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Recovery Quitting Cigarettes (and maybe ALL nicotine?)

Quiting cigarettes was up there on my list of hardest things to kick. I personally could get off coke easier than nicotine. MONTHS of side effects from quitting cigarettes. Took years of trying and giving up countless times.

Legal substance abuse is the absolute worst. It's everyone and everywhere.
 
jasperkent said:
As many of you know, I've been smoking cigarettes daily for 50 years. For the past 45 years I've smoked at least a pack and a half a day. Although I've overcome addictions to various drugs and drug combos, I have never been able to kick my first habit: cigarette smoking. In fact, I tend to smoke even more when I'm clean & sober. This is despite the fact that every male relative on both sides of my family has died of some form of lung disease-- in my father's case, lung cancer.

When 2024 rolled around, I decided that I  had to do something about it. At 64, I am not afraid of death. As Mark Twain put it, I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it. But I care a lot about how I die-- and, more importantly, how I live between now and then. I don't want to struggle to breathe and/or be incapacitated in my final years.

Since the first of the year I've been trying to cut back on my smoking -- with limited success. Generally, if I have cigarettes I am going to smoke them So I have to just quit. To be clear, I am not quitting nicotine. I am armed with nic gum, Grizzly pouches, and a vape pen. Oddly, I don't particularly like vaping so I doubt that it will become a problem.

Suggestions and encouragement welcome!

It's been 36 hours since my last cigarette.
(but who's counting?)
Click to expand...
jasperkent said:
As many of you know, I've been smoking cigarettes daily for 50 years. For the past 45 years I've smoked at least a pack and a half a day. Although I've overcome addictions to various drugs and drug combos, I have never been able to kick my first habit: cigarette smoking. In fact, I tend to smoke even more when I'm clean & sober. This is despite the fact that every male relative on both sides of my family has died of some form of lung disease-- in my father's case, lung cancer.

When 2024 rolled around, I decided that I  had to do something about it. At 64, I am not afraid of death. As Mark Twain put it, I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it. But I care a lot about how I die-- and, more importantly, how I live between now and then. I don't want to struggle to breathe and/or be incapacitated in my final years.

Since the first of the year I've been trying to cut back on my smoking -- with limited success. Generally, if I have cigarettes I am going to smoke them So I have to just quit. To be clear, I am not quitting nicotine. I am armed with nic gum, Grizzly pouches, and a vape pen. Oddly, I don't particularly like vaping so I doubt that it will become a problem.

Suggestions and encouragement welcome!

It's been 36 hours since my last cigarette.
(but who's counting?)
Click to expand...
 
jasperkent said:
As many of you know, I've been smoking cigarettes daily for 50 years. For the past 45 years I've smoked at least a pack and a half a day. Although I've overcome addictions to various drugs and drug combos, I have never been able to kick my first habit: cigarette smoking. In fact, I tend to smoke even more when I'm clean & sober. This is despite the fact that every male relative on both sides of my family has died of some form of lung disease-- in my father's case, lung cancer.

When 2024 rolled around, I decided that I  had to do something about it. At 64, I am not afraid of death. As Mark Twain put it, I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it. But I care a lot about how I die-- and, more importantly, how I live between now and then. I don't want to struggle to breathe and/or be incapacitated in my final years.

Since the first of the year I've been trying to cut back on my smoking -- with limited success. Generally, if I have cigarettes I am going to smoke them So I have to just quit. To be clear, I am not quitting nicotine. I am armed with nic gum, Grizzly pouches, and a vape pen. Oddly, I don't particularly like vaping so I doubt that it will become a problem.

Suggestions and encouragement welcome!

It's been 36 hours since my last cigarette.
(but who's counting?)
Click to expand...
Yea I’m in the same struggle with you my friend, been smoking since I was 10 and i’m 60 now so I’ve been smoking 50 years as well and it seems like every time I think about quitting smoking I smoke more,, I get the vape pens from the convenient store, but I just really don’t like them and they actually make me cough worse than cigarettes I struggle to breathe sometimes and it’s just not enough to make me quit and like you it was my first addiction and I’ve kicked other addictions through the course of my life, I’ve just got to figure out some kind of a way because me and my wife adopted a baby Straight out of the hospital and both of us were 48 so I’ve got to try to figure out a way to quit so I can at least make it to 75 and make sure my daughter has everything she needs before I check out and like you at 60 I’m not really scared of death. I just want to make it long enough to make sure my youngest daughter is Ok If you can think of anything or some thing has helped, you quit even for a little while let me know what you did. Maybe I can try that. Have a nice day and thanks for your time.
 
