S. Schmidt, WikiCommons
Confession: I am a smoker…
I can hear you gasping and snickering from here in my nicotine filled lair, and it’s ok. I get it. I am perfectly aware of how hypocritical it is to talk about saving the environment, living a healthy life, yada yada yada, while puffing away releasing over 4000 chemicals into my body and the air around me. It’s tragic, but I’m addicted, and have been since I was 18 (or maybe earlier… but let’s go with 18).
I managed to quit successfully for 3 months once and missed it every day. It was physically and emotionally difficult and I was a complete biotch – so much so that my best friend finally told me to just go smoke. And I did. And here I am again, supporting an 8 dollar a pack habit that could potentially kill me.
The point of this confession is not to get all down on my self, but to let you know I am doing something about it. JD (also a smoker) and I have decided to adopt nonsmoker identities when we move to Seattle. I’m nervous, but confident this will be one of the best choices we ever make.
I’ve tried prescription meds and “bad reaction” is an understatement. I am amazed by people who can tolerate taking them because I seriously thought I was going to throw people out of windows. I’ve also tried the patches, gum, lozenges, and even toothpicks dipped in Tea Tree oil that claim to kill cravings. Sorry, NOTHING beats a real cig.
But lately, electronic cigarettes seem to be all the rage. And, faced with the task of quitting once and for all (before i met JD I swore I’d quit by 25) I am ready and willing to jump on that bandwagon. With hundreds of brands to choose from I did a bit of consumer review research and decided to order one that a) is compact and easy to use b) comes in a really cute case that resembles a cigarette pack, and c) is 100% made in the USA. Note: I am purposely leaving the brand out now so as not to seem like a shameless promoter of a product I haven’t personally tried yet.
So, while I wait for my fancy new e-cig to get here, I will puff away and leave you all with some crazy interesting links on ways to recycle cigarette butts, including making art and even clothing (see a detailed ’09 article on the clothing thing here)
- Experience with e-cigs?
- Tips for quitting?
No Butts on the Beach Campaign, SAS 2007
M.Brenn 
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Good Luck! I really want you to be successful at this. I LOVED to smoke. Cigarettes and coffee in a Paris cafe, on the beach in Malibu, shopping a flea market in London…. I LOVED to smoke for 25 years until that day last year when my brain blew up, and I ended up in brain surgery for 7 hours, after a brain aneurysm. After 30 days in intensive care, I am fine and a non-smoker, although I still am a member of the love affair with smoking, i would be dead because my daughter would have shot me . Sometimes after a good meal I just imagine….it will have to do for now, but I totally get it, it’s tough but worth it.
Thanks – I’m glad to hear you successfully quit (and survived a brain aneurysm!). I hear over and over from ex-smokers that although the love(lust) affair never really ends it’s totally possible to overcome. What will be most difficult for me is the morning coffee, after dinner, and worst – long drives. Sigh.
That said, I am totally ready to do this! And, my ecig should be delivered by mid-week so I’ll be sure to post about all that goodness soon.
I bet (hope?) it will be easier if you guys are quitting together — misery needs company!
Dan found that beef jerky was really essential. And my grandfather, who quit at age 80, chewed on golf tees. That might only work if you really like golf, though.
Oooooh. I like the beef jerky idea.
Yay! I totally appreciate your enthusiasm, considering you have insider knowledge as to just how many times I’ve tried to quit. 🙂
I started using an ecig in October 10, and haven’t smoked since.
I’ve also managed to work down from 24mg/ml nicotine “ejuice” to only 6mg/ml. Soon I hope to be able to give up the ecig, as well.
I get all my ecig stuff from madvapes.com
Good products, fast shipping. (they do not pay me to advertise for them, no).
That’s great to hear you went from 24mg – 6mg. One of my fears is simply transferring the habit to e-cigs instead of using it to wean off of nicotine all together. I’ll have to check out madvapes.com and compare. Thanks!