Quit smoking 3 years ago today

[xBettyBoopx]

Well then like the title said I gave up smoking 3 years ago today 9.9.09!!

I still want a ciggie

I have gained 3 stone in weight and a ton of illnesses that I never had before

Not sure if it was all worth it really

[nomorepanic]

Well done and of course it was worth it in the end

[Jimbo]

Well done, I've tried and failed so many times. 3 years is an epic achievement.

I'm currently trying those e-cigarrette things now they've been approved, got a CE mark and gone mainstream in the supermarkets. Done nearly 2 months now. They are a bit of a revelation and I find myself telling everyone about them. They make some almost unbelievable claims and are marketed as a 'healthy' cigarette.

It's cheating really IMHO as I'm still getting nicotine in a fairly high dose, about equal to a normal cigarette. My plan is to slowly reduce the dose till I'm on the 0mg nicotine free ones. Hopefully if I do it slowly enough I won't notice.

Still be aware there are a lot of concerns about how 'safe' or 'healthy' they actually are, on paper they are safe but some studies cast some doubts (although likely funded by the tobacco companies or the greedy US government who have realized they're losing out on tax). They do seem too good to be true, but I'll trust in the EU government boffins that approved them.

Wikipedia explains them fairly well if you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about: here

Would recommend trying them if anyone wants to take a half step towards giving up, they sell single throwaway ones which are sposed to give 20 cigarettes worth of puffs in Sainsburys and Tescos at the tobacco counter for £5.99

But noticed I've already regained my sense of smell, amazing to smell flowers and things I would have never noticed before and my lungs feel like they're slowly clearing and I'm no longer coughing up tar and all the other nasties that come with tobacco. Also a bonus is most places let you use them inside, just ask first and be prepared to explain what it is and there is no risk of passive smoking. You will get some funny looks if you start blowing smoke rings with the vapour rather than inhaling it tho!

But my main advice is buy a proper refillable one online if you get on with them (they are 'weird' is the only way I can describe them, some people cant stand them) they are overpriced for what they actually are; very simple technology. If you don't use the refill liquids and just buy the the throw away ones or the cartridges (5 for £9.99 + £16 odd quid for the battery part online). I also prefer the fruit flavours to the tobacco flavour ones which is apparently common with people who get on with them.

Also don’t get sucked in by the hype and youtube reviews, most of them are affiliates who get a cut if you use their discount code so they can't really be trusted.

There is absolutely no point spending a fortune as they are only as good as the rechargeable battery inside them, which will eventually die and wont hold a charge. Some allow you to replace the battery but the batteries are fairly hard to come by as they are not average rechargeable ones so its a bit of a minefield as to what you buy.

I won't recommend anyone in particular as you should do your own research and decide what works for you if you do try them. Remember all you are buying is a glorified battery holder and a cartridge. There are many different options, adapters, gizmos and gimmicks out there. £9.99 for the 5 pre-filled cartridges in the supermarkets isn't too bad, equivilent to 100 cigarettes and they use the most common adapter so you don't have to buy their brand of battery, but its early days as to if they keep them in stock and you're not sposed to refill them (although you can). They only stock the high strength ones in my local Sainsburys and only noticed them a few months ago after someone gave me a leaflet so dunno if all stores have them.

They are great for getting round no smoking bans as you aren't actually burning anything so there is no smoke its just a vaporized liquid containing nicotine with no tar or cancerous chemicals.