Trading Habits: Embracing Technology to Quit Nicotine

Hey, fabulous folks! 🚀

So, we have discussed trading bad habits for good ones and how it can help you be a better version of yourself. Today, let’s dip our toes into how technology can be your sidekick when trying to quit that bad habit of nicotine. I am talking about all of it; smoking, dipping and vaping. Lets look at understanding how technology provides some simple tools that can help along the way and specifically how it helped me.

I’m cruising through my twenties, just became a parent with my partner-in-crime, and we first realized that our bad smoking habit and my bad chewing tobacco habits were simply not good for our future. We were both on a mission to kick the nicotine habit. We tried several times together with various methods between us but in the end we each found our own solutions.

We’ve tried all the classic tricks for a few years - cold turkey, gum, patches, you name it - but kept circling back to square one. But the one thing each of us had was perseverance. Like the rock hammer in Shawshank Redemption we slowly picked at our bad habit unit it was gone. I am obviously a tech buff and I used technology to help me in my grand plan to quit nicotine products.

Tech Magic for Habit Makeovers

Now, here’s where the magic happens - tech is like your best buddy on this habit-changing ride. I’ve personally used tech wizardry to swap out bad habits with good ones. For instance, I leaned into nicotine substitutes and the whole science scene behind kicking the habit. Specifically I used the NicoDerm system and followed all 3 steps of the nicotine replacement plan as designed by the pros - doctors and scientists - I managed to ditch smoking and chewing tobacco. It wasn’t a walk in the park, but slowly swapping those old habits with healthier ones, like daily walks, really compounded the effects of the nicotine replacement plan. Plus, I got hooked on all the good vibes from long walks with audiobooks, podcasts, and yes, even a bit of Pokémon hunting. It became my daily ritual, just like my old smoking routine, but way healthier and way more enjoyable.

Apps to the Rescue!

But wait, there’s more! I didn’t just rely on willpower and determination; I enlisted the help of some nifty apps on my trusty phone. Back in the day with my old-school Palm phone, there was this gem called “Quit Dip” that was my sidekick in breaking my dipping habit. It wasn’t free, but hey, that little investment nudged me to stay committed. This app tracked my savings, health gains, and set daily goals. Having that pocket-sized motivation boost was a game-changer.

And let’s not forget the supercharged apps today! From tracking lung capacity to ASMR vibes for relaxation, they’re like your personal habit-coaching squad. Some even have social support built right in! Investing a few bucks upfront in these apps can give you that extra push through those tough first weeks of habit trading.

The Future? It’s Tech-tastic!

We’ll dive into more tools in future posts, but remember, tech is your secret sauce to make those goals achievable, measurable, and oh-so-rewarding. So grab your phone, load up on those habit-busting apps, and let’s kick those bad habits to the curb together!

• Other things that have helped me quit nicotine has been the nicotine gum but you have to make sure you stick with the weening off process going from 4mg down to 2mg.
• It never hurts to have some audio motivation especially if you decide to replace nicotine with walking. Walk and listen to some audiobooks to quit vaping or quit smoking. Now these are not the exact books I used, I don’t recall exactly which audiobook disks I had at the time but I did listen to motivational audiobooks as well as hypnosis type books.