Finding the right nicotine level advice required

[hiax04]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all guys for supporting me and other newbies in here.

I need some advise about replacing smoking analogs completely with vapor.

I have been using a iStick 30w with a Aspire K3 Tank as my first setup, and based on another thread I concluded that is good enough for a beginner like me.

One matter I have been struggling since I got to vaping (2months now) is that the vaping fails to satisfy me to quit analogs. I started with 18mg, but after vaping for a few minutes it would given me dizziness attack and a very very hard tiredness, like I haven't slept in days. I researched and concluded that it might be nicotine overdose. I decreased to 16 to give it a try, still the same. In addition, both of these failed to satisfy my craving for a cig along day. If I try, I could go like 6-7 hours with only vaping, but have a constant craving in the background, and would eventually have one; sometimes makes me lose motivation for vaping and go straight for the analogs. On the other hand, if I increase, it would give me the side effects. Can you please share your opinions with me?

One more think; one possibility I thought of was the amount of vape I receive may not be enough, leaving me unsatisfied. On the tank I am using, the shop I bought it from said you wouldn't use more than 11watts as your tank wouldn't support more. Even when I increase it to 10 I get a very vivid taste of the juice in my mouth, like it's leaking, but the liquid is not vaped very well! Not sure if it's even possible, just the feeling that I get. So I am mainly on 8-9 watts on the 1.8 ohm coil that gives me a acceptable amount of vape but nothing like I see on videos and other vapors.

Any opinion is appreciated guys

Regards.

 

[Tonee N]

I started with an EVOD(which leaked) running on an EGO 1.5(iirc) with nic at 8mg, 12 made me sick. Within a month or two I switched to a sub ohm tank/kit which satisfied me. I felt that I wasn't getting enough DTL from the EVOD. Now at 2+ years with several tanks, mods, my nic spot is 3-4.

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[Boompumper]

I couldn't quit smoking until I felt something from vaping (buzz), it took 'direct to lung' hits from a subohm tank at 12mg for that to happen, and instantly I knew my troubles were over.

I'm at 9mg now and although sometimes the 'peppery' taste of nicotine overpowers the flavor, I'm not going to rush things after 30 years of smoking.

I'm sure at some point you must have experienced a 'buzz' from smoking...was the sickness you felt the same? Perhaps try a different liquid, maybe there are some allergies or something affecting your experience.

Good luck.

 

[Chakris]

My advice to you would be to stop comparing your vaping to what you see on videos.

Think about it. When you were smoking, did you exhale huge clouds of smoke? No. So why try to do so when you vape? If you are satisfied with 16mg nic at 8-10 Wats, then call that your sweet spot and forget about how others vape!

I'm a tutle-puffing Mouth To Lung (MTL) vaper. I started at around 24mg nic and am now vaping 12-18mg and never go over 10 Wats. I have no cravings for the stinkies.

 

[BoogaWu]

When I first quit I still craved smokes for about a month. With vaping, I was able to cut 30 down to 3-4 a day, and after that month came a day I just didn't want a cig anymore. Even if I sat and vaped with the smokers.
I see you have been going for 2 months, and I know ex smokers who sometimes dual use for 6+ months. Sounds like you are on the way and doing good, remember everyone has a different journey.

 

[BrotherBob]

I am mainly on 8-9 watts on the 1.8 ohm coil that gives me a acceptable amount of vape but nothing like I see on videos and other vapors.

I vape in the 1.5-2 ohm range and when starting my vape at low wattage (~6.5 watts), I find that the wattage that works for me is usually a few watts over the lowest watt setting (where i can barely see the vape cloud on the exhale). Lower watt settings lessen the chance of burning the liquid and generates the best flavor.
After I get my Atty (coil and chamber heated up) going for awhile, I will often times turn the mod down or up a watt or so to see if I can taste more flavor. I'm often surprised at how much better tasting the vape can be by adjusting the vape temp/wattage.

but the liquid is not vaped very well! Not sure if it's even possible

As to worrying if the liquid is not vaped very well, vaper taste and cloud production dictates my satisfaction parameters.

In addition, both of these failed to satisfy my craving for a cig along day. If I try, I could go like 6-7 hours with only vaping, but have a constant craving in the background, and would eventually have one; sometimes makes me lose motivation for vaping and go straight for the analogs.

Your not unusual in this regard, smoke if it helps your nic cravings. When you learn to vape properly, you may find the perfect juice and nic strength that will eliminate smoking. Some folks take a little longer to shake the stinkies. I find nothing wrong with your choice of vaping equipment.

 

[Grimwald]

I had to do some adjusting when I started. Now granted I started nearly 5 years ago on a cig-sized with cartomizers. I was a 40 year very heavy smoker. I started at 24mg but after 2-3 months I started feeling woozy, lightheaded, anxiety...running around like a headless chicken. I began to lower my nic levels...first to 21 then 18 then 15 etc.

