help!

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giselle

Full Member
Sep 18, 2010
5
0
philadelphia
About me... been smoking for 45 years, Benson & Hedges full flavor for the past 20, a pack and 1/2 per day on average. Got an pv on 9/2/10 and smoked 1 pack on analogues on side till 9/12 - then became analog free. I've used perhaps a total of 5mls of 18mg e-juice. Just relapsed - was doing great till this evening, then the urge became overwhelming. Any advice? Don't want to go back, and feeling really down that I gave in
 

Automaton

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Jun 23, 2010
2,997
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My advice?

It's ok.

You know what the great thing about vaping is? And I'm sure you've noticed this already...

It's better than cigarettes. It tastes better, the throat hit is better, you feel better... everything about it is better.

And as long as you decide you want to go with what's better, you can go back to vaping.

Not all of us quit completely overnight. A lot of people take a long time to really get cigarettes out of their lives.

Don't guilt yourself. Just make up your mind that when you have a craving, you will pick up your PV before you pick up a cigarette.

If it's just not working... that's ok. Have a cig. Forgive yourself for it. Then go back to your PV.

If it's happening often, you may want to try upping the nicotine level a bit, or vaping more. I don't know what kind of device you're using - knowing what the power is on it would help. What e-cig do you have?

The other nice thing about vaping is that there are ENDLESS possibilities. You can tailor it to you, and your needs. You will find what you need eventually.

So, it's ok. Just keep working at it.
 

Rosa

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Mar 18, 2010
4,947
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Beaverton, Oregon!
Oh yeah, MistressNomad brings up a good point there.... you can't vape like you smoked (ie: for 7 minutes every hour and a half) Just vape away hour after hour with abandon! If you feel like you're o.d.-ing on nic you can stop, but don't ever stop because you are worried that you're over doing it.

My motto is: vape early (BEFORE you have a nic fit) and vape often! Trust me, you'll know when you've had enough. Wield your pv as if it's the weapon that's keeping death off your doorstep ('cause it is)! Eventually, you'll relax and slow down.
 

doots

Vaping Master
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Aug 22, 2009
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Hi Giselle,
I can sympathize with your plight.

I smoked as long as you and when I started it was with 36mg. I didn't know any better at that time. lol
Didn't know a forum existed and didn't know another vaper... In the dark completely.
When my first 510 came I never touched another cig to this day.. No desire whatsoever.

What worked for me was pretty simple. I had the urges as you have but every time I had the urge I would vape like crazy(which was usually a few minutes) each time till the urge left. It does leave..
I had to do this for a week or so before I had success.
You have to hit the vape hard and the urge will leave.

I would suggest maybe for you to get some 24mg. Your 18mg maybe isn't enough to get rid of the urge enough.

Try your 18mg again. You will win against this. Just vape each time until the urge goes away. The urges will be less and less as the days go by..

Good luck!
 

giselle

Full Member
Sep 18, 2010
5
0
philadelphia
I have the 510. When I got in, I was advised to get 36mg, but I was coughing when I used it and thought it was too strong so I ordered 18mg. I don't know what normal vapping is - I take 1 or 2 drags and then stop - I have yet to wear out a battery. Do you think I am just going through withdrawal? Smoked an analog felt better and then went back to vapping.
 

markfm

Aussie Pup Wrangler
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Jul 9, 2010
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PAD and a half of full flavor B&H -- I'd definitely consider the 24 mg.

Also, like Rosa said, I tend to vape more often than I smoked, though for shorter durations each time. From what I've heard, cigs contain something called MAOIs, which stretch out the effect of nicotine on the brain (dopamine), so you need more frequent vaping than smoking for the "feel good" effect. People often then taper down, cut their nic level or vaping frequency, over time, but it's not something to be in a big rush to do.

I couldn't fully stop on the 16 - 18 range liquid. For general use, I have my 24 mg for wake-up and when I really want a "smoke", then use lower strength (12 - 18 mg) at other times, like sitting at a computer.

