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Experiences kicking nicotine addictions

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SteveG View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 19 2020 at 10:07
Originally posted by Davesax1965 Davesax1965 wrote:

Originally posted by SteveG SteveG wrote:

When I was a youngster, I got a job at a factory that used steam for everything. There were signs all over that said "Caution: Steam Kills". Sounds like that's come around again with vaping. It seems so innocent until people start dying.


95% safe compared to tobacco, Steve. Most vaping deaths have been caused by people vaping cannabinoid derivatives. A lot of it is being deliberately blown out of proportion. The Guardian article above is well worth a read, one of the few decent and well balanced articles I've read on it in years. 

But that's another post. ;-)
I've been getting two stories. The cannabinoid (say that three times fast) and some kind of vitamin E component that's used in it's manufacturing, with both said to be the the cause of people getting ill.

Edited by SteveG - February 19 2020 at 10:07
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 19 2020 at 13:01
Originally posted by Davesax1965 Davesax1965 wrote:

...
95% safe compared to tobacco, Steve. Most vaping deaths have been caused by people vaping cannabinoid derivatives. A lot of it is being deliberately blown out of proportion. The Guardian article above is well worth a read, one of the few decent and well balanced articles I've read on it in years. 

But that's another post. ;-)

I agree here, but there are times that I think this "prohibition" in the States is more about something else ... the richest have no money invested in that industry, so they want to create as much of a hassle and prevents, until such a time as they can buy out the originals (that's coming in the next 3 years ... bet me!) ... and then change the law with a fake filter for this or that!

I wonder if it has been like that for hundreds of years!

PS. I quit smoking almost 4 months ago, and have had no bad reactions. I had quit before some 40 years ago when I was playing tennis regularly and helping in several workshops. Restarted about 10 years ago, and quitting, this time ... was easy ... 1, 2, 3, ... done! No emotional hangups, no bullsheepdip ... I just didn't feel the need for it anymore!

Ciao baby ... ohhh, my pocket has a couple of extra bucks ... should I take my chances once or twice in the lottery?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 20 2020 at 14:47
Today marks one month off the drug. However, for some reason today I知 having some of my worst cravings and withdrawals. It seems strange but I feel like I知 going crazy right now.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 20 2020 at 14:53
Look, you're at PA, so you are crazy! Smile 

Seriously, it will pass. Just stick with it and try not to do things that are triggers. Easier said then done, but do somethings that you don't usually do.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Slartibartfast Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 20 2020 at 19:59
I don't know about nicotine addiction at least as far as being hooked on it myself.  My parents and grandparents are from Carrollton, KY (the state and not the jelly Tongue) It's where the Kentucky River empties into the Ohio.  There were, when I was a kid, and probably still are a sh*tload of tobacco drying warehouses.  My parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all smoked.  Neither my brother, sister, nor I ever took up the habit and for that I am grateful.  I just wanted to put in the good word for SMART Recovery (redundant, but what the hell).  That acronym is for Self Management And Recovery Training.  It's a science based approach to substance and other forms of addiction. I am there for alcohol.  Anyway, if this helps anyone out they are on the web. http://www.smartrecovery.org

Edited by Slartibartfast - February 20 2020 at 20:00
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2020 at 02:38
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

Today marks one month off the drug. However, for some reason today I知 having some of my worst cravings and withdrawals. It seems strange but I feel like I知 going crazy right now.

Just need more music to keep you going. New stuff is better than the old stuff for these things in my case ... I love the thrill of finding something new that is far out!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davesax1965 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2020 at 03:49
Hey Doug, don't worry, you'll be OK. This is normal. 

Nicotine is a neurotransmitter. Basically, it's like having extra voltage in your brain: remove it and there's a kind of voltage drop, so it gets mode confusing to think straight. You've probably noticed. Now, the good news is that after about 72 hours of not smoking, the cravings mainly subside (no nicotine left in your system, it's all been metabolised) BUT the brain keeps going where's my nicotine ? for quite some time. "I was on nitromethane, now I'm on diesel, give me nicotine, you ba$tard" etc etc. 

So, what you have is nothing unusual but a perfectly normal reaction. Don't worry, you're not special. ;-) 

The way to cure it, possibly, is to treat it as merely an irritating itch. "If you scratch it, it'll only get worse". Two ways to go, either wait for a while, and yes, it's unpleasant, but your brain will adapt, or to feed it nicotine. In which case the brain says AHA give me more, more, because brains are like that and back you go to the top of the rollercoaster again. And again. And again. 

