I Did It! I'm a Nonsmoker!

In July, I smoked my last cigarette. I smoked for 25 years, and it was getting to the point that it hurt just to breathe. Not to mention if I had to run, or climb a flight of stairs. So, in July, I decided that the pack I had would be my last. I had already found a brand of Ecigs that worked for me, so I was ready to go. I remember the last cigarette on the pack, as I was smoking it, I got disgusted with myself, and threw it out less than halfway through it.

I had tried to quit smoking cold turkey once before. In 2007, I made it through the first week. The physical cravings and sleepless nights were over, as well as the coughing fits that go hand in hand with the first week of quitting. I was halfway through the first two weeks, which are the hardest. But, then, some friends came and dragged me to a bar. I figured I would be ok without cigarettes. OOPS! Bummer, dude! I bought a pack about an hour after drinking my first drink, and it was like I had never tried to quit.

Now, as I mentioned, in July I smoked my last cigarette, and switched to Ecigs. I had tried several different brands with little or no success until I found the Mistic brand. The reason for that brand's success vs other brands failure is the nicotine content. Mistic has 2.4% nicotine. The other brands I tried have 1.6 to 1.8% nicotine, and they did nothing for me. They did not help me when I first woke up, or after a meal. The ultimate test of an Ecig is whether or not you can get through a night of drinking without needing a smoke. The other brands? Not even close. Mistic? YEP! They worked for me through every 'test.' So, when I smoked my last cigarette, I was able to switch immediately to Mistics.

You know, I really should bill them for this.

As I used Mistics, I noticed several things...I felt better, I had more energy and stamina...I could run up a flight of stairs without feeling like I was dying. The pain in breathing went away rather quickly, which led me to believe that it isn't the nicotine in cigarettes that is so harmful. It is all the other garbage that kills you. And, you know what? You are addicted to all that other garbage as well. When I tried to quit smoking in 2007, it was excruciatingly painful, yet the first week or two with only Ecigs, it was mildly uncomfortable as the toxins were expelled from my body. After that, I was fine.

It should be noted that one Ecig is equal to a pack and a half to two packs of cigarettes. One single use Mistic is about $6.00. That right there is about $2.00 less than a pack of cigarettes these days. More than that, depending on where you are in the country. A 5 pack of refill cartridges which is essentially a carton of cigarettes costs between $13 and $16. A carton of real cigarettes costs anywhere from $45 to $60 these days. You can also get a 10 pack of Mistic cartridges for $20..TWO cartons of cigarettes for $20. Do the math. Imagine how much money you'll save, just by switching to Ecigs. Even more than by switching your car insurance to that Gecko brand.

Now, lets fast forward to about 4 weeks ago, the end of October. I decided it was time to abandon the Ecigs and save money, and be done with nicotine for good.  Like I did with cigarettes, I smoked my last one, and was done with it. The first week was kind of rough, and the second week started a little bit worse, but got better toward the middle part of the second week. By the end of the second week, I was fine, and ready to do the ultimate test...which as I mentioned before is a night of drinking. I went out to a bar last weekend, and drank, and was around smokers. Did I WANT a cigarette or Ecig as I drank? You bet. But, I never got the craving and withdrawal pains for it. I am likely going to WANT one for a long time. But, that is alot different than NEEDING one. I WANT a man cave decked out with an 80" TV, beer tap and frige, bar, dart board, pool table, and Karen Gillan as a bartender, but I don't NEED all that.

Would you like a beer?

So, in a nutshell, this is how you quit smoking. Step one, find an Ecig brand that works for you. Step 2, switch completely to the Ecigs for a few months. Step 3, Quit the Ecigs. If it worked for this 25 year smoker who did not want to quit until he started noticing bad physical things as a result, it can work for you too. And, the good news is that after 10  to 15 years or so, your lungs will completely rejuvenate themselves.

