Heavy smoker looking for advices

[kodeina]

Hello to everyone,

Today is my first day on this forum and I thought maybe there's someone who can give me some advises.

I have been smoking since I was 14 (now im 32) every day of my life. No matter what the condition was, I have been smoking each day since I turn 14. To have an idea how badly I am, when I was running out of money for cigarettes, I was going outside and search for smoked little cigs throwed on the street. I had times when I used to smoke 200 cigs over 3-4 days, but now im on around 30-35 a day.

2 weeks ago I bought a £6 ecig which wasn't such a big thing, but I was expecting to be like that for such a price. That was my first ecig I ever tried. However, I was quite impressed of the throat hit compared to ones you get from the pharmacy (those pipes with nicotine, without any vapes). Now I have decided to go for a Vgo2 VV.

I was interested if someone can tell me if the need of a regular cig dissapear using ecig. After I read some posts on this forum, I know it takes some times to get the proper juice and tanks/batteries for your needs. But I am really interested if a heavy smoker managed to totally switch to ecig.

I need to mention that I dont think im addicted to nicotine, but the throat hit. Does anyone knows if a proper mix of tanks/juices/etc will ever totally replace the throat hit you get from regular cigs?

The main reason I want to switch to ecigs (cause I damn love smoking regular cigs) is the lack of smokings inside buildings, bars, pubs and especially inside the house with my wife The second main reason is that I suffer of hypertension and it doesnt seem to work with medicine, so I want to try and see if I quit on tar and other chemicals from regular cigs will help with my disease.

Thanks a lot!

 

[BlueMoods]

You made a good choice for a starter e-cig. You will want to try different nicotine levels until it makes not smoking easier but, I think 36mg or 3 to 4% would be good for you. Most of the cheap ones (like your first one) are 18 mg or lower.

You will also want to try different flavors and, don't expect a tobacco flavor to taste like a real cigarette, it won't - it will taste much like a freshly opened pack smells, clean, fresh tobacco with no burnt taste, no paper, no glue, none of the other chemicals in real cigarettes that give them anything but a pure tobacco taste.

Will you simply not want a real cigarette? Not for a while, you will still want them but, you won't need them and, in a few months you won't want them - they will end up smelling and tasting horrible if you just stick to your e-cig.

 

[Robster180]

I get exactly where you're coming from. I'd been smoking since i was 16, I turn 25 next month, I was at about the pack and a half a day mark and thought i could never leave cigarettes. I strongly believe I was addicted to the throat hit more than anything. After some research I found the LR XL Cartomizers from SmokTech. They are 1.7 OHM and hold a little over 1.5mL of liquid, filled with Vermillion River Kentucky Blends the throat hit is enough to make me feel like I'm smoking not vaping, and the taste is phenomenal. I'ts been 2 weeks since I touched an analog, every now and again I still get a craving for one but a couple puffs of my kGo and I completely forget about it. I was not expecting the switch to be this easy, but if you find what you like there's no looking back. Give them a try and i think you'll be impressed with the combination.

 

[donwuan]

Yeah only 2 months in roughly and loving it (when it works correctly). Pack a day newporter here and thought like everyone else that I could never stop.

Cheap ecigs are ok for testing but eventually youbwant to get into the real equipment. At first I was smoking 1/2 pack a day and eventually 1-3 a day.

Justs had my firsts real cig in over a month and literally tasted like an ash tray. .... was disgusting.

Grab a ego type battery ($10 or less) some delivery devices (atomizer/cartomizer $5-10) and some sample juice which prices $3 and up.

You will never find that analog taste with ecig. And thats not a bad thing.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

 

[philsrt]

Get a vv or mechanical mod. Dont do passthroughs and you wont be dissapointed. Originally was a chain smoker and I know how it is. A mod with a long lasting battery is what you need to kill the habit. Vape more and youll eventually hate smoking...

 

[Gaspar74]

Get an 2 Ego C twists and some Kangertech clearomizer and you good to go. Trust me I was a heavy smoker. 1.5-2 packs a day. I'm down to 1-2 now and only in the am. Try some RY4 juice it works for me.
Best of luck!

