Increasing my nicotine addiction?

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pAth77

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From what I know, the average cigarette contains around 9mg of nicotine, but only around 1mg of that nicotine is absorbed. That's just a tad over 11%. So at 1 pack per day, that was around 20mg of nicotine getting into your system.

24mg nicotine juice (if you didn't know already) means 24mg of nicotine per mL of liquid so your intake would really depend on how much liquid you are vaping per day. Also, I am unsure if you can use the same 10% absorption number here.

Part of the reason why you feel that you need a higher nicotine level when vaping is because you are no longer inhaling the other carcinogens and chemicals contained in tobacco cigarettes (tar, carbon monoxide, etc.). Most converts use higher nicotine concentrations when they first start vaping. I personally have been able to cut down to 12mg after 6 months of vaping. I'm hoping to get down to zero nicotine within the next 6 months.
 

JohnReagan

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I smoked about 1 pack of Marlboro Lights for years. Now I am using my new eGo 510. I find I need the 24mg nicotine level to get a suitable hit as a substitute for analogs. However, I find that I am chain vaping....ALOT. Should I worry about increasing my nicotine addiction to where i need more and more?

Personally I think you'll find your sweet spot soon. I started with 24mg and found it way too strong after a while and I'm down to 18. Ideally since Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor and can contribute to increased hardening of the arteries and high cholesterol (which in my case, personally, can be devastating in later life since my bad cholesterol is through the roof) I would hope that we could all find a lower nicotine intake. I certainly need it as my cardiovascular health is far from optimum. Having said that, I do believe we are taking in less nicotine (depending on how one vapes as pAth77 mentioned) than we were when we smoked. The lower nic the better is my motto. I just can't get there yet and I'm bummed about it.
 
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grandmato5

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Welcome to the world of vaping !!!

You just recently started vaping so no, right now do not worry abt your nicotine intake. For now the only important thing is to stop smoking and get through the time it takes to rid your body of all the additives found in cigarettes. As long as you don't have signs of nicotine overdose you are fine. If your 24 mg nic level is satisfying your need for nic and you aren't having major horrible nic cravings then you can go ahead and get yourself some 18 mg strength juice and use that at the time of day you find yourself chain vaping. For me when I started I vaped a lot of all but I REALLY chain vaping every evening in front of computer so that was the time of day I first started using a lower level of nic. Its pefectly fine to mix up your nic levels that you use throughtout the day. Little by little I was able to add more and more of a lower level to my day until that new lower level become my norm and then I started lowering it again. Do not be surprised or disappointed if even when you've lowered your level you find a day that you feel you need that higher level of nic again. Go ahead and use it and then go back to your lower level. Many people do find that over time its not hard to lower their nic levels even if they did worry in the beginning about how much they were using.

Good Luck!!!
 

winzo

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Thank you all for your quick responses and support. I won't worry myself over this anymore. I SO want to quit smoking analogs and am thankful that I have found a decent substitute. I still smoke a couple of analogs a day, but the majority of the time I vape. With your comments, I feel confident I can do this and win my struggles to quit analogs. I will work on lowering the nic levels as I go.
 

jackoboy82

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If you need to use higher nicotine to help you stop using analogs then go for it. you can always cut back later on once you've got past the hard part of quitting. I failed the first time I tried to quit because I was worried about using a higher nicotine level and started off at 14mg, I increased it to 24mg on the advice of some ecf members and haven't had a cigarette since or had a craving...............the only time I notice I dont smoke any more is after I've had food
 

Trips1103

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I was smoking little over a pack of Marlboro reds a day. When I switched to vaping I chain vaped, and that was at 18 mgs. I still will have maybe 1 or 2 analogs a day. Perhaps you're chain vaping because you're enjoying the vaping experience more? Just a guess, but you know yourself best.

If it's 24 for now then it's 24. Cut yourself some slack. You've done good by getting rid of the rest of the crap that go with analogs. Good for you!
 

JohnReagan

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Jacko,

After meals and in the morning are the worst for me! These are the times that I still reach for an analog. But I think that as JohnReagan says, I just have to find my sweet spot. I also have to make myself reach for the PV sometimes instead of the analog then make that the habit.