Now, we've established the good of Ecigs, I have something else I have to address. I found a story saying that Philip Morris has decided to start selling Ecigs. You read the story, and once you get to the comments, you'll see the usual suspects crying out for the government to regulate Ecigs. They are the Fun Police. These people are the same people crying out for gun control, and bans on soda, and on anything that tastes good or is fun. These people believe that the citizens are nothing but subjects of the government. Because they are so squeaky clean, I would bet that these idiots never smoked a day in their lives. They are saying that Ecigs are just as bad for you as cigarettes. They are also saying that I don't exist. They say that nobody ever quit smoking after using Ecigs. They are also saying that people who switch to Ecigs are doing even more damage to their lungs. If you read my testimony, how can you assume that my lungs were getting further damage?

These people need to be stopped. These people want EVERYTHING regulated. They want the tobacco companies to be tried, convicted as murderers and executed for falsely claiming that cigarettes aren't harmful. EVERYBODY who smokes knows its harmful. Tobacco companies have as much of a right to be here as any other company. Nobody forces anyone to smoke. Yet, name another industry that is forced by law to tell people NOT to buy their product?

The truth of the matter is that nicotine by itself is no more harmful than caffeine. Caffeine is not regulated, nor should it be. But, you can bet that if these morons get Ecigs regulated, they will go after caffeine next.

And, before I wrap this up, let me ask you this one question...When something like tobacco or alcohol is regulated, where does all that tax money go to? It goes RIGHT into the government's hands, and if you think they donate it to doctors to come up with lung cancer or addiction treatments, then I have a lake house on the moon I'd like to sell you. So, the people screaming for regulations are either ignorant pawns of the government or the government itself...Or both. You decide.

The bottom line here is that Ecigs are harmless to everyone. Harmless to the smoker using them, and harmless to those around them. If you want to quit smoking, take my story and give it a shot. Don't listen to these anti everything nitwits who have never smoked, but just want to control everyone's lives. They don't know what they are talking about. I do because I experienced it.

So, good luck...And while you are on Ecigs do yourself a favor and walk into a Starbucks while puffing on one. THAT is some real entertainment. And, by the way...All you nonsmokers who think you are above smokers, and think it is appropriate to come up and hack at smokers who are outside...Get a life. Whenever one of these goody two shoes did that to me, I would take a HUGE drag, and blow the smoke in their face. And, another thing..And this is the most important thing. I did not quit smoking so that I could be in the good graces of these holier than thou nonsmokers. I did it for ME, and I would rather be in a room full of smokers than to be around even ONE of those jerks. Now, I'm not talking about all nonsmokers. Just the ones who think that their purpose in life is to make smokers miserable. I like nonsmokers, as I am one now. But, you will NEVER see me be rude to a smoker.

Translation: We don't want 30% of
our customers anymore.

Now, as I climb down off my soap box, let me just say once again, Good luck in quitting smoking. If I can do it, anyone can!

Quitting Smoking SUCKS...A Smoker's Story

Ok, let me first let you know that I am a 25 year smoker who is on day 3 without a cigarette. I admit, I'm pretty antsy right now, but its all good. Hopefully, this will translate into a better blog post because I AM THERE right now, and I want to rip someone's head off! But, I must admit, I am cheating. I'm using Ecigs. I'll tell you the brand later, but first before people call me a fraud because I'm using Ecigs, let me tell you this...Ecigs give you the same amount of nicotine as the patch or nicotine gum. And, if you've ever been around someone on either of those products, you know they don't work very well. The main reason is because they do not deposit the nicotine where you need it...Your lungs! I've tried nicotine gum and the patch. They did not work at all because while I could feel that there was nicotine in my system, I was still burning for it in my lungs.

But before we get into Ecigs, I am going to go on a rant about non smokers, and how they treat smokers. Smokers have been reduced in stature to below that of a Muslim terrorist. Case in point: I was at an Atlanta Falcons football game back in 2005. The Falcons have a smoking section outside the stadium, but that isn't what I am talking about. After the game was over, I got outside the stadium. This game was in October, and in Atlanta, its still pretty warm. I came out, and lit up a smoke. Instantly, there were people around me fake coughing. I ignored them, but the person I did not ignore was wearing a turban, a multi layered winter coat, and had a full beard, and was standing alone. NO ONE other than me noticed this guy. I got the hell out of there, and as I went, I heard people yelling at me, saying that I was damn right for getting my filthy smoking ass out of there.