 

[mkbilbo]

Hello to everyone,

Today is my first day on this forum and I thought maybe there's someone who can give me some advises.

I have been smoking since I was 14 (now im 32) every day of my life. No matter what the condition was, I have been smoking each day since I turn 14. To have an idea how badly I am, when I was running out of money for cigarettes, I was going outside and search for smoked little cigs throwed on the street. I had times when I used to smoke 200 cigs over 3-4 days, but now im on around 30-35 a day.

2 weeks ago I bought a £6 ecig which wasn't such a big thing, but I was expecting to be like that for such a price. That was my first ecig I ever tried. However, I was quite impressed of the throat hit compared to ones you get from the pharmacy (those pipes with nicotine, without any vapes). Now I have decided to go for a Vgo2 VV.

I was interested if someone can tell me if the need of a regular cig dissapear using ecig. After I read some posts on this forum, I know it takes some times to get the proper juice and tanks/batteries for your needs. But I am really interested if a heavy smoker managed to totally switch to ecig.

I need to mention that I dont think im addicted to nicotine, but the throat hit. Does anyone knows if a proper mix of tanks/juices/etc will ever totally replace the throat hit you get from regular cigs?

The main reason I want to switch to ecigs (cause I damn love smoking regular cigs) is the lack of smokings inside buildings, bars, pubs and especially inside the house with my wife The second main reason is that I suffer of hypertension and it doesnt seem to work with medicine, so I want to try and see if I quit on tar and other chemicals from regular cigs will help with my disease.

Thanks a lot!

I can tell you that I was a heavy smoker for some 30 years (40+ cigs per day, every day, even when money was tight and I cut into the grocery money) and nobody--especially not me--believed I would quit.

And, weirder still, I was not trying to quit. I was buying my regular carton of cigs and saw a Blu disposable and had heard a little about this "e-cig" thing so I got one just to try it out. It was just a... lark? A new toy to fiddle with.

I forgot to smoke the rest of the day. Until sometime that evening. Which shocked the daylights out of me. I mean, I forgot to light up? FORGOT?

...I damn love smoking regular cigs...

Me too. All the way to the bitter end (and, at the end, they tasted pretty bitter). I didn't quit smoking right off. I cut back by a huge amount the first week then just kept slowing down until about six weeks in, I got this order of new e-liquids in and needed room in the cabinet and started throwing things out. Like ashtrays and all. They were just in the way. And I hardly used them anymore. If ever. And I just... didn't care. They were just in my way.

Still sometimes get mild feelings of "missing" smoking. Like a kind of, "Gosh, wasn't that great? Smoking a cig?" To which I catch myself responding, "You mean the wheezing taking out the trash and the coughing and the weird sounds your lungs started to make and coughing up dark, scary looking stuff? That's what you mean?"



I still like the idea of smoking. I just don't have any "urge" left. I can't even say I'll never, ever touch one again. But I don't "crave" them. Just get a wistful kind of... missing them feeling. Like a friend moved away to another state or something.

At no point, at all, not once, did I treat it like, "I'm quitting smoking!" I just played with this new "vaping" thing and found I less and less interested in smoking. Then cigarettes started to taste really awful and harsh. And then started giving me headaches. Got to be when I would get the urge to have one, I kind of dreaded it. Eventually, the distaste for them became more powerful than the urge to have one. For a while, after I stopped completely, writing about it online here, I'd get the urge to go have one. Now, the idea sounds kind of disgusting and... bleah.

And I tried everything else. Except Chantix (I think they market it as "Champix" over on your side the pond?). Wouldn't go near that stuff. The suicides we know about are around 2,700. I guess suicide is a way to quit smoking. You certainly won't start smoking again. But I'll pass.

But all the other things they shove at us? Did them all. Patches, gum, you name it. The gum worked better than just about any but didn't last but a few months before I went back. Soon as I did the "wean yourself off" phase, I had severe cravings and went right back to smoking. Oh and Zyban (Wellbutrin... not sure if they sell that over there or what they call it)? That was... interesting. Started having near hallucinations. Had part of my brain screaming invisible people were breaking into the house. I couldn't see or hear anything but half my head was in a panic because THEY'RE COMING IN THE ROOM NOW!!!!

