It took a few extra years, but I finally quit!

[MikeB7]

Today is twelve weeks since I had a cigarette, six weeks since my last e-cigarette.  I doubt anyone will remember, but years ago when I was a regular here I posted about it, though it turned out to be a half-hearted effort.  After 27 years of smoking, I finally quit for real this year though.  Rain (another FF oldtimer and CoH buddy) was a huge inspiration and help, watching him switch to e-cigarettes gave me the confidence to give that route an honest try and it worked, slowly but surely. 

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Congrats.  It's not an easy thing to do, so good job sir.

[MikeB7]

Hiya cat, good to see you.  Hope all's well.

[AfghanAnt]

Mike! This is wonderful! And it is great to see you.

[MikeB7]

Hiya AA, thanks!  I see you are still making pretty things.   

[Ephemeris]

Good job Mike!

[Outcast]

Congratulations Mike. It must have been tough getting over it. 

[thalaw2]

Congratulations!  How did you get over the mood swings? 

Really kicking the habit takes years.  I hope you'll remain strong when the cravings get really bad even more than a year after quitting.

[MikeB7]

Apparently, the mood swings are still an issue, heh.     Improving that, though.  Haven't had any cravings at all, so I'm very optimistic.  And honestly, dealing with all multiple sclerosis has thrown at me made the challenge easier.  It did help to look at it as a challenge, a matter of pride, as something I could *actively* influence. And yeah, a part of it was that superheroic spirit - that 'bracing yourself against the energy beam, slowly standing taller and moving forward step by step' approach to transform into an even prettier flower than I already am.

[Reepicheep]

Dude man, that is an impressive feat. Having integrity is the best thing I can say about a person.

You are the prettiest of flowers. 

[Thunder]

Mike, that is no small feat.  It takes determination and strength of mind to beat smoking.  I watched my mom do it in her 60s.  Congrats man! 

[Cyber Burn]

That's a real hard habit to break. Congrats Mike. 

[MikeB7]

Reep!  Thunder!  Awesome seeing so many names from FR's heyday (even bits of CoH) and saying Hi. 

K...lol and bite me. 

[Lionheart]

Congratulations, Mike!

A coworker quit cold turkey a few years ago when his wife was pregnant.

I told him quitting smoking was fantastic, but why quit cold turkey? Cold turkey is great on sandwiches!

[Epimethee]

Congrats, Mike! Keep up the good fight.

[DrMike2000]

Good on you!

It gets so much easier.
For me, the big thing was realising that life without ever having a cigarette again would be great, and better than the dream I clung to for years of being able to be an occasional smoker.
Once I figured that out, I stopped from 30-a-day to nothing, and that was 8 years ago. I love that wherever I go now, I don't look for the exit as soon as I'm inside. I love not being desperate to get off a plane as soon as it lands.

You've made a great choice there, Mike.

[MikeB7]

Thanks!  I'd basically doubled my smoking this summer to a pack a day (anxiety from other health stuff).  Not sure I would've been able to do it without e-cigarettes.  They were comparable enough to the real thing but less enjoyable, so it was easier to wean myself off.

My motivating mantra was 'When the zombie apocalypse comes, I will have one less thing to scavenge for out there in the wasteland'.

[WyldFyre]

Congratulations.

8 years clean now and I wish the e-cigs had been as popular and accessible then for me.  I had to use a prescription to quit.  Thankfully, I haven't had a single craving since.

And my motivation was marrying my second wife, (who also smoked and quit when I did), I said "why would I not want to spend as much time as possible with this wonderful woman?"
She was and IS my inspiration.

[XStream]

Way to go Mikey! Good to see you around the boards. I'm sure if the zombie apocalypse were to happen you have a much better chance of survival now... But do the nipple hoses ever need to be replaced? I think those might be hard to find...

[daglob]

Thanks!  I'd basically doubled my smoking this summer to a pack a day (anxiety from other health stuff).  Not sure I would've been able to do it without e-cigarettes.  They were comparable enough to the real thing but less enjoyable, so it was easier to wean myself off.

My motivating mantra was 'When the zombie apocalypse comes, I will have one less thing to scavenge for out there in the wasteland'.

In addition, you will have more "wind" to expend in avoiding the shambling hordes (which somehow catch up to even the fastest runner).

[MikeB7]

I'm enjoying this immensely, lol. Hearing from you guys after so much time away...  FR rocks!

WyldFyre - great story, love it. 
XStream - My nipple hoses were made by Glitchy.  Seriously, I still have a physical pair she awesomely mailed as a present years ago.  So yes, I totally expect them to fritz out in a freakishly cool way, perhaps even saving the day in the process.

[Figure Fan]

Congrats!

[Glitch Girl]

Things I miss over the weekend. 

congrats Mike!  Great going!  And glad to see you still around.

And you still have the hoses?  Wow. 

[lugaru]

Those flavored sparkling waters helped me... zero calories and they kind of scratch that 'I want to taste' something itch.

[BentonGrey]

My motivating mantra was 'When the zombie apocalypse comes, I will have one less thing to scavenge for out there in the wasteland'.

Not to mention being able to outrun the roving zombie hordes without running out of breath...

Congratulations Mike!  That's great news!

[Cyber Burn]

Things I miss over the weekend. 

congrats Mike!  Great going!  And glad to see you still around.

And you still have the hoses?  Wow. 

Oh my gosh...There really are Nipple Hoses? That is so cool! 

[Podmark]

Congrats Mike.

[Uncle Yuan]

I'm late to the party, but allow me to add my congratulations!  Getting my patients to quit smoking is probably one of the hardest parts of my job.

[Uncle Yuan]

And here I started using an e-cigarette in July to help control my Ulcerative Colitis with the go ahead from three doctors (Family, GI and Lung Doctor).

I'm curious - has this helped?  The only link I know of between UC and smoking is that smokers are less likely to develop UC.  Which is a LONG way from saying that smoking is a treatment for UC (correlation is not causation).  Using an e-cig also presumes that the effective factor is nicotine, and not carbon monoxide or any one of several hundred other substances in cigarettes.  But, this may be a known thing now, since that particular class in medical school was nearly 10 years ago.

And if nicotine, why not gum or lozenges?  My concern about e-cigs is that none of the other ingredients in the solution are tested for harm or long-term exposure.  I, for one, will not be at all surprised when when we learn 10 years from now that these are as bad in their way as traditional cigs.

[Tortuga]

Huzzah!!