I must make the choice

[AndriaD]

While I was still dual-using, the urge to smoke still dominated my thoughts, so much that it was just plain annoying. When I finally decided, no more smoking, just took that option completely off the table, that inner 2 yr old finally shut the hell up.

I could not afford to both smoke and vape for any length of time; I used dual-use as a way to gradually cut down on smoking, while increasing my vaping; by the time I got down to 5 cigs a day or less, cigarettes tasted so awful, I couldn't figure out what it was I had liked about them for so many DECADES.

Make sure you have backups for your backup's backup -- it's very easy to unconsciously sabotage yourself by not being prepared for complete disaster. Plenty of batteries, plenty of juice, plenty of working tanks, coils, cartos, whatever it is you use.

Then make the commitment. E-cigs aren't a magic wand; they make it possible, even easy to quit smoking, but they won't take the place of a firm commitment. If you don't really want it, it just won't happen.

But I understand the fear -- which is why I still have my last open pack in a ziplock in my freezer. I have no intention of smoking them, but their presence means that my choice to vape instead is of my own free will, not coerced. As long as it's my own choice, I'm fine with it -- but if you smoke every cigarette in the house before quitting, you may find the fear is overwhelming, and you may feel coerced by the simple fact of having no cigs, and that kind of pressure is not conducive to easy quitting.

You can quit with a cigalike, if that's what you really want -- I did. But you have to really want it, whatever you use.

Andria

 

[windxrunner]

Where do you live in Oregon? I have a couple eGo's I'll give you if you live in Portland.

 

[windxrunner]

I think you'll save a lot of money with vaping as long as you don't get the "OMG I gotta have that mod/atomizer fever" lol, plus I feel so much better after switching that I would love to help someone else make the switch. I might also have a 5ml bottle of honeydew 24mg nic somewhere as well.

 

[Amraann]

Whatever money you spend on cigs. Spend on another battery etc. Problem solved. Your only choice will be to vape if you have no other money to buy cigs. In the long run vaping is cheaper.

 

[wshanncap]

I was scared to not have a couple cigs around. But if I had them then I would smoke them and buy another pack...for an "emergency". I finally closed my eyes and let go. Been vaping ever since. No regrets. But I really wanted to quit the smokes. I think that was the real trick.

 

[Lilag]

Thank you for all the tools as for where I live southern oregon.

 

[The Ocelot]

Thought this deserved repeating.

I too quit smoking using only 2 650mah Ego batteries and CE4 clearomizers.

I quit with the eGo 650mAh cartridge (Fluval) set-up. I upgraded to a CE4 later.

ETA: For me the trick was to not have any cigarettes in the house. If I wanted one by the time I could get my act together to go to the store I had talked myself out of it.

 

[93gc40]

Quitting the sticks isn't easy, and MOSTLY comes down to your will to do it. I started with 3 Ego1100mah batts and CE4s, as Cig replacement in July. I was a 1-2pack a day 35 years smoker. I force myself to grab and puff on the vape anytime I want a cig. Sometimes I forget I need a smoke sometimes I don't. I also "quit" buying cigarettes, for me. Wife smokes still. Now after 5 months I smoke no more than 5 cigs in a day. I would probably not smoke those 5 if they were not there to smoke. I don't really "need" the cigs anymore, BUT I do still grab the Marlboro Box and bic, by habit, BEFORE considering the vape, and I am uncomfortable if there is NOT a pack or at least a couple sticks available. I say it because my wife still smokes and I don't want her to run out. But fact is if there is not a cigarette available to smoke I will Jones big time for a cigarette. I can go DAYs with that 1 stick sitting next to the lighter, and only use the Vape, but run out of cigs and all bets are off.

Current set-up is Ego 1100mah batts and Kanger MPT3 tanks @ 1.8-2.2 ohms. Will be upgrading to Mech mod with Kick2 or a MVP/Istick and an Orchid or Kayfun tank. Leaning to mechanical, Only cause I could go sub-ohm that way.

OH, for me, the what I call "Candy Flavors", those juices with flavors you would never find in REAL tobacco. Basically food flavors, just make me want to smoke Analog more. I have to use tobacco flavors to replace tobacco.. And since the ONLY tobacco Ejuices that taste like tobacco are the NET juices. I get mine from, www.Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com, e-liquids for electronic cigarettes.... Now they can be a bit slow on delivery. Just reorder before you are out of juice. There are other NET suppliers, But i am not familiar with them.

 

[GinnyTx]

we were like Ocelot...get them out of the house..that first three days we had three a day...the next three days..one with coffee and gave all of it away to friends the next day. Done, out of site out of mind, no turning back now.

