How do you quit?

[sandybeach]

Do you wean yourself down to a lower level of nicotine, then gradually to no nicotine, and then you are a non-smoker?
Or is it just replacing one bad habit for another?

I placed my order today for a Kgo.

I really want to quit smoking, that's my reason for getting the Kgo.

I feel like such a jerk for starting to smoke again, after quitting for 10 years. I had no good reason to start, other than there were people in a class I was taking that went outside to smoke during break. I started bumming them once in awhile. As of July (4 months ago) I started smoking again. I got a cold a few weeks ago and I keep coughing and coughing. I am sure it is from smoking, the cough just won't go away.

I am so ready to stop coughing and quit cigarettes. I hope the e-cigs will work to get me off of analogs and off of everything shortly. The people over at Quitnet.com, which I used a lot last time I quit, to help me, HATE e-cigs. I am not sure why. Sorry this was kind of long-winded. Basically, what I want to know is whether people have used the e-cigs to quit smoking and not to transfer one addiction to the other.

Sandy

 

[Spazmelda]

Some people first taper down the number of cigarettes they use. Like 5 a day, then 3 a day, then 1 a day, or whatever. I pretty much stopped smoking immediately after getting my e-cig.

After you've stopped the cigarettes (either gradually or right away) then you can start start tapering down your nicotine if you want. I started at 24, then went to 18, now at ~15 mg/ml. I will probably stay here for a while then reduce again.

Some people don't really intend to taper down and are happy to continue vaping indefinitely. Surely that's better than smoking, so it's harm reduction which is good.

There are some vocal critics of e-cigs on that forum (I stalked over there to see). I do think some people don't see it as quitting, and don't feel that you've quit until you are off *nicotine* completely. For me, if it's a choice between getting clean nicotine or continuing to smoke, I'm going to pick the clean nicotine. I tried to quit so many times, and essentially quit quitting until I found e-cigs. They gave me hope that I didn't have to 'quit or die'.

 

[Liv2Ski]

Sandy welcome and most of us consider ourselves NON SMOKERS when we no longer light tobacco. Some look to reduce nicotine intake all together while others like myself find the right mg/ml and just vape away contently. Best of luck and if you need help there are many here who will jump in to assist. I have not smoked a cig in 15 months and do not even desire one. I do however vape allday and feel great. Lung capacity has increased and cough is gone. BTW 1.5 PAD for 28 years without many failures at quiting over the years. I have never gone this long without a smoke!!!!

 

[wv2win]

Do you wean yourself down to a lower level of nicotine, then gradually to no nicotine, and then you are a non-smoker? ...........

When you completely stop smoking, you are a NON-smoker. Vaping is NOT smoking. No burning of tobacco. No carcinogens in vaping.

Give it a try and good luck.

 

[Iffy]

My hopes for you is that you quit from the first vape like I did. BUT... if you don't, don't beat yourself up if it takes a lil' time.

AND, if you have any issues whatsoever, this is the 'family' to assist you!

Good luck and happy vaping!

 

[sandybeach]

Thanks, Liv, and WV! Congratulations on your successes. I can't wait until my order gets here! But I only bought 18 mg juices, I hope that will be enough.

 

[Spazmelda]

Oh, and I didn't say, but I do consider myself a non-smoker. I'm not inhaling smoke, therefore I don't smoke. Over at quit net many people would vehemently disagree, but that's okay with me.

 

[wv2win]

Thanks, Liv, and WV! Congratulations on your successes. I can't wait until my order gets here! But I only bought 18 mg juices, I hope that will be enough.

24mg is the most common level vaped but 18mg is second. If you find it's not enough, just bump it up. Many of us vaped at 36mg for a while and some still do. Vaping is not nearly as efficient in getting nicotine into your system as smoking is. That's why there is no real corrolation between what type of cigarette one smoked and what nic level one vapes.

 

[keyzygirl]

You can quit with ecigs just taper your nic down slowly to 0 as you feel comfortable.

