I was a heavy smoker since I began the habit in my teens.

The moment I was hooked, I could literally draw a 12mg Peter Jackson Mild in around 4 puffs and it did not seem like enough.

A few times I tried going cold turkey but when stress entered my life so did the cigarettes.

I had to promise my treating physician of HRT that I would not smoke otherwise I could not be treated.

 

I was prescribed Pfizer Chantix ( Varanicline) after explaining that an earlier attempt to quit in my 20’s failed using GSK Zyban (Bupronin).

The Chantix made me sick and was a failure. My physician then gave me a fist full of nicotine patches.

I tried them for 3 months and they simply could not hold the tidal wave of cravings for a cigarette back.

I used a GSK Nicorette inhaler for a day that nearly became my last as I gagged and stopped breathing for valuable seconds while I was driving at speed near missing a tree and a certain fatality. I then tried the lozenges, and the gums, both seemed to have an awful reaction to my airway that would prevent me to breathe for up to around 30 very scary seconds.

I read Alan Carr’s “How to Quit Smoking” book and I quit for a day.

I had hypnosis and craved a cigarette minutes after.

I even seeked out a supreme master of Acupuncture who had 50 years’ experience in the ancient pin cushion like art. After he cured my seemingly endless back pain I felt I had been saved by an evangelist, but for real. Unfortunately, the acupuncture to quit smoking didn’t work on me either.

In a vain attempt to not give up on quitting smoking, I did what any reasonable person would do, and google the hell out of google till I found a way to stop smoking.

I located a tobacconist who sold an e-pen cigarette shaped device. There were no instructions. The guy who sold it to me not only had to reach behind a counter after I asked if he had any left, he also could barely speak enough English to mutter out the words “no it doesn’t have nicotine, it is illegal”. I bought it anyway in the hope that a secret wizard had inserted a magic potion in the device that would help me to stop smoking.

I read up articles on it and discovered that there was no legal way for me to obtain the nicotine I needed to quit smoking. To no surprise the device did not help me to stop smoking, but it did get me thinking, what if I could get the nicotine anyway?

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I saw a work colleague in the smoking area where he was explaining to me that he got his vape device locally and was able to get nicotine from overseas and had stopped smoking for 6 months. He let me have a puff on this super looking vape device and the sensation was amazing. It was far more satisfying than that little e-pen I bought. From that moment I had a great feeling about this. I purchased my first device and nicotine e-liquid online straight after my shift and was excited.

 

It only took a couple of weeks for me to end the prison sentence given to me by smoking that lasted over 25 years. I could finally breath, not only because I wasn’t smoking but also the cloud of concern from dropping dead with a blood clot risk was significantly reduced.

 

What I did not expect was that what I was doing was seriously illegal.

I am effectively breaking the law to try and save my own life.

A guy in Perth selling vapes was raided just as I started vaping.

I could possibly have to go to a real prison just because I vape with nicotine in Australia.

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I did some further research and learned that the only way I could vape nicotine was via a prescription, so with that information I saw my doctor abd explained that I had quit but needed to keep doing so legally. After my doctor did some further research she glady wrote a prescription letter for me. 

She even got her partner to quit via vaping and now they both run marathons together! 

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It's now 8 years on, now the vape setup that has helped me become smoke free is illegal. After all the effort to become smokefree the temptation to smoke again has never been so great. 

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Will I have to become a huffing and puffing mess on rain forest hikes again? 

Nah, bugger em!

I'm not going to be forced to go back to smoking by anyone and that includes the Australian Government!

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