AgaveGirl1

Well I appreciate your post. It was very kind and thoughtful and so respectfully worded. That means a lot. I'll reciprocate. When I joined I was erroneous in my thinking. I misunderstood. I thought Q.T. was for those that not only quit smoking 100% but also for those that were woking on quitting. I also did not know that the protocol of 'cold turkey' was the only acceptable method here for being successful at quitting. I find that frustrating because other ways, regardless of their being FDA approved and garnering support from world known and highly esteemed medical associations, is of little value or interest. I should say instead of frustrating me it saddens me. I have listened to people talk about overeating to replace smoking, feeling anxious or tired or depressed or continue to take pledges the way alcoholics do years after they stop drinking just to stay sober. If smoking is no longer a part of your life then you don't need to do this. You wouldn't think about it----ever. Since people here do this constantly they obviously can't stop thinking about it. None of that is cool or healthy. High technology and nerdy electronics equates cool now. In 3 months it will be 2018. Times and treatments change. Not changing with them is silly. Suffering when you don't have to is sillier. You can read what The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center said about it. Even they agree with me! My reducing from 1.5 packs a day down to only 5 cigarettes (soon 3 and by January 0) and continual vaping has added 8 years to my life and a collective 86.7 million extra years to 6.6 million other peoples' lives. And for me to get there was a major accomplishment! Maybe it isn't one you want to recognize but to go from 30 a day to only 5 and to have maintained that diligently and consistently and with determination is something I'm damn proud of! I had never been able to do that before and I haven't fallen off the wagon. Oh sure. I got to zero smokes before cold turkey. That lasted a day then I was right back to smoking full tilt almost 2 packs for months on end. Nope. I'm proud of my accomplishment even if you're not. And here's the big kicker for you. We know it is the 4,000 chemicals in the tobacco that is killing you not the nicotine! You will never avoid nicotine. Yep nicotine is addictive but so is caffeine and sugar and Doritos but nicotine is considered to be neuroprotective. Whoaa? That's right! Just like a glass of red wine a day provides antioxidants for heart health and cancer prevention nicotine NOT in the form of a tobacco cigarette has been shown to slow the rate of neural apoptosis (Translation: brain and nerve cells essentially killing themselves) and therefore prevent the worsening of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's Dementia, and general dementia. Oh, they also put a form of nicotine in a lot of your prescription meds, and in your foods (ever hear of B3?). As for those who are lurking and reading, well I assume they're adults and at least 18 years or older. Hopefully as legal, consenting adults they don't take either your word or mine as gospel. Rather they use their brains to read, research and think and ponder both sides of an issue for awhile before 'buying into' either side. Isn't that what they mean by informed consent? I think that is also what it means to be an adult. To make your own decisions and to make them wisely without the influence of others. Children need to be protected. Adults do not. I made my decision. You made yours. I'm sure others will make theirs. So I sincerely wish you and many of the very nice people here all the very best in continued health, happiness and success. :good3: Keep up the good work. I found a good site for those who vape. I'll be there now continuing my good work with cutting back and ultimately quitting. :yes: Peace. Out. AG

