I figured out why I got off ciggies so quick..

[prr2freya]

Too much nicotine and now I need to cut it down more but I am afraid I will go back to craving a few tobacco cigarettes a day again.

I went from 16-18mg liquid to 36mg liquid and that was when I stopped craving desperately. But sometimes i feel my heart race too much.. so I need to cut down. I am trying 50/50 cut with glycerine usp from the pharmacy (Yes, I have recently ordered Kosher Vegetable Glycerin because most people on here claim it is safer, but right now all I have is Swan's Glycerin USP so i hope it's OK). before I was only putting in a little bit of glycerine just to add a little more puff, so it was still pretty high in nicotine. Problem is, I am starting to crave real ciggies again. It's only been a week off them. I want to stay off them, but at the same time lesson the nicotine.. has anybody else quit this way? Started REALLY high then slowly worked down? Not only that, but i think I vape too much so i should figure out how much to cut it to compensate.. I am really glad I am now actually coughing up tar a bit which proves this is helping me, but I constantly feel buzzed. I smoked for 20+ years at a pack or more a day and I get more buzzed vaping than i did smoking.

I would like to hear from people who got off tobacco so quickly from 36mg per ml vaping, and how they managed to lower it and stay completely away from real cigarettes. I want to get back down to the 16mg per ml and keep it there long term. I considered myself a fairly heavy smoker, but i know I am getting way more nic than I did smoking and am wondering if i am causing damage when the idea was to reduce damage and still have nicotine (I'm not a big caffeine person. Rarely drink coffee but sometimes have a few iced-type ones once a week, rarely drink soda unless it has rum in it(which I do much less these days) So it's nicotine for me and I like it.

Hope this message isn't too garbled up, but i am a little frustrated.

edit: I will say I like half glycerin mixture as it feels more tangible in the lungs.. yeah, I see a lot more smoke which I like, but it also feels like it has more substance and so satisfies better on the physical habit end, but not the nic part enough to stop the cravings for "analogs" as most seem to call them here. OH! And I have 100ml of the 36mg and another 300ml on the way (EastMall is having a sale this month.. buy 100ml get 40ml free.. buy 200ml get 100ml free in the sampler section) so I can't go and buy lower nick anyway as This will last me a LONG time. Glad the shelf life is long enough.

First time I have ever started a thread...

 

[ccure]

Hi prr2freya,

I was 2 to 3 packs per day (so I was a heavier smoker that you for 35 years) and since my first day vaping I stop analogs totally.

For some time I wanted to try an analog so I think I was craving for one.

I started vaping with just 6mg juice and have some of 18mg juice as well. So what I did was vaping all day with the 6mg Juice and when I was craving so much I switched to the 18mg.

Now I am doing a misc of 18mg + 6mg and misc it with about 20% of glycerin so I am around 9mg. Most people in this forum agree that they use about 2ml of juice per day. In my case, I use about 5ml. I keep my M401 in my mouth all day long and the craving has stop for good.

It will require a will power for a while, but I think vaping all day long with low nic concentration will help you to stop craving. At least that was my case.

Also, some days ago, I decided to do a test with an analog. I ligth it and almost throw out and could not stand the smell.

So, hang on and keep vaping. Lower you nic concentration and vap all day long! Sooner than you think you will stop craving for an analog.

I have to tell you that I do not drink alcohol, so I can not say how will the craving for an analog in that case.

 

[Paradiso]

Good morning prr:
I think we all know that the cigarette addiction is a complex beast. There is the nicotine addiction but also the psychological addiction to the process of smoking. Holding the cig, drawing in smoke, watching it curl out of your mouth, etc.
Even though I've been a pack and a half smoker for years, I think for me the physical part has always been stronger than the nicotine. That's not to say that I'm not addicted to the nicotine.
With that said, I've been vaping a little over a week and have smoked 1 cig in the last 3 days, about 15 since I started vapin.
I started with 18 mg juice from absolutely ecig and that seemed to satisfy my craving just fine. I tried cutting it 50/50 with VG and smoked that for a day and that worked for me too (but too sweet).
The last few days I have been vapin very heavily so that I don't go back to tobacco. My hope is that after a period of allowing myself as much vape as I crave, that I'll be able to start cutting this back as well. At this point as long as I don't smoke cigarettes I don't care how much I suck on the e-cig.
Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, that's my experience after 8 or 9 days.

