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Addiction Quitting nicotine - How did you do it?

Snafu in the Void

Snafu in the Void

Moderator: NMI Bukowski Jr.
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For those who have used tobacco or vaping products (addiction, constant use) and have successfully quit, how did you do it?

I smoked a pack a day for 13 years from age 14-27, I was able to get off the cigs by switching to dip/oral tobacco for about a year or so, then switched successfully to vaping about 4-5 years ago, but about 20 years total on nicotine products. At first I was satisfied vaping was a lot safer, this was back before any major reports of lung damage, now I'm not so sure.

My vaping is starting to get out of control, I will now take a few hits every single time I wake up during the night. I am now literally vaping 24/7 and not just 16 hours per day.

I really want to get off this annoying habit. Luckily, I assume quitting vaping is in some way easier than tobacco products since the buzz is simply not as euphoric, and thus, the cravings are less intense from my experience (albeit more frequent).

I don't feel any lung damage, I can still run like a speed demon and breathe fine during my runs, but I'm not using that as an excuse.

For those who have quit, how have you done it? Nic patches never worked for me at all, I much prefer nicotine gum. Just looking for any advice/stories.
 
Negentropic said:
For those who have used tobacco or vaping products (addiction, constant use) and have successfully quit, how did you do it?

I smoked a pack a day for 13 years from age 14-27, I was able to get off the cigs by switching to dip/oral tobacco for about a year or so, then switched successfully to vaping about 4-5 years ago, but about 20 years total on nicotine products. At first I was satisfied vaping was a lot safer, this was back before any major reports of lung damage, now I'm not so sure.

My vaping is starting to get out of control, I will now take a few hits every single time I wake up during the night. I am now literally vaping 24/7 and not just 16 hours per day.

I really want to get off this annoying habit. Luckily, I assume quitting vaping is in some way easier than tobacco products since the buzz is simply not as euphoric, and thus, the cravings are less intense from my experience (albeit more frequent).

I don't feel any lung damage, I can still run like a speed demon and breathe fine during my runs, but I'm not using that as an excuse.

For those who have quit, how have you done it? Nic patches never worked for me at all, I much prefer nicotine gum. Just looking for any advice/stories.
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I don’t have an answer for you because I’m in the same boat lol. I can definitely breathe easier than when I was smoking cigs tho. Hopefully someone can suggest something that works here. In the past I did the nicotine patch and was smoke free for a year or so. I’ve used zippix too (nicotine toothpicks) those seemed to help in a pinch. But the vaping gets out of control fast lol. I too wake up in the middle of the night and start hitting mine, no bueno.
 
Negentropic said:
didn't know they had those, interesting, would help with after-meal cravings which can be intense
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Ya they definitely help with the oral fixation aspect of nicotine addiction. I forget what country you are in but in the US they have a bunch of nicotine pouches for sale at gas stations (zyn, on). I like dipping too so those seem to be good for oral fixation too, they don’t seem to fuck your mouth up like dip does either.

But when I switched to a mod vape (the ones with an external tank and make huge clouds) I literally couldn’t put that bitch down lol. Sooooo many delicious flavors 😍. Quitting the vape makes quitting cigs look like child’s play lol.
 
NawdybyNature said:
I like dipping too so those seem to be good for oral fixation too, they don’t seem to fuck your mouth up like dip does either.
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I also like dipping, exclusively used Grizzly for a couple years in the past.

I just really hate how expensive those zyn things are, I bought some a few months ago and it was nearly $10 per can!! wtf?

but yeah they kinda trigger me to use dip again, i'd probably look into nicotine gum instead
 
I began exercising and tried to space out the cigarette's I smoked.
Eventually, after being a total cunt to everyone for a few days, cigarettes tasted murky and shitty and I just quit.
I had barely been smoking daily for a few years though.

I do feel cravings for a cigarette whenever I'm stressed though. I've had more cravings for nicotine than I had for heroin when I quit that.

Most people I know who quit smoking changed to snus, and then eventually quit.
 
For me snus (snorting tobacco) indeed did do it best. I found vaping to be even more addictive than cigs. Memantine certainly helped as well, it blocks one of the relevant receptors of nicotine so it doesn't hit anymore. When I smell fresh smoke (the only thing about cigs which doesn't taste bad now) I sometimes get cravings but it's manageable.
 
tubgirl.jpg said:
I began exercising and tried to space out the cigarette's I smoked.
Eventually, after being a total cunt to everyone for a few days, cigarettes tasted murky and shitty and I just quit.
I had barely been smoking daily for a few years though.