I also noticed that the worst times were late morning and mid afternoon. These were times when I was hyped up on coffee and low on food energy. I read somewhere at the time that your liver begins processing caffeine and sugar better when it stop processing all of the chemicals in cigarette smoke. I'm not a doctor (I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night), but it sounded logical. So I started drinking more decaf and cutting back on sugar. That seemed to help.

Over the years, as I began to use better equipment, I would lower my nic when I got those woozy feelings and raise it when I got cravings. I don't try for clouds, just enough vaper to know I'm vaping. Today, on typical mouth to lung tanks like yours, I use 1.5mg nic at 8-10 watts. I'm also back to full strength coffee.

 

[Canadian_Vaper]

I started on a similar device and while like you it did semi work I quickly realized that I needed something more, I found happiness with 1.2ohm coils on the Subtank mini at around 22 watts with 12mg nicotine.

 

[hiax04]

Hey guys,

Thank you very much for all your replies.

So I got myself two bottles of 18mg liquids with flavors that I like, strawberry chocolate and one ice mint. I have been doing fine for the past three days, had only like 5 analogs in 3 days. Processing to ditch them for good.

I still have craving here and there, specially when was too stressed at work (had 3), but I vape for a few minutes and I am good to go. The best solution to not smoke for me: don't buy smokes! I gave my remaining packs to a friend, and just take one from him if necessary.

Though I had something like an overdose again; on a very strong craving I started vaping, and before I knew it I was vaping for like 7 minutes non stop LOL. Caused a headache and dizzy for 3 hours and got better then.

Thanks guys, will again use your advice along the way. Wish me luck.

 

[Tonee N]

Hold up your mod and say to it "you are the ONLY thing I can use!"

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[Bunnykiller]

quitting smoking and going to vaping is like being a meat eater and then switching over to veggies..... the cravings are going to happen. You may have to taper off of ciggies over a longer time period ( took me 6 months)... go ahead and have the occassional ciggie and think of all the ciggies you didnt smoke instead of fussing over the 2-5 you did

 

[SteveS45]

The only way I found to get over the cravings was to quit cold turkey and stick it out while dealing with the withdrawals. Once I got rid of all the nasty addictive chemicals in cigarettes other than the Nicotine it was easy after that. Trying to keep the cravings at bay with just nicotine is like trying cure a Migraine with children's aspirin in my opinion.

 

[jseah]

When I quit, I made a clean break. What helped me was that I did not have any cigarettes at home (smoked my last cigarette and started vaping after that). Basically whenever I had the urge to light up, I vaped instead until the craving passed. Starting with 24 mg juice, I too got nic sick a few times, but it passes. The first three days was fairly bad as I was vaping almost constantly. After the first two weeks, the cravings became less and less. Now, over two years after quitting, I'm down to vaping 3 mg juice and every once in a while I still get thoughts about lighting up again, but the thought passes quickly and I don't even need to vape to get passed it.

 

[JerL]

I started out with a smoov cartomizer and 24 mg of nicotine, that really curtailed my smoking. The thing was the nicotine took so much away from the flavor it was hard to really enjoy a flavor. I'd still reach for a Marlboro. I moved up to a Nautilus K-1 and dropped to 18 mg. Better but not great. Finally a rep at a vape shop asked me if I wanted to try a sub-ohm setup. He told me that once he switched to sub-ohm it really helped him quit for good. He let me try his Aspire set up and once I learned to draw the right way the flavor was way better. So I bought a Aspire Atlantis tank and some 3 mg juice. Well turned out I bumped the strength up to 6. That was my sweet spot. The 6mg gave me the throat hit and a few pulls take the place of a cigarette. Since then I've stuck with sub-ohm, and have a Dripbox 160.

I switch juice by changing tanks because one flavor doesn't seem to cut it all day.

 

[JoeMischief]

There's some great advice here but if I may I will expand on a few points. You are making a massive change to an existing habit and it is a real journey. My step daughter smoked and then transitioned to vaping so needed similar advice. Dizzy when at home on 12mg, not enough hit when on breaks at work... Some of it was self regulation. Puffing 19 to the dozen at home (more than she would have smoked normally gave her the dizzies). So slow down. Also now uses 6mg at home to not overdo it. Only vape when you need it, not just cos it's there. She was also puffing at it like it was a cigarette when at work. There is a slightly different tequnique even mouth to lung and once she had the slightly deeper draw down pat she was getting that same vape hit at work on a break. Also the habit is just plain different. Embrace the new and you'll gradually stop missing the old but the transition CAN take a little time. You'll find your way. Time and learning will start to get YOU into a new place. I've now sub ohmed for a while and every time my partner tried she coughed and spluttered. That stopped after a while and now she is getting her own sub ohm kit set up. The key here is that 4 of us are now ex smokers in this house. Our journey was always different (some of us still enjoy an occasional ciggy when drunk - bad Joe!) but without fail we all feel it was one of the best decisions we have made in our lives.