anattaboy

Ok, I have always overdone the caffeine and only since the big thread about it decided to look at it for the addictive habit it is. In 4 days I was able to go from 1 pot coffee + 1 pitcher tea perday to 3 cups coffee this morning. The smoking I've done since '76. I was gifted a new vape pen at a AA meeting 4 months ago and took to it quick and was smoke free a week later. Trouble is I went up in nicotine to 24%. After a coupla months I was able to go down to 20 and am currently at 13%. I do notice however that these two addictions go hand in hand big time. First thing in the morning I'm vaping while making coffee. I also noticing I can do less of both as long as I'm doing less of both. (capiche)? My biggest beef with both is the addictive behavior.
I posted of my alcohol taper here for accountability and am sure it helped me so I am doing the same for these. Today I am down to 3 cups strong coffee and am going to get 11% juice for the e-cig.
I am glad that the want-to for both of these came and I think perusing SR daily helped. Seeing the many who have struggled with the same thing and overcome it has caused something in me to stir and I'm grateful. I'll keep y'all posted as to how this feels in the coming weeks. Thanks.

foolsgold66

I vape, since 2010, probably will forever. Nicotine in and of itself isn't believed to be very harmful, and you don't get near the nicotine of cigarettes, regardless of those numbers. My vape is really just an pacifier at this point, I'm at 11, I've gone to 6 and 0 before but I don't like the taste without the nic. If you want to quit vaping entirely, more power to ya, just thought I'd throw my two cents in.

anattaboy

Thanks. I'm totally into it, rebuilding coils almost daily, cleaning, charging batteries so the habit part is there and that bothers me a little. Also the hand-to-mouth oral fixation. Who knows, I may get down to 0 and continue to vape like yourself. I cough sometimes now. Not as much as with smoking but would like to be done with that also. I will say there is less craving with the nic by itself. I can go 2 hrs. sometimes w/out vaping-never did smoking.

foolsgold66

Ah, I see. There totally is a hobbyist aspect to it, but I've never taken it that far, just a little playing here and there. I don't see it as a really bad habit, unless it is obsessive. I can also do without for long periods if I need to. It's just so much the very least of my worries about my behavior. Maybe when I get everything else in my life accomplished I'll tackle it, but for now I just let it be.

trachemys

i got seriously over the hobbyist aspect after mixing some of my own juices. I also got over the entire flavors thing. I buy big bottles of tobacco flavor at 18 mg. I haven't spent more than $20 on a vaporizer in years. I will go as far as washing coils and cartomizers in alcohol to extend their life. Denatured alcohol. i just want the nicotene.

I don't drink near the coffee I used to.

anattaboy

Well, the coffee was not as hard to cut back as I thought. I'm down to 2-3 cups in the morning. Sometimes wife and I have some after dinner on weekends. The nicotine is steady at 13% this week.Next week maybe 10%.

anattaboy

Nothing to report on the nicotine front. I'm at 12% juice and holding. Not so sure I want to quit now.

red3215

Did I read that wrong or did you really have a pot of coffee and pitcher of tea in one day? Lol that is so much! I live coffee too..I mean love coffee too. I almost made my name here CaffeineQueen but realized it could trigger other addicts. I think a small amount is good for us, though--coffee as well as tea

dblightstream

i love coffee way toooooo much! i have been cutting down, but it is truly hard form me.

anattaboy

Yes Red. The tea is only 5 bags in coffee pot so maybe 1.5 quarts. I don't know who drinks out of a 6oz cup but I only get about 5 out of a pot. As of today I'm back up to that level and down to 10% nic in my vape-pen. I can't stomach carbonated beverages w/out alcohol so choices are few. I only mixed with cola for the faster uptake.

jazzfish

I do, too. But I also hated being hooked into having to have it. I made and exchange for quality over quantity. I now have two cups of good espresso each morning rather than 1 or 2 pots of Folgers. I still get my coffee but in a fraction of the time it used to take. I can live with it.

Jupiters

I'm struggling with the coffee intake as well. I usually drink about 3 cups a day (is that REALLY bad? I mean, really? LOL) - I also drink a ******** amount of green tea in between those 3 coffees. (sometimes it's 4 cups)

smoking is next. I need to just cold turkey that crap. The one I will struggle the most is going to be that morning one. I can go allll day at work with not on thought or craving.
But that morning one....that's the kicker right there.

