Having a rough time with the switch

[lena372]

So I just started vaping seriously about two weeks ago. My intention was to quit smoking entirely when I took up the ecig, but I just can't seem to do it. I don't even know why, because they taste terrible now - like sucking on ammonia. And I don't *need* them, need them, either. I mean, I quit cold turkey once (that lasted a good three months), and in comparison the cravings are absolutely nothing. Just, "Hmm, I'd like a cigarette," instead of "I will kill you all and feast on your flesh if I do not get a smoke RIGHT NOW." And yet I go ahead and smoke one! It makes me feel like such a failure.

I've been lurking here on the forum the entire time, and I know - "count the ones you're not smoking." I'm down to about five a day, so that's twenty analogs not smoked - but I see everybody who's just like, "Oh, I never touched them again once I started vaping!" I like vaping, I really really do - I tried it once years ago with some generic mini, and didn't do well, but now I've got a couple nice egos and a variety of liquids, and I really enjoy every aspect of vaping ... the health benefits, the tastes, even the feel (though it took me a week to get used to inhaling differently and the thick vapor). But I still want cigarettes.

I just want this part to be over, this whole transitional phase. I'm thinking about this stuff all the time and that stresses me out, and of course every time I'm stressed out what do I want to do? Smoke! Gah!

Sorry, I guess I just needed to vent. But yeah, if anybody else is having a rough time with breaking the habit, or has any advice, hit me up. As long as I can't stop thinking about it, might as well talk about it.

 

[Bert101]

Keep on keepin on! When I started vaping I had the same issues it took a while to make the switch for me. Your tasting how nasty them cigs are already so your on your way just give it time and dont get frustrated. I found the more I got frustrated with the whole bit burning coils finding what I liked and didnt like the more I wanted to say fudge it and go buy a pack of smokes. Just keep ur vape in good shape and carry that beast with you and you will make it!

 

[Screamin Eagle]

Hey, one of the hardest things to do is quit smoking. Trust me, I did it before there were these "E-cigarettes".
The pannle below my posts is real. I quit 7 years ago. I had to do it with the patches and those nasty lozenges. But even on those I still had to puff here and there. But there was this one day. I went out to my car, took a few drags off a cig, butted it out, and was able to put them down for good.
If you feel you need to take a few puffs from an analog go ahead. There are people who can go stright into vaping with no problems. Then there are others who put analogs down and just walked away. Everyone is different. No one can tell you how you should do it. It's up to you. But I'm sure with a little determination, and a will to get rid of those nasty things you'll get it. Just like the song says "If your going through hell, just keep on movin'".
It already seems like the analogs are starting get gross to you. Eventually you'll cringe at thinking of putting one of those in your mouth. It just takes a little time.
Good Luck! And welcome to the forums.

 

[madqatter]

So I just started vaping seriously about two weeks ago. My intention was to quit smoking entirely when I took up the ecig, but I just can't seem to do it.... It makes me feel like such a failure.

Don't be so hard on yourself. Seriously. Everyone's experience is different. I've met a guy who's at least a year into vaping who still smokes 1-3 cigs a day. That's a heckuva lot less than before, and that matters. What you've given up matters, too. You are not failing, you're moving toward your goal.

I see everybody who's just like, "Oh, I never touched them again once I started vaping!"

Sometimes comparisons are not helpful. You're not those people and they're not you. You're on a journey toward your goal. Keep on that path.

I just want this part to be over, this whole transitional phase.

I feel you!

 

[zymox]

Keep it up lena372, the day will come when you gets off the analogs. My wife has been on the analogs for as long as me self about a year now and she still wants an analog now and then. Especially when a really good dinner has passed or the party is going on. She says she knows how the analogs taste and they tastes a lot better compared to the e-ones. But still, she doesn't use analogs more than a few times a month. Compared to using analogs, a pack a day this is great achievement and as laid out before, every analog you don't take is better than the one you normally should have. My history is different and I can't even smoke a whole one anymore. I'm sure it will come to you to if you keep it up. The no.1 cause of success is to not give up. Keep it up and please, do it your own way and just give us a hint when you feel it's hard. I'm sure the forum will help you out as much as we can.

 

[ShariR]

Hi Lena. I am fairly new at this vaping thing too. I just made my two months smoke free after 45 years of smoking 2 packs a day. It is not as easy for some. Yes, there are those who can start vaping and never pick up another cigarette, ever. Then there are many more that smoke and vape for a while until they find they just don't want or need the cigarettes any longer. That can happen in a day, a week, a month or much longer. Every one is an individual and your journey is unique. You have made great progress towards your goal in just two weeks and you should celebrate that. A journey takes time.

I suggest you come visit this thread and do some reading and post and get to know the people there. Many of us are in various places on our vaping journey, some still smoking. This is a good place for you to do some reading and posting and get comfortable with where you are and maybe help you with where you want to be.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ed-smoking-habit-support-chat-thread-307.html

It's a great group of people and very supportive and non-judgemental. Come hang out.