Jess, It is about controlling what you put in your mouth. You hit the nail on the head and are 100% right. I like the fact I control this. I don't have to deprive myself of a single thing while I quit. I don't have to stop doing anything I did before. The choice IS mine. When I vape I choose to be a non tobacco user. I also get to choose how much nicotine to use OR if I want to use nicotine at all. I may not and may want to just enjoy inhaling flavored water vapor instead. As for the rest, I'm not going to judge those who put nicotine in the vapor pens. Yes it is a poison. Yes it is addictive. Caffeine is also a poison and is addictive but people use it and consume it and let their kids have it. Neither nicotine nor caffeine cause lung cancer both, however, will keep you 'hooked' on a substance. I'm not a hypocrite. I enjoy the habit of inhaling. If the nicotine I'm presently using in my vape pen keeps me using is it any worse then the person who can't function without 2 cups of coffee every morning and a soda at lunch time? What about all the caffeine in soda we let kids drink or the chocolate we let them eat? Nobody is outraged about that addiction problem----not to mention the sugar in it. If it isn't harming my own personal health and more and more respected agencies are supporting this methodology such as the American Heart Association and the U.K. Dept. of Health, then why should I not embrace something that makes life easier for me personally? So my personal feeling is if abstinence is what works for you then bravo! If inhaling vapor is what works for me then bravo! Shouldn't we all be doing our best to encourage each other regardless of methodology? Shouldn't we be applauding the fact that big tobacco isn't getting rich and people aren't getting lung cancer. Yes, they're using nicotine. Nobody gets lung cancer from nicotine alone. Its the tar and carbon monoxide and ammonia and other crap in tobacco cigarettes that does it. I thought the whole idea of the Quit Train was to quit and support each other in our endeavors instead of fighting over how one did it or who got there first. If it isn't then perhaps I'm on the wrong site.

There's a temporal association between smoking and drinking in the brain. Both hit the same 'pleasure centers' in the brain along with caffeine, sugar, and 'fat' (as in high calorie, pure junk foods). Oh yeah...and exercise and sex. I'm sure you could Google all the Neurological Bio-psyche stuff for the complex and detailed explanations but somehow you managed to 'turn off' that Pavlovian stimulus and response not only mentally but physically. In essence you've changed your body and brain chemistry. Kudos for doing it with the smoking. Depending upon how you feel about it with the dinking and your thoughts on the effects of alcohol upon health---- congrats or not. Years ago I had a similar experience. I completely eliminated sugar from my diet. After 6 weeks of being a sugar Nazi and then trying to eat anything sweet (candy, cake, cereal, non diet soda or highly process foods, etc.) will make me sick. It has been 6 years and this stuff still nauseates me and gives me a headache and I'll spare you the rest. I've also noticed I can only drink about 1/3rd of what I used to be able to. I'm a wine and a Scotch or a Vodka drinker. Now I can only consume alcohol rarely because of the natural sugars in it and don't enjoy it the way I used to. Never liked beer.

Bakon.........I gotta go walk the dog but the next time I have to refill my pen I'll look for "Dirty Windows" flavoring. :)

Doreen thank you! Excellent post and excellent point. I feel my message has been misconstrued. I wasn't trying convince others that vaping is a superior method of quitting or make them feel as those they are missing out on something, however, not all of us are in the same situation. From the bottom of my heart, I am so truly sorry about your health issues---and yes DO see and understand why quitting 'here and now' is the only way for someone such as yourself or others in the same situation. Time was not a luxury you had. I get that and appreciate it. Also fear is a great motivator and can get much accomplished. I'm sure if I had no choices or options I would or could achieve what I normally couldn't. There are those of us, however, that are not in such a dire situation but still want to do something about it before it ends up that way and we have to live with the consequences. Those of us that are sincere and DO systematically and deliberately move towards the goal of tobacco cigarette elimination and nicotine reduction when we vape should be equally encouraged for our efforts and applauded for our success. Does it really matter how? So it isn't a methodology fitting for yourself or others. Does that mean it isn't a methodology unfitting for someone like myself or other people who can reduce? And if the worse habit I personally wind up with in life is sucking on a plastic pen full of fruit flavored water vapor with NO NICOTINE ----remember that is the goal, then so what? There's worse habits I could have. Ever watch someone chew gum in public. Ewwww! Boo......better not eat that candy for Halloween! Same flavorings are in that stuff as in the vape pens. But seriously.....Considering all the garbage (polite word) we consume in our foods, breathe, drink, bathe in, spray on, and the obscene amounts of fossil fuels we burn and the crap we take in the form of 'medication' and danger we are exposed to on a daily basis you're worried about inhaling some fruit flavored water vapor? Seriously?

