Kicking That Smoking Habbit

Time To Stop Smoking

I have been a smoker for so many years. I started smoking when I was around 12 or 13 years old. It started with the long butts my mom would leave in her ashtray. Then I graduated to swiping one or two from her pack when I had the chance. I'd catch my sister smoking in the bathroom and I could always get a couple from her to keep my mouth shut 🙂 Never dreamed I would still be smoking today, nearly 40 years later. I was a damn fool back then.

quit smokingI have decided it is long overdue, it's time to quit. I've gone through some pretty hard to handle things in my life, but this one is going to be really hard for me. This is it, I am definitely going to need some help. Going cold turkey isn't going to work for me. Been there done that.

I have always had the fear of weight gain after I quit smoking, but I believe it will only be temporary. I know someone who quit last year and they gained around 20 pounds. This seems to be about the norm, so I'm going to have to watch what I eat. This person, who quit, has nearly lost all the weight they gained after they quit smoking. They still chew the gum, so they have not rid their body of nicotine. This may have something to do with their weight loss success. I personally want to become completely free of nicotine.

So Many Choices

There are many products to choose from to help people kick the habit. I was going to try TBX-Free. I like that it has a menthol version. I've read a lot of reviews about this product and I like what I've read so far. Ignoring all those who obviously didn't vest a lot of effort into quitting, expecting something will just magically make you never want to smoke again....lol. I seriously want to quit and I'm going to do it this time.

I've even given some thought to searching for an attractive single man that doesn't smoke. Now there is some real incentive! After looking into it, I did the math and figured I may die of old age before this may happen. Maybe I'm just done with the whole Love thing. I've lost interest. Which also makes this the best time to quit. I'm doing it for me and for my kids. They tell me they want to keep me around for a while. I want to be around for a while, so here goes.

Yep, I've quit a few different times. Usually it only lasted about a week and I'd cave in. No caving in this time. I could possibly quit cold turkey, but I've done that before. Emotionally and mentally unable to bring myself to do this method again. I do not want to ride that roller coaster of emotions again if I can have anything to say about it.

I've used the patch. Darn thing falls off too soon and I end up cheating every time. Used the gum once, which was an aid to the patch. It was hard to regulate the amount of nicotine I was ingesting. I'd be bouncing off the walls at midnight.

I will more than likely use a combination of everything there is, as needed. I'm going to order my TBX-FREE only if I see the possibility of failure with the over the counter options available. I may have to order this to aid with the nicotine addiction after I break the habit, which I think is the hardest part of all.

Save To Your Favorites

I'm going to keep a diary of how things go at the bottom of this post. If you want a quit buddy or want to see how it goes, save this post to your favorites so you can stay updated on my progress. Be sure to refresh so you always see the latest information. I would love a few quit buddies. Helpful comments are always welcome. I need to get this monkey off my back.

 

 

 

5-6-17

I first wrote this post in January and left it in my drafts folder. Wasn't about to post this unless I was sure I was going to quit once and for all. Surprise....I quit 2 weeks ago and I'm certain I can quit smoking cigarettes. I've done well so far and I've found the use of a few aides to help. I'm a bit more snappy than I use to be, but I was always one to suppress my frustrations most of the time, it's about time I let it out now and then.....grins

I find that having an old e-cig from years ago that no longer works is great to have in the car. I hold it in my left hand and hold my lighter in the right hand and I don't miss smoking in the car one bit. It's like nothing has changed as far as habit goes and I chew a piece of gum to get my nicotine. Occasionally, I do take a drag off the fake one when traffic is terrible or hold it between my teeth now and then, but it's better than a cigarette.

I went down to the 14 mg patch today and I take them off at bed time. They do take the edge off, but they leave red marks on my arms and I don't really like that. They also itch now and then too. At least the actual patch gets smaller as you go. 

I also broke down and bought a rechargeable vape stick....well, that's what I call it. It's one of them Blu kits you see at most gas stations. I use it mostly when I'm tired of chewing gum.

I like the actual Nicorette, white ice mint gum. The flavor last a very long time, I'm taking over an hour. I've heard that people who smoke menthol cigarettes are also addicted to the menthol and this really helps. I've tried other gums and this one is worth the extra cash as far as I'm concerned. Right now one, 4 mg,  20 piece box will last me 5 days.

