Sorry, pretty long post. TLDR at bottom.
I know this forum pretty well and know that the vast majority of people here wouldn't say "oh gross you went back to smoking after HOW LONG?!" buuuuttttt if you feel the urge, I'm politely requesting you refrain because I feel like poo about it. I've already been on my own month-long guilt trip.
Yeah, I started smoking again about a month ago. Not a lot, but it's more than zero, which had been my number for a long while. I'm trying hard to get back to things. I'm not having a lot of luck. There was a reason I had that first cigarette about a month ago after so long without, but to be frank it doesn't matter what it was.
This happened when I was making a conscious effort to reduce the nicotine SEVERELY. I went from 18mg to.... 1mg in a few weeks, partially because I made a switch to mostly subohming. The timing is a little off; I switched to sub-ohming back in March or so and I didn't have much of a problem for a couple of months, even when the nic level got really low. I guess I don't totally know what the trigger was a month ago beyond actually having that first one. For a while I was just vaping enough that the extra low nic wasn't really a problem. Then suddenly it was.
The obvious answer here is that I went down too far on the nicotine, but here's the rub: I CANNOT find the sweet spot between what isn't enough and what is way too much. At this point, even with the smoking, 6mg is far too much in my Subtanks. It nearly chokes me. 3mg is not enough to satisfy unless I'm using it a fairly large amount, and even then the line between satisfying and headache seems so slim. I DIY, so I can and do and have tried to find some amount in the middle that might work for now, but it's not working. I've literally basically tried every mg amount in between 3-6mg in .2 increments and nothing feels comfortable. Closer to 3mg I have the same problem, that I use too much and eventually feel unwell. Closer to 6 and it's hard to use it at all.
There are other problems: I just got back into DIYing after a long break and I lost my recipe book, so I've had to start from scratch. I know, I should have digitized but it was a couple of years ago and I just didn't. I don't have a lot of recipes I like yet and it's feeling more and more like pulling teeth, except I really can't afford to buy pre-mixed at the amount I'm vaping and with my current unknown-correct-nic-amount. That said, if anyone knows a good cheap juice place, I'm all ears. I can always get 0mg and add my own while I'm figuring out WTH to do with my DIY.
When I originally quit smoking, the biggest help was simply not having cigarettes on me. If I didn't go buy cigarettes, I didn't smoke cigarettes, and I didn't crave them much either. Out of sight, out of mind. For some reason now I can't stop myself from getting them when the previous pack runs out. I go to the store and on the way I say "no, this is stupid, stop!" and turn around. Then I start craving again and my resolve cracks in two. I can't over-stress how terrible I'm feeling about all of it and I don't understand how I can't turn those horrible feelings into motivation to just NOT GO TO THE STORE. Well, of course I can understand. It's an addiction. Doesn't make me feel any better, especially when I have the object of said addiction sitting on my shelf.
Anyway, I'm just trying to get some advice and figure out some creative solutions. Like many vapers (especially us hobbyists), I have a bunch of devices and a bunch of ways to consume juice. Maybe I can't be subohming nonstop right now. Maybe I should use 4.5-5mg of juice in the Subtanks to curb cravings, and go back to a very low nic in a lower-output device in between until I get a craving again. I'm not sure, but that's the kind of thing I'm asking about. Maybe it's something else, I have no idea. It's just that at this point, it doesn't seem like there's a simple nicotine amount solution for me, at least with regards to subohming. By that I mean that I don't think the answer is as simple as just using more nicotine. I think I need to think harder, and try harder.
Crud. Thanks for reading, if you did.
TLDR: Started smoking a bit after years not. It's only a couple a day, but I hate it. I went down far on nicotine recently and now I'm having trouble going back up without becoming uncomfortable, even in very small increments. I desperately want to stop smoking again but am having trouble figuring out the best way to stay satisfied without getting myself nic sick. I'm trying to figure out a solution beyond simply having more nicotine that may help me pull myself back together.