Well everyone can do what they want with the information from the American Heart Association and The United Kingdom Department of Health Education----both organizations which comprise of doctors, nurses, surgeons, psychologists and educators. I just thought I'd throw it out there for what it is worth and for who would appreciate it. But nobody said you had to use the information or that the method would work for you. Different folks and different strokes....that's what makes the world go round. Has anyone else tried vaping and met with good results or is having positive experiences? So far my neighbor has stopped smoking tobacco cigarettes but has yet to decreased his nic level on his vape pen. He is substituting one for the other and not honestly trying to quit smoking at all. He has said he has no desire to go buy a pack of smokes though and it has been 5 months. My husband's coworker quit completely and only vapes the NO nicotine. These are the only two people I know that have quit using tobacco cigarettes completely (I won't say 'smoking') and this is how they did it. It is also why I decided to give this method a try.

P.T. you are correct. :) I would have removed the ticker but don't know how. Glad you are doing well and continue to. Hope the information and facts I presented are of use to others and perhaps to some who went away because they feel 'can't do it' cold turkey. Have a good day all and best wishes. AG

Hi, It has been a long time since I've been on but all I have to say is "There are many ways of going forward but only one way of standing still". Franklin D. Roosevelt My feeling is if Vaping is helping you NOT smoke cigarettes then good for you! Do anything you can, however you can to not smoke cigarettes. :good3: Yes, ultimately the idea is to quit smoking anything and everything but why not use this 'tool' to your benefit? That's the key though is to think of it as a tool as opposed to a crutch or substitute. I mean people who overweight go on diets and we don't criticize them for eating 'diet' lasagna or having a 'lite' beer instead of subsisting off of lettuce and water for the rest of their life. We applaud them for doing something sensible and making positive changes; making as many 'good' choices as possible whenever and however they can. Same with smoking. Not everything is 'Easy-Peasy' for everyone. We are humans. That means we are all slave to some master like it or not. We will all struggle with a different set of individual chains when we move away from it. While I never had a problem with my weight and do not understand those who do or with sex addiction or gambling or drugs and alcohol, I can empathize with such people because I struggle to quit smoking. NO....it is not 'Easy-Peasy'. It is harder then Hell. To be honest that attitude and the fact that everyone has got to be a white knuckled, teeth gritting, hyperventilating 'dry drunk' and miserable as Hell to be successful non smoker is part of the reason why I stayed away. If somebody told you that you could lose weight but eat all the zero calorie bacon cheeseburgers you wanted would you eat them or would you go, "Nah....I rather not have a cheeseburger today or any day or ever. I'll enjoy this nice dry, white, chicken breast that taste like sawdust and a salad with no dressing." ? I vape and I love it. I am down to 5 cigarettes a day now from a pack and a half thanks to vaping. I am also using the mid strength nicotine liquid not the full strength like I started out on. I used the full strength the first three months. Working towards cutting down to 3 smokes a day. That will start on the 1st of next month. As for the safety of vaping well Meriam-Webster defined safe as 'free from harm or risk'. So no, according to that definition vaping is not 'safe' but then again neither is walking or eating potato chips. It is fairly low risks though when you compare it to driving. When talking about inhaling the flavorings they are those that are commonly found in bakeries and candy and meant for ingestion. To be honest no much information is out when it comes to inhaling this stuff. There has been brief or minor cases of upper air way or lung irritation but since vaping is so new we don't know that chronic airway irritation won't lead to serious issues long term. Some flavorings are particularly irritating and those are cherry and almond and they were researched but there is no evidence that the other flavors are either risky or safe. Also a lot of people who vape don't use flavorings so there is little to no risk present. It is just inhaling water vapor. The one group of flavorings that are shown to cause lung damage when inhaled in large quantities are those associated with the chemical Diketone or artificial buttered popcorn flavor. In the early 2000s workers in a Missouri microwave popcorn factory were all diagnosed with incurable lung condition called bronchiolitis obliterans after working with Diacetyl to flavor the popcorn. The condition was nicknamed popcorn lung. NO smoker or vaper has ever been Diagnosed with popcorn lung!!! Also the United States American Heart Association (AHA) in 2014 issued a 20 page statement that suggests e.cigs are less hazardous than tobacco and can help smokers quit :yu: . To quote, ""E.