Thursday, March 3, 2011

I Quit!

Posted by Newme at 3/03/2011 08:38:00 AM
One month ago today, I quit smoking. Which, if you knew me, you’d realize is HUGE!!! The really weird thing is that I had no intentions of quitting…..ever.

I started smoking at 13 years old.  From the first moment I lit up, I loved it! Looking back, I’m sure some of it was the “Cool” factor. But I truly have always loved smoking. And for over 35 years (don’t do the math!) I smoked about 1 ½ packs a day. Never once had I tried to quit. I knew I couldn’t and I knew I didn’t want to.

All of that changed a little over a month ago when a friend told me about e-cigarettes. I had heard that they existed. I just had no idea what they were, and I wasn’t interested anyway, because, like I said, I didn’t want to quit. I think what made me pay attention to what she was telling me, was the fact that she was a fairly heavy smoker as well. She understood me. She told me how she was “vaping” (that’s the term used for puffing on an e-cig) and that it not only helped her to quit smoking, but that she was having no withdrawals and it felt like she was still smoking.

After our conversation ended, I decided to look into this. I went to the internet and googled e-cigarettes. And, of course, there was a ton of information…too much as usual. The first thing that I did find, that was extremely helpful was a very large forum called www.e-cigarette-forum.com.  Though even that, at first, was overwhelming. Fortunately, they do have a “new members” section. So, for several days, I read and read and read. Until finally I felt I had a real handle on this “vaping” and decided I wanted to try it.

The first thing I did, thanks to some help from the forum, was decide what type of e-cigarette I wanted, and which brand to buy. Which is no small task. There are tons of different types and brands to choose from. But I decided on what I believed to be the best for me, which thankfully turned out to be just perfect. While I waited for them to arrive, I continued to read as much as I could about this new technology, and how to get the most out of this experience, along with how to quit smoking using these. I found myself actually getting excited about trying this.

My intentions were to alternate the vaping with the smoking, at first. And slowly cut down the cigarettes, in favor of vaping. But on the very first day, I only smoked 10 cigarettes, which is a third of what I normally smoked. And I didn’t even miss the other 20. The following day, I only smoked seven cigarettes, and within a few more days, only about four. By the end of the week, I was completely smoke free. Now I’ll admit, I have tried a cigarette twice in the past month, thinking I was somehow still missing something. But I tossed them out fairly quickly. They just don't have that hold on me any longer.

I seriously could not believe how easy it was! I’m still in a bit of shock. My husband is ecstatic! He has never been a smoker, and he hated all the smoke in the house, and the fact that I smelled "like an ashtray" (his words, not mine). I have to admit, I really can breathe easier. My cough is gone, and so is the constant stuffiness I had. I’m starting to get my sense of smell back, and from what I understand I’ll be able to taste food better. I’m not really sure what that means yet, because food tasted just fine to me before, but we’ll see. I have suffered NO ill effects from quitting, which was one of my biggest worries. Quitting, with vaping, has been completely painless.

You may wonder when I’ll take the next step and quit vaping. I don’t know. I’m definitely not there yet, and not sure if I ever will be. But at least I’ve traded the 4000+ toxins of the cigarettes for the one (nicotine) that is in the vapor I inhale.

If you smoke, or know someone who does, and are interested in learning more about this “vaping” check out www.e-cigarette-forum.com for more information. Also, there was a recent study done by the Boston University School of Public Health about E-cigarettes that is quite interesting. 

Oh…..and the brand I decided on, which I absolutely love, is called Bloog. Their website address is www.bloogplanet.com. And if you find you like what you see and want to make a purchase, you can get 10% off by entering the code: EPCE44TEN.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section. I will do my best to help.





8 comments:

Trish said...

AWESOME=YOU!! I am so proud of you!!

Newme on March 3, 2011 at 8:52 AM said...

Thanks Trisha! You're sweet!

Mere said...

Great blog Liz!! I'm so happy for you!

Newme on March 3, 2011 at 9:48 AM said...

Thanks Mere!

patrope on March 3, 2011 at 1:14 PM said...

This is amazing! I am so happy for you. What an encouragement for others too.

Diana Carreiro on March 3, 2011 at 8:46 PM said...

Well done doll! Your lungs, skin, heart, heck.. everything is gonna love you for it!
Congrats and fantastic post. I hope it'll inspire others to follow in your footsteps!

Newme on March 3, 2011 at 9:53 PM said...

Thanks everyone! And Diana, I sure hope my skin loves me for it. It hasn't particularly liked me much lately. lol

Anonymous said...

That's awesome! I'm so glad it's worked for you!

 

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