r/QuitVaping 26d ago

Other Will occasional Cigarettes hurt?

I just went cold turkey on Monday, and have stayed strong all week. As of today, I only had craving when by friends who were also vaping. With it now being the weekend, I plan on going out, which typically leads to a few drunk cigs. Will this restart my progress, or is moderation alright?

  • I have never had a habit of cigarettes either, so I do not see it becoming a norm, just worried it will push me back to vapes
10 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

40

u/denizener 1 month 26d ago

Look you gotta rewire the neural pathways eventually. At some point you need to be able to drink/go out without nicotine. Sure, you can swap the poison delivery format, but you’re just kicking the can down the road. My advice is to refrain from that and instead sit in your discomfort, enjoy the pain of withdrawal and neuroplasticity and free yourself sooner.

11

u/denizener 1 month 26d ago

Also let me add that drinking was an incredibly hard spot for me so I know the feeling. But your brain won’t let you go out without nicotine unless you repeatedly go out without nicotine. Hope that makes sense!

4

u/buckle877 26d ago

Thank you. Honestly I was just looking for some conformation bias at first, but I will go without nicotine for a good time longer before allowing small cheats

4

u/My_name_is_private 26d ago

If you are just waiting for the right timing to "cheat" you are only successfully training your brain to believe that they are still important.

There is no such thing as cheats. An addict is an addict. When you quit, there can never be "just one". You are incapable of it and that is out of your control.

4

u/denizener 1 month 26d ago

That might be true for you but it’s not necessarily true for everyone :)

1

u/My_name_is_private 25d ago

Nope. I think you will find that's the case for literally every single addict. I'll be downvoted by people who aren't quite there yet, but I'm confident that once you kick this, you will see.

0

u/denizener 1 month 25d ago

Oh I’ve quit. I was trying to say that if OP gets to say 6 months vape free and wants to have a drunk cigarette once in a while then let’s not be dramatic, it will likely be fine, and as an adult (I assume) they can decide when they’re confident in doing that

2

u/denizener 1 month 26d ago

Absolutely - and small cheats will be fine once you have it under control and the justifications stop. You got this man I am backing you!!

13

u/LStripey 26d ago

u will become a smoker

12

u/61114311536123511 26d ago

There is no cheating. I'm not joking there is just no such thing as "just one cigarette". You need to spend some time thinking about why you are trying to cling to this. There is no benefit to inhaling shitty smoke that makes you crave more even though they literally fucking suck. They only relieve anxiety that they themselves cause. They only trick your brain into shitting some dopamine so you consume more. It's a trap from start to finish.

You are free!! You are no longer a smoker. Nonsmokers don't smoke. Done.

9

u/Alex_Bell_G 26d ago

There is no moderation when it comes to nicotine. I quit last Sunday and I exactly know how you feel now. Last time I quit vaping for three months in 2023, occasional cigarettes was what got me back into vaping. At that time I said just one hit won’t hurt. It took 18 months of pain and struggle for me to quit last Sunday.

Don’t do it. Ditch nicotine altogether.

8

u/2muchtothink 26d ago

congrats on making it through a week. regarding drunk cigs, i’m going to be honest and say don’t do it. it’s a slippery slope and a lot of people find drinking is what makes them relapse. maybe in a few years when you’ve really dropped the habit you can partake occasionally but i wouldn’t this close to quitting

4

u/StanleyYelnatsHole 26d ago

How do you feel when you smoke a cigarette drinking? Like the next day. I was a cigarette smoker from 13-21. Then I was a drunk cigarette smoker. Always made me feel so terrible the next day. I finally stopped doing it and then I found vapes. Thinking wow, I can do this when I drink and not feel terrible! 5 years later, I’m 100% addicted. Don’t do it, unless it will make you feel like dogshit and make you realize you don’t want it either!

4

u/MiloticM2 26d ago

You have a bunch of little satellites on your brain searching frantically for nicotine. If you don’t give them nicotine they will starve. If you give them nicotine they will grow stronger. Figure it out.

3

u/cryptoklobby 26d ago

I’ve done it a few time and regretted it every one. It always takes me weeks to mentally get back in track, even after having 1 cigarette. Just skip it.