Weird.

Nothing has worked like vaping has. I sort of "stumbled in" by accident. And quit smoking with no real effort. Had a few oddball side effects here and there (cigs have a good 4,000 other chemicals and stopping them can startle your body and it can sometimes be an adjustment) but nothing like a "quit" attempt. None of those white knuckle, horrible cravings that I remember (with a shudder) from all my other "quit" attempts.

And I'm not unique. When I first came here to ECF and told my story, folks said, "Oh yeah, quitting by accident. We hear that a lot."

Uh... REALLY?

Well, I been here a while. Yeah, we do hear that a lot. It's freaking amazing. You'd think the health authorities would be crowing about this stuff and pushing it like crazy. Not making up scary stories. Hm... wonder where they're funding is coming from for their scary story studies?

To have an idea how badly I am, when I was running out of money for cigarettes, I was going outside and search for smoked little cigs throwed on the street.

Yeah. I never resorted to that but you ever go picking through the ashtray and finding the cigs you put out that have a little left and start smoking them down to the filter? Then checking the trash just in case?

(My nicotine addiction is so strong, times money has been short, I've had the impulse to steal. And I generally pride myself on being an ethical person. But don't get in the way of me and my nicotine. It's got quite a hold on me I'm afraid.)

 

[wv2win]

For better throat hit, I also recommend starting out in the 24mg nicotine strength range in your eliquid.

Cartomizers provide warmer vapor and more consistency than clearomizers IMO. If you don't use the carto's in a tank, it's important to keep them moist with eliquid. Using a carto-tank set-up is the easiest way to vape from my experience.

Good luck

 

[Juicemoose]

Switching is still a state of mind, after all you just want to quit the bad stuff and not the habbit. I got myself all excited about the prospect of switching and not quitting. This helped a lot and set my date of switching to be the day i got my stuff in the post and it all charged up. Well it worked for me and feel better for it. I also found that i cut down the nic levels also.

 

[ForeverTwoWheels]

Congratulations on making the switch!

The first month or so I'd smoke a few stinky's a week and they started tasting bad, the longer I vape the worse they taste. I don't even crave while I'm drinking now. My wife still smokes a couple in the morning.

I love the throat hit also, after 3 months of trying out all the delivery devices I could find. I've settled in with a Reo with a Reomizer and haven't had the need to buy anything else in over a month. Rebuildable dripping atomizers are the only thing I've found that give me a satisfying throat hit and vapor combination.

I've also tried lots of juices, and my taste changes the longer I don't have a cigarette. Ahlusion makes the best tobacco flavors in my opinion. MtBakerVapor is the cheapest I've found and is a good place to figure out what kind of flavors you like, their 555 is a daily staple in my juice arsenal. As for Ry4's I don't like at all, I think most do though so give it a shot.

If you like to tinker vaping also turns into a pretty fun hobby. There is a ton of options, some good and some bad. Do lots of research and ask lots of questions and it could save you a little money.

 

[ghola1was]

Pack and a half a day smoker here. Well, now a former smoker one month into vaping. Started out with an ego and an Evod and never looked back. 24 mg to start with, now down to 18. Thought I needed to get the tobac flavors, quickly went to fruit and coffee flavors.

Three days after I started vaping I tried a regular cig again. Tasted nasty and weird.

I want you to know that you can do this. Find a juice flavor you like, start at about a 24mg, and don't worry too much about all the fancy mods.

 

[RoseB]

Get your hands on some strong e liquid 24 mg at least. Second, if you can do propylene glycol based e liquid, than do it. Pg will give you a strong throat hit. When I started I still smoked for a few days. Trying to see how long I could go between smokes. First day I was looking at the clock....has it been an hour yet? Second day.....hmm it's been 3 hours guess I'll have a smoke. By day four I smoked the last one. Then never went out to get another pack. Started when I was 12 and glad to have found e cigs before hitting the 20 year mark. Hopefully all goes great for you

 

[Grimwald]

I can relate to everything that has been said. I was a 40 year 2-3 pad smoker. I ordered a cig-sized starter kit on a whim...never intended to quit...just hoped to cut down. It was truly amazing for me. I smoked 4 cigs the first day, 2 the next, 1 the next, and I am smoke free for almost a year now.