ShariR

So I just started vaping seriously about two weeks ago. My intention was to quit smoking entirely when I took up the ecig, but I just can't seem to do it. I don't even know why, because they taste terrible now - like sucking on ammonia. And I don't *need* them, need them, either. I mean, I quit cold turkey once (that lasted a good three months), and in comparison the cravings are absolutely nothing. Just, "Hmm, I'd like a cigarette," instead of "I will kill you all and feast on your flesh if I do not get a smoke RIGHT NOW." And yet I go ahead and smoke one! It makes me feel like such a failure.

I've been lurking here on the forum the entire time, and I know - "count the ones you're not smoking." I'm down to about five a day, so that's twenty analogs not smoked - but I see everybody who's just like, "Oh, I never touched them again once I started vaping!" I like vaping, I really really do - I tried it once years ago with some generic mini, and didn't do well, but now I've got a couple nice egos and a variety of liquids, and I really enjoy every aspect of vaping ... the health benefits, the tastes, even the feel (though it took me a week to get used to inhaling differently and the thick vapor). But I still want cigarettes.

I just want this part to be over, this whole transitional phase. I'm thinking about this stuff all the time and that stresses me out, and of course every time I'm stressed out what do I want to do? Smoke! Gah!

Sorry, I guess I just needed to vent. But yeah, if anybody else is having a rough time with breaking the habit, or has any advice, hit me up. As long as I can't stop thinking about it, might as well talk about it.

 

[nmackan]

My friend dont take this vaping as a homework to do in order to pass class. Dont fight with analogs it will cause you remembering the issue. Important of all, find the right juice, and increase nic level a bit. In the beginning ignorant everything I found cheap juice. I craved for cigarettes I smoked 1-2 stinky hating its taste and smell went back and got expensive juice and that was all. I had one or two unintentedly (now I know nic level) But when I found turkish e cigarette forum there we are not a single one after march I cant smoke now even if I stay without equipment.
Dont fight with them. if you want to smoke, smoke one neverthless you will not enjoy day after day and you will hate them one day.

 

[Shane Bappe]

I don't know if this is what did it for me or not, but right off the bat I ordered all my juice in the highest nicotine level I could find. I was a pack a day smoker and all that nicotine in the ecig was still making my eyes twitch randomly haha! If you haven't yet, maybe kick up the nicotine. It was 24 mg that I was vaping, and I was vaping it a LOT! But I was able to give up analogs that very day and I do think that was a big part of the reason as well as getting lucky and finding juice right off the bat that I loved. Halo's Voodoo did wonders for me in the beginning and is still what I pick up for those hard days. I always keep one juice loaded in a tank that has more nic than the rest just for those days that really suck and my brain is trying to tell me I may want an analog.

 

[Limner]

Don't be so hard on yourself. Seriously. Everyone's experience is different....Sometimes comparisons are not helpful. You're not those people and they're not you. You're on a journey toward your goal. Keep on that path.

A lot of truth in that.

Who was it? Shaw I think? Once said something like "a knife is a tool, or it's an implement of self-destruction, depending on whether you pick it up by the handle or the blade". Comparisons are like that. They serve a person if they motivate, spur a person on. If not, it's picking up knives by the blade. In practice, anyone who aspires to anything worthwhile probably experiences a good measure of both.

I knew a business major in college who wanted to be a millionaire by age 30.
At 30, he was worth something like $950,000. I don't know how he felt about it when he compared his legitimate achievement to his goals, or compared his abilities to others in his field who were millionaires at 25. One hopes he was able to forgive himself any sense of inadequacy he harbored.

Lena is down to five cigarettes from twenty-five. That's at least a $950,000 achievement in my book.

 

[trouble1000]

Just keep on doing what you're doing. We're all different, some give up easily, some never do.

Don't beat yourself up, if you have a stinky, it's not the end of the world.

I found I needed a really positive attitude and lots of reminders from friends and family on how well I was doing. One thing to try, besides the other suggestions here, is to keep your vape gear close by and topped up at all times. But put the analogs in another room, that way when you get a craving, it's easier to reach for the vape. Try and get out of the habit of reaching for the cigs, we smoke partly out of a ritual behaviour. If you can slowly break the smoking ritual, you're one step closer to quitting

 

[DoogieTony]

Those first couple weeks were the hardest for me. I figured out that it was the mental habits that I had formed that made it difficult.
Id catch myself going outside for a smoke even though I didn't have any cigarettes, or digging in my pockets for a lighter, or slapping my pockets to find my pack.
I really didn't need smoke but my brain was so set on in habits that it took a couple of weeks to break them.

Keep on vaping and smoke if you need to because everyone's different and does things their own way, I have a feeling that you'll naturally drop the cigs after a while.

