Addicted to Habitual Behavior OR Am I Cig Junkie?

[Luv2CUSmile]

Had a hard time even placing a title on this thread... and still not suure if it explains how I feel...

I have just recently gotten into e-cigs- Long story on how I found them, researched, decided, etc so... I wil start here>
I got my Dragon this past Friday and Sidesho came on Monday along w/ other liquids I ordered as well.
Friday, excited... anxious... nervous... Opened my package and attempted a vape-- much more pleasant than I thought it would be (& here I am talking flavor) I am a menthol smoker and this came w/ DK-TAB only in the kit... But pleasantly surprised that it had a better taste than I thought it would... I did have a few "symptoms" to be determined soon of what caused it- I am convinced, almost, it was the anxiety.. of... having to now commit to no more analogs?... to "not knowing" what to expect... to expecting all of the "bad" experiences people have had rather than the good...? I have no idea-
At any rate, charged it up, tried it again later- no symptoms, taste still better than expected but not an everyday vape flavor- so... I smoked-
Weekend came and went- Monday received other unit (for husband) and many liquids in various flavors- YAY! I am going to try one I am sure I can like! The menthol... Yes! Very good! I can do this- vape a few puffs... afterwards... I need a cig (analog type)... so, I get one...
After new unit is charged, my Dragon is still going (a great unit BTW)
My husband hasn't smoked- (over the entire weekend he had 2 analog cigs)- He loves vaping- no more cig for him- PERIOD!
I have vaped maybe 3 times a day and smoked analogs the rest- average 15 cigs a day or so... (I was a pack to pack and a half a day smoker) so it is less...
BUT, and here it is you guys,
I am still wanting a cig over vaping! & if I do vape, I am still wanting a cig instead! My unit is great! good everything... I haven't tried all th eflavors I got but most and they are good but not exactly like my cig... DUH! Can I get used to vaping instead?
There is something... I can't put my finger on that I am not getting.
I am using a med to light nic strength- I don't think it is the strength (I actually am still worried I am using too high of a nicotine strength liquid)
I have smoked Doral menthol light 100's for the last 9-10 yrs- prior to that my regular brand was Newport 100's and before that Kools... I started out as a half a pack a day smoker and it increased to 2 packs and then I have brought it down to a pack but since not working (about 2 mos now- Oh! and by choice, not layoff) I resigned..., I am back to a pack to pack and a half (just depends how late I stay up)
So... any thoughts? Helps for me? OR am I doing okay as I have just started this e-cig thing...?
So many people post that they received their e-cig and haven't picked up an analog since... My husband is one>>>
I want to be one of those people!
Please give me your thoughts on what I am experiencing... Is anyone feeling like me?
Thx

 

[Giz's Mom]

I'm probably not the best to help you with this because it was easy for me to just give up analogs but............my theory is you have to find a flavor that does it for you. Find some special flavor that you can vape after eating, in the am, the really hard times. I don't really think that is something anyone can help you with cause your flavor will be up to you. A lot of people go for menthol, even if they didn't smoke menthol analogs. Hope that is some help

 

[angelique510]

I haven't gotten my Sidesho yet. (Tony is still waiting for it to get to him from his supplier. I knew the one I wanted was out of stock when I placed my order, and was willing to wait for a pink one As I told you earlier, you sound a lot like me. Hopefully we can help each other here. I am very psyched about the whole vaping thing. I sincerely hope I love it, but I am scared that I won't. I have put a lot of thought into all of this.

