5 days in...struggles

[sallydee101]

ok i choose this as i am stuck at home after a fall at work with pulled ligaments.
I love the vape but finding difficulty at times.
1. noticed i was so edgy..real pain to be around, teary, poor bf, .so bought a pack of my norm brand of cigs....thought ok one or two...nope smoke through that pack and bought another.
2. new day 4 cigs left ...trying to space.
3. thinking i don't vape enough...
4. in 5 days i have smoked around 3 packs normally been closer to 7 or 8.
is the mood swing normal or a sign i am not vaping enough?

 

[LittleBird]

SallyDee, Welcome to ECF! First, please give yourself a huge hug for cutting back on the cigs. That's an awesome accomplishment, and you should be proud of yourself!

So, you would have smoked about 1 1/2 PAD? That's a fair amount of nic inhaled. What strength nic are you vaping? At least 18mg, I hope. You can always cut back, but best to make sure you're getting enough at the beginning. Then, please know that it takes longer for nic to get into your bloodstream and up to your brain via vaping. That means vaping more frequently. Again, you can always slow it down if it's too much. Finally, do you love the flavor you chose? If not, try another one . You need to really like it.

Congrats, Sally, for taking the first steps. You're on your way. Yay, you!

 

[Treeburner1983]

Increasing your nicotine content may help, but because tobacco contains a variety of other alkaloids other than nicotine you can still end up experiencing withdrawal effects. If you are already vaping 24mg/ml nicotine you might want to try WTA, or Whole Tobacco Alkaloids. This type of juice is only available from a few vendors and is more expensive, but can make the transition from smoking to vaping much easier by providing the other alkaloids from tobacco that you would normally be missing in e-juice. Aroma E-Juice is the best reviewed brand of WTA, but there are a few others as well.

-Treeburner

 

[DavidOck]

Not at all unusual, Sally. For many it's a process, not like flipping a light switch.

That you've already cut way back is good, as LittleBird says. Count the ones you don't smoke.

You don't say what nic level you're using, or what hardware (topper, power source), and all of those can have an impact. As can the flavors, also mentioned. Upping the nic, increasing the power, and vaping often can help ease the transition.

I started at 18 and that didn't do "the trick" for me. Went to 24 and I was done with cigs. Stepped it down to 18 later, when I was past the rough spots. (We're all different, so don't take those levels as necessarily what you need!)

Some have two (or more) nic levels going, higher for the rough spots, lower for the rest of the time. So that might be helpful for you as well.

But you're making progress, and that's the important part!

 

[sallydee101]

vaping 12mg....going shopping soon to try different flavor maybe up to 18 mg. the local shop has a vape bar. Do I need different tanks to have different flavors?

 

[dbrandt01]

It's not an easy process to get through it. As are as the being edgy, I'd say that's possible. I wasn't and my dad wasn't personally when we switched to vaping.

What setup are using? What nicotine level?
You might not have e-juice with high enough nicotine.

For example, I quit on 18mg with an iTaste vv v3 and protank 3 originally. My dad smoked 2 packs a day and quit with 18mg on an Atlantis subohm tank. My dad would have a cigarette or 2 in the morning, but that was it. None throughout the day.

Edit: haha you answered it right before me. Different tanks can give different flavors. 12mg probably isn't enough for you. Even if my dad goes down to 15mg (I DIY unflavored, it's the closest thing to a Marlboro light he says) he needs more. so he has to stick at 18mg for now.

 

[zoiDman]

vaping 12mg....going shopping soon to try different flavor maybe up to 18 mg. the local shop has a vape bar. Do I need different tanks to have different flavors?

I would Definitely try going with 18mg/ml.

When people Switch flavors in a Tank, many will pull out the "Head" that has the Heating Element (what we call the Coil) and put it into something so you know what Flavor it is. The flush the rest of the Tank using Warm tap water.

Shake Dry everything and put a New Head into the Tank and fill with the New Flavor.

What type of Tank are you using?

 

[VNeil]

I don't want to say what is or is not "normal" but I often read this, usually almost verbatim.... "I tried to quit smoking but after xxxx days my {insert loved one(s) here} begged me to start smoking again"

My two suggestions are keep increasing strength until either your loved ones want to be around you again, or you get sick from too much nic . And try WTA, which was suggested earlier. Here is a link from the site here:

WTA Refill Liquids | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[Hans Wermhat]

What gear do you have? Having a good tank can make all the difference in the world. Most folks here, including me, will suggest an Aspire Nautilus or Nautilus Mini for a beginner. The nicotine strength you will need will vary with what type of tank you have, as some will produce a lot more vapor than others.

 

[zoiDman]

What gear do you have? Having a good tank can make all the difference in the world. ...

Completely Agree.

 

[sparkky1]

What gear do you have? Having a good tank can make all the difference in the world. Most folks here, including me, will suggest an Aspire Nautilus or Nautilus Mini for a beginner. The nicotine strength you will need will vary with what type of tank you have, as some will produce a lot more vapor than others.

+1

 

[thetrucker]

Congratulations on cutting back and trying to vape to get rid of the ciggies!!!!

This is the first and most important step anyone can take -------buying a e-cig and getting interested in the equipment and all

of the different flavors available to us.

You Are On Your Way !!!!!!!!!-----------------------------thetrucker

 

[Isabelle49]

ok i choose this as i am stuck at home after a fall at work with pulled ligaments.
I love the vape but finding difficulty at times.
1. noticed i was so edgy..real pain to be around, teary, poor bf, .so bought a pack of my norm brand of cigs....thought ok one or two...nope smoke through that pack and bought another.
2. new day 4 cigs left ...trying to space.
3. thinking i don't vape enough...
4. in 5 days i have smoked around 3 packs normally been closer to 7 or 8.
is the mood swing normal or a sign i am not vaping enough?