Good luck and happy vaping!

 

[K_Tech]

Lot of good advice in this thread (and in this forum). Although there are a lot of similar experiences, everyone's transition is different, as mentioned.

I still get an urge to have an analog from time to time. It's not as bad as it was the first few days, and tomorrow - and next week, next month - will be better.

Read thru some of the success stories. It helps me a LOT seeing other folks that have fought the same battle.

And get yourself a banner! It may seem silly to some, but I LOVE seeing mine tick up! It's like a little pat on the back every time I post!

 

[Amberina]

Just take it one day at a time.
You have already accomplished something by cutting down on how many cigarettes you smoke a day. Before I tried vaping, I would try to cut down on the amount of cigarettes a day I smoked but it seemed like the more I tried to cut down, the more I wanted to smoke. I smoked a pack and a half a day. Just the fact that you have been able to cut down is an accomplishment!
Don't get frustrated. You are going in the right direction. You actually WANT to stop. This alone will help you so much. Just do what you can each day and you will eventually get there.
Also a question: are your nicotine mgs high enough? I know I still had super cravings when I was not getting enough nicotine. When I started vaping a higher mg of nicotine, my cravings subsided....

 

[zekster76]

I had trouble at first just kept craving a cig so bad, but every time I smell someone smoking it just makes it that much easier not to. Hang in there

 

[Vapeaddikt]

It took me a long time to weed fully from analogs even with vaping. Just keep strong and you'll get there

 

[Rachy_B]

I'm going to second, third, twenty-seventh a lot of what has previously been said here...

STOP BEING SO HARD ON YOURSELF!

I completely understand your frustration but you're doing so well! Nothing worth doing was ever easy. But please remember that you have a lot of support here and however long it takes for you to drop those last few cigs, we'll be ready to support you.

Some people can make the switch quickly, that's true. I'm not one of those people. I found it very difficult. I did have a few tricks up my sleeve though. One such trick was a phone app that allowed me to measure teh time between cigs. Every time I had one, I'd press a button and it would reset the counter. It became a game to beat my 'top score'. Another trick (from here) was to up my nicotine. Even if you don't up it all the time, during tricky moments like first thing on a morning I would use a higher nic to see me through. I'd like to add that that didn't last very long, maybe a couple of weeks, because I couldn't face the higher nicotine one morning with a raging hangover!

If it takes weeks or months, or even years, it's cool. Don't measure yourself by everyone around you. Quitting analogues by whatever means is an individual experience.x

 

[bluesman821]

I "quit" so many times I can"t remember. Tried the cheap ecigs and juice and then moved up to a name brand after watching some reviews on YouTube. I have been 5 months now, but I might start back tomorrow who knows. Like the others have said, don't beat yourself up about it.

 

[OlDogNewTricks]

For me, I never picked up vaping to quit smoking. I had to stop smoking my pipe as it was literally killing me (COPD). I never want to stop 'smoking'. Vaping is a way for me to keep doing it, with less negative health effects. The hardest part of not smoking is the mental addiction. When you hear people talking about the issues they have quitting, notice when they say they want one the most... drinking, after eating, relaxing, first thing in the morning, etc. Vaping becomes the habit when you find the 'setup' that satisfies the mental as well as the physical addiction. I am finding the nicotine is the easiest part to give up, down to 1.2% in just a month. A 50/50 blend gives me the 'feel' that my pipe did at 8 watts. When you find what works for you, it will become your new habit. JMHO.

 

[AngiBe]

Ditto all of the above! ^^^^^^

Analogs are so damn addictive, messes with our brains, forms habits and is a little more socially accepted than vaping..right now
Quitting is tough, we all know it. My longest was 3 months cold turkey. But like you mentioned, I was crazy, angry, "dying" for one but eventually it went away. One night out drinking w/friends WHAM..started smoking again.

With vaping, I have NONE of that. Now I feel addicted to vaping! LOLOL. But my nic level is higher so maybe up the nic or try new, fun flavors. Either way, you have decreased your analog count which is HUGE! Don't sell yourself short on that accomplishment. And just take it one day at a time....

 

[Superchunk]

I'm in the same situation - love vaping, don't need smokes anymore, still having about 5-8 a day. It's a huge drop from my 30 or so previously, but I'm anxious to be completely off. My issue is the morning - I chain smoke 4 first thing in the morning. Always have (used to be 6+).

I'm waiting for a juice order from HHV of mostly tobacco flavour and hoping that makes a difference. I got 15ml of a tobacco I really liked and went through it fast, and then couldn't get my hands on more for weeks (I had bought 555 from MBV and bought 80ml of 555 from other vendors only to find it's completely different, and I can't even smell the 555 I bought, it's gross).

Once my new juice comes in I'm going to test the waters of going fully smoke free. If I fail, I fail, at least I know now it's just a matter of time before I'm analog free and I'm not scared of it any more.