Hang in there and best of luck
John

 

[Majestic]

Prr2freya,

It may not be the nicotine you're craving, but rather the psychological addiction of smoking. I went through similar cravings and thought I was vaping too low of a dose of liquid. I then ordered and tried a higher dose juice. Although with the higher dose I was getting a good buzz, I still had the cravings for an analog. I finally came to the conclusion it was the psychological craving of grabbing for a analog, lighting it up, smoking it to the nub and tossing it. This was especially true during my daily activities which corresponded to lighting up such as an after dinner smoke, with a cup of coffee or when stressed. To me the nicotine addiction is minor. The psychological addiction is the toughest and I'm still working through those after a month being analog free. Hang in there.

 

[Caesarea]

Hi Prr2Freya,

Too much nicotine and now I need to cut it down more but I am afraid I will go back to craving a few tobacco cigarettes a day again. I went from 16-18mg liquid to 36mg liquid and that was when I stopped craving desperately. But sometimes i feel my heart race too much.. so I need to cut down. I am trying 50/50 cut with glycerine usp from the pharmacy (Yes, I have recently ordered Kosher Vegetable Glycerin because most people on here claim it is safer, but right now all I have is Swan's Glycerin USP so i hope it's OK). before I was only putting in a little bit of glycerine just to add a little more puff, so it was still pretty high in nicotine. Problem is, I am starting to crave real ciggies again. It's only been a week off them. I want to stay off them, but at the same time lesson the nicotine.. has anybody else quit this way? Started REALLY high then slowly worked down?

Yes, I began rather like you by using a lot of 18mg carts per day. Too many.
On the other hand I was replacing a 40 cigs a day habit. Probably only needed a total of 20 mg per day, but also a lot of puffing.

Not only that, but i think I vape too much so i should fogure out how much to cut it to compensate.. I am really glad I am now actually coughing up tar a bit which proves this is helping me, but I constantly feel buzzed. I smoked for 20+ years at a pack or more a day and I get more buzzed vaping than i did smoking.

Yes if you see what my experience was, you'll see that like you I was puffing as much as before, but too much nic. A good tip is to stop aiming for one level of nic all day. Have some low or zero nic to puff on, and then strategic spikes of nic - 18mg perhaps for times when the low nic is boring/inadequate. Constant 16mg may be too monotonous for you.
Unlike analogs, one need not be inflexible about nic levels. This is not a supply of one and only one level of nic. So try being flexible about the levels depending on the need of the moment. Quite a few people seem to like a high nic breakfast intake. I like a high nic intake briefly in my all too short 10 minute mid-morning work break. And low/zero when I work for hours at home in the evening, puffing away almost automatically.

I would like to hear from people who got off tobacco so quickly from 36mg per ml vaping, and how they managed to lower it and stay completely away from real cigarettes. I want to get back down to the 16mg per ml and keep it there long term. I considered myself a fairly heavy smoker, but i know I am getting way more nic than I did smoking and am wondering if i am causing damage when the idea was to reduce damage and still have nicotine (I'm not a big caffeine person. Rarely drink coffee but sometimes have a few iced-type ones once a week, rarely drink soda unless it has rum in it(which I do much less these days) So it's nicotine for me and I like it.

Cut your nic to high and low and have some zero about too. Mix and match to the rhythm of your nic needs. Anyway, analogs prolly taste like sh.. you know what by now.