Now, if it gets really, really bad, a good method is not to go cold turkey but to let yourself down slowly. Get an e-cigarette, get some 18mg nicotine vape mix, quick toke. You'll be surprised at how little you need to stop your mind flying out of the window. Really, just an occasional toke. You then reduce it to a 12mg dose, then a 10mg, 8 6, 2... before you know it, the nicotine receptors in your brain have normalised to a lower level of expectation. It's like putting a lobster in a fridge. Sort of. 

Either jam on the brakes, or slow down in stages. No matter what, you eventually end up stopping. 

So. In summary, don't worry. It's normal. You're not special or anything. It'll pass. You can use WILLPOWER (and if you don't have enough, see you back in Smoke Land) (let's hope you do) or take the (logical) ahem easy route and slowly, but surely, wean yourself off nicotine. It's not failure, you're achieving the same result, albeit more gradually. People fail to do things when they say none shall pass, never again: it can just be too extreme a solution. Who cares what you do so long as you get there in the end ?

So hopefully that helps. 

Incidentally.... just an aside but "one month off the drug" tends to hint that you're looking at it as "drug addiction". That's a bit ... extreme. People wind themselves up to regard cigarettes as being some kind of gigantic, deadly monster with which they have to fight some kind of enormous battle. They're really not, end of the day, cigarettes are habituating and merely paper tubes with dead plants in. To regard them otherwise makes the whole process into a giant struggle. It needn't be. Coming off them causes mild (I'm afraid it really is mild) withdrawal symptoms, which are really no worse than a bad cold: they won't kill you. The symptoms can be managed and WILL pass. Good luck. 

Edited by Davesax1965 - February 21 2020 at 03:57

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davesax1965 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2020 at 04:11
I think this is why some people fail to quit smoking. They rely on WILLPOWER. 

When WILLPOWER is unequal to the task in hand, they give up. After some time, they go back and apply MORE WILLPOWER, winding themselves up to believe it's a massive task, much more difficult than they thought. 

MORE WILLPOWER doesn't work, so they try again, except this time the problem has got even bigger, in their minds. Eventually, they give up. 

But. They're just using the wrong methods and keeping on repeating a methodology which doesn't work. Lots of people have actually given up cigarettes by not applying WILLPOWER but a different route instead, ie. let yourself down slowly using e-cigarettes if necessary. 

If the end result is that it works, rather than doesn't, well. The ends justifies the means. Ain't failure, it's common sense. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2020 at 09:22
Originally posted by Davesax1965 Davesax1965 wrote:

I think this is why some people fail to quit smoking. They rely on WILLPOWER. 
...
But. They're just using the wrong methods and keeping on repeating a methodology which doesn't work. Lots of people have actually given up cigarettes by not applying WILLPOWER but a different route instead, ie. let yourself down slowly using e-cigarettes if necessary. 

If the end result is that it works, rather than doesn't, well. The ends justifies the means. Ain't failure, it's common sense. 

A psychic friend of mine in Australia, dang ... a PHD now!!! ... used to say it funny ... you look for a box to help you, and when you done with that box, you look for another box, and then another box ... and he used to say ... there is an inherent problem there ... there is no box to get rid of the box-creating process ... and ... you get stuck!

For me, no excuses, or thoughts is the decision maker ... has nothing to do with anything else, other than feeling a bit healthier (at 69? like the doctors care!), but in general, the medical usage and costs are the same even without the purchases of the smokes!

I like to say ... you either do it or you don't. Case closed!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote timothy leary Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2020 at 12:50
And there you have it......advice on how to quit cigarettes from a smoker who has yet to quit
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 25 2020 at 22:41
Originally posted by timothy leary timothy leary wrote:

And there you have it......advice on how to quit cigarettes from a smoker who has yet to quit

Hi,

You're probably not gonna like the answer ... look in the mirror. 

It's an 'acting" trick used in theater and film ... and in the end, you find ... what do I want to see and work with, which is helpful in defining and creating a "character" ... but in this case, and this time, it is about you ... not anything else!