 

[dotma]

I kind of thought the same as you before starting vaping -- like it was trading one kind of cigarette for another, but it is not. You are not getting those 4,000 toxic chemicals and carcinogens you were getting from cigarettes. I started at 18 mg of nic -- now down to about 6 mg or even 0 at times (and ive only been doing this for a couple of months). For me, when i bought my first kit (which was so crappy that i dont know how it helped me quit lol), but i would smoke a cigarette or two a day and over the first few days they just started to taste so awful (which was new to me) that I just quit because I couldnt stand the taste or smell of them anymore. Make no mistake, vaping is addictive tho! I am totally hooked on it!

 

[dormouse]

Some people have worked their way to zero nicotine and then quit. I think more have worked their way down to zero nic and keep vaping. Some like me work their way down to 4-6mg where there is still a bit of throat hit and continue to vape that level or a combination of zero and low nic. Some find their best starting level and stay there. Some escalate their nicotine level and heat to get huge TH.

I found that once I was a couple of months into vaping, well away from cigarettes, and had a good set of equipment and spares, and had found juices I liked a lot - that then it was quite easy to drop my nicotine level. And I dropped it several times and I'm now at 4mg. On the plus side, the lower I got my nicotine, the less desperate my habit became.

It's up to you and what you do with it.

 

[lunabella]

I was totally addicted to cigarettes for 21 years and loved the act of smoking but hated the stink and health issues caused by inhaling over 4,000 toxic chemicals. I quit smoking three days after I received my starter kit and now I'm totally addicted to vaping and I LOVE IT!! I'm also addicted to this forum! lol.

I consider myself a non-smoker and a proud vaper.

I don't see vaping as a 'nicotine inhalation system'. I don't feel like it's about the nicotine for me; I just enjoy the tasty flavours while still getting the hand-mouth action of smoking. I cut my nicotine level way down since I started vaping, because I'm one of those weirdos that doesn't like a really strong throat hit. I'm more of a flavour/vapour gal. I plan on going down to 0 nic gradually, but I don't have any plans on quitting vaping. I like it too much!

For me, vaping has turned into a hobby. I like reading about people's experiences and reviews, and I love trying out different juices and equipment.

Most of all, I love how great I feel after only vaping for 5 weeks.

 

[BiancaMontgomery]

I did quit smoking AND pretty much quit nicotine (I keep unflavored nic liquid to mix with my 0 nic flavors, but use it less and less) but I haven't quit vaping and I've been vaping for 2 years. I love vaping and don't really WANT to quit. I didn't want to quit smokng either and I managed to do it, so there's that. LOL I think if you're going into it knowng that you want to quit smoking and vaping completely, you'll be able to. Detoxing from the cigarettes will be the hardest of it all. When that's over, droppng the nic will seem like a breeze. Just try to do it slowly so you don't get horrible cravings. And best wishes to you! You can do it!!!

 

[la0boi4oi]

Hobby I love that that's what I think too since I like to buy car parts and always on car forum this is so similar just more better for your health. This is a way better alternative to smoking then the patch or gum.

 

[bnrkwest]

Hmmm interesting that some groups hate ecigs, do they say why? I think the ecig has helped more people stop smoking than any other things I have ever heard off. If you vape and no longer smoke cigarettes, you are a non smoker. To vape short term or long term is a choice. I like vaping, not sure how long I will do it but I want to keep off analogs so I will vape as long as I need to do that. Good luck quiting analogs and welcome! bnrk

 

[chevelle]

Do you wean yourself down to a lower level of nicotine, then gradually to no nicotine, and then you are a non-smoker?
Or is it just replacing one bad habit for another?

I placed my order today for a Kgo.

I really want to quit smoking, that's my reason for getting the Kgo.