-cigarettes either do not contain or have lower levels of several tobacco derived harmful and potentially harmful constituents compared with cigarettes and smokeless tobacco...and they present an opportunity for harm reduction IF smokers use them as substitutes for cigarettes." The United Kingdom Department of Health report published by Public Health England said E. cigarettes are 95% safer than tobacco cigarettes and a potentially viable approach to quitting smoking. And then there's just a comparison of what's in them chemical wise and cost wise. Cigarettes: E.-Cigarettes: -nicotine -nicotine -nitrosamines -nitrosamines -hydrogen cyanide -propylene glycol (vegetable oil) -lead - acetaldehyde -arsenic -food grade safe to consume chemical flavorings -ammonia -benzene -carbon monoxide -polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Smoking Material Fires from Cigarettes (2011 most recent data) 90,000 smoking material fires 540 people died 1,640 injured $621 MILLION DOLLARS in property damage. E.-Cigarettes (2017 most recent data) 243 E.- Cigarette battery explosions 63 during use 84 during charging 52 during transport, storage or unknown circumstances 44 spare batteries Of the 243 incidents 158 resulted in personal injury. Before 2015 there were NO Injuries. Injuries have since occurred due to increased battery size, improper charging techniques and improper storage. Cost of Cigarettes versus Cost of Vaping SMOKING 20 Cigarettes per 1 pack including tax at Walgreens in suburban are of AZ is $7.05 1 pack a day for 7 days a week = $49.35 a week 1 pack for 30 days a month = $211.50 a month 12 months a year = $2,538.00 a year * We did not factor in the cost a smoker pays for higher premium health insurance. :wacko2: VAPING To purchase an E. Cigarette starter kit that will last a year you will typically spend $40.00 This is the most expensive part of vaping. One bottle of 'juice' per week if you vape heavily is $15.00 a week or $60.00 a month or $720.00 a year. Cartridge replacement every 2 weeks is $5.00. That is $10.00 a month or $120.00 a year. So $40.00 + $720.00 + $120.00 = $880.00 Smoking at $2,538.00 - Vaping at $880.00 = SAVINGS OF $1,658.00 :air_kiss: So as long as you diligently work towards decreasing and ultimately eliminating the nicotine what's not to like about this helper. I think it is a great support system and a God send. If used right it will get you there one step at a time and you won't be nic-fittin' and wanting to kill somebody. You may actually enjoy quitting instead of resenting it and hating the whole process----maybe the reason why people can't quit or don't stay quit. Quitting by vaping is actually fun! The person who invented this little gizmo should be made a saint!

Gotcha! Number 1 is the lie! :D Yep. Into plants but not to the point of being able to teach a propagation and hybridization class on them. Can barely sputter out the appropriate Latin names with my plant geek pals. Yes, I am a gourmet cook and yes, do host a creative cocktail night usually on the same night I do the scavenger hunt! If you bring me some goodies I'll cook them up for us and we can drink them down. Then we can go stagger around my neighbor hood looking for....I dunno. Can't remember. Can you? :lol2: Ohhh Kay.............that's some interesting choices there. Let's see, I know you jump out of planes and helicopters so I'm going to say one is true. I know you hate the cold so I'll guess two is true. Uh...three is the lie? How'd I do?

I'm still craving. Driving me crazy. Gum helps. Staying busy helps. Posting helps. Just keep saying NOPE. It helps.

Hi gang, Sorry but got indisposed for a bit. You know how it goes at times. O.K. Here's 3 for me. 1. I teach plant propagation workshops once a month locally in my yard 2. I host a creative cocktail creations night once a month in my house 3. I host a scavenger hunt once a month in my neighborhood.