Hope this message isn't too garbled up, but i am a little frustrated.

edit: I will say I like half glycerin mixture as it feels more tangible in the lungs.. yeah, I see a lot more smoke which I like, but it also feels like it has more substance and so satisfies better on the physical habit end, but not the nic part enough to stop the cravings for "analogs" as most seem to call them here. OH! And I have 100ml of the 36mg and another 300ml on the way (EastMall is having a sale this month.. buy 100ml get 40ml free.. buy 200ml get 100ml free in the sampler section) so I can't go and buy lower nick anyway as This will last me a LONG time. Glad the shelf life is long enough.

First time I have ever started a thread.

Hey great, and it won't be the last time!

 

[prr2freya]

Hi prr2freya,
So, hang on and keep vaping. Lower you nic concentration and vap all day long! Sooner than you think you will stop craving for an analog.

Good advice.. I am vaping a LOT. I'll keep trying the 50/50 cut of the tons of 36mg I have already and when it gets bad... I can just dip a bit of higher with a drop of glycerin added. I ordered some flavoring so when that gets here maybe I can try even lower for the main vaping sessions and boost the flavor a little. I think if I cut it 75/25(glycerin/36mg pv) I won't taste anything But when it gets here, I'll give it a shot! I have no problem using this thing like a binky if it keeps me off analogs.. and using higher concentration when the craving gets bad. Well.. if it works... heh.. I will certainly have enough juice to last a long long time

 

[jim420]

Hi. I went from 2 packs of analogs a day for darn near 40 years to NONE, the day I started vaping. I have not touched an analog since, and that, even going to my local watering hole where I was surrounded by friends smoking and I was weaker-willed by embibing in a few. Haven't even asked to bum a smoke. On a couple of occasions, I have had the fleeting desire to have a cig, but my thoughts on the matter are, when temptation strikes me, is: "My first puff would not be my last puff", so I don't do it.
To step down the nic, I trick myself. I get the same flavor, flavor it up a bit more than stock (read posts on DIY) in a med, low and no nic then mix them up in refilled carts (or new, filled carts). Make sure that you do not know which you are grabbing...make it truly random. As you mix more, use more and more no nic juice. You really can trick yourself.
The added advantage of stepping down is: If the FDA cuts us off, you can DIY a no-nic juice yourself and keep on puffin, if you like.
Sorry to ramble on so, but just wanted to let you know what worked for me.

Jim

 

[prr2freya]

" At this point as long as I don't smoke cigarettes I don't care how much I suck on the e-cig."

I feel the same way.. and it's the high nic that is worrying me. I went overboard. I didn't even think when i ordered the 36mg... seemed like a better deal even if the same price for lower. My eyes got big.. But it did get me off cigs the same day I got it. And when I lowered it today, I want to vape even more. I like my binky thank you Glad I am not the only one so I won't feel silly constantly sucking on this thing when i cut the juice in half!

Good morning prr:
I think we all know that the cigarette addiction is a complex beast. There is the nicotine addiction but also the psychological addiction to the process of smoking. Holding the cig, drawing in smoke, watching it curl out of your mouth, etc.
Even though I've been a pack and a half smoker for years, I think for me the physical part has always been stronger than the nicotine. That's not to say that I'm not addicted to the nicotine.
With that said, I've been vaping a little over a week and have smoked 1 cig in the last 3 days, about 15 since I started vapin.
I started with 18 mg juice from absolutely ecig and that seemed to satisfy my craving just fine. I tried cutting it 50/50 with VG and smoked that for a day and that worked for me too (but too sweet).
The last few days I have been vapin very heavily so that I don't go back to tobacco. My hope is that after a period of allowing myself as much vape as I crave, that I'll be able to start cutting this back as well. At this point as long as I don't smoke cigarettes I don't care how much I suck on the e-cig.
Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, that's my experience after 8 or 9 days.

Hang in there and best of luck
John

 

[cyberwolf]

I agre with Paradiso with regards to the physical craving. For me I think it was an even combination of physical an psychological addiction, so the nicotine was not that important. I started off with 16-18mg juice and then got some 24mg. The 24mg seemed to really satisfy the cravings, but I ended up with a headache after a couple of hours. So I backed down to 18mg or less and seem to be fine since. I haven't had even the urge to smoke a cigarette. But I do think I am vaing more often than I would have smoked, primarily because I try to satisfy a craving before it becomes really desperate.