 

[kodeina]

Thank you guys for all replies. These stories are unbelievable and give me butterflies in the stomach (will that work for me as well?). Tomorrow I'm gonna order that kit I mentioned in my first post and see how it is. As you recommended, I will order a 24mg and a 18mg as well. I'm afraid to taste something other than menthol and tabbaco flavor. For the moment I will go with these too, maybe black coffee cause I really like how it sound and hope to taste the same. Can't wait to do it!

As some said, yes indeed, I don't want to stop smoking cause it became part of my life and is not something I hate to do. But what made me change my mind about them happened March, when I moved to another house. While unpacking stuff in the new house, I could feel that opening even a 3 inch square box a smoked smell was coming out of it. I couldn't believe it!! I coudn't believe that from such a small box could come such a disgusting smell. Inside the box I had stuff that I use to keep on my desk.

Then I start thinking how much time I lose by going outside when I'm in a pub, in the morning after I open my eyes and the full routine I have based on smoking: wake up, start making coffee and prepare for a delighted taste of tabbaco and coffee outside. It couldn't be just a smoke and a coffee, it was a full ritual.

Throat hit is the most important for me. If it isn't, then I will never ever be able to switch to ecig. I am so addicted of it that since around 2002 I started driking very cold sparkling liquids (coke, fanta, etc) so I can feel that pain in the throat. I've read that in fact we are addicted to the endorphins eliminated when the pain hits the throat, to calm us down. Maybe, but maybe..

You mentioned many names and brands and I thank you for that, but when I start looking into them, I get lost. So at this moment I will give it a try with the vgo2 vv and hope I will get what I'm looking for (at least 50% I am looking to feel). I was quite amazed that from that cheap ecig I bought, I could feel something in the throat, that's why I decided to search for a more professional one.

Thank you everyone once again and I hope I can be back with a feedback of what I've experienced with the vgo kit.

 

[warrenao]

Throat hit is the most important for me. If it isn't, then I will never ever be able to switch to ecig.

You'll get that, no worries there. I do on just 18mg. That's one of the things I missed most about smoking, one of the things I was still missing with the smaller e-cigs, and one of the things I was delighted to get back with a big battery and tank.

The closest thing I got to it in e-cig was with the new nJoy model that comes in a small plastic flip-top package (which, cleverly, feels and sounds a hell of a lot like a Zippo when you open it to pull out the cig). The problem there was the cost and the non-refillability.

 

[mkbilbo]

Thank you guys for all replies. These stories are unbelievable and give me butterflies in the stomach (will that work for me as well?).

Well, like a lot of things, you won't know until you try. And worst outcome is you end up right back where you are now so why not?

I was not looking to quit. Not at all. I had given up on that idea. Every quit attempt of mine was horrible. Nightmarish cravings and feeling sick and angry all the time. Worse, I like smoking. Still do. Don't smoke anymore but I can't say I "hate it". I would be lying. There's something about it just like and always have.

But I came to like vaping a lot more. I mean, the variety is unreal. First vape shop I went to had a freaking menu. Over 200 flavors. And that was a little shop run by a lady and her daughters. I have a good half dozen flavors set up and ready right now. I can change on whim. Try that with cigs.

Sometimes, I still get these feelings that I "miss" smoking. But they're never very strong anymore. It seems so... boring now. Same taste over and over and over and over and... meh. No variety, nothing new to try. Same brand every time (you know, smokers always have "their brand"). With vaping, I've just barely scratched the surface. Found a bottle of "Blue Ice" in my cabinet. Bought it a while ago, hadn't tried it. Kind of menthol blueberry thing. Can't get enough of it today.

 

[Radar2013]

I did. I was smoking 2 packs a day. I was also on 2 inhalers (one every 4-6 hrs and one twice a day). I couldn't walk from the garage to the end of the drive way and back with out huffin, puffin and gagging, and sputterin.

