Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Someplace just to show that reel collectors do have a life
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scottorock
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Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by scottorock »

I was a heavy smoker for a LONG time. I love smoking! The inhale, the taste, the exhale. The first smoke in the morning, lighting up each and every time I jump in a car, the last cigarette of the day..etc. You get me.

I haven't had an "analog" cigarette in 6 weeks! All due to electronic cigarettes..aka e-cigs or vaping. I was skeptical for a long time and after doing some research found the "industry" to be massive and confusing. I just jumped in and here I am.

I wont go into everything now, but i figured id throw this out to you guys and if anyone had any questions to just ask me. If you dont feel comfortable asking in public, feel free to message or email me. Going to a vape shop or asking "newbie" questions on an e-cig forum may seem intimidating to some. People dont feel comfortable asking what they may think are "dumb" questions. I am pretty well versed at this point spending hundreds of hours researching, asking "dumb" questions, making the wrong purchases, etc.

Again, feel free to ask me anything and I could definitely help get you over those "hesitant jitters" and get you to "leap frog" over that first uncomfortable/giant step. And if any other members already use e-cigs, chime in and share!
Iva Biggen
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by Iva Biggen »

I bin thinking to start smoking to get more girls and look real smart in publik.
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john elder
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by john elder »

Congrats, Scott on taking that FIRST step. Keep going and nurse yourself off the vaping as well, because there will be health as social problems with that, too...both are already showing up. Having relied on my "little friend" for 24 years, i know how tough it is to quit. Mark Twain never said anything more true than when he commented that "it's easy to quit smoking...I've done it a thousand times". It took me about that many times. I switched to low tar cigs, then about every other one, i'd put tape over those little holes in the filter or tear the filter off to get a better "hit". What put me past the hardest part was that smoking was making me sick...sinuses were clogged and i got hooked on 24-hour nasal sprays:stomach was screwed up so was on 5 Gaviscons a day; strange things started showing up in the sink every morning. There were fewer and fewer places to go hide and smoke without being glared at.
Soooo...after swearing "I quit" dozens of times, i finally took my last drag in 1992... It was a saturday, in April... about 2:30 in the afternoon....in a parking lot ouside an antique mall...in Carlsbad, CA....it was a sunny day. I won't lie...probably took me a couple years to remember what i did instead of smoking to reward myself for whatever. One of them was eating for reward, so i put on about 15 lbs in a year. But i got past it all...and it was one of the best things i've ever done for myself and those that have to be around me.
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OCauto
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by OCauto »

I quit smoking in 1988 because of a nickle a pack raise in price. Threw a partial pack away and never looked back. It's all about mind control.......
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Wayne B.
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by Wayne B. »

Before my wife and I got married, she told me it was her or the cigarettes. Flipped a coin and have been married to her for 39 years. Thankfully not married to the cigarette!
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Tightlines666
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by Tightlines666 »

I am still a heavy smoker (1 pack/day, for 26 years now). I quit the drinking several years ago, and have tried to quit smoking cigs a half dozen times with sucess ranging from 1 week to 6 months each time. The patches, gum, lozenges, and presciption meds all helped take the edge off, but it really boils down to a personal commitment and recognizing the benefits outweigh the consequences. I have a vape system but have found it to be no help at all. It actually causes me to increase my nicotine intake since it just doesn't provide the same level of satisfaction. I kniw I can, and will quit 'cold turkey' when the time is right. Now is not that time. Glad I gave up the alcohol though, my life is immeasurably better without it. It all boils down to a personal choice, which for me must be based on realizing the effects something is having on your day-to-day life. Vaping will not change the daily habit by much. Quiting it all will. Just my opinion.
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scottorock
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by scottorock »

