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When I quit smoking last August 19, 2012, I had been smoking one pack a day of Marlboro Reds for the past 21 years. To give you a bit of a background, let’s rewind back in time prior to August 19.
I was hopelessly addicted to smoking cigarettes. The first thing I would reach for in the morning, upon waking up, is a pack of cigarettes and I’d light one of them. I’d take another before eating, and after. I needed one before going to the bathroom, getting into the car for a drive, getting out of the car after a drive, before seeing a movie, while drinking my coffee – you get my drift. I never ran out of them, either. If I knew my remaining pack just had two or three cigs in them, I’d go to the convenience store to get a new pack. And before going to sleep each night, my last activity would be – you guessed it, smoking one or two cigs.
I started to get more into healthy living when I started working out. I stopped eating greasy food, and gave up drinking completely. I chose everything that I ate. Friends started to notice my new approach to living, and believe me, I wanted to be proud of myself- but I couldn’t, because I knew there was still one big part of me that contradicted everything- smoking.
Did I try to quit back then? Maybe. A few attempts, but nothing worked. So one day, I just gave up and said, I’ll just have to live with smoking. I started not to care. Until I got sick with dengue fever last month. I was in the hospital bed, lying there, thinking of only one thing- how am I going to sneak just one smoke? It was an agonizing experience, being stuck there, not able to smoke. And the first thing I did upon exiting the hospital? Yes, you guessed correct again.
So when I walked into a vape (“vape” – a term loosely used to describe the act of using an e-cigarette, taken from the word “vapor”) supply store out of curiosity one day, I had no expectations- but was a bit hopeful that I’d be able to quit. I walked out of the store with a basic ego-T unit, 510 atomizer, and a small bottle of Heaven Gifts coffee flavored e-juice with 18mg of nicotine. I vaped that afternoon, with a pack of Marlboro reds in my front jeans pocket. I kept that pack just in case the vaping “thing” wouldn’t work out.
A couple of hours later, I craved for a cigarette- so I lit one. It was okay. The rest of that afternoon, I continued to vape during the times I’d smoke. The following morning, instead of lighting a cig when I woke up, I reached for my e-cig unit. After breakfast that morning, I smoked a cigarette. It was August 19, 2012. I have not smoked a single cigarette since then. Not one.
The first week, I was irritable and felt like I was going to snap at some weird, random moment. There were times I even felt gloomy, for no apparent reason. These went away on the second week, and was replaced with the feeling of accomplishment- I had finally given up cigarettes.
I no longer crave for Marlboro Reds, or any cigarette for that matter. Whenever I am near the vicinity of a smoker, I get mildly dizzy. I feel a sense of freedom, knowing that I can wake up in the morning not having to worry about where I left my pack of cigarettes. Food tastes better, and my sense of smell seems a lot better, too. I feel lighter, and am working out better than ever before. I am now down to 6MG or more often than not, zero mg nicotine e-juices.
Friends and family are proud of me, but you know what? I’m definitely proud of myself.
I was hopelessly addicted to smoking cigarettes. The first thing I would reach for in the morning, upon waking up, is a pack of cigarettes and I’d light one of them. I’d take another before eating, and after. I needed one before going to the bathroom, getting into the car for a drive, getting out of the car after a drive, before seeing a movie, while drinking my coffee – you get my drift. I never ran out of them, either. If I knew my remaining pack just had two or three cigs in them, I’d go to the convenience store to get a new pack. And before going to sleep each night, my last activity would be – you guessed it, smoking one or two cigs.
I started to get more into healthy living when I started working out. I stopped eating greasy food, and gave up drinking completely. I chose everything that I ate. Friends started to notice my new approach to living, and believe me, I wanted to be proud of myself- but I couldn’t, because I knew there was still one big part of me that contradicted everything- smoking.
Did I try to quit back then? Maybe. A few attempts, but nothing worked. So one day, I just gave up and said, I’ll just have to live with smoking. I started not to care. Until I got sick with dengue fever last month. I was in the hospital bed, lying there, thinking of only one thing- how am I going to sneak just one smoke? It was an agonizing experience, being stuck there, not able to smoke. And the first thing I did upon exiting the hospital? Yes, you guessed correct again.
So when I walked into a vape (“vape” – a term loosely used to describe the act of using an e-cigarette, taken from the word “vapor”) supply store out of curiosity one day, I had no expectations- but was a bit hopeful that I’d be able to quit. I walked out of the store with a basic ego-T unit, 510 atomizer, and a small bottle of Heaven Gifts coffee flavored e-juice with 18mg of nicotine. I vaped that afternoon, with a pack of Marlboro reds in my front jeans pocket. I kept that pack just in case the vaping “thing” wouldn’t work out.
A couple of hours later, I craved for a cigarette- so I lit one. It was okay. The rest of that afternoon, I continued to vape during the times I’d smoke. The following morning, instead of lighting a cig when I woke up, I reached for my e-cig unit. After breakfast that morning, I smoked a cigarette. It was August 19, 2012. I have not smoked a single cigarette since then. Not one.
The first week, I was irritable and felt like I was going to snap at some weird, random moment. There were times I even felt gloomy, for no apparent reason. These went away on the second week, and was replaced with the feeling of accomplishment- I had finally given up cigarettes.
I no longer crave for Marlboro Reds, or any cigarette for that matter. Whenever I am near the vicinity of a smoker, I get mildly dizzy. I feel a sense of freedom, knowing that I can wake up in the morning not having to worry about where I left my pack of cigarettes. Food tastes better, and my sense of smell seems a lot better, too. I feel lighter, and am working out better than ever before. I am now down to 6MG or more often than not, zero mg nicotine e-juices.
Friends and family are proud of me, but you know what? I’m definitely proud of myself.