My smoking picked up over the last year due to some medical problems, stress of that medical problem and stress over legal things concerning that legal problem. I just knew I was gonna end up in the hospital before my first settlement was settled and done with. Notice I said first settlement. About 2 months ago I went to my fiancé and asked for her help in me quitting smoking. When she quit last year she quit cold turkey and didn't ask for another one. I tried that. 2 days later I was ready to put my fist through a wall. Then we stumbled upon this Vaping thing. I did some research on it. Found a vapor shop here in Indy where I live. Talked to the store manager there for about an hour and bout my first kit. I also bought extra clearomizers, Atomizers and juices.

The first 4 days was rough. I slowly dwindled my usage of the analogs with the Vapor. 4 Maybe 5 days after starting the Vapor I went from 2 packs a day to 0 packs a day and have been analog free since then...

You will learn that the people here on this sight are an awesome support team.

 

[Rickajho]

Can't say it any better than mkbilbo - my experience was very much the same.

There are no rules to quitting with e-cigs. When I started I had no idea how this was going to work. I just started using one. The first day - not having a clue - I dropped my 2 PAD habit down to 10 cigarettes. The next day 6. Then 6, then 4... I continued to "play" with quitting for a full three months, but most days were like that. A "bad" day might have been 6 cigarettes. Some days I wouldn't have one at all.

If you are one of the lucky many a weird thing happens too: When you start vaping everything about cigarettes becomes pretty gross, pretty quick. The non-existent rule book never said anything about that happening. As a 30 year 2 PAD smoker I sure didn't see that one coming either. Within the first week just about any cigarette was like a 30 year flash back: They tasted gross, the smell of smoke was disgusting, they made me dizzy and lightheaded - all those fun things you experienced when you started smoking. So in my first 90 days every cigarette I smoked turned into it's own worst negative reinforcement. Finally I was down to my last .... in my last pack, smoked it and didn't enjoy it at all, and it was over.

You will find out that vaping isn't smoking. That sounds so "duh" but there are differences you willl need to sort out. One of the better ones is vaping tastes better so you can find a motivation right there to stick with it. I know you mentioned that you didn't think you are addicted to nicotine, but you are addicted to something in the experience. You get a boat load of toxins and chemicals with smoking too - it's not just about the nicotine. The vapor itself is one of the things we all enjoy. But you may find yourself missing those sudden "jolts" to your system that you get from a cigarette. Vaping doesn't work that way. Any nicotine you get is absorbed more slowly - same way as with the nic-o-gum stuff. So you need to develop your own pattern of vaping consistently, rather than just picking up an e-cig when you are feeling desperate for a smoke. My point is, don't expect vaping to simply replace smoking. They are two different experiences and vpaing takes a little more understanding and figuring out. That's all.

But is it better? Oh my gosh - YES!!! Can't tell you how many times I tried to quit all the conventional ways. I literally cannot tell you - I lost count many attempts ago. I still went through quit smoking withdrawal - remember what I said about all those toxins and chemicals you get from smoking? That too is a different experience for every person. But this was by far the easiest it ever was. And more importantly - over two years now and no relapse. I actually shudder at the thought of smoking a cigarette today.

Vaping was the best thing I ever tripped over.

Best wishes

 

[kodeina]

Thanks for your replies. I can see only good news with all the stories.
@Rickajho, you said "don't expect vaping to simply replace smoking". But this is what I expect. If it has the same throat hit as cigs or at least close to them, I can totally replace them. That's my only concern I have. If there's no throat hit, even with regular cigs, I don't feel "full". I smoke Marlboro and sometimes it doesnt hit me so well, so I have to smoke around 3-4 cigs so I can say "im full now".

I have tried patches and indeed I felt like Im gonna vomit if I keep smoking that much (I was decreasing to around 15 cigs a day). But I was affraid Im gonna get too addicted to nicotine so I put all patches away.

Throat hit. That;s all I need. Hope so.

 

[Rickajho]

P.S. I know you didn't ask, but another point about "vaping isn't smoking" - there is a learning curve. With smoking your technology is limited to "match" and "burn something." Vaping is a bit more complicated. So if you find yourself staring at the board, wondering "What the heck are they talking about? VV PV atty RDA ohms cartos? PG/VG " here's a good reference guide: http://www.stevevape.com/e-cigarette-jargon-and-how-to-decipher-ecig-101/