Just quit smoking 7 days ago, when does it get easier? : (

[AllTheNamesAreTaken]

I've been looking around and i've seen mention that the cravings never really stop, some people even saying they have them years later. Which in my eyes makes it seem hopeless. I had planned to use vaping as a crutch to get off smoking then stepping down my nicotine to get off of vaping (even though i might stay with 0 nicotine since i sort of like it ). I started at 18mg but have since dropped to 6mg since i puff on mine quite a bit and 18mg was making me feel sick, and 6mg just seems like i can regulate the amount i get better. So what i guess i'm wondering is, am i stuck vaping to constantly get past this craving for a cigarette and then even after the craving for cigarettes is gone, how hard will it be to stop vaping.

Still cigarette free, and will remain that way just wondering for the future really.

 

[Necrotic]

Just keep vaping and sooner or later you won't even want a cigarette... an easy way to ease it is to go near people that are smoking.. the smell will churn your stomach and make you sick.

 

[Ar10shooter]

The future is up to you. I started vaping planning the same thing 3 1/2 months ago. Vaping has since turned into a hobby I just bought a provari and have spent more on vaping then on 6 months of smoking. I don't plan on stopping vaping anytime soon. I enjoy it far to much and after 3 1/2 months I feel tonnes better. That's just me though I know a few people who quit altogether others kept vaping because they enjoy it and feel better. As for the cigarette craving mine are gone altogether it took about a month. Now for the first time in 25 years the smell of smoke is repulsive.

 

[nebulas]

I guess everyone is different but for me, it didn't last more than a couple weeks.

Some advice I can give you to help you get rid of that voice in the back of your head telling you how bad you want a real smoke, is after two weeks completely smoke free, smoke. Yes, after two weeks of vaping, light up a real smoke and have at it. After that, you will realize how bad it tastes and realize you really don't want to smoke.

That may or may not work for you but it did for me.

 

[JackInCali]

Vaping 18 mg regularly was making me sick as well, but 12 works on my normal day. If I know I will be all-day-vaping, I use a 6. Keep the 18 mg around if you have a craving and take a few hits, then go back to your normal level. Between my first vape and last smoke, I had 9 cigarettes but everyone is different. My personal advise is don't set a hard date to stop smoking. I just had a cigarette when I felt the need. Eventually vaping won out as it is a hell of a lot more pleasant. My need to vape nic is about the same as smoking - about one every two or three hours. I plan on going down to zero, but expect that to take years as I will go at my own pace.

 

[nicetucu]

The first few weeks are the hardest IMO. Hats off to you for quitting outright. I smoked and vaped for the first three months until I could quit totally. I did smoke less and less until I just didn't buy smokes one day.

I think it may be easier if you tried 12mg and have 6mg on hand if you like to chain vape. Everyone's journey is different. I started with 24mg and just after a little over a year stepped down to 18mg. My wife still smokes and it doesn't even bother me. Hang in there you're doing great so far.

 

[Despraci]

The carvings will be there a while, but breaking your old habits will take a few weeks. Replace your old habits and the times you smoked with vaping and eventually they will diminish.

 

[K_Tech]

It is definitely NOT hopeless.

The first two weeks, for me, were kinda rough. I basically had a white-knuckled death grip on my APV almost 24/7. Then it started getting a little easier every day. The most difficult times were performing the activities that I had previously associated with smoking. Walk the dogs/light a cigarette. Finish dinner/light a cigarette. Get to work/light a cigarette.

I hope I can explain it properly. After almost 10 months, it's not that I "crave" cigarettes anymore, but I do still occasionally think about them. Not in a "I need a cigarette now" sort of way, but more along the lines of "This time last year I'd be having a cigarette right now". Then I have a nice vape, and I forget about cigarettes for a few more days.

But I haven't had a cigarette since last August. I feel better, I smell better, and I actually feel like I've accomplished something positive with my life.

Hang in there, and this time next year, you'll be telling the new members about YOUR quit story.

 

[Blackboar]

With cigarettes, you have both the chemical addiction (nicotine) and the psychological addiction (the act of smoking).

The chemical addiction of nicotine can be stemmed off by the amount of nic in your juice. Though I honestly think the drop from 18 to 6mg is a bit much for your body to handle. I've actually vaped 18mg for over 4 months now, and just recently ordered a batch of 12mg to downgrade my nic. Also to note is the device that you're using to deliver the nicotine. When I say 18mg to 12mg, I'm referring to my tank systems, such as my Kayfun Lite+, RSST, or Protank 2. I also use drippers, like my Magma RDA or Trident clone, which I only use 6mg. That's because the drippers are really potent and anything more than 6mg is too much throat hit for me to handle. My plan is to be at a zero nicotine by this time 2015. I'm slowly allowing my body to adjust to a life of no nicotine after 21 years of smoking. If you cut the nicotine addiction too short, you will get side effects, hence withdrawal symptoms. You can look up "nicotine withdrawal symptoms" on WebMD for a list of those effects.

