Keep craving analogs... am I doing something wrong?

[wolflrv]

I'd definitely recommend a full 3.7v battery rather than the standard 3.0/3.1 batteries. They have slightly higher voltage which just gives you a fuller vape and also they last hrs to days longer before needing a recharge. I'd also agree with trying 24mg-36mg juice. I was a 3 pack a day chain smoker for over 30 yrs and started out with 24mg and was banging my head on the desk. I upped it to 36mg and got down to about 1-5 smokes a day. Then I slowly started cutting back down to 24mg by mixing my own juice..going 36mg, then 34mg, then 32mg..etc..till I got it back down to 24mg.

I've managed to maintain now on 24mg for about a month with only 1-2 analogs a day. I'm still having a logistical problem with being out around town and having either battery or atty trouble..but I've almost got that one solved.

In the meantime..I've still felt that "something" was definitely missing and I've felt like I had a monkey on my back for months now..that's not related to the nicotine..cause I can definitely feel and identify that buzz. This I attribute to that MAOI need. Yesterday I went to town and had stopped by the local smoke shop to see if they had any e-cig stuff in yet(supposedly they are getting some..but so far it's just junk). I walked up to the counter and there was a box of Java Stonewall's. I'd been reading about them and tried the snus already(that was really friggin' nasty!)..but figured I'd give them a try just to rule them out.

Well...lemme tell ya what!! They are awesome!! That monkey of mine went screaming outta da county in about 5 minutes!! I had one more later that night when after dinner was sitting in restaurant..and of course battery died! Well the second Stonewall..got me through the rest of the dinner talk and all the way home with no worries at all! This is definitely gonna be my backup emergency from now on and FAR better than resorting to an analog!!

If you're struggling with just the e-cigs give the Stonewalls a try..can't vouch for the other flavors but the Java is just awesome and it also will eliminate that "scratchy" in the back of your throat if you just need to stop vaping for a few hrs due to dryness.

This has been one of the most complicated and challenging periods of my life, but I'm determined to win and succeed. There is huge amounts of information on this forum and very, very helpful folks! Just don't give up and educate yourself on every nuance of vaping that you can and good luck!!

 

[tomoiaga]

I will listen to all the advices here but if they still do not help after a while here is something that might interest you.
I do not advise reading this now just because your cravings may be gone in one or two weeks and the resume below might discourage you to keep vaping. I suffered from a small withdrawal one week and now I only miss an analog very rarely and does not bother me. heck, I can even vape very rarely now, will have to test if I am addicted to nic or it's just something small now. Keep in mind that an ecig is not 100% like analogs:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

 

[romping]

I have the dse801. I keep a fresh supply of ats and bats and 28-36 mg of juice. Man, I was a heavy smoker(3 packs a day) and I get no urge for tobacco as long as I am hitting the vaper pipe. Sometimes I have to put the thing down because over nicotine overdose. I think your problem is your pipe.

 

[jasezero]

The one thing that has helped me stay under 5 cigarettes a day are: higher voltage/lower resistance attys and batteries, higher nicotine (16-18mg wasn't cutting it, upped it to 24mg), throat hit to simulate more of a real cigarette (which is more when you have a higher nicotine level in the juice as well). Just my 2 cents.

 

[Odinist]

Been vaping for about a week now, for the first few days i was craving analogs but standing near smokers took that urge away quickly. Just standing near them was enough to disgust me into not pick one up and puff away.

Smelling like an ashtray is never a good thing...

Exactly!!

I'm 9 days without an analog (haven't had one since I got my PV), and the few times I've wanted one, all it took was smelling a friend who was smoking. No thank you!

 

[trukinlady]

Hi again;

This post is a P.S. to my first one. Maybe it will help?

P.S. I smoked Marlboro for about 20 years until I switched to Winston because of supposedly no additives in their analogs. I had withdrawl/cravings (From what, I don't know) for about 2 weeks after I made the switch, using the same nic strength. I smoked Winston for nearly 12 years before I started vaping a month ago. I still get cravings occasionally, but it is fast becoming a thing of the past.

 

[UntamedRose]

Hi again;

This post is a P.S. to my first one. Maybe it will help?

