Is the transition to vaping tough?

[Iusedtoanalog]

Hi Chuck. Welcome to the ECF. So from personal experience, It can be tough if you dont have the information available to you in order to make an informed decision about your equipment/flavor/nicotine levels. Otherwise once you find that information , in addition to the support of others who are or have walked the path before you, it can be a rather easy enough transition.

In explanation, I once was a two plus pack per day smoker. I was introduced to vaping by a customer of mine who began vaping(with the ok from hic Doctor) after lung surgery. I only spoke with him for a short while but was intrigued enough to find one locally and give it a go. I did find one in stock at a local tobacco shop. The guy had no idea how it worked, or anything else other than the "one cartridge equals a pack" that was on the box. My first pv was an rn4081 automatic single battery kit, with 5 refills and a charger. Mind you this was ~2years ago so technology has moved things along at a rapid pace. I vaped for that weekend on 11mg cartridges, one per day. Went back for refills and bought the same refills(the only ones available) I had an awful time dealing with the basic symptoms of quitting smoking. Needless to say I was using a strength that was well lower than I should have started with. I continued at this strength until I found a different shop who carried the same refills for almost a month.

By this time I had relinquished my quit fits but knew proof positive that this would not work for me to continue unless a better solution was available. This shop had 30mg refills, which I purchased thinking they would taste better. ...... I thought it was a measure of flavor ...... Oh boy this was what I had been missing..... The $28 price for 5 refills was getting to bother me. I decided to look online to see if there was a better place to get these refills from......

I found the ECF after I had been vaping for over four months...... The information gained here reading and researching, in addition to the support of those going along with me helped me find what I needed in order to finally be able to consider myself one of the one who had finally been able to be rid of cigarettes , finally.

Good Luck on your new Journey. We all will be here if you need us. Happy Vaping.

 

[SeanMoore]

I'm smoking two PAD right now. I will be starting with about 18 and hope to work it down from there.

Yeah, you might want to have some 24 around, especially if you just want to replace smoking with vaping. That's my strategy... I like the activity of it and even though it might not be harmless it's certainly a lot better than my old 1.5 PAD habit.

I have a tiny bit of 24mg left, 18 is the "drinking vape" now and I'm cruising pretty well with 12. It's definitely different for everyone, I can't stand straight tobacco juices, for instance. I have some 18mg Minthol that hits like a freight train in my higher-delivery devices and if I do get a craving I just slam some of that stuff down in my dripper and it takes care of it for me. For some reason it's more satisfying for cravings than the sweet 24mg I have left... something about the menthol aspect, I suppose. I never even liked menthol cigs.

Note, the most important words in that last sentence are "for me". Whatever keeps cigs out of your mouth is the right setup for you.

 

[Chuck2]

I've been smoking what we now call cigars. They are filtered like cigarettes. The reason I switched to these is the price, $15 per carton. They actually are nasty.

Glad I now know about vaping.

 

[Tajji'smom]

I've tried to quit in the past, even tried Chantix. Chantix and bipolar don't mix. lol

I read it somewhere on this forum, treat it like you are just changing brands. That really helped me a lot

 

[mayamason]

Transitioning {for me} was a cinch, as soon as I discovered e-cigs.
At this point, I think quitting vaping would be harder than quitting smoking.

 

[SilentScreams]

I quit the same day I got my stuff, about 4:30 pm and haven't had a cig since, had a full pack too. It still sits there unwrapped. My son took a few weeks and I think he's given up smoking completely. A friend took a week to finish a pack and she's done too.

Everybody is different. I had cravings but was able to work through them. The best was not turning into a psychobeeyotch like when I went cold turkey for that whole 48 hours. Smoking turned out to be cheaper than therapy for everyone.

I know that feeling well. One of the time I quit cold turkey I almost killed my boss. I was doing wood floors at the time threatened to smash his skull with a flooring mallet if he didn't give me a cigarette. He game me the whole pack. One of my most laughable quitting memories. Of course it was his fault.