I feel like such a jerk for starting to smoke again, after quitting for 10 years. I had no good reason to start, other than there were people in a class I was taking that went outside to smoke during break. I started bumming them once in awhile. As of July (4 months ago) I started smoking again. I got a cold a few weeks ago and I keep coughing and coughing. I am sure it is from smoking, the cough just won't go away.

I am so ready to stop coughing and quit cigarettes. I hope the e-cigs will work to get me off of analogs and off of everything shortly. The people over at Quitnet.com, which I used a lot last time I quit, to help me, HATE e-cigs. I am not sure why. Sorry this was kind of long-winded. Basically, what I want to know is whether people have used the e-cigs to quit smoking and not to transfer one addiction to the other.

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

First, don't beat yourself up over starting to smoke again. You had 10 years of no smoking and only recently started back. Thats an awesome accomplishment! You are now taking the crucial first steps toward breaking that cycle again. You are also armed with much better weapons to fight the smoking habit. As I mentioned before, the KGO is a fine system that will serve you well. Plus you have the advantage of a large support group here to help you if you stumble. We've all been there. Lean on us when you need to.

Forget the naysayers and those who talk trash about e-cigs being no good. They don't know what they're talking about and just might have some hidden agenda that makes them so bitter towards us. Maybe they feel we are a threat to them in some way? I dunno. Don't care either. Bottom line is that E-cigs work and keep working for MANY, MANY of us.

After you quit cigarettes completely with the help of your PV, you can proudly call yourself a non-smoker. Simply inhaling tiny liquid droplets of PG, VG and nicotine does not make you a smoker. It would be the same as calling someone who uses an asthma inhaler a smoker.

You can indeed wean yourself off of the nicotine in exactly the way you described. Thats pretty much what I did and I've been vaping ZERO nic for at least 4 months now. Interestingly, I haven't had the desire to quit vaping though I feel I could if I had to. The mechanical action of puffing on the PV is very soothing to me so I'm going to keep it up for the short term at least. I have never felt the need to make a huge investment in a lot of equipment plus I make all my own liquid so vaping is amazingly cheap. So, no real financial reason to quit as opposed to smoking cigarettes.

Is vaping trading one addiction for another? Possibly yes. It depends entirely on each individual. I was horribly addicted to cigarettes for 30 years. Every waking moment had at least a part of my brain thinking about when and where I was going to smoke my next cig. After over 8 months of vaping and no cigarettes at all, I have no desire to smoke anymore and I vape when I feel like it or not with no real concerns if I don't. I wouldn't want to be entirely without my PV though. I really enjoy it when I do vape. Is that an addiction? I dunno but I do know that it is far better than inhaling the 3000+ nasty chemicals that I got in every cigarette I lit up. Its a trade that I would make again and again if it meant that I would be able to quit smoking!

In short, you're doing fine Sandy! Stick with it and you'll see what we mean.

 

[coolstorybro]

Good luck with quitting!

 

[denali_41]

you may consider it trading one bad habit for another,

but the other habit has so many more things on the positive side in comparison,,


vape vape and awayyyyyyyyyyyy

 

[MikenGA]

If the folks at Quitnet.com think vaping is the same as smoking, I would expect them to be equally comfortable calling themselves 'vapers' instead of 'smokers'. Does anybody really DO that??? (I'm asking...I've never been to the site.)

As a 32+ year - 2ppd 'smoker' I never EVER considered myself to be a 'vaper'. Likewise, as a 'vaper' I do not consider myself to be a 'smoker'. I used to smoke, but I quit. Now I vape.

Good luck 2u, and enjoy your new stuff!

 

[herbsman05]

for me its more of an alternative right now rather than a way of quitting but hopefully its a way for me to stop smoking also. from time to time a light up if i cant get the satisfaction from the juice im vaping. im vaping 18mg juices right now but sometimes some flavors just dont have the same hit or satisfaction as smoking so i end up asking a friend for a stick. i havent found a flavor that would really stop me from lighting up because i easily get tired of 1 flavor around 5ml