I'm really only here because I had to. I had seen E-cigarettes before but didn't give them much thought.
I've been a heavy cigarette smoker for 20 years and a light to moderate smoker for the 19 years before that.
When my BP sky rocketed to 207/115 I finally went to the doctor. 3 months later I had a stent in my LAD. The LAD is also known as "The Widow Maker". It's the main artery on the front of your heart. When they usually plug up, they cause a heart attack and you die. I never had the heart attack.
And still I smoked.
I was at the dentist last week. She found 2 white patches inside of my mouth. I know what they are and it's not the kiss of death, but they are a warning of the most dire nature. It is definitely time to get super serious about stopping my smoking.
So I look forward to doing a lot of reading here. I hope to get all of the ins and outs of vaping. And I do not want to be one of those people that vapes for a while and then goes back to analog.
Welcome to the forum. I'm a new member too, though not a new vaper. So far I really like the place. Very laid back here with what seems to be a balanced mix of vets and newbies.
When you begin to ween yourself off analogues (i.e. cigarettes), keep in mind that every one you don't smoke is a WIN. It's very vital to remind yourself when you have a relapse that the relapse is not a failure to quit and it IS a part of the natural quitting process. Don't get down if you find yourself relapsing in to one or even a whole pack of analogues. Instead pat yourself on the back for making it as far as you have, and think positively back on all the analogues you've avoided since then. Smokers have this tendency to relapse and then give up all hope of quitting, thinking the relapse indicates they're incapable of quitting. Just like it probably took you a lot of time to get hooked on smoking and then took even more time for you get to smoking as much as you do now, so is the same for quitting. Just like back in the day you used to smoke a bunch (or what seemed like a bunch) of analogues one day and then might have went the next day with a lot less or none at all with no problems, so it will probably be the same with quitting. Starting or quitting smoking both are a bit like being on a roller coaster... some days you're up, other days you're down. Don't stop in the middle of the ride and assume that you're never going to climb another hill up. It takes a long, LONG time for all those chemicals and carcinogens to build up in your body to the point that you're addicted, and it can take just about as long to flush them completely out as well.
I smoked for 20 years, from the time I was 14. Ended up being a pack a day smoker. Have tried every FDA approved cessation method and product there is. It took me a year of casually vaping and 6 months of sincere effort to transition from smoking to vaping to finally quit. And yeah, there would be days when I had spent a few weeks without an analogue and ended up tearing in to a whole pack that day. A lot of us know exactly what you'll be going through, because we have been there ourselves. Vaping is not an "easy" way to quit smoking. Any cessation method/product takes a LOT of effort and determination on your part. However, I *can* say it was a lot easier for me to quit using vaping as a replacement than it ever was for me to quit using the patch or gum... mostly for the reasons Uma listed.
BTW, the decision to quit smoking was for health reasons on my part as well. I was getting symptoms of COPD. Had my left lung completely obstructed for unknown reasons, and was on prescription pain killers to help lesson the pain in the left side of my chest. Along with it came a chronic cough that often took a nasty turn towards bronchitis and pneumonia. Tests revealed nothing... my doc was baffled... and after noticing that the pain decreased when I smoked slightly less than normal for a few days, I approached him about vaping as a quitting method. Surprisingly, he was 100% supportive and thought it was a great idea for me, since he knew I had tried multiple times in the past to quit using approved methods and failed. He reasoned that even if I couldn't kick the nic habit using vaping, at least I would be doing significantly less damage to my lungs than I did with analogues. This is not to promote vaping as a cessation method or to substitute for your own doc's advice (who you should ALWAYS ask about vaping before actually making the switch), but to point out that yes, there are medical professionals that support this method when all others have failed and your life is literally on the line. Don't be afraid to talk to your doc about vaping... his or her input may surprise you.
I am happy to report that I have been analogue free for a year now. All those nasty symptoms disappeared, including the obstruction of my left lung, and I am 100% healthy and my lungs operate at 100% as well. I started on 36mg and am now down to 12mg. I anticipate being all the way down to 0mg within the next year. Even if I never achieve that goal though, I am happy enough with the reduced risks to my health that I have gained by switching. And... this has actually became a pretty cool little hobby for me! So I plan on continuing to vape casually even once I'm no longer addicted by vaping 0mg, and also plan on always having a PV (personal vaporizer) and some 0mg juice on standby in the case of a random psychological craving to "blow vapor". Once I am done, I don't want to touch anything with nic in it ever again. Keep in mind that even once you do quit nic (if you plan to do so), you never will stop being in "recovery" from it. It may be many years down the road and you will still probably get random psychological cravings. My mom quit for 20 years and picked up the habit again due to this. So it would be wise to keep some form of PV and 0mg juice handy even after you quit just to be prepared for these types of situations. Although I must admit with the increasing availability of disposable e-cigs in gas stations and drug stores, this may not be totally necessary in the future if they start offering 0mg e-cigs along with the standard strengths.
I'm really only here because I had to. I had seen E-cigarettes before but didn't give them much thought.
I've been a heavy cigarette smoker for 20 years and a light to moderate smoker for the 19 years before that.
When my BP sky rocketed to 207/115 I finally went to the doctor. 3 months later I had a stent in my LAD. The LAD is also known as "The Widow Maker". It's the main artery on the front of your heart. When they usually plug up, they cause a heart attack and you die. I never had the heart attack.
And still I smoked.
I was at the dentist last week. She found 2 white patches inside of my mouth. I know what they are and it's not the kiss of death, but they are a warning of the most dire nature. It is definitely time to get super serious about stopping my smoking.
So I look forward to doing a lot of reading here. I hope to get all of the ins and outs of vaping. And I do not want to be one of those people that vapes for a while and then goes back to analog.
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