Handshake
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davesax1965 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2020 at 02:18
Originally posted by timothy leary timothy leary wrote:

And there you have it......advice on how to quit cigarettes from a smoker who has yet to quit


And there you have it, a childish response from someone who doesn't like to be crossed. Or hasn't thought about it beyond "willpower". There's more to it than that. 

Actually, the thread is about addiction, not giving up smoking, the clue being in the title. I gave up for three years at one point, it wasn't very pleasant at first, but I gradually totally forgot I was ever a smoker. After a few years, I realised that tobacco (for me) was nothing like alcohol. I could have the occasional smoke, without it completely taking my life over. 

Addiction is about NOT being in control. That's the big weight on the shoulders - that you'll keep smoking, even through ill health, financial pressure, whatever. You'll turn around with a cigarette magically appeared in your hand. You'll smoke six before breakfast and cough your way through the day. You'll painfully trudge your way up a hill or even the stairs, coughing, with a cigarette in your hand. That's addiction. Been there. Not there any longer. 

So now, as in the thread, I have a very few cigarettes a day, 4 or 5. I get no nicotine cravings or withdrawals. I'm in control, not the tobacco. I can do without for days. Having been addicted and now addicted no longer, that qualifies me to actually make an observation. 

Let's face it, life is short. If you want a cigarette: have a cigarette. The key is "not to excess".

Occasionally won't kill you. If you're scared that "occasionally" will lead to "20 a day a week later", then that's a different conversation. 

But "never again shall I smoke" seems to me to be a way to set yourself up for a fall later. "Never again shall I be addicted" is probably a more sensible way of doing things. If you can. If not, avoid cigarettes entirely. I've done the same with alcohol, different subject for me. Although I can occasionally go out and just have three or four beers. I found that I don't like alcohol very much, bizarrely. 

It's something like telling a man who's lost weight "You're never having a burger ever again". Unrealistic. Hopefully there's an element of logic where someone says wooo, well, I can have a burger again, but I just can't have 15,000. 

Oh yeah, "about the pipe". Very little nicotine in pipe tobacco. And you smoke quality, not quantity. Most pipe smokers want nothing to do at all with cigarettes. As I mentioned at the start of the thread, "Cigarettes are an addiction, cigars are a hobby, pipes are a religion."

If you honestly believe that "quit" means "not one more ever again", that's a total extreme view and it's setting yourself up for a potential fall and regression. 

Edited by Davesax1965 - February 27 2020 at 02:21

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote wiz_d_kidd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2020 at 12:40
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

Might be an offbeat topic, but I知 curious if any of you have experience in quitting nicotine addictions or habits. I, like many people my age (18) got hooked on vaping a while ago and after realizing it was just making me feel lethargic and sh*tty, I went cold turkey 10 days ago. Still the cravings and withdrawal have been really awful and honestly haven稚 been getting better. So if some of you have stories I could use some motivation. Obviously quitting cigs is harder, but this has been one of the most difficult things I致e done in my life.


I smoked for about 15 years. I was up to 2 packs a day when I finally decided to quit. I tried cold turkey, but was unsuccessful. Then I realized that there were many times I had to postpone the next cigarette for a short time because I was, for example, in a non-smoking area. We (smokers) have all been there. The pain of waiting that extra 15-30 minutes after the first urge hit me was not all that bad. So I put on my wristwatch and timed the interval between normal light-ups. Let's say it was 30 minutes. I'd increase that to 45 minutes, and not light up more often than every 45 minutes. I'd continue that for days -- maybe as much as a week. Eventually, the 45 min interval felt normal. No urges to light up more often. Then I'd increase it to 60 min, and keep that interval for a several days. Then 90 min. Then 2 hr. Then 3 hr. Then 4 hr. The trick is to keep your eye on your watch. When you extinguish a butt, look at your watch and mentally set the next light-up time. Don't light up before then. (Knowing that time will elapse and you'll eventually get your "reward" really helps with the mental anguish). After several weeks, I was down to just two cigarettes a day, then I quit completely. It was many days of a little discomfort, rather than the sharp, physical and mental agony of cold turkey - which this weakling couldn't handle. I haven't smoked since.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote timothy leary Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 29 2020 at 13:17
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

Originally posted by timothy leary timothy leary wrote:

And there you have it......advice on how to quit cigarettes from a smoker who has yet to quit

Hi,

You're probably not gonna like the answer ... look in the mirror. 