Heres the thing...I didnt WANT to quit. I wasnt looking to quit. I "quit" along time ago for a year and a half! But after a long story, I started back up again. I loved the hell out of smoking. One day a friend asked me to try hid "pen". I tried it, thought it was just OK. I bought a similar product and used that but I still smoked 3 cigarettes a day. It just wasnt "enough". I did some research and bought better equipment. MUCH better experience. Havent smoked a cigarette since and honestly havent even thought about it. I totally enjoy the vaping experience. Which is why i started this thread in the first place. John, maybe the vaping doesnt help you because you dont have the "right" tool for the job. Like with most instances, sub-par equipment will give you sub-par experience. We all know that is true. Is quitting cold turkey healthier than e-cigs? ABSOLUTELY. Is inhaling e-juice safer than inhaling burning plant material? ABSOLUTELY. (altho long term results can not be substantiate due to the limited data and relatively short existence of e-cigs) As i said earlier, i LOVED smoking. Now I can get virtually the same experience without the thousands of chemicals associated with burning/combustion. And yes, John E, it is a vehicle to ween yourself off of nicotine. I started at 24 mg of nic and in 6 weeks down to 3 to 6 mg of nic depending on the "juice".
mike in new mexico
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by mike in new mexico »

After 45+ years of smoking, I didn't want to quit. I enjoyed smoking. 4 years ago, I got very sick. Went to the hospital and found that I had walking pnemonia which scarred up my lungs pretty bad. 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with COPD, last year had my first major heart attack. 3 weeks ago, had another one and also have end-stage COPD and am dying. Now I am sitting here at the house cause I cant even go fishing as I am physically unable to. Cant walk 10 ft without falling down, handfulls of pills, nebulizers, etc. All this and I have a very large fishing reel collection that I cant enjoy. I am not saying that cigarettes were the cause of all of this but they didn't help. Even now, my son is typing what I am telling him cause I cant. I dont smoke now but I still love the smell of a good cigarette. I am not telling yall this to feel sorry for me and I am not against tobacco but if you can quit, I'd recomend it. All of my life, I was an avid outdoorsman. The cruelty of it is now I cant even walk the dogs much less go fishing.

Just something to think about-Mike
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by Midway Tommy D »

I smoked a carton a week for 45 years, loved every puff, too, with no side affects except for some elevated BP until 4 1/2 years ago when I had a little ol' TIA. No big deal, just the newspaper article I was reading didn't make any sense and I couldn't remember anybody's names. I was lucky, my wife had just gotten home from work. The whole thing only lasted about 15 minutes and was completely over by the time she got me to the hospital. Only had to spend 24 hours in the ICU wing with my wife sitting right by my side. I had them put a patch on me while I was there because I was so addicted to nicotine I knew I'd be climbing the walls & my blood pressure would be going through the roof. I quit shortly after I got out and could go buy some more patches. I milked that stupid patch thing for 6 months. I went through the nicotine withdrawals and smoker's flue symptoms at least a half a dozen different times, every time I'd reduce the patch size a little bit. I even resorted to cutting the 7mg patch into 8 pieces and still had nightmares & anxiety attacks for a couple of months after I said enough is enough and toughed it out once the last 1/2" square was gone. That nicotine crap is one nasty drug and the sooner a person can get away from it the better off they'll be. It will never get any easier than right now. I had a few times early on that I really wanted to stop and buy a pack of smokes and every time I'd get close I'd remember the fear in my wife's eyes and on her face. I don't ever want to see that look again. Lucky for me we both smoked and quit at the same time so we could support each other. It was a lot easier for her to quit than it was for me. She used an e-cigarette for a little while and finally realized it was making it harder to get off the nicotine so she just stopped while I kept cutting down the patch. I'm way past ever wanting to have another cigarette because I can't stand the smell of them, or the stench of it on someone that's a smoker. I now understand why my kids constantly complained and I'm embarrassed to think that I used to smell like that, but oh well. At least neither of us ever smoked in the house. Plus, I never ever want to go through those nasty nicotine withdrawals again!

Oh, hey Henry, you're quite the comedian. Ever think about going out on the circuit with Dane Cook? :wink:
wrong99
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by wrong99 »

Iva Biggen wrote:I bin thinking to start smoking to get more girls and look real smart in publik.
I haven't quite figured out who you are yet, but your posts on Reel Talk are absolute classics. Some of the best! I look forward to many more.
Mark
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

Post by Midway Tommy D »

I haven't quite figured out who you are yet
Seriously? :shock:
wrong99
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Re: Anyone still smoking cigarettes and looking to quit??

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I've obviously missed something? Won't be the last time...
Mark
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