2 months vaping 24 hrs smoke free!

[enchantedwonder]

Fabulous Wayneh! I'm in the same boat as you... I haven't gone completely off analogs, but I am down tremendously to under five a day!! For me that is a miracle. I know if I tweak everything just right I could get off completely. I ordered the 18mg dekang first and I don't think it's enough nicotine, so I am waiting on my 24mg. I'm using a KGO. What are you guys using? What kind of juice? I was a Newport smoker, and then to help me breathe better I switched to American Spirits. Best of luck to all. I'm still trying to figure everything out, and eliminate the messes I have sometimes. Takes some time.

 

[rojo]

I started out on an eGo-T low resistance type B, and am in fact vaping on it today as my backup PV. I prefer to direct drip on an IkenVape io6 or 510 atty powered by a kicked Precise+, but I popped my last good atty a few days ago and am waiting for more to arrive. I drip a 50/50 blend of 16mg bakery and other dessert-type juices from TastyVapor (or as close to 50/50 as their recipes allow). Right now it's strawberries and cream.

I had smoked Winston Light 100's for about a decade and a half, about 3/4 to a pack a day, prior to last July. I don't think I've had a smoke since, oh, September or so. I still have an almost full pack in the center console in my car and another in my dresser drawer, neither to which I pay the slightest attention.

enchantedwonder, you might find that you'll get a more satisfying vape from a device capable of putting out more watts, such as a ProVari, a Lavatube or similar (such as MyVaporStore's MVari-Stick), or any 18650-based mod with the Kick; or simply try low-resistance atomizers if you haven't already. A warmer vape and stronger throat hit might make you enjoy your vape more and reduce your craving for higher nicotine content.

The other good advice I'll offer is, keep spares of everything -- a spare charged battery, spare atomizer, spare bottle of juice.... If one stops working, gets lost, gets left back at work, etc, you need the spare so you won't be tempted to pick up an analog while you wait for an ordered replacement to arrive. Order more before you're down to your last -- your last atomizer, your last bottle of juice, whatever. If you decide to start using an MVari or other mod, be sure to keep your KGo in good working order in case you need it. Don't leave it in a drawer without blowing and washing the juice out, and maybe even drip in a drop or two of pure PG or VG to keep the coil and wick from drying out.

 

[wayneh]

I'm on day 13 since I gave up analogs! It is much easier to get through the day. Still have the few urges, mostly during trigger times (first thing in the morn, after meals etc), sometimes quite strong but just grab the Riva and no problem getting through them. I started with around 12mg and have stayed pretty much at that level without to many problems. i am sure it might have been a bit easier the first few weeks if I went to a higher level. Like you I was down to around 6 or 7 a day for about a month and a half. Then one Sunday afternoon I ran out and just didn't go out to buy another pack! That was now 13 days ago! No pain, no fuss, just didn't have that overwhelming need to buy a pack! Good luck!

Fabulous Wayneh! I'm in the same boat as you... I haven't gone completely off analogs, but I am down tremendously to under five a day!! For me that is a miracle. I know if I tweak everything just right I could get off completely. I ordered the 18mg dekang first and I don't think it's enough nicotine, so I am waiting on my 24mg. I'm using a KGO. What are you guys using? What kind of juice? I was a Newport smoker, and then to help me breathe better I switched to American Spirits. Best of luck to all. I'm still trying to figure everything out, and eliminate the messes I have sometimes. Takes some time.

 

[wayneh]

Rojo, I definitely agree with you on having a spare. In addition to my Riva's I keep two Volt's in my truck as backup. Not taking any chances at this point. Also let me have a variety of flavors on hand in case I get bored with my daily vape.

 

[kingcobra]

Thanks for sharing your experiences Wayne.

I've been a heavy smoker since 1978, 34 years, the last time I went more than 3 or 4 hours without a smoke during waking hours was back in the late 80's, when I tried switching to smokeless tobacco. Aside from this being pretty disgusting, after a couple of days of that I had more than enough and tossed the crap.

So I started vaping a little over a year ago, which allowed me to cut down some on smoking, but the longest I made it without a cigarette during this time was 5 hours, 7 PM to midnight one time. I always said that I may get off these damn things and switch just to vaping, but only if the switch were tolerable.