Sometimes when nothing hits the spot and I get a craving for a cigarette I do take a few puffs of higher nic and I'm good. You'll find this is the one of best decisions you've ever made! Certainly a life saving one. I feel so alive now that I'm vaping. Good luck, you're gonna make it!
 

jackoboy82

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for me it's not so much a craving, not like I have to go and vape like mad to get rid of it, just more like I'm missing something..............a bit like having a hot chocolate without cream on top (if that makes sense). the first time I tried to quit it was always the morning that got me, so I'd say "just the one to startthe day won't do any harm", but then I would end up using that same philosophy throughout the day and before I knew it I'd be back where I started. Now after increasing nicotine I no longer have any urges, especially in the morning. just after food I feel like I'm missing something.................and let's be fair, as good as e-cigs are, they just don't give you that satisfaction like a real cigarette did. imo
 

donnah

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It took me about 3 months of smoking and vaping and gradually I got to where I wanted to vape more than I wanted to smoke! For the last month or so I just smoked one in the mornings and one before I went to bed and again, I just got to where I didn't want the cigarette anymore.. I wanted to vape! I go from 12mg to 18mg and back again.. back and forth and don't worry too much about it.
 

grandmato5

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.................and let's be fair, as good as e-cigs are, they just don't give you that satisfaction like a real cigarette did. imo

I completely agree with that statement. BUT when I remind myself that without the satisfaction that I do get with vaping I'd never have been able to quit smoking and that's what's really the important thing I'm ok with living with a bit less satisfaction !!
 

JohnReagan

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I find myself chain vaping a lot when I'm in front of the computer and will switch to 0 mg for that and use my 24 mg for when I actually feel like I need the nic.

How do you manage at 0mg with no throat hit? I can't vape without it feeling like a cigarette, hence needing throat hit. From 24mg to 0mg is a big step down. Just wondering how you manage it.

There's something called Q-Hit that produces TH with no nicotine, but there's mixed feelings on it on this forum.
 

jackoboy82

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I completely agree with that statement. BUT when I remind myself that without the satisfaction that I do get with vaping I'd never have been able to quit smoking and that's what's really the important thing I'm ok with living with a bit less satisfaction !!

I totally agree with the being ok with less satisfaction. this is the most successful attempt at quitting smoking. this is down to the fact I don't crave analogs like I did with gum, patches and champix. and because I dont crave one I'm also not doing my own head in! as a smoker the first thing I did when I woke up was light one, now I do other things and then hours later think "hmmm I haven't even used my e-cig today"..............it's great! :)
 

slumdog

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I totally agree with the being ok with less satisfaction. this is the most successful attempt at quitting smoking. this is down to the fact I don't crave analogs like I did with gum, patches and champix. and because I dont crave one I'm also not doing my own head in! as a smoker the first thing I did when I woke up was light one, now I do other things and then hours later think "hmmm I haven't even used my e-cig today"..............it's great! :)

this is it for me the other umpteen million things in ciggies is the reason why we stay so jittery if you can break the two week wall i see no reason to ever go back ti cigarettes..........
 

KeithB

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How do you manage at 0mg with no throat hit? I can't vape without it feeling like a cigarette, hence needing throat hit. From 24mg to 0mg is a big step down. Just wondering how you manage it.

There's something called Q-Hit that produces TH with no nicotine, but there's mixed feelings on it on this forum.

TH isn't a huge deal for me. I like some, I don't need a lot. When I'm chain vaping like that, I think it's just the physical act of taking that drag and blowing out the vapor that satisfies me. Don't get me wrong, I still go through quite a bit of 24mg, I just try not to keep burning through my juice non-stop if it's full of nic.
 

JohnReagan

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TH isn't a huge deal for me. I like some, I don't need a lot. When I'm chain vaping like that, I think it's just the physical act of taking that drag and blowing out the vapor that satisfies me. Don't get me wrong, I still go through quite a bit of 24mg, I just try not to keep burning through my juice non-stop if it's full of nic.

Awesome. Thanks I really appreciate the answer.

And .. EDIT: I'd love to be at the vaping point that you are now. Hopefully I'll get down to 0 myself.
 

Morfeeus

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How do you manage at 0mg with no throat hit? I can't vape without it feeling like a cigarette, hence needing throat hit. From 24mg to 0mg is a big step down. Just wondering how you manage it.

There's something called Q-Hit that produces TH with no nicotine, but there's mixed feelings on it on this forum.

I totally agree with needing the TH. That is the sole reason why E-cigs has been so effective for me. I still had analog cravings at 18mg because the TH wasn't strong enough. I switched over to 24mg and the cravings went away. It is weird though that different juice from different vendors have varying levels of TH even at same nic levels. There was one vendor I tried and although their flavorings were great, there wasn't any TH and I just couldn't get satisfied.
 
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