DenaliBlues

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Welcome aboard, @DebbieS! We're glad you're here! You're not stupid - just addicted. And the Quit Train is a great place to get information and support to help you break free. Read everything you can on this forum to learn about addiction. It will help you begin to reframe your relationship with vaping and understand how to build a successful quit. (As a former quitter, even if you already know the info, re-reading it will begin to drill it into your brain. You will encounter all kinds of chemical resistance to quitting, so you'll need to build other kinds of mental muscles to compensate.) Have you set a quit date yet?

We've all been there and know what it feels like to cave in to the temptation. (Again.) Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and re-start that quit! Have a plan for what you will do differently this time. For instance: - Make a list of 25 things you will do before smoking (chores, exercize, phoning a friend, posting to this forum, showering, etc.) and then DO THEM ALL before lighting up. I did this and learned that by the time I hit #10 or #11, I was too exhausted to even think about smoking any more. - Toss out all smokes and smoking paraphernalia. - Keep your hands and mouth busy - gum, mints, straws, silly putty, fidget spinners, bubble wrap. (Oh yes, popping bubble wrap. The cats hated me for a while when I first quit.) - When cravings strike, don't silently brood about them. Get out of your head and into your body. Stand up, shake your arms and legs, shout, cuss, sing a song, punch a pillow. I used to do wall push-ups while shouting "F--K THIS, F--K THIS, F--K THIS" over and over again. (Did I mention how popular I was with the cats?) - Change up your routine. Put yourself in a different setting or do things at different times than you ordinarily would. This can include spending lots of time in places where smoking is not allowed. - If possible, spend time with compassionate nonsmoking friends who won't mind if you're a hot mess and who won't let you smoke while you're with them. Not only does this lend support, it also keeps you accountable - because you won't want to confess to them later that you smoked again. - Understanding that the goal is to become nicotine free, consider temporarily using nicotine gum or lozenges for a while. People have different ideas about NRT, but anything is better than lighting up. Some of these things will feel pathetic and ridiculous. But so is smoking, pathetic and ridiculous... and lethal. These ideas might not work for you, you may need other tactics. That's fine. The point is, put some creative thought into a plan to divert your energy and then stick to it. If you can white-knuckle it through the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, things do get much better afterwards. I promise. Everyone on the Quit Train is here for you. You can do this.

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NOPE!

Well done @Genecanuck! I’m so glad that you joined the forum. You are on the road to sweet freedom! Rock on!

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I think the smoking lounges are gone now. But I recall them so vividly. And I’m right there with you, QG… I totally used to book a seat in the smoking section on long cross-country flights, and I always chose the smoking cars on Amtrak, too. I hated all that smoke and ash in close quarters, but I did it anyway. Addiction is such a bonkers thing.

@tocevoD the most important thing is that you re-started your quit. Let the relapse reinforce your understanding of the slippery slope… the Stinkin Thinkin that lures you into lighting up again. Smack it down with a big NOPE!

Welcome aboard @Asphodelian! It’s great that you’re quitting. This forum is a great place for info and moral support. Active participation here really helps increase the likelihood of a successful quit. You’ve already had an important insight… that smoking is an OBSTACLE to a life well lived, not a pathway to fulfillment. The only thing smoking ever offered us was a chemical trigger to want to smoke more. Not happiness or gratification or anything good. This knowledge can help you thru the first few rugged days and get you on the road to freedom! See you around!

NOPE Flying through Atlanta today… recalling all the hours I spent in those supergross smoking lounges over the decades. Good riddance!

Way to go, @garry mhudson!! Congratulations and thanks for your support!

Welcome aboard @I can do it. I, too, smoked for over 40 years. But I broke free and you can, too. Your addiction will throw all kinds of tantrums and temptations at you initially. But it does get easier if you give yourself the chance to get to the other side of the first withdrawal pangs. They are illusions… the “conviction” that you can’t survive without smoking is baloney. Smoking is not actually your friend. Re-start your quit, change your routine, plan ahead for how you’ll distract yourself from cravings, and surround yourself with supporters. Don’t give up!

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