I think you should do fine on 16mg juice and I am hopeful on cutting it even further.

 

[Vapinginjapan]

I had to setp off the 36MG juice because it would send me into awful coughing fits.

That being said, I think my ideal is eventually, once I get my flavorings, using 0 nic all day until a nicotine craving hits, then switching out for an 18mg cart and puffing until it passes.

Eventually, I believe using that method, I can gradually wean myself off by just plowing through more and more of the nic cravings, until I reach 0.

There are two tricks that you can use that might help.

When you get a nic craving, and you're not at work or anything, do some excercise. Helps keep you distracted, and keeps the blood flowing.

Second, i've heard in some places on the forum, that passion flower tea has some natural MAOI's that are present in analogs that keep your body from breaking down the nicotine so quickly. This might help with cravings somewhat.

 

[prr2freya]

"Anyway, analogs prolly taste like sh.. you know what by now."

Yes.. yes they do. This is a great forum and so helpful! You guys rock!

Hi Prr2Freya,
Yes if you see what my experience was, you'll see that like you I was puffing as much as before, but too much nic. A good tip is to stop aiming for one level of nic all day. Have some low or zero nic to puff on, and then strategic spikes of nic - 18mg perhaps for times when the low nic is boring/inadequate. Constant 16mg may be too monotonous for you.
Unlike analogs, one need not be inflexible about nic levels. This is not a supply of one and only one level of nic. So try being flexible about the levels depending on the need of the moment. Quite a few people seem to like a high nic breakfast intake. I like a high nic intake briefly in my all too short 10 minute mid-morning work break. And low/zero when I work for hours at home in the evening, puffing away almost automatically.



Hey great, and it won't be the last time!

 

[Denni]

If you have more than one e-cig on the go, you could load one with low nic and the other with stronger juice to puff on occasionally. It would also allow you to experiment with flavours while still having access to the juice you're 'used' to. Saying all that, I think it's too early to aim at zero nic in the spare as the cravings could strike you with a vengeance.

I typically crave analogs if I 'forget' to vape while doing stuff (in my smoking past I used to binge-smoke in the evenings but not at all while at work, since smoking breaks were often impractical). I also light up after discreetly vaping on my mini in restaurants/pubs because the thing is too weak and it helps to actually see the vapour. Nicotine minitabs/gum just increase the craving, lol.

The thing is that, after the first buzz, the analogue just seems wrong. If I give in and have a puff on my husband's rollies my reaction is usually "ugh, disgusting!".

So it may not be wrong to allow yourself the odd drag. You may find that you condition yourself off the ciggies rather than keeping up the constant temptation to light up. As many here have pointed out, they can't even stand the smell anymore!

 

[prr2freya]

"Hi. I went from 2 packs of analogs a day for darn near 40 years to NONE, the day I started vaping."

It's also things like this I read in this forum that have helped me so much.. So many of you have done this The sneaky cart idea is a good one.. But I don't use carts as I find dipping a 401 atomizer (since the wick is not recessed) to be the best way for me after a lot of experimenting.

Hi. I went from 2 packs of analogs a day for darn near 40 years to NONE, the day I started vaping. I have not touched an analog since, and that, even going to my local watering hole where I was surrounded by friends smoking and I was weaker-willed by embibing in a few. Haven't even asked to bum a smoke. On a couple of occasions, I have had the fleeting desire to have a cig, but my thoughts on the matter are, when temptation strikes me, is: "My first puff would not be my last puff", so I don't do it.
To step down the nic, I trick myself. I get the same flavor, flavor it up a bit more than stock (read posts on DIY) in a med, low and no nic then mix them up in refilled carts (or new, filled carts). Make sure that you do not know which you are grabbing...make it truly random. As you mix more, use more and more no nic juice. You really can trick yourself.
The added advantage of stepping down is: If the FDA cuts us off, you can DIY a no-nic juice yourself and keep on puffin, if you like.
Sorry to ramble on so, but just wanted to let you know what worked for me.

