@Robert Gentel,
Driving, driving, and driving are the worst. Beers out and telephone conversations vie for second. Surprisingly, sex was pretty far down the list... somewhere around "just brushed my teeth."
To stay quit just remember that any discomfort you may be feeling is because you smoked, not because you quit.
If you do choose to resume smoking, there is an alternative that's probably a lot better for you: E-cigarettes. Rather than burning tobacco, these devices vaporize a liquid solution that is mostly water but also contains nicotine. The effect is an on demand dose of nicotine that is almost indistinguishable from the "hit" you are used to, drug-wise, meaning it feels essentially the same, is taken the same way (though hitting like a hooka delivers better hits), and even produces a vapor that looks like the smoke you're used to exhaling... save it vanishes in seconds.
This is not a "quit smoking aid" in the traditional sense, because those who choose to "vape" are no less addicted to nicotine and will feel the exact same effects if they quit "vaping". The sensations are so similar that "cheating" becomes almost a mute point, because after you get used to the e-cigarette you can get the desired effect from either.
The difference is, one of them contains (as far as anyone knows) some 4000 fewer carcinogenic, doesn't make you, your clothes, your hair, or your mouth smell or taste like an ashtray... and in fact can be used in the same room as even the pickiest non-smoker, as there is no second hand effect whatsoever. Virgin lunges have trouble discerning any odor at all, and even that is the result of the "flavoring", which ranges from traditional Marlboro to various sweets (still gross, IMO, even without the smoke).
If anyone is interested, I tried a bunch of different brands and styles, and found the best to be the Model "510." Not only does it seem to produce the most vapor per puff (by far, really), it also has the option of a manual switch... as opposed to the more standard "air-sensor activated" switch. This is especially handy if you ride a bike or motorcycle, because the automatic versions can't distinguish the difference between a puff and strong wind. Lots of places sell them online; I got mine
here.
Fluids, I have not yet tried too many of... because I like both the flavor and the price at the first place I tried best.
here. Here you get whacked for shipping from China, but the price drops to about 40 cents per ml. Some cost as much as $1 per ml and may well be better, but judging by the markup (or lack thereof) on the devices on this website compared to others, I think it's probably all about the same stuff. I'd be interested in learning if anyone knows better. For comparison sake; I'd guesstimate each ml is equal to approximately 1 pack of cigarettes.
The devices do wear out from time to time. Batteries should be treated like cellphone batteries in that you want to use them until they are dead before recharging. Most brands blink to alert you they need to be charged. I haven't yet seen a battery fail, but the atomizers (tiny heating elements) do fail at a rate of about once per month ($5 to $10 each.) <-- That's probably an exaggerated guess, because I do ride a motorcycle and didn't realize the atomizers were getting abused by wind inially.
The cartridge that holds the poison can be refilled or replaced at your discretion. They're just plastic containers stuffed with poly-fill... not unlike a Zippo lighter. You know it's time when you start to taste that crap being heated. I prefer the flavor of the e-liquid refill juice from the site above to the flavor of any of the prefilled "carts", and it costs perhaps 20 cents on the dollar. Do get a pack or two of the prefills, however, because the disposables are identical in every way to the refillable "blanks" so you may as well try both.
Worth considering only if you're currently addicted to smoking. They are probably more addictive than the real thing, because you can use them practically anywhere public (planes, elevators, restaurants, PACKER GAMES, etc.), present no odor or danger in your home, office or car and don't make you the smelly smoker that is increasingly held in disdain by many.
Another downside is it would appear the FDA is in Phillip Morris's pocket, so they may soon be regulated out of existence... and or taxed to the sky.
By the way, smart pot smokers should consider investing in a weed vaporizer as well. I’m told these devices deliver twice as much of the potent chemicals, and eliminate the 90+% of the non-buzz inducing crap you’re used to inhaling. I’ve heard of no one who didn’t like it better.
Both products will improve your lunge function in leaps and bounds. Technology doesn’t suck.
Sorry this seems to have turned into a sales pitch. Needless to say, I have no connection to either of the linked websites above. Good luck and best wishes!
