How Long Did It Take You...

[bluebelle]

to entirely stop smoking "analogs"?

Must admit I am getting a bit discouraged with myself. Started with the Blu at the beginning of the month. It was just not cutting it for me being a heavy smoker (2 packs a day during the week, perhaps more on the weekends, and a smoking career of 30 + years). Upgraded to the 510 Ejoye and 26mg juice last week and it is a vast improvement for me.

But, I still seem to be treading water. Averaging about 5-7 analogs a day still. Promised myself I would not stress out about stopping and would try and let it come naturally, since I well know from my many, many abortive attempts at quitting how futile it can be and extremely counter productive, not to mention stressful, to force myself. I have admittedly a serious nicotine addiction.

On the plus side, I am looking forward to getting into my first e juice orders today after work. Looks like my samples from 2 different sites will be delivered today. Did order a mixture of sweet and tobacco flavors to try and help. All are high at 24-26 mg. I am hoping that I will find a flavor that might make a difference.

I have read here where many have ceased smoking immediately, or almost right after, starting to vape. Guess I hoped I would be smoke free after almost a month and am not. Maybe I am expecting too much, too soon?

Any tips or "analog" war stories (where you are on the winning side) would be helpful. I haven't given up yet.

 

[Bozzlite]

Well, just hang in there. You are still doing good if you only use 5-7 analogs a day, down from 2 packs. I was a heavy smoker too, averaged a carton every 5 days. I ordered my eGo kit because I wanted to cut down, especially on the weekends when I became an all day chain smoker, eh heh. I ended up quitting completely the first time I started using it. After 40 plus years of smoking and trying to quit.

I still have half a carton vacuum sealed and in the freezer. I guess I keep thinking this might not work out, but its been 10 weeks and I have not relapsed.
Eventually, you will find the right combination of nic strength and flavoring and you will just forget to smoke an analog. Do not despair, you are doing good.

 

[bluebelle]

I have spent many a weekend like that. Guess I just hoped to be farther along . You do give me hope though. Just want to get to the one day smoke free mark and thought I would be there by now.

Am hoping my ejuice orders will help kick it up a bit. Am looking forward to trying the different flavors I ordered.

Congratulations on 10 weeks. Amazing.

 

[Liv2Ski]

Hang in there. I am at 72 days no smokes. was 1.5 pack/day for 27 years. quit 2 days after e-cig. My bet is you have not found a juice that does it for you yet.

 

[frisco]

Well, just hang in there. You are still doing good if you only use 5-7 analogs a day, down from 2 packs. I was a heavy smoker too, averaged a carton every 5 days. I ordered my eGo kit because I wanted to cut down, especially on the weekends when I became an all day chain smoker, eh heh. I ended up quitting completely the first time I started using it. After 40 plus years of smoking and trying to quit.

I still have half a carton vacuum sealed and in the freezer. I guess I keep thinking this might not work out, but its been 10 weeks and I have not relapsed.
Eventually, you will find the right combination of nic strength and flavoring and you will just forget to smoke an analog. Do not despair, you are doing good.

This is pretty much how it worked for me except I ended up giving my last half pack away. I smoked 2 pad for 40 years. Never told myself I was quitting. It just happened.

 

[cskent]

Don't fret about it too much. Look at it this way, you're not smoking 1 1/2 to 2 packs a day. We're all different and a lot of people don't quit the day they got their first PV, or their second. My suggestion would be to try some higher nic juices. If 24-26mg isn't quite doing it for you go to 30. If it's too strong, you can always cut it with some low mg stuff to get it where you feel comfortable.

 

[FireHorse]

I understand your frustrations. I was a 1 - 1.5 PAD smoker for 21 years. I started vaping at the beginning of this month, had problems with some batteries, so I was basically down to one battery while waiting for replacements to be shipped to me so I kept up with the analogs during that time, but I had cut my usage down to about half a pack a day. After getting the replacement batteries, I did okay for awhile but still not completely off the analogs. I'm pretty sure this is due to buying a crappy model and getting juice that doesn't really have much flavor to it.

I'll be purchasing an eGo and getting some stuff to mix my own juice. I'm sure with having a much better quality PV and mixing my own juice, so I can adjust the flavor to my preference, I'll be able to put down the analogs for good.... or at least that's what I'm hoping for anyway.

I hope the new juice you order works for you! If it doesn't you might want to look into a different model of e-cig. It really is trial and error until you find what works for you. I think the people who quit the first day just happened to be those who found their right combination from the start.

