Advice you WISH you could share ....

[Ellen]

Date: 8/28/2008 10:32:02 PM
Author: luckystar112

Date: 8/28/2008 8:16:05 PM
Author:Circe
... and then my husband left me an article on electronic cigarettes. I tried them on a whim, and, hot damn! Three days without tobacco, and I''m ... okay. Better than okay, when you consider that the bizarre little cough that I spent the last year attributing to allergies has just flat-out disappeared.

You have to tell me more about this...

circe, I can''t ditto this enough. Would you please elaborate on how stopping cold turkey didn''t work (I tried too), and tell us about these cigs.

Pretty please, I REALLY want to quit. There''s already a smoking thread here.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quitting-smoking-support-thread.84960/




As for advice, the biggest and best one by far that I can give, is trust your gut. I''m actually going to do a thread on this in the future. I''ve recently read some things that really enlightened me on this phenomenon.

 

[Circe]

Date: 8/29/2008 11:44:08 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 8/28/2008 10:32:02 PM

Author: luckystar112

Date: 8/28/2008 8:16:05 PM

Author:Circe

... and then my husband left me an article on electronic cigarettes. I tried them on a whim, and, hot damn! Three days without tobacco, and I'm ... okay. Better than okay, when you consider that the bizarre little cough that I spent the last year attributing to allergies has just flat-out disappeared.

You have to tell me more about this...

circe, I can't ditto this enough. Would you please elaborate on how stopping cold turkey didn't work (I tried too), and tell us about these cigs.


Pretty please, I REALLY want to quit. There's already a smoking thread here.


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quitting-smoking-support-thread.84960/





As for advice, the biggest and best one by far that I can give, is trust your gut. I'm actually going to do a thread on this in the future. I've recently read some things that really enlightened me on this phenomenon.

Hey, my pleasure! I'm really glad so many people have such incredible advice to share, and responses to come, but I'm kinda loving my e-gar* right now, and gleeful to talk it up.

I quit smoking the first time when I developed asthma. I got a sinus infection on a long flight which led to my first emergency room visit, where they told me it had developed into asthma (which I didn't even know COULD happen) and that I HAD to quit smoking. I quit cold turkey a year after I started, and it lasted about a month. Then I went to a party, and ... well, you can fill in the blanks. (Uh, the asthma is pretty mild, so while this was/is definitely stupid, I wasn't suicidal - I generally only have attacks if I already have the flu/ do something bright like go rowing during pollen season.) After that, I'd periodically try to quit, and it would always last exactly as long as the next emergency (I never did go another full month again), and when friends or relatives asked, I'd tell them I was tapering. This was kinda true, but, just as above ... my carefully-tapered-down-to-5-a-day habit would hop right back up to a full pack whenever I had a deadline. So, yeah, as cases go, I think I'm pretty typical/heavy in terms of addiction.

So, the e-gar. The article my husband left me was in Chemical and Engineering News, which made me give it a little more credence than I would have if it had been in the Post, or something, so I decided to look it up online. Basically, it's a little metal tube in two-parts that deliberately mimics a cigarette: the "filter" contains nicotine and propylene glycol (basically food coloring) and the "body" contains a battery, a Motorola chip, and a couple of LEDs. When you suck at the filter, it gives you a small dose of nicotine and triggers a signal inside the e-gar to light the LED on the ember, and you exhale fake "smoke." So, basically, you have all the "pluses" of smoking without the actual ... cigarette. The hand gesture, the inhale, the exhale, the habit ... and/but also the nicotine. I say and/but because it's a plus and a minus: I'm still addicted to the nicotine. I think it's better for me than being addicted to the total package, but ... yeah. Apparently, some people have had great success with tapering off the e-gar, which comes in 4 strengths (high, medium, low, and completely empty of everything but the fake smoke, for people who *really* like the habit - btw, it also comes in flavors like apple and strawberry, if you want to disassociate further from the habit), but the more reputable websites make a BIG point of emphasizing that this was not designed as a smoking cessation tool. It *can* be used that way (I've been hunting down accounts from people who HAVE used it that way all week), but it's not how the bill it.

More on the actual process of quitting in a bit - first, breakfast!

*I tried a few different names for it, but e-cig is too clunky for words, and e-garette sounds like a cross between an egret and a garrote, which, while it may be in keeping with the common image of the smoker - long neck! choking hazard! - just ... no. So, e-gar, which is accurate enough for a fake cigarette, though they *also* make a cigar version, and even a pipe version.