Riel

My mother-in-law is dying of lung cancer and has finally had to stop smoking because of her oxygen tank.

Jupiters, drink all the coffee you want, take up vaping/nicotine gum, but quit smoking.

dwtbd

I remember my grandparents' and their smoking. Their doctors told them they both had to quit and they said they did. Except my grandfather would go out on the porch and sneak one, when he noticed that my grandmother was about to turn off her oxygen tank and smoke.

trachemys

I"m cutting back now, too. The anti-depressant I'm taking to quit drinking has jacked up my blood pressure. So, I'm on 1/2 my normal coffee, and 1/2 my normal vaping. I think I"m going to quit nicotene so I can drink coffee.

Wholesome

I've been vaping for more than a year now. I have no intention of giving it up and I prefer it to cigarettes. Every once in awhile I'll have a real smoke with a friend and I never finish it.... I think they taste like azz and make me feel ill. I'm on the 18% liquid and I love it! I don't have to go outside in this crappy weather and I don't cough all the time and I'm saving oodles of money. I"m still addicted to nicotine but like someone else posted it's not that bad for you.. it's all the other crap in tobacco that will kill you. I would never go back to sucking back a pack of smokes a day.. .ugh. So gross. I used to think I was going to puke in the morning I would cough so hard.... And the pounding headaches I would have from drinking plus chain smoking!!! My lord. The abuse I put my body through and called it fun. Another gross thing about smoking is how it takes your teeth! I know many long time smokers who have lost their teeth to the habit. Thanks but I want to hold on to mine for as long as I can.

As far as caffeine, I have one or two coffees in the morning and then drink herbal tea all day. I literally have a cupboard full of an assortment of tea lol. I take it with lots of honey to satisfy my sugar cravings. Too much caffeine makes me feel crappy... I crash hard from it and it gives me gut rot. I used to drink a pot every morning though when I was in the worst of my drinking... I needed it to function and get my butt out the door to work.

CelticZebra

The big plan for me and hubby to quit smoking is in place for Monday!
No NRT or nicotine, the habits will have to change.
I love coffee & cola.
All those things have messed my teeth right up, but I'll get them sorted once I stop damaging them from all my addictions (sugar is a BIG problem for me)
I was drinking up to 6 cans a night ( use had escalated since I no longer drink alcohol)
I've had only the one cola since Thursday and no longer keep it in the house (temptation is another of my weak points)
I really like good coffee too so I've switched from nasty instant (which I was drinking FAR too much of) to a decent ground for the filter pot & so I'm down to 4 cups, no, mugs in the morning & sometimes another before dinner time.
What can I say? I'm an addict.
Well done to all for quitting your poisons & continuing to improve your lives by making healthier choices.

Driving my wagon of hope through beautiful views on my road to myself

topspin

Celtic, .....good on you and your hubby for the progress !
Thankfully we all have the huge advantage of sobriety to execute more sound choices going forward, ,....whew.

anattaboy

WTG Celtic! I became sidetracked with the whole vaping thing. I'm down to 10% but it tastes crappy this morning as it should. Lungs are simple--they want air. Time to change the channel and pick a date. I tapered and quit a litre-per-day vodka obsession and the coffee by systematically lowering and staying true to my word (barely). Thanks for the wake-up.

CelticZebra

None of this thinking would be possible without first quitting alcohol and CHOOSING to abstain for life.

What can I say? I'm an addict.
Wrong choice of words here, my beast is the addict, not I.
I am so excited that AVRT had led to such a 'grown-up' way of thinking on my part.

I've been reading through the AVRT discussion thread(from the start!) so far I'm a few pages into part 2 and there is so much useful stuff there, helping me to get my head around putting 'the beast in the box' with regard to stopping smoking and highlighting examples of how my own AV has behaved since I made my BP to NEVER drink alcohol, ever again.

Can't wait to get the book & really kick the nicotine 'habit' into my life plan.

Driving my wagon of hope through beautiful views on my road to myself