I'm not really saving any money just yet, but I'm not out any more than if I were buying cigarettes and the best part is.....I'm not smoking and I really like it. No more running to the store at midnight because I'm almost out of cigarettes. I don't smell like an ashtray any more. I'll never burn another piece of clothing from loose hots. All the money I save, once I start saving, is going into my vacation fund. I've never had a real vacation before and by George I'm going to take one as my pat on the back for quitting.

12-27-2017

I'm so proud of myself! I have not had a cigarette since April 25th, 2017. I have only gained 5 pounds and my fingernails no longer have those raised lines on them. Sure, I really want a cigarette now and then. I still have the craving, however the "stop smoking" aid of choice for me, has really helped me through those difficult times. I use the electronic cigarette. V2 is the one I use. It looks similar to a cigarette, gives my hands something to hold and allows me to have that menthol pleasure as well. The best part is cost, less than a dollar a day. Huge savings over cigarettes, which use to cost me $7.50-$9.25 a pack and I was a pack a day smoker.

The V2 version of cigarette I use is the refillable, rechargeable style. I use their menthol e-liquid with the refillable cartridges. These cartridges usually last me about 4-5 days, before I need to replace it (the coil that heats the liquid goes bad). One small bottle (15ml) of the e-liquid lasts me about 12-15 days. I use to get my supplies at local vape shops and gas stations, however, I was told that V2 did not renew their license in Michigan, so after buying out most of the local resources, I just buy off eBay now. I bought my first round of supplies a week before Christmas (10 cartridges and 3 bottles of menthol) for about $53. Should last about 2 months

There are a few local bars that actually let their customers smoke "vape cigarettes", so that is really nice when I want to have a beer and some nicotine, while I play a round or two (if I win) of Keno. Those who smoke traditional cigarettes have to go outside to smoke and they are a bit jealous of my electronic cigarette. I like that I do not have to leave my drink unattended or my seat for that matter 🙂

It's going good for me and eventually, I will discard the "vape stick" as well. After a 38 year smoking habit, I'm really happy with my progress and I have not wanted to kill anyone or jump in front of a bus, so I'm doing good. Give it a shot, it's a never quit quitting kinda thing. You Can Do It!

Update 5-18-2018

I'm doing the "Happy Dance"! I seriously can't believe I have not had a cigarette in over a year. Nope...never thought I'd ever be able to quit smoking cigarettes, but now I know I'm able to quit. I thought for sure I'd be like my grandmother and one day simply forget I was a smoker.

She was on some pretty strong comfort measures prescriptions at the time. She found other things to do with her hands, such as sewing her underwear to her sweats to save the trouble of putting them on one at a time. I sure loved that woman, she was incredible and I'd like to think I was cut from the same cloth as she was.

I'm still using the V2 electronic cigarette and have noticed that I'm breaking a lot of the old traditional cigarette habits. I was feeling rather irritable (nicotine withdrawal) while I was just watching TV and puttering on the computer and began to search for my "Nic-Stic", as I call it. Couldn't figure for the life of me what I had done with it. "It had to be right here somewhere", but it wasn't. I looked in my coat pocket and it was there. I had gone over 2 hours without even thinking about smoking (vaping). Didn't give it one thought for over 2 hours....I never thought that would happen.

I'm beginning to cut my nicotine level. I have been using the V2 menthol at 18% nicotine. I use to fill 2 -3 times a day and I used less and less over time (without noticing or changing anything). Over time I dropped to just once a day, so I found Mr Vapor Super Chill at only 6% that I like quite a bit. It creates a lot more vapor, which I never cared much for, but I do like the taste. I mixed the V2 with the Super Chill at first to get use to the taste change and now I just mix now and then to use it up.

If you think it's hopeless, don't do that to yourself. Try everything once to see if it will help you quit. Try a combination of things if you have to. No more dirty ashtrays is worth it and once you get a good whiff of a smoker walking by, you will be glad you did.

On a side note, I have friends who smoke cigarettes and it does not bother me one bit, I am happy with my nic-stic and their cigarettes do not bother me or drive me out of the area they are in.

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