There is a lot more to smoking than the nicotine and the taste. (see my thread called "Time for a vape break") Try to figure out all the things about smoking that you like or have become used to. Then come up with ways to make vaping have all of those things. For example;

Do you like the fire? Use your cigarette lighter to light a candle each time you vape. Is it watching the cig burn away? Get an hourglass and watch the sand drop down. Is is it the social thing? Pick up the phone and have a chat with someone. Are you used to going outside to smoke? Go outside to vape to get that part of the smoking experience. Does smoking give you a feeling of completing something? Eat dinner, have an analog and then the big finish will be vaping. Eventually, you can cut out the smoking and vaping will be your "doneness" ritual. Are you a "flicker"? Pretend you're flicking ashes off your e-cig. Crinckle some paper so that is sounds like opening a pack. When you are done vaping, smoosh something, like when you stub out a cigarette. Step on it with your shoe, if that is soething you do with a cig regularly. Does, or did, smoking make you feel mature and sexy? Do you hair and makeup and watch yourself vape in a mirror. Tell your husband "Honey, let's teach ourselves to vape after sex. Let's go practice" LOL

I'm just spitballing here. You'll have to come up with your own "things" Smoking hits all of the senses, and several emotions and psychologic proceses. Humans are sensual creatures and we require ritual. It is just part of our make up. Take a very close look at how smoking hits you in all those areas. Write it down. It will help solidify it for you - and we here at ECF will enjoy reading it.

Here is something else that I came up with. My cigarettes cost $4.50 per pack. I smoke 1-2 packs a day. So; $4.50 X 1.5 X 30 days in a month = $202.50. I can buy 25 small bottles of e-juice (I want to try all the cool flavors) and still have one hundred dollars
to spend on stuff like makeup, perfume, clothes, knitting supplies, fancy dinners, five dollar coffees, whatever I want! All the stuff that make us girls feel good, but we only get them as a special treat for ourselves. It will feel like my birthday or Christmas every month of the year, and I won't go broke (or broker than I already am) to do it. There's some motivation for you.

Another thing. Don't think of it as quitting. That puts undue pressure on you. You don't need that. (And if you're like me, you have no intention of captulating to everyone else by quitting.) You are just taking up a new "hobby." It's fun, it tastes good, and all of your friends here at ECF are doing it! LOL You might even get so into vaping that you don't have time to smoke anymore. Oh well, big deal. It's not like you caved to the pressure from non smokers, or did it to save money. It just happened. Really psych yourself up to vape, then deny yourself for a few minutes to build up anticipation. When you finally vape, it will feel so much more satisfying to you. You'll teach yourself to equate vaping with satisfaction.

Speaking from an OCD POV. You can't cure an obsession. You can only replace it with a bright shiny new one.

I hope I helped, or at the very least, amused you for a bit.

Be well,
~A

 

[afihigh019]

i made a good four days vaping before having an analog, and this is what worked for me....i tried to ignore my cravings for those four days, (really hard), and in doingso gave my tastebuds a little time to recover. When I gave in and bought a pack, I was literally disgusted by the taste of the combusted tobacco/chemicals, and threw the pack out!

So my best suggestion would be, try to go as long as possible, (and if it turns into not even needing more analogs great), before having your next cigarette, and hopefully you will get the same results i did!

Best of Luck,
Philip

 

[Luv2CUSmile]

Thx guys!
& Angelique, Yes- I enjoyed your post- did it help? sure- somewhat-was it amusing? Very Much So! LOL I can't even begin to tell you on how many levels... LOL Thx-
But Giz's Mom I think has hit it on the head for me...
The flavor is not like my cig so I am looking for that "cig" to complete my fix... Even if I vape... say Raspberry- and it is oh so good... when I feel like, I am done w/ this for now... w/in 5 minutes I am craving .... the cig "flavor"- I can light it up and not even smoke the whole thing- just 3 or 4 drags even...
So... I have taken my empty carts that still have some DK-TAB in them- added some menthol to top em off- At first a bit minty only- But as of last night... A pretty good blend almost manageable to be a substitute for my actual cig! I feel good about it... I love the othjer "fun" flavors but I think so I can keep my mind on vaping, I have to have a "taste" of this nasty ol' analog- after I am doing vaping more often - I think I can then start to use the "fun" flavors on a more regular basis.
It seems to be working anyway... I guess that is the important thing- But if anyone wants to try... This isn't my "regular" blend but it is manageable and has a decent taste and is helping me to go to my vape rather than an analog.
Thx to ev1!