The psychological addiction is harder to overcome. When I see or smell a cigarette, I do want one. It's because when I smoked, I really enjoyed smoking, it's produced a lot of good memories in my mind. Subconciously, I want to relive those moments, hence the psychological addiction. Vaping allows me to replace that habit, but it does take time. The good thing about the psychological addiction, however, is as long as I do something to replace that habit, it goes away without any side effects. When I do have that moment of wanting a cigarette, I vape and it goes away after a minute or so. I don't even think twice after that.

Keep at it. Unfortunately it's not easy...but way worth it! Heck, I'm ready to play a game of basketball now, full court....well, maybe halfcourt to start..

 

[edyle]

I've been looking around and i've seen mention that the cravings never really stop, some people even saying they have them years later. Which in my eyes makes it seem hopeless. I had planned to use vaping as a crutch to get off smoking then stepping down my nicotine to get off of vaping (even though i might stay with 0 nicotine since i sort of like it ). I started at 18mg but have since dropped to 6mg since i puff on mine quite a bit and 18mg was making me feel sick, and 6mg just seems like i can regulate the amount i get better. So what i guess i'm wondering is, am i stuck vaping to constantly get past this craving for a cigarette and then even after the craving for cigarettes is gone, how hard will it be to stop vaping.

Still cigarette free, and will remain that way just wondering for the future really.

Keep 2 tanks running;
- 1 tank with 18mg for an occassional vape
- a second tank with lower strength as your normal vape.

You'll get used to the lower strength and find yourself lowering it.

 

[RayBans]

I vaped and smoked for 3 months before I gave up the analogs. It just kind of happened. I ran out of analogs and did not run to the store. I was just using "gas station" disposables at the time. Then I really got into vaping. 2 years and 5 months later and not a single puff of an analog. I've even gone Nicotine free now. It gets easier when you and your body is ready.

 

[AndriaD]

I didn't start with any intention to quit smoking, I just wanted a way to "smoke" indoors that wouldn't stink up the place, because I was tired of freezing to death on the front porch (it was january at the time). I got my very first e-cig, an eRoll, the last week in January, and started using it, thinking it was weird, it tasted funny and sweet, but it *did* seem a lot like smoking, so I started just trying to substitute vaping for times when I would normally smoke -- like after meals, or really anytime the urge would strike to run outdoors and suck down a ..... And the more I did it, the more I liked it, and the worse the cigarettes tasted. Without even trying very hard, I got down to 5 cigs a day, just because vaping pleased me and let me put off going out for a smoke. So I thought then, what if I did really try? Could I just quit? By the end of that week, I did, and the only time I really had "cravings" was my first morning smoke-free, when I had already been smoke-free for 24 hrs. I got thru it, so I knew I could keep getting thru it. One or two other times, I had serious cravings, but I got my eRoll and pretend-smoked like a maniac, and I got thru it.

If you just don't give yourself the option, eventually the brain gets tired of demanding something you won't give it, and it gives up and shuts up, and lets you get on with enjoying your vape.

Welcome!!
Andria

 

[antony73]

I agree with going for 12mg. 18mg is a little strong for some, and 6mg too low.

Once you get the right nicotine levels, there shouldn't really be any difficulty quitting smoking. It is the nicotine you're addicted to, not the cigarette. Get that right, then everything else should be ok.

Smoking has a very quick hit, seconds actually. Vaping is slower. I read that 12 minutes of vaping is the same as smoking 1 cigarette.... if the nicotine levels match.

Check out how to inhale on this site. Getting that part right can help. It takes practice, but well worth it.

I quit smoking in an instant when I started vaping. I never even missed a cigarette. The nicotine levels are essential!

 

[StoneFree]

From my own experience over the past month its real important to have a few flavors that are awesome tasting and vaping for you. I cut down to a few cigarettes a day(2-5) instantly upon buying a ecig because the peach flavor I bought was so good. Well after 2 weeks or so I could not taste my peach at all, and the other flavors I had just were not up to par. Basically after several days of no taste or bad taste I started staring at that damn pack of cigarettes again and I started smoking 3-5 more per day during that rough time of no juice being good enough. Its real important to have a couple flavors you really like, that are real satisfying just in case you lose temporary ability to taste your juice. And also maybe dont cut down on nic level so quick or drastically, and make sure your device is hitting hard and yummy.