Jim

 

[prr2freya]

This new way has sure kept my hands busy! Which is a good thing. I have found a few times I have gone to light up my e-cig with a lighter. Very weird...

 

[Flowerpeddle]

I did something silly to cut my Nic.

I have 2 801's that I kept loaded. The Black one had a stronger nic and the white one, had No nic. I would vape on the No Nic and when I needed the Nic boost I would pick up the Black one. If you have 2 you could have 2 different levels of Nic at all time. I am now just vaping No Nic

Just a suggestion... Keep up the Good Work

 

[Caesarea]

This new way has sure kept my hands busy! Which is a good thing. I have found a few times I have gone to light up my e-cig with a lighter. Very weird...

Not so weird...people ash their E-Cigs too, by reflex...

 

[prr2freya]

I did something silly to cut my Nic.

I have 2 801's that I kept loaded. The Black one had a stronger nic and the white one, had No nic. I would vape on the No Nic and when I needed the Nic boost I would pick up the Black one. If you have 2 you could have 2 different levels of Nic at all time. I am now just vaping No Nic

Just a suggestion... Keep up the Good Work

I have only two batteries for my 401 at the moment, but more batteries on the way! I have 5 atomizers total and currently switch between the two and keep the others stored till needed. I could do this. Mine are all black but the new batteries will have blue LED instead of orange. Once I have the extra batteries I will make the orange ones the diluted and the blue ones I'll dip higher when needed(might as well run my original batteries to the ground so put the most strain on them). Great idea. I am not ready for 0% nic juice yet, but great idea

 

[luvmyvapor]

I have had cravings for analogs on and off and all it does is make me wonder what else is in the real cigarette that I am craving. Makes me real mad at tobacco companies. Mad enough not to cave in to giving them my money. So I go online and buy some more goodies for my vaping.
I too vape alot. 25 years 2 pack a day habit to get over. And have learned to keep several mixes and levels of nicotine on hand. I also learned that if I vape too high a level in the evenings, I stay awake. I have had to kind of learn to do different kinds of inhales as well. Sometimes I like to just puff away without much inhaltion and other times a long deep drag to keep the demons away. Plus now I have three different models of e-cigs that I switch around. I started with the M40x series but the drag was too hard for me and switched to 901. I never go anywhere without one or more. It feels like a security blanket.
Smoking a real cigarette is like licking an ashtray or worse. They taste plain nasty.

 

[prr2freya]

Not so weird...people ash their E-Cigs too, by reflex...

hahah! yeah... When i dip I "ash" the wick over the contact lens cup. Nothing happens of course, but I do it every time

 

[prr2freya]

The m401 had a harder drag until I got rid of carts and started dipping and now it's perfect for me. I knew the initial costs to get going were going to be fairly high... but now I am just concentrating on the 401 parts for upkeep expenses and not going for any other model. My limited budget will be the ONLY thing keeping me from trying a lot of diff units out there. By next month i should be set on hardware for at least several months. My original atomizer is still in perfect shape I will soon have 400ml juice total at 36mg I can cut in half, so I will not need juice for a LONG time even if I share.

I will admit.. I read about all the other units and drool a bit.. but I am totally in love with the m401 so I'll behave for the sake of my bank account!

Sometimes I like to just puff away without much inhaltion and other times a long deep drag to keep the demons away. Plus now I have three different models of e-cigs that I switch around. I started with the M40x series but the drag was too hard for me and switched to 901. I never go anywhere without one or more. It feels like a security blanket.
Smoking a real cigarette is like licking an ashtray or worse. They taste plain nasty.

edit: I also started out with the SmokingEverywhere 2.0 unit... so in comparison, the m401 is a Lamborghini. And so much cheaper. So glad I found these forums and found something better and way cheaper in price.