Has anyone struggled with giving up smoking cigarettes?

[misanthrope]

Time for a bit of honesty: I lapsed back into smoking recently.

Smoking is dirty, smoking is less economical and smoking gets you less stoned.

However, I still find myself smoking.

I really want to give up and switch to 100% vaping but have not managed more than a week.

I think part of the problem is often with vaping I get incredibly stoned quickly in a way that creeps up on me. With smoking I can still maintain a bit of sociability.

Another part of the problem is since in England nearly everyone smokes herb with tobacco, I became inadvertently addicted to nicotiene. I know what you're thinking, STUPID - my only weak defence is that it's a cultural norm here.

Has anyone here managed to overcome these problems and if so do you have any tips?

 

[Stu]

I can't call this advice, because it isn't.... But I still smoke cigarettes, even though I don't smoke cannabis.

For me it was easy to switch to vaping cannabis over smoking, but as much as I have tried, I still can't quit the cigarettes.

Converting to vaporizing weed is the easy part. It's giving up the smoking of tobacco that is the real challenge IMO. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[vape4health]

I would bet its the nicotine too, you could always try a cheap ecig to see if its just the nic you miss. Not to preach but Im over 3 months without a cig because ecigs and I was starting to smoke over 2 packs a day of camel wides. I feel excellent too.

 

[misanthrope]

I am thinking of taking that route, had a bit of a mixed experience with an Ego C that is now gathering dust but think something smaller and simpler might do the trick.

The iolite did a wonderful job of emulating the experience of going outside for a smoke, but the metal bowl has become rusty so I worry a bit about what I'm inhaling - may seek advice on the portable vape thread as to a replacement portable.

 

[vape4health]

I tried and failed quitting cigs before, make sure you get quality juice it really does give a nicotine buzz. And getting news toys every couple weeks help me too.
I thought the io was aluminum or ss, maybe that is just deposits you see and able to be cleaned out.

 

[misanthrope]

I tried and failed quitting cigs before, make sure you get quality juice it really does give a nicotine buzz. And getting news toys every couple weeks help me too.
I thought the io was aluminum or ss, maybe that is just deposits you see and able to be cleaned out.

Thanks for the advice. I have tried cleaning the bowl but it is so ingrained to remove it is to resort to scratching which must be bad. I do remember reading in the instruction booklet that the bowl-piece will discolour over time but it did not indicate if this was a good/bad thing or if it can be replaced.

 

[Ansel]

you need to get on the Swedish snus tobacco... check out the snuson forum... it's as harmful as coffee...

 

[lwien]

Fucking tobacco.

About 35 years ago, I was doing coke, bud, ludes, acid, Seconal, crystal meth, mescaline, shrooms, Valium, etc etc etc. I was a damn drug garbage disposal. No needles, but I was a pill popping, smoking, snortin' machine. At the time, I was also smoking 3 packs of Marlboro's a day. I quit all of it................cold turkey, all at once.

How? One day, while I was laying out lines and tootin' up a gram of coke, I saw my twin boys crawling around with holes in their pajamas, because I couldn't afford to buy them new ones, but yet, there I was, snorting up a 100 dollars worth of coke in a few hours. The picture, all of a sudden, became crystal clear to me and I simply..........................quit. No withdrawals. No white knuckling................nothing, except when it came to the tobacco. THAT was tough, and here's how I got through it.

The tobacco urges comes on strong, but it doesn't last forever. It comes, and then.........it goes. So I no longer mind-fucked myself into thinking that the urge to smoke will last forever. It doesn't. It comes, and then it goes. Being that I was born and raised in SoCal, I came up with my own surfing visuals to get me through it. I thought of those urges as waves. When the urge came, I rode that wave for all it was worth, until the wave broke and I floated to shore. That wave (urge) lasted about 10 minutes, but then, it went away, only to resurface again about 20 minutes later, but............every time I successfully rode that wave, the next one took longer to build. The urges (waves) lasted just as long every time, but the time between them increased until one day, that ocean became a lake. Took about a month.

But here's the deal. Tobacco is like any other addiction. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that if now, 30 years later, I had one cigarette, I'd be up to 3 packs a day in about a week.

Of all the drugs that I used to take, and quit.................tobacco was the hardest. Go to any 12 step meeting and you'll notice people smoking up a storm. It's one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs on the planet.

I know that there's not much surfing going on across the pond, but give it a shot anyway. It worked for me.