dynodavie said:
... I just really don’t like them and they actually make me cough worse than cigarettes...
Click to expand...
When I was still smoking I didn't really like vapes either and they also made me cough much more than cigarettes. Not sure why that is. But since I quit the cigs I quickly adjusted and vaping never makes me cough now. I like it a bit too much-- I've cut back some but haven't been able to quit the vapes.
Yet.
All I can say about quitting anything is what I know from my own personal experience. Having quit alcohol (my longest & worst addiction), benzos, coke, meth, opioids, and cigs, the only real success I ever had was when I wanted to quit more than I wanted to keep using.
There is no secret trick, no miracle drug, no magic potion, no special belief system nor ritual, no spiritual awakening. I couldn't force it, I couldn't be forced. Being incarcerated (many times) didn't do it, nearly dying (several times) didn't do it. Long periods of abstinence didn't do it permanently. When I, deep down, really didn't want to stop, then nothing could make me stop. And when I, deep down, really wanted to stop for good, then nothing could make me pick it up again. It's a harsh reality, but for me it really is that simple.
Now, if you are at that point, I can share all kinds if tips and suggestions that will make your journey go more smoothly. But I can't tell you "what works" because I have no idea what will work for you. And that applies to everybody about everything.

YMMV
 
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I'm coming up on ONE YEAR without a cigarette! Yee-fucking-haw, amirite?
Frankly, I'm astonished that I did it without a single slip-up. Obviously, the vape pen and nic gum have helped a LOT.

I took my last vape hit on New Year's Eve (a week ago). Still chomping the nic gum & nic lozenges like crazy. Here's the weird part: since I stopped vaping, I've craved cigarettes for the first time in nearly a year. Go figure. But I'm sticking to it-- no cigs, no vapes. After 50+ years of constant abuse, my lungs need a fucking break. I'm not even smoking weed anymore-- just enjoying my edibles.

No, I have no plans to quit nicotine. Maybe some day, but not any time soon.
 
jasperkent said:
I'm coming up on ONE YEAR without a cigarette! Yee-fucking-haw, amirite?
Frankly, I'm astonished that I did it without a single slip-up. Obviously, the vape pen and nic gum have helped a LOT.

I took my last vape hit on New Year's Eve (a week ago). Still chomping the nic gum & nic lozenges like crazy. Here's the weird part: since I stopped vaping, I've craved cigarettes for the first time in nearly a year. Go figure. But I'm sticking to it-- no cigs, no vapes. After 50+ years of constant abuse, my lungs need a fucking break. I'm not even smoking weed anymore-- just enjoying my edibles.

No, I have no plans to quit nicotine. Maybe some day, but not any time soon.
Click to expand...
That’s so great, so proud of you amigo. You did awesome 💕🌺🍀
 
TWO WEEKS, NO VAPE!

The only time it's tough is first thing in the morning with my first cup of coffee. And it's really tough.

If I had a device that would dispense one (and only one) cigarette once every 24 hours at 5:30AM, I would absolutely  love it!
 
AlphaMethylPhenyl said:
Whoa my guy is owning me! Thought I was good when I quit smoking two years ago. Still have a disposable vape that I use every so often.
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Believe me, if I could just vape now & then I would. Or if I could just smoke one cigarette first thing every morning I'd do that. But if I have it, I do it. Easier to just not have it around at all.
 
I didn't plan this and I can't explain it, but I might be done with nicotine. Day before yesterday I woke up not craving a smoke, a vape, a dip, gum, lozenge, anything. So i just went without for an hour. And another hour. And another.

Now I'm at work and I brought nic gum just in case, but I haven't wanted it yet.

This is phenomenal. I haven't voluntarily gone without nicotine for more than a few hours in over 50 years.
I  love nicotine. No, I worship nicotine.

Go figure.

(edit) Well, that was short-lived. Three hours after posting the above declaration, the cravings hit hard. So I'm still doing the gum, but at least my lungs are spared.
 
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I quit before vapes came on the market. It took a few years - don't get discouraged if it takes you more than one try. What eventually worked for me was taking bupropion and using the nicotine patches. I stayed on the patches for a year, weaning my way down from to the lowest dose, and then leaving them on for longer and longer until eventually I forgot to change my last 7mg patch after like a month.

I smoked an average of 1.5 packs (sometimes more/sometimes less) for 18 years, and now it's been that long since I quit. I have faith in you, too!
 
toe said:
I quit before vapes came on the market...
Click to expand...
Good!

Yeah, I was on bupropion (for depression) a few years ago and I noticed i was smoking less without trying. I probably could've quit then pretty easily but I just didn't want to.

Thing is, I really, really like nicotine. It was my first addiction and looks like it will be the last I quit-- if I quit. But I'm done with smoking. I don't smoke anything anymore. I make my own edibles, which I've come to prefer.

Still considering the patches, but for now I'm good with gum & lozenges.
 
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