I know this forum pretty well and know that the vast majority of people here wouldn't say "oh gross you went back to smoking after HOW LONG?!" buuuuttttt if you feel the urge, I'm politely requesting you refrain because I feel like poo about it. I've already been on my own month-long guilt trip.
Yeah, I started smoking again about a month ago. Not a lot, but it's more than zero, which had been my number for a long while. I'm trying hard to get back to things. I'm not having a lot of luck. There was a reason I had that first cigarette about a month ago after so long without, but to be frank it doesn't matter what it was.
This happened when I was making a conscious effort to reduce the nicotine SEVERELY. I went from 18mg to.... 1mg in a few weeks, partially because I made a switch to mostly subohming. The timing is a little off; I switched to sub-ohming back in March or so and I didn't have much of a problem for a couple of months, even when the nic level got really low. I guess I don't totally know what the trigger was a month ago beyond actually having that first one. For a while I was just vaping enough that the extra low nic wasn't really a problem. Then suddenly it was.
The obvious answer here is that I went down too far on the nicotine, but here's the rub: I CANNOT find the sweet spot between what isn't enough and what is way too much. At this point, even with the smoking, 6mg is far too much in my Subtanks. It nearly chokes me. 3mg is not enough to satisfy unless I'm using it a fairly large amount, and even then the line between satisfying and headache seems so slim. I DIY, so I can and do and have tried to find some amount in the middle that might work for now, but it's not working. I've literally basically tried every mg amount in between 3-6mg in .2 increments and nothing feels comfortable. Closer to 3mg I have the same problem, that I use too much and eventually feel unwell. Closer to 6 and it's hard to use it at all.
There are other problems: I just got back into DIYing after a long break and I lost my recipe book, so I've had to start from scratch. I know, I should have digitized but it was a couple of years ago and I just didn't. I don't have a lot of recipes I like yet and it's feeling more and more like pulling teeth, except I really can't afford to buy pre-mixed at the amount I'm vaping and with my current unknown-correct-nic-amount. That said, if anyone knows a good cheap juice place, I'm all ears. I can always get 0mg and add my own while I'm figuring out WTH to do with my DIY.
When I originally quit smoking, the biggest help was simply not having cigarettes on me. If I didn't go buy cigarettes, I didn't smoke cigarettes, and I didn't crave them much either. Out of sight, out of mind. For some reason now I can't stop myself from getting them when the previous pack runs out. I go to the store and on the way I say "no, this is stupid, stop!" and turn around. Then I start craving again and my resolve cracks in two. I can't over-stress how terrible I'm feeling about all of it and I don't understand how I can't turn those horrible feelings into motivation to just NOT GO TO THE STORE. Well, of course I can understand. It's an addiction. Doesn't make me feel any better, especially when I have the object of said addiction sitting on my shelf.
Anyway, I'm just trying to get some advice and figure out some creative solutions. Like many vapers (especially us hobbyists), I have a bunch of devices and a bunch of ways to consume juice. Maybe I can't be subohming nonstop right now. Maybe I should use 4.5-5mg of juice in the Subtanks to curb cravings, and go back to a very low nic in a lower-output device in between until I get a craving again. I'm not sure, but that's the kind of thing I'm asking about. Maybe it's something else, I have no idea. It's just that at this point, it doesn't seem like there's a simple nicotine amount solution for me, at least with regards to subohming. By that I mean that I don't think the answer is as simple as just using more nicotine. I think I need to think harder, and try harder.
Crud. Thanks for reading, if you did.
TLDR: Started smoking a bit after years not. It's only a couple a day, but I hate it. I went down far on nicotine recently and now I'm having trouble going back up without becoming uncomfortable, even in very small increments. I desperately want to stop smoking again but am having trouble figuring out the best way to stay satisfied without getting myself nic sick. I'm trying to figure out a solution beyond simply having more nicotine that may help me pull myself back together.
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