 

[tiukauleh]

the damn tobacco. i saw an old copy of this book in a used-store shop, and it worked for me (maybe i could relate to the psychology involved). http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easyway-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155

here's an article for further reading, if you want to check it out.
http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/wellness/Quitting-Smoking-Is-Easy-When-Its-Easy.html

 

[Curiousone]

Ok, I can def. relate and I'll tell you my journey...briefly as possible.

First, you really have to want to quit. As others have mentioned nicotine is extremely addictive. I've read and heard it stated many times that nicotine is more addictive than heroin. I can't speak from exp. about "brown", but I don't doubt the veracity. I won't say it's true either cuz I just don't know.

Ok...now to how I quit. I chose to begin running again (I was a runner). I suggest any physical activity that provides enjoyment that you can commit to doing at least twice a week. When you get winded doing these activities, you will curse the existence of cigs...it will begin to negatively effect your usage (which is good) Also, it helps with the mental part.

Next, as someone else suggested I began using Snus. I worked in a shop that had a great selection of tobacco, spirits, wines, beers etc. Anyway, while it def. stopped me from smoking. I found I used it more frequently because it was actually a more pleasant experience than smoking and I could use it virtually anywhere/anytime. So...I opted to quit Snus and use Nicoret lozenge/gum instead (i used the Equate"walmart"brand). Make sure to get the correct package according to your usage. I increased my intake of herbs...and gave myself a goal of when I wanted to be nicotine free. I missed that mark several times, but I still quit reasonably fast (within a year, though i hoped for six months). Honestly, when times got hard I found myself chewing some nic gum or sucking a lozenge, but it wan't a cig. Ultimately, I kicked my nicotine habit entirely!

Will power and your psychology is most important. Quit cigs immediately! Use a "healthier" method to get you nic fix. Then slowly ween yourself off. Herb can help relieve the "edginess" and moodiness, but understand it is a process that probably won't happen overnight (It can and does for some, not most). Peace!

 

[Ansel]

I believe in the harm reduction route which i why i say snus is the best way, check out this website... http://www.smokersonly.org/

 

[Detonator]

Get a good e cig and some good juice. It took me two tries over four and a half years but I'm finally off ciggarettes, now for over a year and a half. Nicotine is an addictive but harmless drug, but smoking tobacco to get your nicotine causes cancer. My 2 cents

 

[Ansel]

Get a good e cig and some good juice. It took me two tries over four and a half years but I'm finally off ciggarettes, now for over a year and a half. Nicotine is an addictive but harmless drug, but smoking tobacco to get your nicotine causes cancer. My 2 cents

ecigs only give you the nicotine not the other good alkaloids that snus will give you... unless you get an ecig and use WTA juice. WTA = whole tobacco alkaloid.

 

[knowmad]

I'm on day 14 at the moment without a cigarette or any tobacco... I simply smoked a bowl every time cravings would get overwhelming for the first few days.

recognizing the cravings is important. a cigarette can seem like a great idea all of a sudden..

 

[lwien]

recognizing the cravings is important. a cigarette can seem like a great idea all of a sudden..

And THAT'S the key. "Consciously" recognizing those cravings and KNOWING that they are short lived and that you only have to battle it for a little while before it disappears, while at the same time, knowing that there's another one coming but that they are short battles rather than one long big one.

 

[Ansel]

Just buy some Skruf Stark portions!

 

[Detonator]

And THAT'S the key. "Consciously" recognizing those cravings and KNOWING that they are short lived and that you only have to battle it for a little while before it disappears, while at the same time, knowing that there's another one coming but that they are short battles rather than one long big one.

So your saying to use willpower? lol fuck that .. Nicotine is what he needs, it is a harmless drug that people like to use, what is wrong with that?

Smoking tobacco to get the nicotine might give you cancer and other shit, but the nic itself will not hurt you, in regular doses.

 

[lwien]

Nicotine is what he needs, it is a harmless drug that people like to use, what is wrong with that?

Nicotine is NOT a harmless drug, even when it's not smoked. How can any drug that can be as addictive as nicotine is, be considered harmless. How can any drug that has such negative affects on the heart be considered harmless? While it's true that smoking it introduces more carcinogens, it is not harmless when not smoked.

The desire to use ANY drug, be it nicotine, cannabis, opiates, hallucinogens, alcohol, caffeine, etc etc must be weighed by each individual. There is a risk/reward ratio that needs to be taken in consideration with ALL of them. To state that ANY of them, including nicotine, is totally innocuous is an out and out lie, or maybe I should say, an uneducated assumption.

It really is amazing the lengths that one will go to, to rationalize their continued use of their drug of choice. If you're going to be using a drug, be it for recreation, or for medical reasons, then at least go in with your eyes wide open to the pros and the cons of such use so you can make an informed decision rather than to come up with some cockamamie rational that the particular drug is totally harmless.