 

[trouble2k]

Promised myself I would not stress out about stopping and would try and let it come naturally, since I well know from my many, many abortive attempts at quitting how futile it can be and extremely counter productive, not to mention stressful, to force myself.

Hi Bluebelle. Don't forget your own promise to yourself. Vaping is supposed to be an enjoyable and healthier alternative to smoking. Some people use it as an alternative 100 percent of the time, and others less. This a wonderful forum that is full of the help and information a person could need to enjoy vaping as much as possible. But, we also need to remember not to try and keep up with the Jones'.

I've been vaping for about 10 weeks. My only intentions when I bought my first kit was to cut back my smoking with something healthier. I never wanted to quit and I still don't. Going through the quitting process is horrible and, for me, has always ended in failure. I would end up being disappointed and angry over it and eventually I gave up on quitting completely because of the stress (smoked for 28 yrs, 1 1/2 - 2 PAD). Now that I'm vaping, I smoke 2-4 cigs a day. I could be happy with that for the rest of my life if that's what keeps me comfortable. If I try to force the quitting thing on myself, I find I don't enjoy vaping as much because it ends up feeling like my only choice.

Don't be disappointed in what you've already accomplished. It sounds like you're moving right along. Relax and enjoy the ride! Oh, and good luck.

 

[bluebelle]

I am hoping. Most samples though are at 24-26 mg. I got those to start because I did not want to invest in a flavor I didn't like. I have tried menthol from Blu and cignot and both taste like toothpaste/dental floss to me, not menthol as I know it anyway, so even though I was a menthol smoker, I will not be ordering any menthol and am glad I did not invest money in either menthol try. (Blu sent 5 menthol cartridges with my kit and I got a free menthol sample bottle with my 510 kit from cignot).

Figured I would order 30mg in a larger size if I like any flavors I get tonight.

I do like the 510 model a lot and I am hoping it will help me get the results I want. Just seems to be taking me longer than most.

 

[wv2win]

45 days. What made all the difference in being able to quit completely was upgrading to a 5 volt PV. The consistency, throat hit and long battery life made it much easier. I wish I had made the switch to a better PV sooner.

 

[bluebelle]

Hi trouble2k

Thanks for the encouragement. I know the story about quitting, what an awful feeling, before, during, and after in the past. Am hoping this time it will be different and I will succeed.

And yes this is a great place, only people I know that can understand what I am going through, because they have "been there and done that".

 

[Gizmopup7]

I too had trouble for the first six weeks or so. I found that when I was around friends that smoke the same brand that I had smoked for almost 30 years it was almost impossible to keep vaping instead of smoking. Uh, as mentioned a couple of times already, finding the right strength, flavor, throat hit, temperature, etc. DOES make a difference. I still have an analog every now & then when I'm hangin out with someone that smokes my prefered brand but I am doing much better since I started using a big battery mod. Even though it is still considered to be 3.6v it runs a little hotter than the regular e-cigs. Probably because at full charge it is actually 4.215v and as soon as flavor & vapor production begins to drop off I switch to a freshly charged battery. So I'm actually never vaping at less than 3.9v even though I'm using a "3.6v" battery. So I'm only using the top 40% to 50% of the charge. I could probably feed my habit for 7 or 8 hrs. on one 14500 battery but I actually use four per day. There's no downside to the partial drain with the lithium ion batteries either. Actually it's less abusive and the batteries will last longer. I charge my batteries with my Cellpro Multi4 charger so I know the exact voltage and amperage.

 

[librarising]

I smoked 3 PAD for 40+ years. The 510 helped me quit analogs in 3 days BUT I was teetering. I switched to a Riva and not tempted at all. I originally selected the Riva for battery life. As a former heavy smoker, changing out batteries every 1 1/2 hours was a pain, but the Riva packs more of a punch than the 510. It also gives me about 5 1/2 hours of battery life.

I still have programs for smoking...ie after a meal, then I remember to pick up my Riva and I'm perfectly fine. I use juices with approximately 24mg and like an 80pg/20pg juice for the throat hit.

Yesterday I received my first low resistance atomizer and that satisfaction from it is close to heavenly.

I started this journey without expectations and allowed myself the ability to have an analog if I need one, but so far, unbelievably good!

 

[bekindtoyurbuds]

I smoked 1 1/2- 2 packs a day for 10+ years (sometimes 3 packs when I would go out with friends)

Got my joye 510 with some 26mg liquid and it took me about a week to quit smoking real cigarettes. When I first got my e cig, I would still go out and buy a pack a cigarettes and smoke my e cig.