 

[Circe]

So, on the actual process of switching over to the e-gar: there are a number of brands on the market. Since I was initially uncertain of how this would work, whether or not it was just a gimmick, whether it would work for *me*, I bought the cheapest one I could find. It's working just fine after 4 days, and their customer service is lovely: they delivered inside of 5 days, and they answered my e-mailed question about how many cartridges equaled a pack within two hours (for the curious, for this particular brand, they say one cartridge equals half a pack - this seems to very from company to company). Now that I'm planning to stay on these and try to wean myself off completely, I think I'm going to order from a more established company for the purpose of stability, and cross my fingers, knock on wood, and send the first set off to my dad, the life-long smoker: after ... good lord, 54 years of smoking, odds are good that he'll think of them as a toy/a way to avoid the smoking ban in airports rather than as a way to quit tobacco, but I can hope. N-Joy seems to be the most established American company (I mean, they carry these at *Target*), so I'll give those a shot.

It's not a completely seamless transition. For the first day or so, I would periodically note the difference and want the familiarity of the habit, but that's fading fast. The first night, I slept *terribly,* but that's fading, too (I honestly cannot figure out if this is because I am taking less nicotine than usual into my system, and thus suffering withdrawal, if this is because I am taking more nicotine than usual into my system right before bedtime because I'm not gauging the dosage right, or because I'm just kinda anxious about quitting smoking, the start of the term, etc.). These are the only physical side effects. In terms of other differences, both positive and negative ....

Pros, where the e-gar is equivalent to or better than the normal cigarette:
- quelling all nicotine cravings, so far
- can do it indoors
- want fewer drags off of it than I do off of normal cigarettes (5 drags or less on this thing has me satisfied for a while, whereas I usually smoke cigarettes to the filter: not sure if this is because I'm a completist, or if I'm just taking more frequent drags from this thing than I do fresh cigarettes)
- My smokers cough disappeared after two days.

Cons:
- I ... kind of miss using my lighter
- it feels really odd that there's no heat accompanying the smoke
- I haven't figured out comfort levels/dosages/habitual usage yet, so I'm worried I'm going to give myself a nicotine hangover through overuse

So, yeah, so far, the e-gar is seeming like a winner. I had a full pack of cigarettes in the house when the e-gars arrived. I still do. Haven't been seriously tempted to crack them even once. Methinks I might keep them around just to keep proving that to myself ....

 

[shimmer]

Off topic, but I have an ecig too! Love it. No more stinky tobacco fingers or breath, ewwww.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 8/29/2008 8:09:01 AM
Author: littlelysser
I have a couple.

1. Just because they make it in your size, that doesn''t mean you should wear it.

2. No one cares as much about your big life event (engagement, wedding, baby) as you do.

Those are soooo true!!!

 

[iheartscience]

1. Stolen from Nike, but: Just do it. Seriously, whatever it is you want to do...just do it! Want to start working out? Get a new job? Finish your college degree? Wear that weird outfit? Travel to Europe? You get the hint!

2. If you''re going to do something, do it right. I tend to go all out in most things that I do and it''s almost always a good thing!

I think that''s all I''ve got for now!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

~ Give it your best shot. If your best shot is not good enough, it''s OK to give up.

~ "A leopard doesn''t change its spots." In other words, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

~ Negative people are poison. They aren''t worth your time and should be banished from your life.

 

[Ellen]

Circe, thank you so much for elaborating!!

 

[bem3231]

Here are a couple that are less philosophical / more practical, but they are both things that I wish that I didn''t have to wait until my 30''s to figure out:

- a fit, healthy body is the best fashion accessory
- three months of weight lifting will change your shape way more than a lifetime of dieting will

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 8/29/2008 8:09:01 AM
Author: littlelysser
I have a couple.

1. Just because they make it in your size, that doesn't mean you should wear it.

2. No one cares as much about your big life event (engagement, wedding, baby) as you do.

HI:

Amen sister!

1) Forgive and forget.
2) Do something in your life that will outlast you.
3) Include helping, caring and sharing with others as part of your daily routine.

cheers--Sharon

 

[LuckyTexan]

GREAT THREAD!!! Please tell us more about the stop smoking aid that worked for you! I want my DH to quit DESPERATELY! We were both smokers when we met... and I quit when I got PG with DS. He wants to quit, but like you, can''t do it cold turkey or with patches.

MY ADVICE

* If it doesn''t have a positive result, don''t do it!

* Don''t ever try to change a man.

* Eat ice cream if you want ice cream. Just don''t eat the whole carton!

 

[Independent Gal]

I think the most important things I''ve learned and wish I could pass along are:

1) There is one and only good reason to worry about things that MIGHT happen: it helps you get prepared. Once you are prepared or if there''s really nothing you can do, train yourself not to worry about things until it actually becomes a reality. Or at least to minimize that worry.