 

[SupplyDaddy]

Hi Chuck!
I would up the strength to at least 24mg if you were a 2PADer, for at least the first week or so (of vaping only). You will most likely cough like you just started smoking until you get use to it.. Go ahead and smoke and vape, just not at the same time My last 2 cartons lasted most of a month (sept 2012 to oct 2012) as I transitioned. Keep your normal routines, drink more fluids and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Also, once you stop the cigarettes you "may" experience new issues that are associated to those that have quit smoking. You can get through them! You may also wonder if you left a burning cig someplace, start a search for a pack of smokes before going someplace, reach for a pack that isn't there... etc.. etc.. etc.. But you can get through all of that too!!

 

[Leatherneck]

I need to add a caveat to my statement. It was easy once I had a "good" set-up.

When I was putzing around with XhaleO2's (1st generation), it was rough. It was barely tolerable on Njoys recently. They held me over until my ego kit arrived. From then on, smooth sailing. I liked smoking. I like vaping more. It's actually my preferred activity of the two, so luckily I didn't feel like I was giving anything up.

 

[Chuck2]

We have a smoke shop that I get my cigars from. They sell and e-cig setup but I didn't even bother looking at it since they only have one and are know to lack quality control.

 

[SupplyDaddy]

I've been smoking what we now call cigars. They are filtered like cigarettes. The reason I switched to these is the price, $15 per carton. They actually are nasty.

I was doing the Swisher Sweets Cherry version myself.. at 2PAD...

 

[Hello World]

Still waiting on my stuff to arrive and anticipating the change. I don't do well with change.

Was nearly automatic for me. As I started vaping, the cigs fell away pretty much the same day because I started feeling better. I had no withdrawal symptoms of any kind, only lots of physical relief.

No matter what, as you start vaping/s-ciging, you'll cut your tobacco intake and that's a benefit to your health. There is change, but it's all for the better, and this change I'm pretty sure you'll do well with.

 

[Tiffani]

For me, the switch was very easy. I almost instantly preferred vaping. I still tell myself that I can go buy a pack of analogs if I want to, but I haven't felt a need to do it in the three weeks I've been vaping. I had some ill effects from quitting (mouth sores and "quit zits"), but they are already improving. Best of luck to you!

 

[Chuck2]

Now I think I'll shoot for a 36mg mixture since I'll be mixing a lot.

 

[HyperRealist]

24mg works for me

 

[SilentScreams]

Since your going with a high nic level there are some things to keep in mind. It's easy to over nic with a PV since there is no way to actually know when to stop. No burning cigarette that will get low and burn you if you don't put it out. If you start get a headache or feel sick stop using it for awhile get some water. These are just a couple signs of a nic od there are many many more.

I personally went with a lower nic level because of this. I might go through more juice than someone that vapes a higher nic level but I don't od on it either. I go through roughly 6-8ml of juice a day vaping a 6-8mg nic.

 

[Chuck2]

That is one of my main concerns. I guess I'll start out with samples to get to the level that works best for me.

 

[MacSabbath]

It can be tough if you're unsatisfied with your PV or e-juice. First PV and E-juice I was put off by right away and went back to analogs. I tried it again and now I can't say I'm ever really tempted. 18mg seems to hold me over. I've tried 24mg and don't notice a big difference, I never get sick or headaches or anything much but the nicquid sometimes irritates my mouth and throat. I guess I'm still adjusting to it.

 

[SilentScreams]

It can be tough if you're unsatisfied with your PV or e-juice. First PV and E-juice I was put off by right away and went back to analogs. I tried it again and now I can't say I'm ever really tempted. 18mg seems to hold me over. I've tried 24mg and don't notice a big difference, I never get sick or headaches or anything much but the nicquid sometimes irritates my mouth and throat. I guess I'm still adjusting to it.

I've noticed I get more irritation if I forget to make sure I'm properly hydrated.

 

[Chuck2]

Hydration is a word that seems to come up a lot.

 

[mayamason]

I've noticed I get more irritation if I forget to make sure I'm properly hydrated.

Absolutely. Excellent advice.