Well, we did it! Both my wife and I traded in the ashtray for the e-juice. It's now been over one week since the last "analog," and it was much easier than anticipated. I thought I'd pass on a few notes for anyone sitting on the fence (like we were), and hopefully I can "pay it forward" in regard to all of the info I found on this forum. So, here's some advice from someone fresh off the tobacco truck, take it for what it's worth.
1. Get the right stuff. I came close to getting the blu, and then came even closer to an impulse buy of some cheapo cigarette store unit. Luckily, reading here got me looking at the Joye (Titan/Yeti/Whatever) 510 with the manual batteries. It also got me looking at the juice suppliers, and allowed me to make what turned out to be a good decision (so far), which was to go with the ecopure juice and the Joye 510 w/ manual batteries. I have spoken with and read about several people who bought a crappy e-cig (and were told that one cartridge equals a pack) without ever realizing, then decided that
vaping wasn't for them because they had such a bad experience.
2. Get enough stuff to last you through the transition. Neither of the impulse "give it a try" options would have had enough stuff to keep us going. So we could have "tried" e-cigs, but not actually converted, and I think that would have made for an easy excuse: "Yeah... I need to order some more of that stuff... someday" We ended up getting two atomizers and batteries each, and we share a PCC, a USB passthrough, and two AC chargers. Plus we've got 60ml of 24mg juice and I plan on getting some of that 36mg Krystal. Figure out the money you're spending on cigarettes per month, stack that against the cost of a good supply of e-cig stuff, and the costs become very reasonable.
3. Shop around. After looking at sites selling the same thing for $70 (and more), I came across a little Chicago based site called cignot.com and found the 510 starter kit for $35!!! Since the ladies behind this, Vicky and Terri, also carry ecopure and had free shipping on orders over a certain amount, it was an e-cig trifecta for us. The fact that they kept emailing us to see how we were doing was just a tremendous bonus. From shopping around, I found that there are some get-rich-quick scumbags in this business, and some companies that have grown too fast to keep up with customer demand, so look around for recent reviews (like, on this forum!) and shop for service and brands over slick sites and flash ads.
4. Drink the Kool-Aid. If you read around this forum and elsewhere, people will seem a bit fanatical about the Personal Vaporizer (e-cig). You might get the impression that they're all in this business. At least, I thought that might be the case. I guarantee that I have no affiliation with anyone in any part of the business, and yet I find myself becoming one of these e-vangelists too. I tried to explain it to a friend of mine: "What if you could keep 90% of what you like about smoking, and get rid of 90% of what you don't like? And then, what if you thought the government was going to try to take that away from you in a couple of weeks?"
5. Keep your routine and embrace your triggers. Every other time (cold turkey, gum, patches) we have tried to avoid our triggers (morning coffee on the deck, hanging out with smokers, etc.). This time, we did everything as normal, but replaced smoking with
vaping. Plus, we treated ourselves to all kinds of taboos like "smoking" in bed, in the car, at the dinner table, at the computer, among the anti-smoking fascists... Within just days, we weren't craving analogs any more, just the juice.
6. Be prepared to adjust your juice. We thought that we needed high (24mg) juice, because we each smoked a pack of Marlboro 100's every day. Yet 3 drags of 24mg put me on my ..... We also thought we wanted something that tasted as much like a cigarette as possible, and learned that "tobacco" flavor tastes like unburned tobacco - there is no "ash and tar" flavor. It's good (like a pipe shop smells), but some people may not see the point. For instance, right now, I'm vaping a 6mg blend with our custom flavor "Apple Strudel" (recipe below).
Get some USP PG (online, old time pharmacies or feed stores) or Food Grade VG (online or at health food stores - mix with 20% distilled water), some Lorann flavors (online at places like Barry Foods or at craft/candy stores), and make something that suits your tastes and smoking style. Either that, or buy a variety of strengths in sample bottles and be prepared to get more of what you like. For us, the 24 mg didn't allow us to vape enough to overcome the "got to do something with my hands" part of the addiction without headspinning and nausea. For you, it might be perfect, but you won't know until you've tried.
7. It's not just the nicotine. You will have withdrawals. You are going to get plenty of nicotine if you want it (Whoa!!!), and the cigarette feel, throat hit, clouds of smoke (VG is best for this), etc. However, there is very obviously other stuff in cigarettes that's addictive. If you've tried the gum or the patches before, this is MUCH easier, but it's not completely withdrawal free. I've had a few "anger issues" over the week, but after a few puffs they pass. There's also a bit of foggy-headedness, though that may be partially due to the increased nicotine.
8. Enjoy it! Don't make out like you're depriving yourself. Think of it as technology finally catching up to smoking. It's like a dream come true for me - smoking with a fraction of the guilt, no stink, no pinhole burns in my clothes, no fire hazard, no lung cookies, and on and on and on. Vicky at cignot (who held our hands through the process) said to think of it as "smoking something else," and my wife says she thinks of it as "switching brands." I, however, choose to think of it as "died and gone to smoker's heaven..."
9. Don't expect a lot of support. Ex-smokers seem to be the worst. When they see the e-cig, they want to tell you how "they quit the hard way." Non-smokers have been taught that second hand smoke is poison, and they can't be easily convinced that your plumes of vapor are harmless. Smokers, once they figure out what you're doing, are usually the most supportive, as long as you don't get preachy.
10. This is just personal opinion, but that burnt flavor you start to get at the end of a cartridge can't be good for you. I use the pyramid teabag trick, and top off before I run dry. I can only speak of the 510, but the tea bag made a HUGE difference in consistency and flavor. For me, one teabag does two cartridges, and I roll it as loosely as will fit. A dry cartridge will take 14 drops initially, and I usually refill 10 drops or less.
There, I hope that pays it forward, and maybe I can inspire a couple more people to quit the cigs. Even after only a week, I can't imagine going back to the old ashtray and butts. Hopefully this will remain legal, though there are plenty of busy-bodies who seem to think that they should control others, and they should all be taken out into a dark field, and sho... OK, still having some withdrawals - puff, puff, puff!
By the way, "Mrs. n-cough's Apple Strudel recipe" is: .5ml ecopure rich (tobacco-ish) 24mg; 1.5ml VG blend (80%VG/20% distilled water); 1 drop each of Lorann's caramel, apple, and pralines and cream.
Enjoy!
