Trying to Quit with E-Cigs

My aim is simple. I'm a 26-year-old tobacco cigarette smoker with a 20+ a-day habit and I really need to quit smoking. I've just travelled the world which was incredible; however discounted cigarettes did absolutely nothing for my health. In the space of 2-years my habit has increased from 10-a-day to 20, I'm only 26 and if I carry on this way I may die.

I manage a bar, I get restless easily and I generally love to smoke, all three are not a good combo for attempting to quit. I realise that this is not just about 'kicking the habit'; it is about changing my lifestyle entirely for the better.

I'm choosing to quit using electronic cigarettes because I feel they are the only aid which could allow me to quit altogether. I've tried everything from nicotine patches to hypnotherapy; the longest I've ever quit is two-weeks as nothing seems to work long-term. I need something which keeps my hands busy and curbs my nicotine cravings, whilst helps cut back on tobacco as I take the big leap to quit altogether. I know this won't be a short or easy process; it will take time and a lot of will-power.

My first impressions of the electronic cigarette are excellent. It looks exactly the same as a tobacco cigarette, tastes the same but doesn't have all the nasty chemicals associated with cancer. The packaging also looks identical to that of my normal tobacco cigs so I'm hoping psychology will play a large part in tricking my body into thinking I'm actually smoking a standard tobacco cig.

Working in a bar, even though there's a smoking ban, I face temptation because everyone smokes when they have a drink. My boss is very understanding and lets me use my e-cig behind the bar, it's actually a great talking point with customers too and as I have to tell people I'm quitting I feel under a bit more pressure to do it. The first couple of days I actually managed to go cold turkey, unbelievable! I've never been able to do that before and I wasn't even aiming to do it so soon. Admittedly I was permanently attached to my e-cig, the hardest points were first thing in the morning and just after meals, but I persevered and it wasn't actually THAT bad- that's something I never thought I'd say!

Later in the week I did crumble, mostly due to days off and drinking, however the most tobacco cigarettes I've smoked since switching to electronic cigarettes is four a day. This is still massive progress for me, considering that only one week ago I was smoking around 20. Let's hope I keep it up next week!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Don't give up if you find that you've had to have a couple of tobacco cigs in one day. The important thing is to just move on from there and keep trying to quit. It's not going to happen overnight, if you throw in the towel over a couple of cigs then you'll never quit.