 

[StandingOnTheMoon]

I think it took me about 2-3 weeks until I really had no desire to have a cigarette again.

 

[disambiguated]

I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for 25 years (filterless Lucky Strikes, then Marlboro Reds when the Luckies were discontinued) - yet after taking my first puff of 24mg liquid as a vaper, I've never desired another cigarette, even when blind drunk.

Take a look at House of Liquids El Toro Guevara. It's the best tobacco-like liquid I've found.

 

[DocHo11idaze]

You'll get there soon enough. Personally I bought a vaporizer the first time (a cheapo) and didn't help what so ever. Broke it went back to cigs, a month or so later got a xhale x6, it sort of helped cut back, broke that and decided against wasting more money on another and went back to the pack and a half of cowboy killers a day. Few months later bartered myself a kts mechanical and it started clicking. I cut back massively after getting a mellow 18mg juice. Still couldn't kick that wake up cigarette, after a meal smoke and still had a few during the day. Did research in mechanical mods and sprung for a sting ray clone and rebuild able atty. that was the turning point for myself, IMO having massive vapor production was the jump start to not craving a cigarette. Still had the first thing in the am smoke, the after meal but slowly started kicking out the middle of the day ones. All of a sudden my cravings went away for the most part, another huge help was not buying cigarettes, if I have them, I'll smoke them.

Yesterday was day 6 without one, got a little buzzed and bummed an analog off a buddy, and finally it tasted disgusting! Dripping some rough 18mg and overwhelming myself with nicotine helped not want a analog. Dropped down to 3 flavors of 12mg juices so I wouldn't get burned out on a flavor. Keep a 18 and 24 on hand for nights I drink, don't ask me why but it helps. Sorry I know that was all over the place but cliff notes is it will get better

 

[revco]

I think you've got a lot of great personal experiences here, but I'll also share mine for encouragement. The first two weeks were the worst, cravings all the time, thinking about it all the time, wanting it all the time...but I held out. I just vaped through all the cravings, doing my best to stay off 'em. It took about a month or so to completely let go and from there on, it was pretty much smooth sailing. Every once in a blue moon a craving will pop up, but I just hit the vape and seconds later I forget about the whole thing for a good long while. Most every hour of every day, I don't want a smoke and have grown completely averse to going back. Sure, I think about it here and there...but there's no way I'd go back to that lifestyle now. My life is cleaner, I can taste/smell, I don't smell terrible, I don't have to constantly be taking outside jaunts...I feel like I have a "normal" life anymore. The truth is, I've grown to really enjoy vaping. Over the past few months I've been able to find some excellent vapes and gear that just do it for me on every level. Occasionally I hang out with my still-smoking friends...they smoke, I vape...and I think about how much better my experience is compared to theirs and how many thousands of those smokes that haven't gone into my body. They're jealous that I've broken free, but I just keep vaping hoping it too will encourage them to get off them as well. I feel free.

Anyway, it does get easier and it will get easier for you. Just keep at it, vape as much as you need to and eventually, you'll look back with the same perspective many of of us have. Best of luck!

 

[ClearlySuperior]

I guess everyone is different but for me, it didn't last more than a couple weeks.

Some advice I can give you to help you get rid of that voice in the back of your head telling you how bad you want a real smoke, is after two weeks completely smoke free, smoke. Yes, after two weeks of vaping, light up a real smoke and have at it. After that, you will realize how bad it tastes and realize you really don't want to smoke.

That may or may not work for you but it did for me.

This is excellent advice! I quit smoking in January after 10 years of pack and a half a day of Marb Reds. I weaned myself off them over about two weeks so the cravings weren't really that bad, but once Spring came and we started sitting out by the fire having some beers, the cravings hit hard. Since my girlfriend still smokes, I decided for whatever reason to just light one up. Took two drags and tossed it in the fire, it was absolutely disgusting! That was in mid April and I've only smoked once since, but that was on a way too stressful, life changing day, my battery was dead and my spare was at home so I more or less forced myself to smoke (seems pretty silly looking back) to try and ease the stress a bit haha but anywho, I would definitely second this suggestion, it's a terrific idea!

 

[Oiisu]

I had cravings for about a month, then I gave in and had 2 cigarettes one day and haven't had cravings since then, I didn't enjoy the cigarettes like I used to