El Bandito

Just a clarification - believe it or not, I have nothing against vaping as a way to quit. As Doreen says - All roads lead to Rome. I know several people whom have used vaping very effectively to quit. All power to them! Where I find myself getting boggled is never-smokers taking up vaping - and then justifying it with the exact same nonsense that Big Tobacco spouted for years "There is no proof that smoking/vaping is bad for you"... I just know that 30 years from now there will be people dying because it turned out that sucking in nicotine-laced liquid vapour was in fact not terribly good for you

Lunatic! From 'throw another shrimp on the Barbie mate' to 'my umbrella just blew away'..... Have a nice flight Gem!

Now then, let's be perfectly clear My only expertise is a little experience in smoking and quitting smoking. I have watched some videos, read some books and shared with some fellow quitters. I have zero medical experience or expertise, in fact I look away when they show operations on medical dramas. No knowledge whatsoever of brain chemistry. There is some true expertise knocking around on the forum - and a lot of it is pinned to the top of the boards - this however is just me shooting the breeze, sharing some experience and some observations. People choose to quit smoking for a variety of reasons. Some of them are deeply tragic personal experiences. The loss or debilitation of a loved one for example. Some are scared into it. Some just make a rational decision. Some people quit Cold Turkey. Some use NRT. Some use acupuncture, hypnosis. Some use Vaping. Some read books. I believe that it matters not a jot why someone chooses to quit or how they quit. Allen Carr, Joel, all sort of people have said this many many times - I am amazed at how long it has taken me to truly understand it. (Quite a thick head :rolleyes: ) One thing matters. Understanding the con. Every single one of us believed that we enjoyed smoking, that smoking gave us a benefit of some kind. Allen Carr covers this in depth - he calls it the key. We spent years convincing ourselves that we liked stinking, liked poisoning ourselves and those around us, liked impoverishing ourselves, liked being slaves to a drug addiction. Even when we stop - we yearn for the 'carefree' cigarette. BOLLOCKS! The moment that one realises that smoking does not give us any benefit and NEVER did, that it was all an elaborate con trick, then the Quit is done. It sticks. The con has worked for decades. People have made millions, no billions, of Dollars - and they continue to do so in the developing world. Perhaps the strongest testament to the power of the con - is that they are doing it again - and new generations of people are falling for it. "Here, take a strange looking pen shaped object, suck it and enjoy some vapour. Yes! Vapour. It's cool. Look you can have coffee flavoured vapour! To make the vapour even better, we have added a special ingredient called nicotine - this nicotine is brilliant as an insecticide, at fooling receptors in your brain and here is the real kicker.....nicotine is an absolute superstar at addicting you - guaranteeing that you personally will pay US a fortune for the rest of your life. 10% off if you buy an extra pack!" People are queuing up to suck this stuff in. I see them interviewed on TV "why are you vaping?" "it's kinda cool yaknow? Relaxes me innit. I enjoy it" Really? Sucking a pen is cool? You enjoy it? What the flavour? The coffee flavour? Here's an idea - HAVE A COFFEE! A quit fails because a little part of us clings onto the idea (an idea being pushed all around us) that smoking was enjoyable. It wasn't. It is a con. Understand this, really understand it and come to rely on it when you feel the siren call of a cigarette - and whether your quit started a year ago, a month ago, yesterday, today or even tomorrow - your quit will stick.

-6

The old triggers..."that was stressful...I deserve a cigarette!" Yeah, cos stinking, and breathing in loads of poisons is just so relaxing..

8463 from me. 115472+8463=123,935 Remember, remember the 5th of November...

Nope

Ain't nobody here but us addicts... :P You are doing great Geri. Maybe get yourself a little treat tomorrow for two days quit. A magazine, a book, an ice cream - or how about some fresh flowers? You deserve them. 'Atta Girl! Bandit - Beddy-byes...

2 - Thanks Saz

Geri! WELL DONE! Its a rollercoaster I know. These first few days are one hell of a ride! Annoy away! Thats exactly what the counting games are for, the social threads - anything to keep the mind away from smoking (although beware, several of us are now addicted to numbers games :D ) As a member here - you can choose to get an email alert whenever there is a post in the SOS thread. Some folk helped me in the early days - so only fair I do my little bit. Bedtime for me soon! Every minute is a victory. Every hour is a victory. Dont quit for ever Geri. That's scary. Just quit for today. Then - when you wake up with another victory won - Just Quit for Today... That's all there is to it ;) You will become slightly crazy for a while - but most return to normal...excepting Bakon, me and a few others who just stay crazy

"Stu talked to himself" I resemble that statement!! :D If the Almighty is not listening, then in order to find his equal, a Scotsman is forced to talk to himself.... Geri - say Hi sweetheart....

2

Becca is right - just do something else for a bit. Take a walk? Make some tea? The only thing that makes you crave another cigarette is the last cigarette. Never smokers don't walk around craving cigarettes. Hell I don't crave cigarettes any more - and I could put away 60 a day. I smoked 30 years - 2 packs a day for many of them. Just like you. Look at my ticker. And guess what? I even had fun getting there. You can do this

Crying is a release. Crying is how we get tension out. Crying is good. Work with me cprofits - check in. You can do this, you absolutely can. the 72 hours is pretty intense - for me actually Day 2 was the worst - but its a very personal thing.

Take a real big breath and then do it again. Send me an abusive post - tell me to go screw myself. Laugh like a crazy person. You are winning! You are really doing this! Not some NRT slowly slowly thing for you - You have looked this addiction straight in the eye and said NO! Enough. You are winning.

It does end. End it right now. All day you have wanted a cigarette - and you have survived. I know you feel stressed - tired - angry and that is normal. What you are feeling is the double whammy - physical withdrawal and your mental addiction double-teaming you. The physical addiction is 72 hours. So in 24 hours all of the nicotine will have left your body.

Quitting Cold turkey was the way that I quit. I understand where you are. The cravings seem endless, like wave after wave crashing on the beach. It seems like it will never end.

Angry is great. You are doing great.

Zero

Im afraid the islanders will hold off... Bonfire night is the 5th of November...Guy Fawkes night.

Keep on keeping on.

zero again

Hey Rowly - probably a touch of anxiety or something muscular. In simple terms - don't mess around with Chest pains. Go see a Doc. Put your mind at ease.

Great work MG. Well done.

Congratulations! Well done.