Edit: And for God's sakes, please don't bring up any studies (primarily sponsored by ecig companies) showing how nicotine is not addictive or is not harmful in any way because buying into that extreme viewpoint is just as much filled with bullshit as those that bought into the concepts behind Reefer Madness.

 

[RUDE BOY]

Thanks for the advice. I have tried cleaning the bowl but it is so ingrained to remove it is to resort to scratching which must be bad. I do remember reading in the instruction booklet that the bowl-piece will discolour over time but it did not indicate if this was a good/bad thing or if it can be replaced.

I'm in the same boat as Stu so no help with that , But you CAN take steal wool to the chamber of the Iolite and clean it , may scratch it a little but it won't hurt but you don't need to . its only discolored due to baking your herb not rust or contamination still ok to use as it is .

 

[FrogBoy138]

I smoked cigarettes and cannabis for over 20 years. I was hopeless addicted to cigarettes my fingers had stains all over them from home-rolled cigs . Smoking a cigarette was the last thing I would do before bed and the first thing when I woke up. I would write notes to try and encourage myself spent money on countless on things to try and help me. Weeks and weeks of research about addiction and how to overcome it. It's all over now four months clean from cigarettes Thanks to the Ego C and Knger T2.

2008 My dealer was the first person in my life to buy a vaporizer back then when I would hit it I thought what's the big deal. I would hog up the bags being passed around and still not get very high. 2010 I had some extra cash so I bought an EQ and learned to like it but would always go back and forth from smoking to vapeing. Two years later My tolerance was skyrocketing .2-.3 per hit I wanted to buy a bong so I could move up to the half gram a hit club. I started reading then found FC busted out the old EQ started to use it exclusively now I'm down to .3 a day. Yes the high is better so the mental negative effects are worse then smoking. Less sociable feel like my life is a move I'm watching or maybe feel like a cartoon character
I feel like and call myself the boy in the bubble. I know if I want it all to go away I need to stop using cannabis everyday. No drug is harmless

 

[lwien]

It's all over now four months clean from cigarettes

Gratz, but please stay vigilant. Don't fall into the trap after a heavy meal or a few drinks and think, "Ah, what the hell. One cig isn't going to hurt me.", cause with you, it most certainly will.

 

[vaporcloud]

Like the OP I live in Australia for a few years and over there they mixed tobacco with herb. They called it Spin. As a none tobacco smoker I would rip a bong of tab/herb blend and I would spin alright. All the way to the bog where I'd spew my ring out. (up chuck for you not from this end of the world). But after a while I got use to it and when out of herb I'd smoke a ciggie. WTF?

Thankfully a move back where we don't EVER mix that shit with our MJ I was able to resist the urge for a ciggie although it does resurface when I'm out of MJ.

As for vap vs smoke I still break out my pipe for melts and whip hash and even stopped vapping for a couple of years when I slowed my daily habit.

I refused a pipe from someone the otherday and they looked at me strange. VC, refusing a pipe, WTF. Then I took them over to my vape and they soon knew why I refused.

Tobacco is so fucken evil.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

As others have mentioned nicotine is extremely addictive. I've read and heard it stated many times that nicotine is more addictive than heroin. I can't speak from exp. about "brown", but I don't doubt the veracity. I won't say it's true either cuz I just don't know.

Mmm... not quite. Nicotine in and of itself isn't nearly as addictive as people make it out to be. Incredibly potent in incredibly small concentrations, sure, but not that addictive. I was smoking a pack a day of Luckies (unfiltered, all we get in America), Camel Menthols, American Spirits, and then American Spirit rolling tobacco. The thing about tobacco is that when it's burned it also releases chemicals called MAOI's. The nicotine is the buzz you feel from smoking tobacco, and the MAOI's are that deeper satisfaction you get. That's also part of why ecigs don't feel quite the same as a regular cigarette, because juices don't include MAOI's or full-spectrum tobacco tinctures by default.

Opiates on the other hand ruin you way faster than tobacco. That kinda forces you to quit, I'd say.

 

[Ansel]

Nicotine is pretty harmless, maybe will raise your blood pressure... comparable to caffeine.

 

[Detonator]

I'm a stoner, I don't know what you are. I vape weed cause it is a better way for me to get stoned.

I used to be a ciggarette smoker, now I'm an ecig user. It is a cleaner healthier way for me to enjoy nicotine.

If you need a government report to read I think New Zeland wrote one. Big tobacco has been very controlling since these came out, I don't have any energy to, ,,,,,,, b bla bla blah blah la a about it anymore.