I keep posting the same old thing, every year. Adjust to suit!
It has been 10 years recently, since my last cigarette. I haven't been posting in recent months/years, I have been keeping up on the treadmill of life. For the last couple of years, I have been pasting this exact same thing on my anniversary. I think it still works.
Thanks to ECF for being here, to the mods for keeping it sane, CASAA for working so that we can have a future, and all of you for helping each other and yourselves!
Like most of you, I spent too large a percentage of my life killing myself slowly, and eventually spending a lot of money to do so. In my particular case, I still loved smoking, but grew disgruntled over the health realities, Big Tobacco, and the taxation of cigs. I have quit many times, in many ways, but never for more than a few months. During those few months, I was never pleasant to be around.
It's easy to make excuses to keep smoking, I made them all.
I am *not* an expert, and nobody asked me, but since I am waxing eloquent I will make suggestions about how it worked for me. YMMV
1. To quit smoking, you really only need two things. A device that works for you (charging, form factor, blahblah) and juice that you like. Three things. The desire to quit.
2. Don't feel obligated to stop smoking immediately. I was an accidental quitter. Initially I wanted to smoke some and vape some. I could save some money, and not have to stand outside in the rain. It's OK to smoke while you are learning what works for you. You can do that for the rest of your life, if you want to.
2b. Keep an idea of where you are on supplies. You need backups of everything (home, work, car). After I decided to actually quit smoking, two weeks in I had two battery deaths in two days. I only had two batteries. After 12 hours of crazy, I had to smoke.
3. Learn your device well, before you start collecting more and more! It can be convenient to wind up with a couple of different styles that work for different life situations. If you buy one every week, you will spend a lot of money and could still be deep down unhappy that "it's not working like I thought it would". Many of us as smokers can be a wee bit OCD anyway. Don't let collecting get in the way of Not Smoking (tm)
4. Don't buy a gallon of the first juice that you like. It will take a month or more before your damaged sense of taste/smell start regenerating. What you loved initially you may hate in a month. Buy lots of small samplers, to discover what you like.
5. Yes, you will save money, lots of it. See #3 and #4 above.
6. At the end of the day, all these devices are just batteries and heaters. How long they last, charging, the form factor, the ability to adjust them during use are all just variations on a theme. Some of the cig-a-likes have a lifetime of 30 charge cycles. Some larger ones can be charged 500 times. Find the balance that works for you. What *does* matter, is the actual vaping end of it. Explore attys, cartos, tanks, RBA. Try them all, this is what determines the taste and vapor production.
7. Support your local vape shop. I know you can get this stuff from China for cheap. Your local brick and mortar shop is spending a lot of money for rent and employees, and the ability to sample juice is not possible on AliBaba. They are also providing a valuable service in being a first exposure to vaping for many. Go in and hang out. If nothing else, buy some drip tips, juice, attys or doo-dads. Check out the new PVs.
8. With few exceptions, the kiosk at the mall is not a good deal, nor a good idea. Free trials online or from radio ads are always a ripoff. You will spend a lot more on much inferior equipment and then have a hard time getting it off of your credit card.
9. Don't be arrogant about vaping in public. They don't know that you are not smoking from 10 feet away. My area has illegalized vaping. With low VG juice, I can discreetly vape after a meal. It beats standing outside in the rain.
10. Don't get in flamewars on ECF about your favorite device. Yes, there are idiots here, don't be one. If it works for you, that is the best one for you.
11. Once you get comfortable with vaping, consider DIY. Juice is what costs the most in the long run. Start small, measure with precision, keep detailed notes, be safe. You know what you like better than any description on a web page.
12. Join CASAA, and do things.
13. ECF is great for support. Don't be afraid to bare your soul to kindred spirits here in a hard time, you can find a lot of strength.
#14 for 2017. Consider a banner. I forgot about mine here. For several years, I kept one going on my phone. It was a good motivator for me. I would await milestones. When I had a hard time quitting, my banner helped me. "Only two more days until <whatever exciting increment is coming up>".
#15 for 2017. Reward yourself with the money you save. I am not wealthy, but after a few months of not smoking, I realized I was not as broke before payday. Buy something fun. Take your significant other out. Buy those tires you have been needing. If you are not inclined to buy 'things', invest in something risky. Or in something conservative.
#16 for 2019. Now? I find myself mixing juice with zero flavor, a few mg/ml of nic. It's mostly ritual now. But I like it!
#17 for 2021. I missed posting last year, Covid-Crazy. My devices have all died. My beat-to-sheeit Vaporshark 40 has finally quit functioning completely a few weeks after my 10th anniversary. It has been disassembled *many* times, cleaned the switches/contact points with rubbing alcohol, that always brought it back. I never got into the high-wattage 'cloud machine' aspect. The Vaporshark/DNA/Evolv devices run at about 12-20 watts was fine. I'm 66, just retired, don't think I will replace the vaping devices. I find I miss vaping, I don't miss smoking. Attached is the old 'About' screen of my Vaporshark. It lights up, but the + button for wattage had died (and I've re-soldered the connections). At least it was 'Genuine' and not a fake..
