With my new-found determination to try e-cigarettes, I marched right down to my local discount tobacco store.
Note: I live in a very rural area. I’m not thrilled about it (that’s an understatement, actually). I like to say that around here there’s a developmental lag equal to a generation or so. New products generally tend to reach this area years after their introduction in larger markets. I find the limitation in choices as a consumer extremely frustrating, to say the least.
The only locally-available e-cigarette products are disposables from gas stations; for higher quality, the discount tobacco store sells a brand called No.7. I’ve since learned the only vaping stores nearby are a 2.5-3 hour drive away.
At any rate, I was easily sold on the starter kit I bought. For one thing, it was right there—I could hold it in my hands and take it home and try it now. No waiting for mail. I was eager to try the product, so I spent $42.99 on this kit.
Although I ended up regretting spending that money, it was a good investment simply because as soon as I charged it and fired it up, I knew immediately that I could indeed imagine quitting smoking with these products. That’s a big deal! I enjoyed the taste of the tobacco flavored cartridges, and it was really very similar to actually smoking—without all the drawbacks. I was thrilled and inspired! Hard to call that a waste.
I soon realized that there were better products available on the internet. I discovered ECF and did some reading and posted questions on the Newbie Forum. I started processing information. I’m kind of fond of gadgets, and I’d stumbled upon a whole new world! To boot, this world could help me escape the nasty cigarette addiction. I was hooked.
The limitations of my starter kit became clear: one battery, pre-filled cartridges with a limited selection of flavors (10-12; many of which didn’t appeal to me), the cost of being dependent upon one manufacturer for refills--$11.99 for 2 pre-filled 500 “puff” cartridges, and the upgrade options (very limited) to a system that isn’t very compatible with a majority of products on the market.
Another thing about where I live is that smoking isn’t breaking the bank. I spend about $36 per week on a carton of off-brand, locally-made cigarettes. Most people in the modern world spend MUCH more). I don’t mind spending a little more for vaping, but I wanted to explore more options. Plus, the long term costs of continuing to smoke are appalling.
I had plenty of other questions and issues after beginning to read and research:
Plus, more personal struggles:
I’m dealing another issue at the moment too—withdrawing from benzodiazepines. It’s a slow, excruciating process. I’m already not great at handling big changes and transitions, so I have given myself permission to just take things ones at a time, whatever I can handle, at whatever pace I can handle. I was going to tackle quitting smoking after the benzos. But maybe I can handle both. Still not sure about this…just letting it be as natural and organic a process as possible.
Still, it seems like once you know that e-cigs are a viable option, it’s hard to shelve the idea. I almost feel guilty continuing to smoke the analogs, but I have to remind myself of other things filling my plate as well as the learning curve and trying to find the right e-cig stuff to satisfy the experiential factor. So, the biggest question really is: how do you make vaping enough like smoking to quit the cigarettes?
Thus begins the journey.
Note: I live in a very rural area. I’m not thrilled about it (that’s an understatement, actually). I like to say that around here there’s a developmental lag equal to a generation or so. New products generally tend to reach this area years after their introduction in larger markets. I find the limitation in choices as a consumer extremely frustrating, to say the least.
The only locally-available e-cigarette products are disposables from gas stations; for higher quality, the discount tobacco store sells a brand called No.7. I’ve since learned the only vaping stores nearby are a 2.5-3 hour drive away.
At any rate, I was easily sold on the starter kit I bought. For one thing, it was right there—I could hold it in my hands and take it home and try it now. No waiting for mail. I was eager to try the product, so I spent $42.99 on this kit.
Although I ended up regretting spending that money, it was a good investment simply because as soon as I charged it and fired it up, I knew immediately that I could indeed imagine quitting smoking with these products. That’s a big deal! I enjoyed the taste of the tobacco flavored cartridges, and it was really very similar to actually smoking—without all the drawbacks. I was thrilled and inspired! Hard to call that a waste.
I soon realized that there were better products available on the internet. I discovered ECF and did some reading and posted questions on the Newbie Forum. I started processing information. I’m kind of fond of gadgets, and I’d stumbled upon a whole new world! To boot, this world could help me escape the nasty cigarette addiction. I was hooked.
The limitations of my starter kit became clear: one battery, pre-filled cartridges with a limited selection of flavors (10-12; many of which didn’t appeal to me), the cost of being dependent upon one manufacturer for refills--$11.99 for 2 pre-filled 500 “puff” cartridges, and the upgrade options (very limited) to a system that isn’t very compatible with a majority of products on the market.
Another thing about where I live is that smoking isn’t breaking the bank. I spend about $36 per week on a carton of off-brand, locally-made cigarettes. Most people in the modern world spend MUCH more). I don’t mind spending a little more for vaping, but I wanted to explore more options. Plus, the long term costs of continuing to smoke are appalling.
I had plenty of other questions and issues after beginning to read and research:
- With so many devices available, what should I try next?
- Should it be another cig-alike or should I go for another system? And if so, which?
- What kind of juice should I get and what delivery system should I try? Should I go for a manual battery?
- What is the deal with VG and PG? What would I like?
- How do I find good throat hit? What nicotine levels should I try in e-liquid?
Plus, more personal struggles:
I’m dealing another issue at the moment too—withdrawing from benzodiazepines. It’s a slow, excruciating process. I’m already not great at handling big changes and transitions, so I have given myself permission to just take things ones at a time, whatever I can handle, at whatever pace I can handle. I was going to tackle quitting smoking after the benzos. But maybe I can handle both. Still not sure about this…just letting it be as natural and organic a process as possible.
Still, it seems like once you know that e-cigs are a viable option, it’s hard to shelve the idea. I almost feel guilty continuing to smoke the analogs, but I have to remind myself of other things filling my plate as well as the learning curve and trying to find the right e-cig stuff to satisfy the experiential factor. So, the biggest question really is: how do you make vaping enough like smoking to quit the cigarettes?
Thus begins the journey.