2) Like Kim, I''ve learned to emphasize the things that are going RIGHT, and not dwell on what''s wrong or scary. Right now, my mom is very sick with cancer with the odds against her, both DH and I may both be out of work within the next year, I have no visa without work and so we can''t live together in the US if I am out of work, which is extra complicated because we''re about to have twins... if they both live, which there is a significant chance they won''t. So you''d think I''d be depressed, right? But I''m not! I''m actually pretty damn cheery, because instead of thinking about that stuff, I think about how: I''m financially secure for the moment, I married the best guy in the world, said guy loves me to pieces, my family are wonderful people (on the whole), I have wonderful loving friends, I am healthy and I have a good head on my shoulders, I have had an incredible exciting life filled with challenges, fun and adventure, accomplishments beyond my own wildest dreams, I love my job right now. Etc.

By dwelling on all these GREAT things I have going for me, and not worrying about all the sad things that might happen, even where it''s likely to happen, over the next year, I am a deeply contented person.

I wish I knew how to teach other people to be like that. It took me years of CONSCIOUS effort and practice to learn to live like this.

Which brings me to...

3) So much of whether you''re happy or not and what goes on in your head is totally up to you. Own your happiness. Take responsibility. Do something about it.

and finally...

4) Exercise is practically a cure-all. Angry? Go work out, you''ll feel better! Sad? Work out and feel better! Tired? Work out and feel more energetic! Exercise is, in a word, awesome.

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 8/28/2008 11:05:16 PM
Author: decodelighted


* People aren't thinking about you nearly as much as you'd guess .. they're focused on themselves.

Oh yeah. This is soooooo true. How much time do you spend fretting about something you said or did, that no one else even noticed or cared about? Or analyzing something someone else said or did which was nothing to them?

Nobody cares about you (or your wedding, or your baby, or whether you were awkward at dinner, or whether your shoes match your dress) as much as you do, except maybe your mom and your spouse. Truly realizing this also contributes to happiness.

 

[Independent Gal]

One more, actually a matched pair, arising from the exhortations to forgive and forget. Sometimes (but only in the most extreme cases) it''s OK, or even good to Forget without bothering to Forgive. Some things that people do are really truly horrible and there is no reason to think they don''t know better, and trying to understand, pity, forgive someone who treats you like garbage can often lead to self-destructive and indulgent behaviour.

Sometimes, it''s best to just forget someone exists and not bother even forgiving them. Just wash your hands and move on.

That goes along with this: if it looks like a pig, talks like a pig, and acts like a pig, it''s probably a pig.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Date: 8/29/2008 11:44:08 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 8/28/2008 10:32:02 PM
Author: luckystar112

Date: 8/28/2008 8:16:05 PM
Author:Circe
... and then my husband left me an article on electronic cigarettes. I tried them on a whim, and, hot damn! Three days without tobacco, and I''m ... okay. Better than okay, when you consider that the bizarre little cough that I spent the last year attributing to allergies has just flat-out disappeared.

You have to tell me more about this...

circe, I can''t ditto this enough. Would you please elaborate on how stopping cold turkey didn''t work (I tried too), and tell us about these cigs.

Pretty please, I REALLY want to quit. There''s already a smoking thread here.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quitting-smoking-support-thread.84960/




As for advice, the biggest and best one by far that I can give, is trust your gut. I''m actually going to do a thread on this in the future. I''ve recently read some things that really enlightened me on this phenomenon.

There has been some great advice given on this thread and I agree with all of it. However, this bit from Ellen is the one that hits home most with me. It is our instinct, intuition, whatever you call it - that keeps us safe from all sorts of things. It is not so finely tuned when we are young but grows based on our experiences in life. Whether it''s alarms going off or that small niggling in the pit of your stomach, you need to stop and listen. In most every instance that I didn''t listen to it, I got burned. We are so quick to override that feeling because we so often want just the opposite of what it is telling us. We have great instincts - we just have to learn to listen to that inner voice!

 

[galeteia]

I have a few entirely mundane, practical pieces of advice that I have found invaluable.

1. From a professional host: People like to be crowded at a party. Rearrange furniture if you have to, but pack them in tightly and they''ll be more likely to have a good time.

Sounds odd, but it never fails. You can make a jumpin'' party with only 10 people if you squeeze them all into the same small space. (Of course, the usual party rules of a clean bathroom and food/drink apply)

2. People like to talk about themselves. If you want to socialize with them, the easiest way is to make the conversation about them. Ask them questions about themselves, talk about things they want to talk about.

Strangers do not want to hear about you, they want it to be about them. They find their interests interesting, and will respond to you better if they make a mental connection between you and what they care about.

3. If you want to grow out your hair, or already have long hair, follow the Condition, Wash, Condition method to keep your ends healthy. See my post in Anchor''s Haircare Thread for details.