I am glad this guy was not a terrorist, but can you imagine if he had been, and blew himself up? All those people who were judging me about being a smoker, and cheering when I rushed out of there would have been dead. My point about all of this is that there are MUCH worse people out there than smokers.

Need I remind you that smoking is LEGAL in this country? However, crossing the border without a passport is illegal, and most of these politicians who want to gouge the smokers with taxes as punishment for smoking seem to have no problem when it comes to illegal aliens...or should I say future Democrats BREAKING the law to come into the country. They have no problem wiping their ass with the constitution if it means more votes for them.

That brings me to the biggest hypocrite of them all...President Barack Hussein Obama. In the campaign for his first election, he swore that he would not raise taxes on the middle class or poor people. THE FIRST THING HE DID while in office was to sign a bill that doubled the price of cigarettes. And, HE IS A SMOKER!!! (or he was when he was elected, and signed that bill. Not sure if he quit smoking or not.)

That was a tax increase, you asshole!

Not to mention the fact that smokers have to stand outside, and listen to snide remarks from the enlightened nonsmokers as they walk by. One time, I lost it. I was in a designated smoking area outside a mall that I worked in. A man and a 10 year old girl walked by. There was a no smoking sign on the entrance to the mall. The girl fake coughed, and asked her dad what the sign said. The dad laughed, and said that "that guy must not know how to read." I flipped, and said that I was sitting in a designated smoking area, and that I didn't appreciate them talking about me like that. The father gave me his wounded liberal response, asking me how dare I talk to him like that. I asked him "Oh, what? You're offended? I'm in a designated smoking area, and YOU and your daughter are the aggressors here." He just mumbled something and went inside.

That is what smokers have to put up with. Its ridiculous. Do you non smokers realize how much YOUR taxes would increase if tobacco was suddenly declared illegal, and the government lost all that tax revenue from smokers? You spiteful, hateful, holier than thou nonsmokers should be thanking smokers for voluntarily paying that extra tax!

While I want to become a nonsmoker, I will never look at a smoker as a second class citizen, which is what many who have never smoked do. 

Quitting smoking is VERY hard to do. I made it a week once. And after a week, you have done it. You're home free, but some friends asked me if I wanted to go to a bar. I agreed, drank a beer, and another one...OOPS! 

So, here I am, quitting smoking. I have been getting some warning signs like pain while breathing. That was enough. I'm done. But, I'm smoking Ecigs, and they are helping. 

Most people don't realize that smokers are addicted to many other things than just nicotine. There are many other chemicals in cigarettes that are addictive. Believe it or not, you are also addicted to the SMOKE itself.

So, let's go to my current situation. As I mentioned, nicotine gum and the patch don't work. You will still crave the feeling in your lungs. Enter Ecigs. Its just water vapor with nicotine. My theory is simple. Use Ecigs until you've broken the addiction to all the other crap in cigarettes. Once you've done that, back off of the Ecigs until you're free! Its just like the directions on nicotine gum or the patch. Except like I said, with Ecigs, you are getting the nicotine where you need it. 

I'm using Mistic. 

They taste the best, and have the strongest nicotine available that I've seen, at 2.4%. nicotine. I'm drinking tonight as I write this, on day 3 without a cigarette, and I'm doing just fine. Want to quit smoking? Find an Ecig that works for you. Use it for a couple weeks to get rid of all the other crap in your body from cigarettes. Then, back off the Ecig. All the brands have different levels of nicotine to step down to.

Wish me good luck, and I wish you good luck too!

 

EDIT, a year later, I picked the habit up again, and haven't been able to stop. Ecigs didn't work this time. Dammit. I suck.