:heart: Congrats on that wonderful anniversary! That is quite an accomplishment. And I think I'll say congrats to me and to each and every person here today for saying "NOPE" one more day! We rock!!! Have a great day all. AG

Keep up the good work! It is hard but it is worth it! YOU CAN DO IT! :yu:

Congrats to you! :give_heart: Good job. ​

Africa would be so cool! Like, gotta see the rhinos, lions and elephants and giraffes. :heart: That would be so awesome! Number 3 makes sense since you have jumped out of a plane with a parachute. Also another super cool experience! You'd have a ball here. Check out a place called Skydive Arizona.com. As for me, you guessed right. I am not a published author. O.K., I'm going to say 1 is true since you have driven a car on a race track and 3 has got to be true because it is just too weird not to be. I'll guess the lie as #2 and say you really don't like Pizza.

Hi Julian, Congrats on your quitting. Very pleased for you. You can do it. :) Read, watch as many videos and explore the forum as much as possible before going on vacation. That will help. Make use of the support, encouragement and mentorship offered up to you from your friend who fought his own recovery battles. (Congrats to him by the way for his achievement and regained health). He has gone through the very thing you will be. He knows what it is to be in withdrawal. Lean on him and let him help you. I also did something that helped me. I made a little flash card reminder for myself. I took a piece of sturdy paper and made a little business card and wrote: "Stop... Think... Remember Why... Be Honest.... Discomfort Is Temporary... Freedom Is Forever... NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!" I keep this on me at all times everywhere I go and pull it out whenever I feel tempted. It has helped more then once.

​NOPE..........No time today. To busy.

"Sleep is the best meditation." Dalai Lama "I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake , you know. " Earnest Hemmingway.

NOPE....Can't swim! Tried and tried and even had two professionals try to teach me. Verdict was the same. "Lady. Stay the Hell out of the water. You'll drown.". :o So I can roller skate like a whiz. Forwards, backwards, circles and tricks! Seriously. That was the big thing to do when I was a pre teen and teen ager. Always kept a love of it and the skill up. I can also ride a bike. I can not swim. Can't even doggy paddle and floating terrifies me. Ironic since I love the beach and the ocean and there's no other place in the world I would rather be or could imagine being if I had the choice in life. O.K. My turn to guess. I'm going to say number 3 is the lie. :rolleyes: How'd I do? Although they're all very interesting truths! Makes my next selection look pathetic: 1.) I'm an artist that had a painting in the White House 2.) I'm a published author 3.) I'm a gourmet cook ​

Rock on Parsley! Hey....You know what I noticed? I didn't run outside today in my jammies and robe to go smoke. Instead, when I did go outside it was to enjoy watching the dog roam around the yard a bit, catch a few moments of the first rays of the sun, see the sky turn fully light and smile at my flowers.

NOPE..... Not today. No time for smoking in my life today. I'm to busy being happy.

Aww.....I made that one too easy. Yes, #2 is the lie. I have no human children. With you, I'll say #1 is the lie. :) I'm gonna say you're a dude. How'd I do? You know.....I'd post some pics but even my husband, who is far more computer savvy then I can't figure out how to do. Every time I/we pick a photo for my avatar it says, "The photo selected is too big" or something to that effect. How do you reduce size to fit? How do you post pics in general? :blink: O.K. back to the game, 2 truths and a lie: 1.) I know how to swim 2.) I know how to roller skate 3.) I know how to ride a bike. ​

Hi! Can I play? I'll take a wild guess and say your sailor days set sail as a lie. I'll give it a try here. Two truths and a lie. 1.) I'm 5'3" tall 2.) I have a 12 year old daughter named Zoe 3.) I have a 12 year old Greyhound named Zoe

Tacos (Beef) with home made salsa fresca

Rock on!!!! :yahoo: You're the best! Keep it up!