New member--my story so far and a couple of questions!

[Joanne75]

Hi everyone! Glad to be here.

I'm 39, have been a PAD smoker (Marlboro Menthol Lights) for about 10 years, and finally decided to give it up. I tried a cigalike in 2011 (bought from the legendary “mall kiosk” kind of place)—it was an epic fail—so I knew I needed to do something different this time around. Spent a fair amount of time reading online (especially here—thanks everyone!) and on 6/20, I took the plunge. Here’s my timeline so far:

6/20—bought EVOD kit & juice from local B&M, started vaping
6/21—had one cigarette
6/22—had one cigarette
6/23—had 6 cigarettes (OMG?!?!?)…what happened was that my battery died and I had no backup…smoked like a chimney waiting for it to charge LOL
6/24—had one cigarette, decided that was my last one (it was also my birthday)
6/28—iTaste MVP V2 arrived (awesome--I love it!!)

Haven’t smoked since 6/24! Woohoo!

I started with 18mg juice. That seemed fine (no cravings, and no symptoms of overdoing it either), but since I am interested in stepping down, I decided that my next juice order would be 12mg. I had bought a total of 47mL of 18 mg juice (one 30mL, one 10mL, one 7mL bottle) with my startup kit, so I figured I would be good for a while.

Then I kind of got bitten by wanting to try some other flavors, and so I went ahead and ordered some juice online and also bought more from local B&M (all 12mg). Because I’m impatient, I tried them right away…and lo and behold, I had absolutely no problem stepping down to the 12 mg (started that on 6/27).

Then I went to VCCNE last Saturday, and got a bunch of samples, several of which were 6mg. AGAIN because I am totally impatient, I started trying those. I’ve vaped only 6mg yesterday and today (so far)…so it’s too soon to say for sure, but 6mg also seems fine.

So given that, I have a couple of questions for the seasoned folks here…

#1—it seems like I’m (unintentionally) stepping down pretty quickly…is this OK, or do you think it will bite me in the ... eventually, and I should consider slowing the process down??

#2—if it’s OK to keep going like this, I’d prefer not to go back up in nic levels—so I have a lot of 18 and 12mg juice. Would it work OK to cut it with 0% nic juice to the 6mg level, or will that just totally ruin the flavor??

Thanks in advance everyone!!

 

[Kyron]

Why wouldn't it be ok, if you feel comfortable with 6mg, there's no reason to go higher.

If you add more unflavored pg or vg in your mix, it will cut down the flavor. 0 nic juice on the other hand should work if it's the same flavor of course but don't take my word for it. Try with a small quantity first.

 

[CreepyLady]

Hi and Welcome to ECF (from the North Shore ) Happy Birthday and congrats on quitting

Everyone kind of has their own step down pace that works, keep a bottle of 18mg on hand "just in case" and as long as you continue not to have an "I NEED A CIGGY!!" meltdown - then great. I made my way down to 12 pretty quick and then when I tried 6 it was not cutting it, so I hung out on 12 a little longer then dropped. You just have to feel your way through and have the higher dose on hand because its better to step back up on nic than buy a pack of smokes

 

[Carolina Vapoor]

First and foremost congrats on the switch to vaping.

#1 I am not sure there is a definite answer to this. Mainly because everyone is different. I was a 2.5 pack a day smoker (Marlboro reds.) I started off with 24 mg nic. After about 4 days I went down to 18 mg nic and then a few days later down to 12 mg. My thing was the fact that I pretty much chain vape. So I was putting nicotine into my body pretty much constantly, enough that I would start to get light headed and nauseous. Over time I have moved down to 3mg nic and stayed there. That leads to question #2.......

#2 If i can not find a juice that I like in my nic level I just order 2 bottles of it. Example....1 10ml bottle with 6mg nic + 1 10ml bottle of the same juice with 0 nic. I then combine the 2 bottles and end up with 20ml of juice at 3 mg nic. Since I am mixing the exact same flavors together the flavor is not compromised at all IMO.

I am sure some of the DIY juice guys will step in and give you better advice on that. I just do what works for me.

 

[Claire Ambrose]

Hello from another newbie,
i'm a little annoyed with myself i need a better set up but money is tight, but i treated myself to a nature vape pro midi tank and wow the flavour and hit is tremendous and i tried my 18ml in them and it's to much but it's not enough in the normal clear atomisers so at the weekend before getting my pro i went up to 24 again now wish i had bought a lot of 6-12ml instead, am gutted because i spent a lot of money on ejuice at weekend and they are way to strong in my pro, going to have to wait unti next month to use my pro and cut right back to 12ml or even 6ml of nicotine, sighs

 

[Victoria Miller]

Super new to vaping. I have been off cigs for almost a week, but vaping for almost two weeks. I was a PAD or a little more some days, Marlboro light 100's. I was told to start low like 10mg, and my cig intake was a lot like the original posters for the first couple of days, 2-3 first day, 1-2 second day, then like 5 third day. Went to a new shop and they recommended 18mg, since then Thursday June 19,2014 haven't had one cig! And no cravings! I was wondering how long does it take to beable to drop down in nic mg. people at shop told me every month go down in mg. I don't know. Next time I get juice I think I'm going to go down to 12mg. And see how it goes.

 

[GPC2012]

The first thing I'd ask is as you have stepped down have you been vaping more to compensate for the smaller amt. of nic. We tried to go from 12 to 6 and caught myself chain vaping all day just to get by. Was going through almost three times as much e liquid. We went back up to 12 for a short time and then down to 9. I vaped a little more at first, but not now.

Mixing juices Oh heck yes. get some 0nic in the same flavor and mix it down to what you want. You can even combine flavors to create personal vapes that suit your tastes.

Welcome to the forum and good luck, if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

 

[Nep2nes]

Hello! It's okay to go ahead and step down the way you are I've personally gone the same route with the exception of starting at 12mg and working my way down. What I would suggest with all that extra 18 and 12, is to buy a couple of 0's and mix them together to lower the nic level. Otherwise look to trade or sell happy vaping!! and congratulations on the no smoking! Fight on!

 

[Joanne75]

Thanks, everyone for such quick and friendly responses!!

Glad to hear that stepping down quickly is OK if it's working for me. I'm vaping a little, but not substantially more that I was at higher levels (maybe 2mL/day vs 1.5mL), so that seems OK to me too

And thanks also for the guidance on cutting the higher level juices with 0 mic liquid. This seems like the route to go!

 

[v1k1ng1001]

My advice is to throw away all your lighters, matches etc. and just don't give yourself the option to smoke.

As far as the nic levels go, having one that's lower and one that's a bit higher can be good. I vape at 12 but have a few at 18 when I need a bit more punch.