What did it for me was to totally commit to just smoking the e cig. I did what I call the drinking test, (thats when I would smoke the most cigarettes, when I was out with friends drinking)

One night I set out to not buy a pack (or two or 3) while I was out at the bar drinking, (I could have easily bought a pack at the gas station next door, but I made a point not to)
After getting through the whole night without smoking a real cigarettes it helped me convince myself that I could just use my e cig without needing a real cigarette.

Without setting a day,that I would only smoke my e cig. I think I would have still been smoking real cigarettes. I probably would have never stopped.
I had to use that one day as a test to prove weather these e cigs would work or not for me, which they did.

I haven't bought a pack of cigarettes in about 3 weeks, and only two packs in the last 4 weeks.

Even though sometimes I may bum a smoke from one of my friends, just to see what I am missing, I quickly realize that I am not missing anything and hardly even smoke the cigarette.

The key is that you don't have to totally quit smoking all cigarettes, as long as you smoke less, you will eventually start to taste how crappy cigarettes really taste, and not want them all together.

I've tried to quit many times, and I could only go for about 3 days without breaking down and buying a pack, this has been the best way for me to quit.

Keep at it, and you will slowly win your battle over cigarettes. (it doesn't have to happen all at once)

 

[hiram13pm]

Keep at it, you're doing fine. Just let it happen on its own. If you happen to hit a "wall", there are a few tweaks that can help... but don't think of them as *negatives*... like having to struggle and climb over it. They're *positives* that make vaping "more gooder"...

5v: You'll hear a lot about this, and yes, it rocks. A low resistance atomizer or cartomizer is a pretty good simulation of 5v vaping, it gets pretty close & you can try a LR atty on your 510 for 8-9 dollars, without having to invest in a 5v mod or anything...

Flavors: Good for you on the samples! Try lots of 'em, from different sources. You'll hit some that you just LOVE, and you'll start craving those instead of your cigs.

MG: Maybe a higher nic would do it. I've settled at 25mg for now; some ppl have kicked theirs up as high as 36 for periods of time.

Battery: Some atomizers work better on a higher maH battery, like the ego (510 compatible). Since I already had everything else & didn't need a whole starter kit, I just ordered 2 ego batteries and a charger "ala carte" from heavengifts... and I love it!

Dripping: Look up the technique here... you can get a special 'drip tip', but you don't have to have one. It gives you that first *WHAM* of flavor and nicotine (like from a fresh cart) every time.

Don't stress about 'quitting'... you're doing fine where you're at, compared to where you were. Now that you've started, just try some new things to make your vaping "mo bettah", and there'll come a morning when you wake up and realize you haven't had an analog in 2 days.

 

[Nightseer]

eh, I still smoke 1-2 a day, but all things considering, not going to complain about it

 

[Xanax]

It took me one month and a week or so of weening off of cigs. I found that when I picked up 36mg I was able to quit completely. Now I'm down to 12mg from 36. Those that say they quit the second their PV arrived seem kind of farfetched and exaggerated to me...

PS: you said that your "first" juice orders are coming in. Can I assume that you were using pre-filled carts up until now? No wonder!! I think the new juice will help you out. Pre-filled carts are just plain awful.

 

[cliff5550]

Sorry xanax, it does happen, we were among the lucky ones who quit analogs completely the first day our e-cig arrived. I'd smoked for more than 40 years and was at 2-3 packs a day.
We started with the SmokeStik (RN4081 style); two months later moved to the M401 style; two months later moved to the Joye 510, and about eight months ago we went to the eGo. Each one was, we felt, better than the last but the eGo has been the best, obviously, for us.
Stopping analogs with an e-cig is not a "one size fits all" and it works faster for some than others. Hang in there. You will make it ... and you won't regret it.
BTW, I use tobacco and usa/marlboro mix blend and my wife uses candy cane for a menthol taste. Both of us have always used 24mg strength.

 

[hiram13pm]

It took me one month and a week or so of weening off of cigs. I found that when I picked up 36mg I was able to quit completely. Now I'm down to 12mg from 36. Those that say they quit the second their PV arrived seem kind of farfetched and exaggerated to me...

Everyone is different... I went from 1 1/2 PAD to giving away my last analog in under 72 hours. That was with a nasty little supermini, and I swear, I almost broke down and smoked before my first Cignot order showed up... it was hard... but once I had my 510, it was a breeze.

 

[Xanax]

I stand by my view.