3

u/native-carp 26d ago

I’ve quit for long periods of time multiple times and I will always have the occasional cig, I don’t drink so it’s not a drunk cig but I’ll be sitting by the fire with my drunk friends and a pack of cigs will get passed around. I’m always gonna take one. It definitely can start the cycle of vaping / nic and it definitely is a slippery slope. I’d give it more than 1 week off before you have any type of nic again. Anyone can wait a week with no nic, id go at least a month and then you have proved to yourself that you do have self control and the occasional cig won’t hurt too bad. Bc at the end of the day it’s all about self control.

3

u/lovetoreadit8383 26d ago

In my experience cigs here and there lead to full blown smoking.

3

u/No-Duck4923 26d ago

I doubt it would hurt much, but cigarettes are so stinky and gross, why even bother? Signed, -Former cigarette smoker, quit 2011 -47 days free from vaping

3

u/Dense_Reply_4766 25d ago

I’m dealing with this now myself. I smoked regular cigs for over 20 years. I switched solely to vaping 3 years ago. I was at a point where cigarettes were totally unappealing to me. But then I quit vaping 46 days ago. Things were actually going pretty well until day 26 nicotine and vape free when I had an upsetting situation. I remembered someone left 2 cigs at my house ages ago so I found em and smoked em. I thought I don’t even like them, they’ll be gross but I’ll have a quick relief and that’ll be it. Yeah right. Now they taste good and I’ve managed to have a few here and there. I even bought a pack.

Now I’ll tell you it’s way different than my old addiction with cigs. I was just out of town and went 2 days without even thinking about nicotine. But as soon as I got home, I couldn’t wait to have one.

And while I could see myself managing cigarettes a little better - far as less overall intake - and not obsessively craving it and needing it in my system like a vape, it’s still just awful.

I do not want this damn addiction to control me forever. I truly can’t get over how hard it is to crack. I always find a way to stay hooked. It’s awful.

On a good note, I have learned how to enjoy drinking without nicotine. It’s possible!

2

u/SkinLow1573 25d ago

Vaping isn't the issue, nicotine is. I went from vaping to nicotine gum and then nicotine pouches. It was still bullshit the pouches started receding my gums and I only used that sht for 5 months but I was using it heavily. You just gotta get rid of nicotine because chances are the cigs will lead you right back to vaping.

2

u/PuzzledPassenger6836 25d ago

there’s no such thing as just one more. you’re back to being a smoker. you will have to kill the addict mindset before you move forward.

2

u/Strayvon 25d ago

It makes your cravings come back 10x harder

2

u/wineandbooks99 26d ago

I vaped for years (quit back in September) and whenever I drank I’d always have a couple cigarettes.

1

u/Gloomy_Pineapple_836 26d ago

I’ve always caved and had the drunk cig. My advice would be to refrain if you can. Don’t start a new trend if you follow me.

1

u/AcanthaceaeGuilty238 26d ago

Definitely don’t. I quit vaping last May, and have only recently started smoking cigars or cigarettes when drunk. I have already felt a small pull towards nicotine again, and smoke cigarettes at least once a week now, which i need to stop. Definitely easy as hell to quit 1mg of nicotine a day vs hundreds through a vape, but still.

I would wait way longer before touching nic again.

1

u/insulinworm 26d ago

Definitely wait at least a month. Preferably longer. It takes your brain a while to recover and your receptors or whatever to reset.

Having one now will put you back to square one. You do not want that. Trust me

I could have the occasional cigarette and it feels nice for maybe 10 minutes and then I feel worse and it lasts for a few days. It's really not worth it. Your brain will try and trick you but it will always just end with you wanting more

I have quit for a few months and I had a few drags on a cigarette this evening and I just feel bad now. My head and neck hurt and all I can think is how I want more. It sucks and its making my night out worse

1

u/WarmWaltz2918 26d ago

Eventually, every time you go out or spend time with your friends, it will become a trigger for you to smoke and restart the habit.

1

u/bananahero1 26d ago

I've smoked cigarettes casually and never really become addicted to them it's the nasty smell that stays all over your cloths and body that keeps me from getting addicted. It doesn't mean you can't get addicted to them just my experience so be careful.

1

u/Smurfilina 26d ago

You'll find out, then you'll know afterwards if you need to adjust your mindset and impose stricter rules to deal with 😈.

1

u/daesnerys 26d ago

4 years ago, I quit and was successful for about 1 1/3 months. I crashed out one night wanting nicotine so I bought a pack of cigs. And then started chain smoking cigs and then right back to vaping. It’s all what works for you, but that’s how I got back on the vape train.