 

[angelique510]

I'm bumping this thread, hoping to get some more insight.

I have a PV that I love - a 902, and liquid that tastes exactly like my analogs - B&H. I'm definatley getting enough nicotine, sometimes I get a headrush.

I still want to smoke!! I can't figure out why. It has to be something psychological with me and cigarettes. I have read through the forums, and gotten (and even given) some good advice. I am very frustrated by this. I read all the time about people who quit analogs as soon as thier pv arrived, and never looked back. I wanted to be one of those. My budget can't handle both e-cigs and analogs.

I even tried going without an anolog for a while (let's just say I was not happy) and yes, the analog tasted gross. But that didn't cure the wanting of one. It just frustrated me that I couldn't enjoy what I was wanting. What I want is to not want one.

I want my little e-cig counter at my signature to be accurate. Right now it is "what it would be if I didn't smoke at all"

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them. If not, just venting a bit here is helpful thanks

~A

 

[martha1014]

I think it is something we all have to go through. This is hard habit to break. It thinks most of it is in our minds. Try just getting down on your analogs at first. Don't beat yourself up for not being able to quit completely at first. I think eventually you will completely stop analogs especially after you realize the taste is horrible. Everytime I would try to smoke an anglog I would cough and even get a little nauseated. This will eventally cause you to completely stop.

Good luck, Just don't worry about it right now.

 

[Wild Clover]

I'm strange. The one time I quit cold turkey for 3 days(back in the 80's), the first couple drags on an analog were totally disgusting and would have had me quit for good if the BF hadn't totally ...... me off over giving me that cigarette. Now, as good as vaping is, despite my sense of smell coming back, I still like the taste of analogs...always have. Well, some analogs. Some I find nasty even when I was smoking 1+ packs a day.
So I'll be the oddball here and say I like the taste of (certain brands) tobacco and nasty chemicals burning. There's a couple brands I seldom buy because I like them so much I'll sit down and binge the whole pack!(this may be what backslid me..I was down to 5-6 analogs/day and decided it was few enough I would splurge on one of the luxury treat packs and smoked the heck out of them...too tempting. I'm back over 10 a day now still, even with my boring old usual brand....grrrr).

 

[Moonflame]

What worked for me was making it really inconvenient to smoke and really convenient to vape. When I got my first PV I put the ashtray in one room, the cigs in another and the lighter in another. I put the PV on the table right by where I sit. Then I told myself I could smoke whenever I wanted, I just had to get up an get everything, or I could reach out and grab the PV. Laziness kicked my analog habit .

 

[thewomenfolk]

-----

I basically 'quit in a day' but for the first week I had very small disappointments, like I'd 'reach' to flick an ash...there wasn't one. Or I'd reach for my lighter leash...didn't need it. But those small cravings actually didn't take as long to forget as I thought they would.

Those cravings told me I was indeed addicted not just to actual smoking but to all the little 'habits' that are a part of smoking.

Actual smoking had made me feel so physically bad that it was easier for me to give it up and vape instead. So if you're not injured by smoking yet, it may be a little harder for you. But don't ever give up, because it'll catch up with you one day and you'll wish so badly you'd stopped smoking completely before it did permanent damage to you.

Good luck to all the strugglers! Be patient with yourself, it'll work!

-----

 

[valerie]

I too find it difficult to completely quit smoking, though I've had my e-cigs for a month now. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that the reason is mostly because I'm quite frequently annoyed with various e-cig issues, which I've now fixed or am in the process of fixing. For instance, I ran out of pre-filled carts when I my e-liquid order was lost by the post office--had to go back to analogs. Now I have lots of liquid.

Secondly, it took a long time to find a good cart mod that I really liked.