Sally, I am 3 weeks in. For the first two weeks I didn't smoke analogs. By the third week I did. In 5 days, 2-1/2 packs total. This compared to 2 packs a day before vaping, that's 10 packs, a whole carton!!!

I think the return to analogs had to do with not really getting the most from the Vape, might have been doing it wrong. I wasn't impressed with the Vanilla Custard flavor Vape I chose. By week three I learned to draw very slowly and often barely draw and just let the Vape flow into my mouth. This gives me an explosion of delicious flavor. I don't feel the need to inhale into my lungs and considering the nicotine is absorbed by the tissues in the mouth, the lungs aren't needed for this. Slow, gentle, relaxed draw and a few seconds in the mouth may help you. I expect in another week or so I won't worry about the analogs any more.

I have also decided to make the analog experience less enjoyable by eliminating any other activities while smoking one. No phone, no tv, no lap top and I you outside in the heat to smoke. I used to always smoke in the house, but haven't done so in three weeks.

I wish you the best.

 

[Sean Pereira]

Took me a week of pure vaping only 18mg nic to loose the sweats, shakes and craving for cigs, crazy thing is, when I was smoking cigs, I just used to stress out at issues and problems, knocking smoking on the head and vaping only, forget stressing, I seemed to bypass that part and just go straight to angry, this lasted for about 3 to 4 weeks, it got to the point where everyone was walking on egg shells around me trying not to upset me.

Surprisingly these are the parts they don't tell you when giving up smoking.

Up your nic content to 18mg, and puff all day constantly if you have to, get extra batteries if need be, I had 3 eGo's 1 to wash, 1 to wear and a backup so to speak, I couldn't live without it. its easy to drop the nic, you'll know when to, its all you'll be able to taste, no flavour just nic, my bodies way of saying time to drop, currently on 10mg tootle puffing and 4mg ish (mix my own) with massive lung hits.

7 weeks in now without a cig and I feel so much better, I tootle puff on the outside, but I love to lung hit at home with huge clouds, I'm a bit embarrassed to do that on the outside, hence the tootle puff.

 

[dcfluegel]

What gear do you have? Having a good tank can make all the difference in the world. Most folks here, including me, will suggest an Aspire Nautilus or Nautilus Mini for a beginner. The nicotine strength you will need will vary with what type of tank you have, as some will produce a lot more vapor than others.

+1 on decent tank... and the 18mg juice is probably a good idea, if you have been vaping 12mg and you were previously smoking as much as you mentioned... remember you can scale it down as you go forward... keep the faith, sister!

 

[sd3614]

Don't give up, the cigs contain more than NIC, that is what your body wants. Those keep you hooked chemicals.

Stay 18-24mg on NIC, if your buzzing you KNOW you are getting enough nicotine and it is not that you CRAVE.

Also have a lower NIC level and a 2nd device to chain vape at 6-12mg in between is not a terrible idea, but start and end the day with higher NIC.

Good luck

 

[MaenadMoogle]

Congrats on beginning your journey!!!

One of the things that worked really well for me was having two tanks. I kept an all day flavor in one tank, and a menthol tobacco with higher nicotine in the other. I would vape all day at 18mg nicotine in fruit flavors, and whenever I struggled with analog cravings I would switch over to the tobacco tank with 24mg. I still have this set up, but now I'm down to 12mg during the day and 18mg tobacco tank for AM coffee time only.

Try stepping up your nicotine, try to vape through your cravings, and when all else fails, have an analog but don't beat yourself up over it. The QuitNow app on my phone helped me focus on how many analogs I WASN'T smoking rather than beat myself up over every time I slipped up.

You said you had a b&m near you, definitely go try out flavors! I was super embarrassed the first time I went because they guys had to show me how to use their set ups, and how to drip tip and all of that to try flavors, but generally speaking they are really really helpful when you're starting out. I love the forums, but sometimes it's easier to see things in person. My local B&M has been indispensable in teaching me about all of the parts and how things work.

I think in the last 3 months, I've gone through about 30+ flavors! Some of the ones you like now, you won't like later, and vice-versa. Your tastebuds are going to go crazy as you smoke fewer analogs and start to taste things again. Also, if you don't like a flavor, set it aside and come back to it in a few weeks, don't toss it for the first few weeks at least. (no use wasting juices!) I wish somebody had told me that, I tossed a few bottles because I couldn't stand them, but now I've tried them again, and love them.

 

[thetrucker]

MaenadMoogle---------------------very well said--------a lot of down to earth ideas you have.

I drove truck all over the USA when starting to vape and was amazed by the many many different companys and flavors out there.

I bought a lot of different flavors to try and some taste different now than when I bought them. Some flavors take awhile to get

used to. I loved mango when I first started and now don't like the flavor. Hated cinnamon in the beginning and now love it!!!

This is the result of my exploration into the flavors--------pic

 

[DavidOck]

vaping 12mg....going shopping soon to try different flavor maybe up to 18 mg. the local shop has a vape bar. Do I need different tanks to have different flavors?

Not necessary, but easier

And you DO need backups anyway. Nothing worse when trying to make the switch than to have your ONLY battery go dead, or your ONLY topper fail...

 

[sallydee101]

everyone your response is so encouraging....I have COOL FIRE five. Tomorrow going in to explore different flavors and maybe up nicotine have 12mg tobacco flavor and still wanting the cigs some. soon as I can get a second set up. I am still smoking less then half before some of it i forget to vape....grab a cig out out habit. Really each post i read and reread thanks so much!