Anyone successfully quit smoking *then* start vaping?

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Chip H.

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Wondering how (un)common my situation is. I had a roughly 20 year on again, off again relationship with tobacco. Cigarettes, Cigars, Pipes, AND dipping. It wasn't all four at once, but while there were some fairly lengthy tobacco-free periods, most of that time I was using one or more forms of tobacco ingestion (peak was 2-3 packs a day of Camel filters late teens to early 20s that left me at 21 with lungs that felt like I was in my 80s, doh!)

Then came my first child. Shortly before she was born a little over 11 years ago swore off tobacco, and other than a single digit total number of cigs bummed (usually while drinking of course) over all that time, stuck to it.

This is not to say I never miss tobacco, far, far from it. I don't miss the American mainstream cigarettes at all, that is one thing that once I'd quit - for the third time at least lol - I've never felt like doing again (unless I'm really drunk, and that is a very rare thing). But pipes, cigars, and, willpower help me, dipping, all were alive and well in my fond nostalgia centers. This past year I've been musing to see if I could dig up one of my late grandfather's briarwood pipes that's hiding in a box somewhere in my house that my grandmother gave me when I was 18, just to see if I could find it again, that's all, I swear :)

Earlier this year my brother came to visit. He has smoked cigs since his teens (going on 30 years) and although he has tried to quit a number of times, something has always pulled him back to the cigarettes. This time he came with a new effort, an Ego One Mega with some tasty juice. I'd been very, very casually following the growth of vaping these past few years so was curious to see what all the fuss was about...

I presume if I'd been hooked up to one of those brain imaging scans you could have seen long dormant parts of my brain lighting up like a fireworks show. It was the closest thing to smoking a pipe since, well, smoking a pipe. So, I kept on hitting it on and off while he was here, and I started into a massive information feast online... just for curiosity of course lol.

He hadn't been gone 48 hours and I had an iStick 50W & a Nautilus on their way to my doorstep. That was a couple of months ago and now I'm waiting on a Lemo 2 to find its way to my doorstep.

On the unambiguously positive side, I believe me and my brother sharing the habit has had a big impact in supporting him sticking with it instead of going back to cigarettes. This isn't his longest cigarette free stint, but it's the second longest so far (last time he fell off the wagon six months into quitting when his dog died suddenly of a brain infection, and that dog was his child and best friend all in one). On the other hand, I've got a nicotine habit again, although, to be honest, not that concerned. I am a creature easily motivated by bad habits so I'm using the vaping to keep myself from so much snacking. I'm viewing my vaping as a smoking relapse prevention activity :D

So anyone else manage to get away from the actual tobacco then "fall off the wagon" to vaping?
 
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Ladybug24

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I just want to say that it's better to "fall off the wagon" to vaping rather than cigs. I started vaping in June in order to quit smoking. I have not picked up a cig since I got my vape. I'm cutting down the nic level from 12 to 6..now bouncing between 6 and 3. Eventually if I stop, I will keep my vape handy to fall back on because I do not ever want to smoke again.
 

Nick N

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Haven't had a cigarette or any other tobacco product for over 13 years. Started vaping over a year ago as a relaxing hobby when my brother in law quit smoking and started vaping. I don't regret it, and have no desire to go back to smoking whatsoever.

Seems like we have a similar story. I have an 11 year old daughter. Welcome!
 

glointhedark

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My daughter and I quit smoking 9 years ago, when the price of cigarettes became unaffordable for us. We both liked to smoke, and the cravings never really left us, but we fought through them. Three years ago, stress and cravings were making it seem more and more desirable to start smoking again. We got a couple of Blu disposables to see if ecigs would really help us to remain non-smokers. We have not looked back. We are still very happy and proud ex-smokers, thanks to vaping.
 
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BrotherBob

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Welcome and glad you joined.
Anyone successfully quit smoking *then* start vaping? --Yes, smoke free for a year or so.
So anyone else manage to get away from the actual tobacco then "fall off the wagon" to vaping? --No.
Started on pipes as a teenager in high school. Used pipes for approx. 20 years until my throat started bothering me. Switched to cigars for the last 30+ years. I will never go back to smoking. Vaping beats all forms of smoking hands down.
How, taste, smell, cleanliness, affordability, control,safety,seems like I could go on forever.
I DIY and use less than 1 mg/ml. Nic. I think i like the minute amount of nic buzz but I'm not sure.

You might post a few answers in this thread to get full member status. Just answer each with a new post.

He hadn't been gone 48 hours and I had an iStick 50W & a Nautilus on their way to my doorstep. That was a couple of months ago and now I'm waiting on a Lemo 2 to find its way to my doorstep.
What does your brother vape on?
What coil build do you use?
What watts do you run.
Whats your favorite juice.
How many vape sessions a day.
If you have any additional questions just post, hit "like" at bottom right hand corner of this thread and I will get back.
By hitting like, I receive a message notice.


 

Gfdeputy2

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As I only quit smoking 13 days ago & picked up vaping the same time only the day after I quit did I really want a Cig
I am only on 3MG of Nic that is what I started with & Had smoked cigs for roughly 25 years. I have no care in the world to go back to them I do have one bottle of 6MG for emergency which I have not used yet
 
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djsvapour

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*this may not be relevant*

I attended a lecture on addiction. The man who gave the lecture presented an argument that smokers never really become free from nicotine. They are just people with a permanently ingrained nicotine persuasion that choose not to smoke.