I do feel cravings for a cigarette whenever I'm stressed though. I've had more cravings for nicotine than I had for heroin when I quit that.

Most people I know who quit smoking changed to snus, and then eventually quit.
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Remember about 6 months ago ( before I was a mod ) I gave you shit for being so cranky and told you to go smoke a cigarette? Then we PM'ed each other and laughed about it?

Congrats on quitting. Wise choice. I am also cutting down at the moment and if I get cranky you owe me a good jab for it. :love:
 
Nurse Ratched said:
Remember about 6 months ago ( before I was a mod ) I gave you shit for being so cranky and told you to go smoke a cigarette? Then we PM'ed each other and laughed about it?

Congrats on quitting. Wise choice. I am also cutting down at the moment and if I get cranky you owe me a good jab for it. :love:
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Oh, I do Pumpkin. I was so mad because I knew you were right.
Thank you for that! ❤️

I will give you a proverbial smacking if I notice you're getting cranky. 😆
 
Tbh snaffffzzzz, I can quit injecting drugs, but tobacco I think I'll never b able to quit it. I just love some hypoxia everyonce in a while. I used to be a 2 packs a day smoker from 18-20 at one point, then over the years the price of cigs in my country has almost cuadrupled. So I've been reducing and reducing til I got to 1-3 cigs a day only but nowadays sometimes I skip 2-3 days sometimes. Idk I forget to smoke nowadays BUT If I'm doing opis or im drinking, forget about everything. I chain smoke like a mofo. If I'm on ecstasy even worse I can smoke 15 cigs like back in the day. Only on those ocassions though. If I'm chilling sober I forget about 🚬 ✌
 
nznity said:
Tbh snaffffzzzz, I can quit injecting drugs, but tobacco I think I'll never b able to quit it. I just love some hypoxia everyonce in a while. I used to be a 2 packs a day smoker from 18-20 at one point, then over the years the price of cigs in my country has almost cuadrupled. So I've been reducing and reducing til I got to 1-3 cigs a day only but nowadays sometimes I skip 2-3 days sometimes. Idk I forget to smoke nowadays BUT If I'm doing opis or im drinking, forget about everything. I chain smoke like a mofo. If I'm on ecstasy even worse I can smoke 15 cigs like back in the day. Only on those ocassions though. If I'm chilling sober I forget about 🚬 ✌
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Opioids. kratom, alcohol, and coffee. Me too.....smoke like a mofo :LOL:

Hope you are having a good a day as you possibly can. It's probably really rough....but hopefully not as rough as it has been. <3
 
Negentropic said:
I also like dipping, exclusively used Grizzly for a couple years in the past.

I just really hate how expensive those zyn things are, I bought some a few months ago and it was nearly $10 per can!! wtf?

but yeah they kinda trigger me to use dip again, i'd probably look into nicotine gum instead
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Yeeee I’m about that Grizz shit too lol. But ya zyn is way too expensive to be viable. When ON first came out it was 2 for 1 in my town so it was worth it. I tried gum too thinking it would work better than the patch but it gives me spicy throat. Idk how else to explain it but it feels weird on my throat from swallowing all that nicotine I guess.

Sorry, I’ve been no help on this subject at all lol but I feel your pain mang. Nicotine has been way harder to quit than H and alcohol for me.
 
i smoked from 14-33. i had tried to quit the first time when i was 21.

i finally did it by having a reason to quit that wasn't 'possible lung cancer in the future.' instead i picked something tangible, basically my first hiking trip in recovery i was still smoking, and my lungs were so obviously in worse condition than everyone elses. i was panting so badly at the tops of ascents. i then booked a more hardcore hiking trip and couldn't face the same again.

that got cancelled cos of covid but i've climbed 2 mountains since, and it turns out my lungs are still fucked, not surprising given the amount of crap i have smoked. i can't honestly say if i noticed any difference between those trips and the one before i quit smoking, but i'm sure it must have been easier in some way. i'd also taken up running, and didn't think i could hit my target of doing 5k in less than 30 mins without quitting. i have done it, but only once and it was 29.59 lol.