I'd found a baggie with some of mine in the freezer two months or so in..straight to the trash and it to the curb *lol*

 

[Frenchfry1942]

Vaping definitely. The cost is up-front. For guiting the cigs, all that is needed is a way to temporarily replace the nicotine and then to slowly reduce it. The MOD, flavor, clouds, etc. are secondary to that purpose.

I would go back to my Vision Spinners, Protank 2s, juice, and charger. I would have two complete systems.

 

[pianoguy]

I had to keep cigarettes available in order to not panic about being out of them. I kept some in a drawer at work and in my glove compartment. It felt reassuring to know that I could go get one if I really had to have one - I just didn't. After a while it felt pretty amazing to just look at them and know I had won. I still have a dusty unopened pack out in my toolbox that is 5 year old.

The other day I was at the gas station, and when I was standing in line, the gal in front of me asked for 2 packs of Marlboro. My jaw dropped when I heard the total - $16.20. That is about 20 cents worth of e-liquid for me (I just use DIY unflavored, costs me about 10 cents a day).

 

[Lilag]

Thank you all so much,

 

[AndriaD]

I had to keep cigarettes available in order to not panic about being out of them. I kept some in a drawer at work and in my glove compartment. It felt reassuring to know that I could go get one if I really had to have one - I just didn't. After a while it felt pretty amazing to just look at them and know I had won. I still have a dusty unopened pack out in my toolbox that is 5 year old.

That's exactly why I keep those in my freezer -- I call it my "no need to panic" stash. Because I know me, and I know I WOULD panic, and then I would get ...... off and resentful, and the next thing you know, I'd be smoking again, just to prove that I can make my own choices.

The other day I was at the gas station, and when I was standing in line, the gal in front of me asked for 2 packs of Marlboro. My jaw dropped when I heard the total - $16.20. That is about 20 cents worth of e-liquid for me (I just use DIY unflavored, costs me about 10 cents a day).

When I went back briefly to smoking this summer, I found that they had gone up just in 3 1/2 months, 18 cents a pack (at Walgreens, cheapest cig prices I could ever find); from 5.51/pk to 5.69/pk. That's more than the cost of 10ml of juice, which would take me 4 or 5 days to vape -- it only takes ONE day to smoke a pack of cigs!

I'm happy to stick with vaping.

Andria

 

[PapaSloth]

If you are buying commercial cigarettes, vaping should be less expensive than smoking. You may just not be ready to quit or vaping may just not be the right substitute for you. It doesn't work for everyone..

This is EVENTUALLY true, but I've been operating in the red since I started, and haven't quite got there yet. I have high hopes, though.

 

[klynnn]

When I decided to quit cigs I spent my whole months cig budget on a new kit and prefilled cartos. That was all that was avail at that time. No money left means no cigs and I've been vaping since.

 

[jdm1982]

smoked for 17 years, the last few of which , a 25 pack a day was minimum and often would be 5 or so deep into pack number two before dreamland.

i tried to minimal success, quitting several times cold turkey and gum. i think my best stretch was abit over a week then folded hard.that was using the non nicotene 'vapur' cigalikes i could buy at the local gas station.

it was a minor victory though in itself because it actually showed me theres a way to replace the habit, i just needed a stronger variant with actual nicotene.this began the nights of reading, trying to figure out what my options were.

found a vendor online , bought a v2 cigalike with carts , ordered up a ....load of pre filled carts and pack chargers, a few batts , it amounted to 150 dollars of abesolute crap. partly do to my own ignorance, i thought the juices came with nicotene, this particular vendor diid not offer nic juices.

used it a couple times, worthless, threw it in the corner and stayed at the smokes.i felt defeated.discouraged by the misinfo that nic juice was unattainable in canada(lol in hinsight)

a couple months go by, i read up abit, heard of a site online in canada that sold nic with its juices.then got good advice from the one girl i knew that vaped, to buy an ego twist style and stay away from the cigalikes, and a pro tank 2 mini over the carts and ce4 style.i ordered it right away.

got the ego twists, pt2 mini, and export eh ' 24 mg nic juice. my original plan was to cut my 25-30 cigs a day down to just 5 , 1 for each meal, morning coffee and smoke before bed.i went in with this being my goal and would be thrilled if i made it to that.i picked it up from the mail, charged it up, filled my tanks (had 3 smokes just doing that lol) then set off to the local tim hortons for my coffee to put this set up to the test.

i drove to a place, parked the car , sipped my coffee, with my pack of export a gold cigs starring me right in the face, and started to vape.took 4 big pulls , and my life was changed. i did not smoke a cig the rest of that day , or the next day, i was shocked.

day 3 came and i handed my pack to my cousin.i was done, its been about 8 months now.i thought id die a smoker.you can do it, trust me.i was hopelessly dependent on cigarettes, and on top of that , actually very much enjoyed the social aspects of it and act itself of doing it.