So yesterday, May 3, at 1PM, I decided that it was time. This would not have been possible had I not cranked up my Darwin/510T to the default setting, 8.4 volts. This has made a big difference for me, and now I can actually get some good nic from my 30 ml juice. So I grabbed my favorite juice, FSUSA Butterscotch 50/50 30 mg and began my journey.

This time I did have a bit more resolve and while it was difficult to get to sleep, I made it to that point. Waking up the next morning was the next challenge, and I've now been up for a couple hours and am hanging in there nicely.

So it's only been 20 hours but that's a huge thing for me and the way I'm looking at it, I've invested this much time smoke free and do not want to go back to the start, where I will just be resolving to do this again.

My motivation here is singular, I simply want to feel better. When I've smoked a cigarette, and then vaped afterward, there is no question that I felt better from the vape than the smoke, so the thinking is that if I could get to vaping full time it would be a better buzz.

So at this point this looks pretty promising, and I now feel that for the first time since I started smoking back in the 70s I'm going to be able to switch. My only concern is that I won't feel as good in the end after the withdrawal symptoms pass, which I definitely have, although they are manageable at this point. I have half a pack of cigarettes left, in the car, that's where they are staying.

 

[rojo]

Excellent, kingcobra! It's great that you have such an excellent PV to help keep vaping more satisfying than smoking. I take it you've been vaping for a while? What sort of atomizers / cartomizers / feeders have you been through before settling on the 510-T?

Be careful about the vaping buzz thing. You know there are chemicals in smokes that speed the absorption of nicotine to your brain, whereas it might take 15 minutes or so before you start to feel the effects of vaping. Just pay close attention to your heart rate and ringing in your ears, and back off if you feel what I'm talking about. I think it helps to chain vape a lower nictone concentration so I don't ever really have to worry about the 15 minute delayed effect -- a constant low dose rather than periodic high dose, as it were. Of course, since PG leeches the moisture out of my mouth and throat and I'm vaping more often, I've usually got a soft drink or a glass of water or something next to me.

Then again, you know what they say opinions are like. Everybody's got one, and mine stinks too. :>

 

[kingcobra]

Rojo - I've never heard of the 15 minute effect when you inhale the vapor deeply into your lungs as I do, however that's not an issue for me at least. There's no question though that cigarettes provide a much bigger jolt, which is why I've found all of this pretty challenging over this time. As for the side effects you mention, it's true that you can overdo it while vaping, but keep in mind that it was only when I cranked my 30 mg juice up to the point where I'm actually burning it a little that I had a chance to get off the analogs. Any less than this and I've had no chance and I have 13 months of trying to quit and only ever being able to make it 5 hours as testimony.

It's 40 hours now, I'm not sure I'm going to make it but I'm damn well trying and still hanging in there. I almost gave up after 31 hours, decided to break out some old 100% PG juice to help me get through this, and that did help a tad but a tad made all the difference. I'm not sure why I vape 50/50 anymore other than I have a couple dozen bottles of that mix on hand and I'm not about to just throw it away.

I must say though that there's nothing like just vaping and not smoking with it to tell what your body really wants and likes

Here's the most challenging thing for me and what I may or may not be able to conquer. I've never had the desire to quit smoking, and I don't give a damn about increased life expectancy at the expense of feeling blah. When I started vaping I found that I definitely felt better doing both, cutting down to a more reasonable amount of smoking, a pack a day instead of two. For those who have smoked fairly heavily there's a certain amount of smoking that feels good and when you go over that and way over it even then you don't feel anywhere near as good.

So then on top of the benefits of reduced smoking I'd also be adding in the pleasant feeling that vaping provided. So the thinking was that by switching to just vaping, then potentially this would have me feeling even better, meaning a better buzz. I don't care about being able to walk up stairs without huffing, for instance, I don't walk up stairs anyway, LOL. I just want a better "drug experience" with nicotine.

So almost two days into this I'm not getting this at all, I feel worse than I have ever, although thus far it's been tolerable. So I need to beat what I had for me to want to continue this. However I do realize that this is a transition period, I wonder though what other people's experiences have been who have been where I am now and have made it to the top of the mountain