the actual quitting, i went first to 5 cigs a day, when i got comfortable with that, 4 cigs, 3, 2, 1 and i didn't let myself sit at one forever cos i done that in the past and it swiftly becomes 2,3,4, back up to at least 10 a day. i went to every other day, then once every 3 days. still, the jump was hard, but i knew when i was down to 1 every 3 days, it really was just psychological, and eventually made the jump.

i smoked rolling baccy, so when i was mentally preparing to quit, i started making smaller cigs to reduce my actual nicotine dependence ahead of time.
 
chinup said:
the actual quitting, i went first to 5 cigs a day, when i got comfortable with that, 4 cigs, 3, 2, 1 and i didn't let myself sit at one forever cos i done that in the past and it swiftly becomes 2,3,4, back up to at least 10 a day. i went to every other day, then once every 3 days. still, the jump was hard, but i knew when i was down to 1 every 3 days, it really was just psychological, and eventually made the jump.

i smoked rolling baccy, so when i was mentally preparing to quit, i started making smaller cigs to reduce my actual nicotine dependence ahead of time.
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Thanks I'll try this.
Problem is though, I take daily Ritalin which makes me crave cigs like crazy.
 
i smoked cigs for about 25 years - a few breaks in between - but i haven't smoked in well over 10 years

cut down first - main thing for me, go as long as i can without a morning cig - then cold turkey when im feeling ready - no patches no pills no nothing other than an oral fixation that helped me a little the last 2 times using this ---> https://www.smoketip.com/

but i never got hooked on the smoketip - it just helped with the oral fixaton part and then i stopped hitting that thing after about 10 days to 2 weeks and their was zero withdrawal from that thing

and that's it - done
 
Hemp Doobies. For blowing smoke. Nonpsychoactive.

Kief Joints for blowing less smoke and getting high.
 
Negentropic said:
For those who have used tobacco or vaping products (addiction, constant use) and have successfully quit, how did you do it?

I smoked a pack a day for 13 years from age 14-27, I was able to get off the cigs by switching to dip/oral tobacco for about a year or so, then switched successfully to vaping about 4-5 years ago, but about 20 years total on nicotine products. At first I was satisfied vaping was a lot safer, this was back before any major reports of lung damage, now I'm not so sure.

My vaping is starting to get out of control, I will now take a few hits every single time I wake up during the night. I am now literally vaping 24/7 and not just 16 hours per day.

I really want to get off this annoying habit. Luckily, I assume quitting vaping is in some way easier than tobacco products since the buzz is simply not as euphoric, and thus, the cravings are less intense from my experience (albeit more frequent).

I don't feel any lung damage, I can still run like a speed demon and breathe fine during my runs, but I'm not using that as an excuse.

For those who have quit, how have you done it? Nic patches never worked for me at all, I much prefer nicotine gum. Just looking for any advice/stories.
Click to expand...
I started smoking cigarettes, dipping, and vaping at 13 and stopped at 16 except for a few times at 17. For me i had to quit because i was put in a locked residential facility.

But eventually i got put in a group home and they did a lot of tobacco and nicotine there. I made a choice to stay clean from it because i didnt want to get in trouble. But while i was there (i was 17) i fell into temptation after being around people who vape and well i vaped.

I have quit cigarettes and such many times. Usually because if i didnt quit id get hit by my parents, have my stuff thrown away, and have to work for free at my parents restaraunt or sit in the office there all day.

I still have cravings now and then. My sister still smokes around me. But everyone else is respectful to not do it around me now. I choose not to smoke now. And it feels good. The cravings are a piece of cake now. I went from smoking butts off the ground and ashtrays, stealing cigarettes from people i knew, asking for cigarettrs from strangers and people i knew, lying about missing money, to not smoking at all.

It seems like you believe its a good idea to stop smoking/vaping/dipping. Best of luck man. The grass is greener on the otherside 💕
 
Nicotine inhalers. Not vapes. Made by the government. Legit, and not too expensive. It was like 15 per month.
 
AlphaMethylPhenyl said:
Nicotine inhalers. Not vapes. Made by the government. Legit, and not too expensive. It was like 15 per month.
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Never heard of those. I'm intrigued.

I've always loved tobacco in all forms.
I've been smoking, dipping, and/or vaping daily for 50 years. I'll probably never quit nicotine completely but I'm interested in harm reduction.
 
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