk. BOOM full blown nicotine addiction as if I never quit smoking cigs. Attempted a ecig to not smell bad and help quit, didn't work.

tl;dr Yes i have tried a quality ecig set up and I stick by my point of an ecig being a place holder
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What kind of liquid were you using? as in what; brand? nicotine density? flavor?
 
13165969:Lé.Skiing said:
What kind of liquid were you using? as in what; brand? nicotine density? flavor?
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Most recently cheaper ones that were still enjoyable.. 4 years ago I do not remember. Why does it matter? A nicotine addiction is going to be the same regardless
 
13165991:louie.mirags said:
Most recently cheaper ones that were still enjoyable.. 4 years ago I do not remember. Why does it matter? A nicotine addiction is going to be the same regardless
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The reason I mainly asked is because if it didn't work for you the second time maybe it's the liquid you're getting that's just not satisfying that craving. You might need a higher strength to get off the cigarettes(you can always wean yourself down later). Also, Finding a flavor you really enjoy is key to never going back to cigarettes if you are making a switch to ecigs. There's always going off ecigs, and if you have a craving(after quitting both) you can always go back to ecigs instead of cigarettes.

The most important thing about quitting though is the mindset(as many people have already stated). So if anyone really wants to quit I say go for it. Go cold turkey if it's your style, but if it isn't then there are other ways to get it done.

What I find a lot of successful quitters(by use of ecigs) have done is start off on the tobacco flavors then move to the fruity or other sweet and/or savory flavors. The reason it helps is that it is a gradual move away from the tobacco taste so that the next time you have a cigarette or think about having a cigarette you just remember the taste. I myself can't stand the taste of cigarettes anymore.
 
i actually have an aunt and uncle who quit through hypnosis. they haven't smoked in over 2 years and were smokers for decades. my dad also quit cold turkey, but health issues were pressing. i personally quit after two years because i couldn't stand waking up with that shit taste in my mouth. the idea of smoking became nauseating. i miss it sometimes. those vaporizers are tempting.
 
13166141:Lé.Skiing said:
The reason I mainly asked is because if it didn't work for you the second time maybe it's the liquid you're getting that's just not satisfying that craving. You might need a higher strength to get off the cigarettes(you can always wean yourself down later). Also, Finding a flavor you really enjoy is key to never going back to cigarettes if you are making a switch to ecigs. There's always going off ecigs, and if you have a craving(after quitting both) you can always go back to ecigs instead of cigarettes.

The most important thing about quitting though is the mindset(as many people have already stated). So if anyone really wants to quit I say go for it. Go cold turkey if it's your style, but if it isn't then there are other ways to get it done.

What I find a lot of successful quitters(by use of ecigs) have done is start off on the tobacco flavors then move to the fruity or other sweet and/or savory flavors. The reason it helps is that it is a gradual move away from the tobacco taste so that the next time you have a cigarette or think about having a cigarette you just remember the taste. I myself can't stand the taste of cigarettes anymore.
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I made a post earlier about getting into the right mindset. My advice is to just skip the ecig stage... We can agree to disagree about them
 
My parents both used to smoke but one New Year's Eve they both agreed to quit and threw out all of their cigs. My dad was smoking three packs a day. This was like 20 years ago and neither of them have smoked since. You can do it cold turkey it just takes a lot of will power. I think that's the best way to do it though.
 
13166277:louie.mirags said:
Don't do it... Use them for oil or whatever just do not get addicted to nicotine again. Trust me
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yeah, but at the end of the day i've also decided there are better things to spend money on too.
 
13166277:louie.mirags said:
just do not get addicted to nicotine again. Trust me
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Have you seen the studies that suggest nicotine by itself isn't inherently addictive?

Regular tobacco cigarettes have been engineered to give you that "nicotine high" with the help of other chemicals that have been added to the tobacco.

We definitely can agree to disagree though. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

I would just like you to take a few mins to look at these two links.
http://www.churnmag.com/features/14-electronic-cigarette-studies-that-shame-the-critics/
http://www.tobaccoharmreduction.org/faq/nicotine.htm

What I am suggesting is that if someone is smoking cigarettes and are not mentally ready to quit. eCigs might be an option for them until they can get to that point.
 
I only smoked like a pack a week for a few months and I still get cravings, I couldn't imagine how hard it would be if you smoked a pack a day for a few years. I still have a cig every now and then or when I'm drunk (stupid). I have more friends that smoke than those who don't, I guess its just a realistically true art school stereotype. I just chew a lot of gum when I get anxious, and I drink a silly mount of coffee.
 
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