Thirdly, my little super-minis carts are just too damned small. I go through about four to six a day. Refilling them (I refill six at a time) takes about 15-20 minutes. If I have cigarettes lying around, it is much easier to smoke one that to refill all those freaking cartridges.

Anyway, I finally broke down and ordered a 510, since everyone thinks it's the Holy Grail of e-cigs. I really, really hope that it's going to have a larger cartridge, so I won't have to refill as often. Even if not, I know that it will be easier to top off, so hopefully that will solve some problems. On my supermini, topping off requires the use of a paper clip or something to dig out the internal cart and is really annoying.

The few days I've managed to go without cigarettes, I've felt much better. But all day, I've craved, CRAVED real cigs. It's not nearly as bad as NRT--NO WAY--but I'm not one of those "smoked my ecig, and never smoked another real cigarette ever again" person either.

 

[AllCoExPat]

The few days I've managed to go without cigarettes, I've felt much better. But all day, I've craved, CRAVED real cigs. It's not nearly as bad as NRT--NO WAY--but I'm not one of those "smoked my ecig, and never smoked another real cigarette ever again" person either.

I'm with you there. I've been vaping pretty solid for about a month. Drifted down from 1 1/2 packs a day to about 1/2 a pack then down to five cigs and then ran out of smokes Tuesday afternoon. Made it more than two days controlling the cravings with my PV. Slipped up today after a bad day at work and bought a pack on my way home and smoked three of them right away. I just took the dogs out and light another one, smoked it about halfway and came back in to get my PV instead. It's hard to explain... The ones this afternoon, were *amazing*, but the one tonight didn't do it for me and tasted, well, less than good. I'll probably be back on the wagon for a few days, slip off again, get back on, etc, etc, etc. To me, the important thing is to keep trying, because I know if I can make it 2 full days, there's no physical reason I need an analog at all. No overcoming the mental part is going to be the hard work of time.

 

[hittman]

Some people are able to take on vaping and never look back. However, there are others like me that still crave something that is not in the liquids that we use. Tobacco has alkaloids in it that some people like me crave even after chain vaping 36mg liquid. I have started using swedish snus to get the alkaloids that I was missing.

 

[martha1014]

What mg are you vaping. I smoked 3 packs a day of marlboro red and it vape 36 which satisfies me.

 

[hittman]

I use 24,30, and 36mg.

 

[hittman]

Like I said martha, for some people, the nic alone does it. For others there is that lack of a satisfied feeling no matter how much we vape. I can chain vape 36mg and still not feel like myself. I did vape only for about 8-9 weeks but felt myself slipping into depression without the alkaloids.

 

[valerie]

Well... no analogs today or yesterday, and today, I just got my 510 and I have given myself a headache sucking on it. Oh my GAWD it is awesome. I had a blu before. This is like e-cigarette heaven. My Ms. Ts Bakery liquid even tastes better in it.

 

[M & M]

I'd raise the nicotine and eliminate one analog a day.

Good luck.

 

[Haytoni]

If you think your 510 is the cat's meow, like I do, purchased a Tornado, wowie...............also love my Screw Driver..........my answer to craving those lung busters, take it one day at a time. Try not to think of anything but enjoying the moment. Started this new fad first week of January 010, did have a few busters, until my supplies came in, you do need more than one PV. Do I like vaping ...more than you know, Will I ever smoke another analog, I can't see into the future.

 

[TropicalBob]

Listen to the people who are telling you it is NOT just a matter of getting enough nicotine. It isn't. I've done this two years now and vaped up to 48mg straight. It is not just nicotine. It's tobacco alkaloids. I get mine with daily, regular use of snus, and puffing an occasional pipe.

Yes, I like e-smoking. It fully satisifies the "habit" part of my habit/addiction of 50 years. But a Screwdriver or even the much better eGo can't fully satisify what I and others find missing in the vapor from e-cigs.