If we never escape nicotine entirely, then taking up vaping nicotine having quit smoking nicotine is not such a crazy thing to do. Better that than returning to smoking.

To me
I'm viewing my vaping as a smoking relapse prevention activity :D
seems the wise choice. :)
 
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Chip H.

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If we never escape nicotine entirely, then taking up vaping nicotine having quit smoking nicotine is not such a crazy thing to do.

I cannot speak for everyone, but there is no doubt of this in my mind. Every time I took up smoking again, I completely bypassed the tolerance building I went through during my teens and would be back to smoking a quarter pack (or more) a day within a few days. No nausea, no dizziness, just the warm embrace of an old mistress.

Even after the ~11 years of being 99.999% tobacco free, my body jumped right back into loving the nicotine for better or worse :)
 

r77r7r

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    I cannot speak for everyone, but there is no doubt of this in my mind. Every time I took up smoking again, I completely bypassed the tolerance building I went through during my teens and would be back to smoking a quarter pack (or more) a day within a few days. No nausea, no dizziness, just the warm embrace of an old mistress.

    Even after the ~11 years of being 99.999% tobacco free, my body jumped right back into loving the nicotine for better or worse :)

    It's also that way for some alcoholics/addicts.
    Yeah there's an older vet here that was off ciggies for close to a decade.
    Makes more sense to me than someone who picks this up just for a hobby. But, hey...
     

    Chip H.

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    What does your brother vape on?
    He's since moved on from Ego One Mega he had earlier this year to multiple Herakles tanks on an IPV D2. Due to the feedback loop of the two of us conversating, he is waiting on a Velocity RDA clone to try his own hand at rebuildables.

    What coil build do you use?
    What watts do you run.
    Until yesterday, was using the 1.8 ohm Nautilus coils at 9-14 watts depending on the particulars of the juice.

    Then I got my package from Fasttech in the mail with the Lemo 2 :D. Used their pre-installed coil at first but had to re-wick because their pre-installed wick was too.much.fing.cotton. It was 0.6ohms, and was running it at 30W. After I emptied the tank around lunch time today, made my first ever coil. Used 28g kanthal, about 9 wraps with an internal diameter of 2.5mm. It was measuring at 2.3ohms, but after I reassembled and filled, resistance kept fluctuating... a quick Google led me to a thread here on ECF informing me I had failed to tighten one or more of the post screws enough. Disassembled, torqued the screws down, reassembled and, ta-da, 2.0 ohms and holding steady while I type this vaping at 15W. I also have some 26g I will build a coil with when I tire of this one, and I'll probably pick up some 24g next time I order stuff.

    The 0.6ohms of the pre-installed was warmer than I like, but the 2.0 is too cool. I'll play around until I zero in on my sweet spot.

    Whats your favorite juice.
    Favorite so far I've found is Uncle Junk's Jon Wayne, but I'm always trying new flavors and waiting on the supplies to start DIYing my own juice because I want more exact control of what goes in my lungs. Plan on moving to mainly DIY and only pick up a bottle or two of commercial juice every month from the vape shop as a treat.

    How many vape sessions a day.
    Vape on and off throughout the day so no idea on count, but I do wind up doing the most early in the morning with coffee and then at night as I'm winding down. About the same way I smoked in my college years, probably no coincidence.

    If you have any additional questions just post, hit "like" at bottom right hand corner of this thread and I will get back.
    I thank you for the kind offer, but, hopefully, won't have too many basic questions. I cut my teeth on "forums" in the days of BBs and usenet where the golden rule was, "lurk, lurk, lurk some more; search, search, search some more; *then* if you still can't figure out the answer, post" ;)
     
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    Chip H.

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    It's also that way for some alcoholics/addicts.
    Yeah there's an older vet here that was off ciggies for close to a decade.
    Makes more sense to me than someone who picks this up just for a hobby. But, hey...

    I can't in any way claim this is a justified "bad habit". I've joked with my brother about why couldn't he have had some nasty tasting juice when he came to visit, because then I probably would have hit it once, said, "not for me, good luck on getting off the cigs", and I wouldn't have had to confess my "sins" to my wife lol. Instead, after I'd hit on his vape enough, I had some little nicotine demon dancing on my shoulder in glee as I realized there was a way to get the satisfaction of tobacco I missed with no *known* major risk factors.

    You throw in the satisfaction of smoking but without smoking along with my tech nerd factor and it was a new habit waiting to happen.
     
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    BrotherBob

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    Velocity RDA clone
    I vape on RDA's @ ~1.5 Ohms/15 w. single coils exclusively. Retired, so I can fiddle with a dripper till the cows come home.
    I find this gives me the best of both worlds. Great taste at a reasonable e juice consumption.
    Thinking of getting the Lemo so I can learn about it and give to one of my daughters in order to ween her off smoking.
    Congrats Chip H, your a full member.
     

    r77r7r

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    You throw in the satisfaction of smoking but without smoking along with my tech nerd factor and it was a new habit waiting to happen.

    Well...You Could just put the vape aside and always know that you have an alternative to smoking on hand.
    But I don't see that happening, lol.
    Just remember to be buying your lovely gal something nice to balance out your new obsession.
    Have fun!
     
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