My story will begin with a bit of kismet. I've been single for the last 7 months and haven't had many good dates before that, along with some really horrid relationships. One of the things I've always wanted was a good stable partner who truly loved me. It's important to know, because I had just about given up on that. I was enjoying the single life, don't get me wrong, I wasn't moping about being depressed. I was going out with platonic friends, having fun at home gaming, and altogether feeling great. I felt so great I decided to take this positive energy and do something productive, so I set my mind to quitting.
My high school sweetheart (who I had sent a friend request to via facebook) decided around the same time to gamble a conversation with me. We'd had a pretty rocky time back in high school, but we were kids and I was insensitive and selfish, so I don't blame her for dumping me, or for being cautious about me now. This was kismet to me because she was always very critical of my smoking. We really hit it off and when we had our first date again, it's as if the 12 years we spent apart with no contact seemed to never have even happened. I fear only I have appeared to age (those damn cigarettes!), but she enjoys my grey hair, as she tells me often.
So, here we are now, falling in love again, and my desire to quit has been galvanized by her support. She doesn't pressure me to quit, but she praises the strides I make towards quitting and that's very important to me since the power of positive thinking has been the keystone to my personal growth.
I feel nearly invincible at this point, but I'm still plagued with cravings, and a memory of an old television ad led me here during a late restless night. I followed the website's suggestion not to choose an important date and changed it to be earlier (12/12/14 vs. 1/1/15). Yes...I was going to make it my resolution - how cliche. I would love to make it tomorrow because I feel my desire to quit is pretty strong and will get stronger, but the site strongly suggested not to do that, so 12/12 it is.
One of the neatest bits of information I found through this site was about the receptors in my brain. I've always been a big fan of mind over matter and felt that if I focused enough I could rewire my brain structure, so that little insight about growing more nicotine receptors has really given me a light bulb. With knowledge, I can master anything and I'm already thinking to myself, "Go away receptors." Hoping I can do this with success.
Of course, my next biggest ally in this journey will surely be my love. I've already mentioned her above and with all the poor behavior she's seen from me before, I hope my charge towards being tobacco-free will be another example of the growth I've had in my life away from her. I also received a ton of support from my facebook friends, one that gave me a tip on some of the best vaping products he was aware of, while another was a bit more demanding and claimed that cold turkey was the better method. I'm sure there's always going to be two sides to that debate, but I think I am leaning towards using a smoking cessation medication or electronic cigarette.
Which leads me to my biggest question since coming here. Where is all the information about electronic cigarettes? I understand this website was not created recently, but I see recent blogs within the community and it appears someone is still paying the server bill, so surely they could update some of the core information...Right? It's been the biggest let-down so far here, because I actually quit once before a couple years ago using an electronic cigarette, but the death of my father pushed me straight back into smoking again and admittedly, I was an anxious, nervous wreck that whole period leading up to it.
Now my life is a bit calmer, it's been 2 years since my father's passing and the grieving is over. My job situation is on auto-pilot with smooth clear skies ahead, and my will to quit has never been stronger. I think all I'm missing is the E-cig, maybe some meds, and of course more knowledge. I'm a glutton for information, so please share it all. I welcome any and all comments or criticisms, succes stories or failures, ideas and proven techniques.
My plan is to purchase a high-end E-cig, the Pro-Vari and Nautilus Aspire Clearomizer, then sample different juices and lower my nicotine levels gradually. In January I will schedule a doctor's visit, but I hope to go in with some success under my belt already. I'm excited to get this ball rolling. Thanks for reading!
