I had been a smoker for eight years before I thought it was time to kick the habit.
This realisation came to me in November, but it was a rather failed attempt. I tried going cold turkey and lasted about two days before going shopping proved my downfall, as I couldn't resist picking up tobacco from the kiosk while I was being served for other products.
I continued to smoke for the next couple of months, until a Halo Tank Kit and e-cigarette was sent to me. I wasn't overly convinced about it at first, but decided to give it a go.
I think that's the secret component to these devices- they won't stop anyone smoking on their own, like any quitting aid, the person using them has to do their bit too and exorcise a bit of will power.
The first day wasn't too bad, I got on alright with the e-cig- supplied by ECigarette Direct.
I found I most wanted a cigarette at the times I would usually have one- so the first test came in the morning. I used to have a smoke on the way in to work, and walking out the front door without a rolled fag didn't feel right.
But I puffed away on my e-cig like a soldier and made it into work relatively OK- not craving a cigarette at least.
The first day brought two other tests- lunchtime and bedtime. These were the best fags of the day, especially the one before bed... Ahh, I feel reminiscent just thinking about it while I write this.
But again, I powered through with the fake fag, and managed to get to sleep fairly sharpish despite no smokes.
Day two was the same experience- the times that I most associated with having a cigarette proved to be the toughest, but I got through pretty well.
By the fourth day, I remember I was using the e-cigarette a lot more than I had done in previous days. Looking back, I now know that's because it was really starting to push me and the cravings were at their strongest.
Day five and six were the same, I was using the electronic device more often, pretty much all throughout the day in fact, but I was determined not to crack.
Finally, I powered through my first week without a fag.
This felt like quite a big achievement, and I was fairly proud of it. I knew it was only a small amount of time in the bigger picture, but it was the first real milestone I could chalk up.
Also, it felt like momentum was growing and this was the first time I truly believed in the power of the e-cig when it comes to quitting.
Maybe because of this attitude, I must say I felt the second week of no smoking was very easy.
It is true I was relying on the e-cigarette fairly heavily, but in general I could feel my reliance on real cigarettes to curb the cravings lessening by the day.
I carried on this way until I got to a month smoke-free.
In four weeks, there were only a handful of times I could remember where I really wanted a fag but kicked them fairly soon.
I expected a month with a single cigarette to be a lot tougher, but it was relatively seem-less. I know that doesn't make for the most interesting article unfortunately, but that's the truth.
In fact, when I see people smoking now I'm a little put off by it- especially the smell. I certainly don't miss the smell of smoke.
I've even got to the point now where quite often I won't use my e-cig throughout the entire day, purely just in the evenings.
The one bad routine I have picked up, however, is smoking the e-cig pretty relentlessly throughout an evening or while in bed before sleeping. I think it's become a habit in itself, so that's the next challenge.
Anyway, the point of them is to help one quit smoking and as you read this I am six weeks to the day without a cigarette! Cowabunga!.
They may not be perfect, in fact I'm not ready to stop smoking e-cig yet, but along with a will to quit the little fella has certainly played a huge part in my quitting smoking.
It's done exactly what it's meant to, so I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's thinking about quitting.
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