(I was full PAD for 35 years, the first 25 of them Camel straights)
 
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Rosa

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Mar 18, 2010
4,947
210
Beaverton, Oregon!
I would probably mix the 36 with the 18 to make some 27mg juice (if you have an empty container it would be pretty easy to do, it's just a 50/50 mix) and then instead of just having a puff or two I'd be vaping that sucker till I forgot I even thought about cigarettes before - however long it takes.

The nicotine will warn you if you are pushing it to the limit, it won't really sneak up on you. When I started last March, I started to think my PV was actually growing out of my palm at times because I never sat it down. All I did for weeks was read the ECF and vape, vape vape.

Think of it this way: you aren't trying to trick yourself into thinking you're smoking, you're really just switching to a brand that's less harmful (or, maybe even not harmful at all). If I thought cigarettes wouldn't hurt me I'd have a lit one between my lips all day long - with my PV I can actually do that if I want. Cool!
 

giselle

Full Member
Sep 18, 2010
5
0
philadelphia
Thanks everyone! I realized that I'm going through nicotine withdrawal, I need more than a couple of hits an hour to get over this. The thing is, it was soooo easy till today, then it was like a ton if bricks! Need to look at my relapse as a loading period, no guilt, and return to vapping. 5 days free after 45 years is nothing to sneeze about!!
 

CB-in-Tokyo

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Sep 2, 2010
139
0
Tokyo
I vaped ultra lights just before I quit. I was one those people who picked up an eCig, never intended to quit and just never looked back. However for my first couple of weeks I just vaped continually and still occasionally had the urge for a smoke (actually tried one but it tasted terrible). When I got my eGo i was vaping the same as my 901 and ended up overdoing it on the nic. I was initially on a DSE 901 with 18mg, now I generally just use the eGo, but with the 18mg I need to cut back my frequency until some lower strength juice gets here. I find I actually want to vape even when there is no nicotine urge, but I definitely no longer want to smoke.

good luck, and remember, if you have just one cig, it doesn't mean that you have gone back to smoking. Vaping actually gives you the freedom to smoke once in a while if you want.
 

Bacawind

Full Member
Jan 22, 2010
22
3
Hey Giselle! I was a PAD, then started vaping in January. I still smoke analogs, but I average 2 to 3 packs a week now. I started with a 510 set up but it just wasn't right, or enough, or something. Now I vape DIY juice around 24 to 36mg/ml, on a 5v mod with a 2.+ something atty or carto. Finally(!!!) I'm finding I can take-it-or-leave-it with analogs most of the time. I've found I have times that I want/need an analog, like when I wake up, when I'm going in to work and when I leave work. I wonder how much of that is just habit, but I'm not stressing it. Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it a million times! The way I see it, every analog I don't smoke is a great thing. My smoking habit didn't start right away, I figure leaving the analogs won't happen over night either. Keep reading all you can, I always find something new and interesting on ECF. Pat yourself on the back for me! You're doing great!
 

Pheisty

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Sep 23, 2009
742
324
Wisconsin
My advice?

It's ok.

You know what the great thing about vaping is? And I'm sure you've noticed this already...

It's better than cigarettes. It tastes better, the throat hit is better, you feel better... everything about it is better.

And as long as you decide you want to go with what's better, you can go back to vaping.

Not all of us quit completely overnight. A lot of people take a long time to really get cigarettes out of their lives.

Don't guilt yourself. Just make up your mind that when you have a craving, you will pick up your PV before you pick up a cigarette.

If it's just not working... that's ok. Have a cig. Forgive yourself for it. Then go back to your PV.

If it's happening often, you may want to try upping the nicotine level a bit, or vaping more. I don't know what kind of device you're using - knowing what the power is on it would help. What e-cig do you have?

The other nice thing about vaping is that there are ENDLESS possibilities. You can tailor it to you, and your needs. You will find what you need eventually.

So, it's ok. Just keep working at it.

Awesome advice. All of it. What she said.
 
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