8 months in, i cant even fathom going to the store to buy a pack of them.for 17 years it was automatic.

 

[The Torch]

Darn... it took me about 6 weeks after my last cig to throw away the old pack that was so stale it felt like hardened rolls that came out in powder when fiddling with it... I did carry it with me to work for 2 weeks before leaving it at home, then another week to realize it should be in the fridge. The day I threw it out I knew I would have to buy a new pack if I was to cave in, else it would be like pure throat violence that would send me to buy a new pack if I was to cave in. I'm not saying there never was any temptation, but the idea of buying a new pack "just in case" didn't make sense compared to the price and longevity of a new juice bottle.

 

[Maiar]

I've mentioned it before in a few threads but what I do is still keep a pack of smokes around just in case of a catastrophic equipment failure or other unforeseeable events. I also give myself permission to have the odd smoke if I really feel I want one. For some reason that has actually reduced the urge to have a smoke.

 

[AndriaD]

I've mentioned it before in a few threads but what I do is still keep a pack of smokes around just in case of a catastrophic equipment failure or other unforeseeable events. I also give myself permission to have the odd smoke if I really feel I want one. For some reason that has actually reduced the urge to have a smoke.

EXACTLY! I don't respond well to pressure or coercion, but when I make a choice for myself, I tend to stick with it. Just having that last open pack in the freezer in a ziplock bag means that if I really really wanted to, I *could* smoke. I just don't want to. I've finally found the means to not want to!!

Andria

 

[fogging_katrider]

EXACTLY! I don't respond well to pressure or coercion, but when I make a choice for myself, I tend to stick with it. Just having that last open pack in the freezer in a ziplock bag means that if I really really wanted to, I *could* smoke. I just don't want to. I've finally found the means to not want to!!

Andria

Andria...
Just Do It...You know You can...Just throw that freezer pack in the trash. Let It Go Andria !
"Smoking is Dead...Vaping is the Future... and the Future is Now"

For me after 40 years of smoking I quit using a cheap ego 650 kit. I had tried many many times to quit using nic gum patches losenges useless ecig cigalikes etc and they'd all fail because they could never replace the sensation of picking up a cig and inhailing some nicotine urge satisfying smoke. All these replacement methods always fail because of fear. It's that fear that makes a cig smoker feel uncomfortable when the pack is getting low and we dont have that extra pack on reserve. The fear that makes us always keep an eye on how many we have left that makes us go get more packs. I cant tell you how many times I'd find myself getting dressed in the middle of the night to run to whatever gas station was still open to buy more cigarettes. That same fear is why nobody quits cold turkey using gum etc because most folks try a piece of gum and end up spitting it out and lighting up a cigarette instead...why...because we never got rid of the cigarettes while we were trying the gums patches and other nrt's.

For me, I finally made up my mind that cigarettes were killing me. I was rolling my own to save money, which btw is a huge pita in itself, and using about a pound of tobacco a month. So I finally made up my mind to quit when I found using a cheap ego kit, that I had discovered 30mg juice was actually and totally satisfying the nic urge and replacing the hand held habit and 'smoke' sensation. I quit cigs cold turkey and never looked back. IMNSHO...The biggest mistake people are making IS trying to "dual use" quit is just that...keeping cigarettes in the equation guarantees failure and keeps the "fear" focused on having cigs around all the time instead of accepting e-cigs as the viable replacement. Get rid of the damn cigarettes once and for all !

I had a box of cig tubes and a bag of tobacco and just knew if I kept it around I would have it to fall back on if I ever ran out of juice... That damn "fear" thing again.

Best defense. Fix that "Fear thing" and always make sure you have spare juice on hand. Screw more cigs, just buy more "JUICE" !

I WAS FREE... FINALLY FREE OF CIGARETTES after four decades of enjoying them and now 15 months vaping. It didnt take long at all to find out that cigarette smoke actually smells BAD. In fact I now find the smell somewhat "repulsive". I can smell it on people who smoke too. Its disgusting heh heh

I replaced the stupid cig addiction "Fear" with having plenty of 30mg juice on hand. For me it too was expensive at twenty bucks per 30ml bottle but well worth it compared to buying tobacco. I took up DIY juiuce making and am now saving a ton of cash compared to the old cig smoking habit which was killing me and stinking up the house.

hth,
Jon

ps...you can do it...I know you can...take the step...throw away any and all cigs in the house....
----cricket sound-----