Cutting down on nicotine etc

[Stylopora]

I smoked for 35 years and I am 50 years old in May.
I did stop smoking for 2 years some 5 years ago when I was diagnosed with a blood clot on the lung and with Mild Emphysema.
However I started smoking again for about the last 3 years when my wife was diagnosed with Breast cancer. (She is in remission now)
I stopped smoking on Christmas Day 2008 when I went down with a bad lung infection was too ill to even think about smoking that day.
My wife managed to get me nicotine patches on Boxing Day and I smoked 2 roll ups that day I then smoked 2 roll ups each day 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening along with 1 x 24 mg patch every 24 Hrs until new years eve.
On New Year’s Eve I gave to a friend all my rolling tabacco which was pipe tabacco along with all cig papers and the bags of 6mm filters and 2 friend 6mm cig holders with all the cartons of plastic filters that fit into the holder that I had collected for it.
I then managed with just the 24 mg patches and the nicotine inhalator that I got I think after boxing day with no cigarettes.
Also on the 31st Dec I did a searched on ebay for nicotine patches and inhalators, and then some E cigs came up on the search this was the first time ever I had seen one I had never even heard of them before then.
So I found Electronic Cigarettes on the 31st dec and it took until 6th Jan 09 to get one in my hand to use I had been on the 24mg patches and nicotine inhalator (no Cigs) until the E cig arrived.
It came with 24 carts of 18 mg nicotine I had also ordered 1 x 15ML 16mg nicotine bottle tabacco flavour.
I stopped altogether using the patches and the inhalator.
So for about a week I was on 16mg to 18mg nic carts.
I had ordered a 15ml bottle 11mg nic tabacco flavour from e-cig and there was a full sample kit of Johnson creek npg 18mg unopened on ebay that I managed to win bidding for.
So the next couple of weeks I was mixing in the 11 mg liquid in a spare dropper bottle I had from my microscope equipment with other higher nicotine liquids so I was smoking between 11mg to 14mg carts.
I then ordered 1 x 30ml bottle of 0 nicotine npg of Johnson creek from e-cig which I used to mix into the higher nic liquids to dilute them more I guess I was getting 0mg to 10mg nicotine carts.
As I was vaping more 0 nicotine carts a day than the nicotine added carts I bought more 0 nicotine 15ml bottles 1 cashacola and 1 regular tabacco from e-cig.
I was then down to having 2 to 3 hits a day of nicotine at around 6mg mixed liquids the rest of the time 0 nicotine.
Today I received 1 x 30ml bottle of 0 nicotine Marlboro from totally wicked, I still have a mixture of bottles of 0 nicotine and mixtures in the small sample bottles mixed up liquids some 0 nic some up to 6 mg nic and 1 15ml bottle half full (7ml) of mixed liquids maybe around 6 to 8 mg nicotine.
Altogether I have about 12 mls mixed liquids left of up to 8mg nicotine to dilute with the 0 nic liquids I have.
My aim now is to use up what nicotine I have left by diluting sometimes in the 0 nicotine liquids I have and hopefully never buy any more nicotine based liquids again.
Then it is a case of getting off the vaping.

[breakfastchef]

Whatever works for you is great. Although these devices are not marketed as smoking cessation tools, they do work for many folks. It is always nice to read another success story. If you can quit the fags and stop the vaping altogether, you have reached an apex many of us wish to see.

[cindiwa]

Congrats Sty, I think I would like to do the same thing, do you have any recommendations/ideas on which liquids taste best at low doses of nic and 0? I was thinking maybe getting some vanilla 0 and mixing it with everything, to cut down a bit.

[Kate]

Here are some threads about zero nicotine eliquid that might interest you -

any 0 nic vapors getting a good throat hit?

Fans of throat hits and 0 nic?

[MonkeyMonk]

Stylopora congratulations and all the best in your journey!!! Eventually, I hope to work on a strategy similar to yours. But, for me it's one day at a time and a wisker of progress every now and then.

Thanks for sharing!

[Stylopora]

Originally Posted by cindiwa

Congrats Sty, I think I would like to do the same thing, do you have any recommendations/ideas on which liquids taste best at low doses of nic and 0? I was thinking maybe getting some vanilla 0 and mixing it with everything, to cut down a bit.

The mixing up of liquids with nicotine in them give a inhale throat feel,

I can only judge a throat feel on inhaling the liquids from the few liquids I have at the moment.
For all 0 nicotine to get a feel of an inhale on the throat with out mixing up any thing and no nicotine,
I find the CaSHaCola (I got from E-Cig) gives a slight feel.
And adding CaSHaCola to the other 0 nicotine liquids I have gives a tad of a feel.
I was dissapointed that pillbox 38 Marlboro 0 nicotine gave no throat hit at all.

But then again it may depend on what sort of tabacco and how one smoked it before giving it up and then vaping.

However my thinking is maybe it will help to not get throat hits when I am off the Nicotine and then trying to give up the vaping.

Thanks breakfastchef and MonkeyMonk.
Thanks for the links Kate

[strell]

I'm trying to get my mother-in-law to switch and eventually (no hurry) go zero nic. I am 100% sure the e-cigarette we gave to her as a gift and demonstrated is still untouched in the box after several weeks.

As for good hit, my wife really is happy with a combo of vanilla and chocolate 0 nic, but I suspect cindiwa's vanilla idea might work with other flavors. I find that 0 nic cherry + tobacco is intense but good, but the flavor is definitely not for everyone.

[Stylopora]

I hit the 0 nicotine today the last of my Nicotine based liquids was vaped yesterday.

I only have 0 nicotine liquids left and so far I have found I enjoy e-cigs liquids the best, with a throat hit or a feel of vapour inhaling and I like the taste.

Regular tabacco
Like smoke
Roasted Smoke

I would be interested to hear from anyone in this thread about there reducing nicotine and getting off it.
Also anyone that has been off nicotine and on the electronic cigarettes and trying to get off them.
How are you doing & doing it etc.

[Duckies]

Stylopora, This has been very helpful. Thanks for posting!

[Tin Cup]

Originally Posted by Stylopora

I would be interested to hear from anyone in this thread about there reducing nicotine and getting off it.
Also anyone that has been off nicotine and on the electronic cigarettes and trying to get off them.
How are you doing & doing it etc.

I've had great success with no-nic e-juice and the patch. I'm now down to 1/4 of a patch, soon to go to 1/8. I smoked for 40 years, and tried everything. Nothing comes close to working this well.

I think the key is that we all have two reasons to smoke - first, the addiction to nicotine and second, the habit of smoking. By using the patch, you take care of the nicotine addiction. And by vaping, you take care of the smoking habit.

All of us are different, but I thought I'd pass this on because it's DEFINITELY working for me.

Good luck with whatever method you use, but vaping will help. Even if you never quit completely, you should have no problem cutting way down on the number of analogs you smoke.