It's an 'acting" trick used in theater and film ... and in the end, you find ... what do I want to see and work with, which is helpful in defining and creating a "character" ... but in this case, and this time, it is about you ... not anything else!

Handshake
Your post makes no sense to me
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote timothy leary Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 29 2020 at 13:22
Originally posted by Davesax1965 Davesax1965 wrote:

Originally posted by timothy leary timothy leary wrote:

And there you have it......advice on how to quit cigarettes from a smoker who has yet to quit


And there you have it, a childish response from someone who doesn't like to be crossed. Or hasn't thought about it beyond "willpower". There's more to it than that. 

Actually, the thread is about addiction, not giving up smoking, the clue being in the title. I gave up for three years at one point, it wasn't very pleasant at first, but I gradually totally forgot I was ever a smoker. After a few years, I realised that tobacco (for me) was nothing like alcohol. I could have the occasional smoke, without it completely taking my life over. 

Addiction is about NOT being in control. That's the big weight on the shoulders - that you'll keep smoking, even through ill health, financial pressure, whatever. You'll turn around with a cigarette magically appeared in your hand. You'll smoke six before breakfast and cough your way through the day. You'll painfully trudge your way up a hill or even the stairs, coughing, with a cigarette in your hand. That's addiction. Been there. Not there any longer. 

So now, as in the thread, I have a very few cigarettes a day, 4 or 5. I get no nicotine cravings or withdrawals. I'm in control, not the tobacco. I can do without for days. Having been addicted and now addicted no longer, that qualifies me to actually make an observation. 

Let's face it, life is short. If you want a cigarette: have a cigarette. The key is "not to excess".

Occasionally won't kill you. If you're scared that "occasionally" will lead to "20 a day a week later", then that's a different conversation. 

But "never again shall I smoke" seems to me to be a way to set yourself up for a fall later. "Never again shall I be addicted" is probably a more sensible way of doing things. If you can. If not, avoid cigarettes entirely. I've done the same with alcohol, different subject for me. Although I can occasionally go out and just have three or four beers. I found that I don't like alcohol very much, bizarrely. 

It's something like telling a man who's lost weight "You're never having a burger ever again". Unrealistic. Hopefully there's an element of logic where someone says wooo, well, I can have a burger again, but I just can't have 15,000. 

Oh yeah, "about the pipe". Very little nicotine in pipe tobacco. And you smoke quality, not quantity. Most pipe smokers want nothing to do at all with cigarettes. As I mentioned at the start of the thread, "Cigarettes are an addiction, cigars are a hobby, pipes are a religion."

If you honestly believe that "quit" means "not one more ever again", that's a total extreme view and it's setting yourself up for a potential fall and regression. 
Seems you are getting personal with your "childish " remarks. This is just a forum. If the original poster likes your strategy for quitting smoking so be it. personally your strategy does not sound like quitting smoking to me. Your mantra of pipes are a religion sounds like a copout. Smoking is smoking and quitting is quitting.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote timothy leary Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 29 2020 at 17:45
I have advanced COPD. I am dying of it so excuse me if I am not going to sugarcoat or beat around the bush. I smoked for 50 years and this is the result. I have not smoked for 3 years but the outcome did not change. Do yourselves a favor and quit a behavior that will kill you no ifs and or buts. Childish, I wish I was.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2020 at 14:00
I get your points Dave, especially about kicking addiction vs quitting smoking. For me though, completely quitting both, we'll substitute vaping in for me, took a lot of will power.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 12 2020 at 19:05
in 8 days it'll be six months since I trashed the Nic-Stick (Vape) cold turkey and quit nicotine. For a good 2 months I had bad cravings daily. It was not a linear improvement, one week would look alright and the next would really suck, but i'm happy to report that I never even think about it or get cravings anymore. I've smoked a couple cigars with friends here and there in this time, that's good fun for a special occasion. I even hit a friends vape around 4 months in. However, it only reminded me and reaffirmed why I quit, I expected a great buzz but it was truly underwhelming and I felt pretty terrible afterwards. I don't regret it though, cause like I said, it really made me remember why I quit and why I have to never touch one of those things again. I also quit caffeine (Coffee) cold turkey around 10 days ago and i'm feeling pretty good all around, tired, but good.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Snicolette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 12 2020 at 21:30
Well, congratulations!  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote timothy leary Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2022 at 13:50
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/nicotine-addictive
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