P.S. I smoked Marlboro for about 20 years until I switched to Winston because of supposedly no additives in their analogs. I had withdrawl/cravings (From what, I don't know) for about 2 weeks after I made the switch, using the same nic strength. I smoked Winston for nearly 12 years before I started vaping a month ago. I still get cravings occasionally, but it is fast becoming a thing of the past.

That is interesting...always heard rumors about Big T companies adding stuff to cigs to make them More addictive. I'm wondering how true that really is.

I had the withdrawals when switching to vaping...and I was missing the "rush" feeling. Honestly taking another look at the whats in cigs helped me...The reality check that I was craving arsenic, carbon monoxide, cyanide 8-o I dont Need those. The craving only last about a week..you can push past your need for those poisons. Everything you really like can be found in an e-cig.

 

[gopostalman]

it's just that hard to kick the habbit. it took me about a month before i really stopped caring about analogs.

 

[frequentflyer]

I am going to chime in here too. I went with a 36mg liquid and that helped a lot. I have a 510, but would recommend going to something like a Janty stick or full 5 or 6 volt option. I have a Stick and it is my all day vape at 24mg and use 36 on occasion. I have a Silver Bullet for a huge hit in the morning and evening, but really use it with 12mg. I have found that the flavor and strength in prefilled carts is really bad so I mostly drip, but the stick is good with PTB mods so I use that for convenience. Try more nic and a better PV (higher voltage??) and it should help a lot.

As a note - the battery life and ability to change a small battery in the stick is a huge plus to me as I am a fairly heavy vaper. It also fits in my pocket. The Silver Bullet is awesome though and should knock your socks off at 6 volts, but I find it too big to carry with me. The 510 is my stealth backup and is easy to have on hand anytime I want something tiny.

 

[crazygirll22]

I agree with the other posters, def try a higher strength liquid. Actually try a few different flavors and strengths until you find what you like. I would go anywhere from 18mg-36mg and see which works for you. You may also want to consider a different pv, maybe better battery or higher voltage. I've been using my trusty 510 since I started and today I ordered a bigger battery mod, the Ego. I can't wait to get it in and try it out. Anyway just stick with it and you'll get there. Don't put any presser on yourself, take it one day at a time and eventually the analogs will start to taste nasty and you won't want them anymore.

 

[thoughtfull1]

Mike. I do understand your feelings. I am also having a tough time eliminating analogs all together, but have greatly reduced. Usually 3 a day. I think for me at this point it's a psychological issue of just not being able to let go completely. I have also found that increasing my level to 24mg. seems to reduce much of the psychological craving.

 

[woolfe99]

I think it can be difficult to separate a physical craving for nicotine (or perhaps MAOI's), from a psychological desire to perform the ritual of smoking analogs. Certainly the physical cravings are an issue, but sometimes we may be convinced that it is the physical when instead it's more of the psychological, or vice versa.

The suggestions given in this thread - higher nic juice, higher voltage, lower resistance hardware, etc. - are good suggestions. These things may help increase nicotine intake, but to me, more importantly, they are the kinds of things that get your mind focused on vaping instead of smoking. I honestly think if you start vaping with the idea that you will treat it casually and not think much about it, you will continue to obsess over analogs.

I think the reason I was able to quit analogs immediately and not look back very much is that I discovered this forum on day two, and through the forum I discovered that vaping was more than just a bland medical aid to help you quit smoking (such as a nic patch, for example). It's actually a hobby if you choose to treat it that way. There are thousands of juice flavors, loads of hardware options, modding, DUI, etc. All of that got me interested in vaping, to the point where I was ordering juices, new atties, etc., reading the forums, vendor websites, etc. daily.

Smoking analogs habitually is pretty much automatism - we don't think about it very much and usually only enjoy it sporadically. However, when we quit we then really start to obsess about it because patches and gum are just not interesting enough to provide a new obsession. It isn't just that they don't replicate the act of smoking very well; it's also that they just don't give you anything to think about. Vaping can provide that replacement obsession, but I honestly think it works out much better if you decide to treat it as a hobby than merely as a nicotine delivery system.

In short, don't use store bought carts "for convenience," or otherwise treat vaping casually, or else you probably won't do much better than you would with gum or patches. Exploring vaping as a hobby does more for you than improve your nic intake - it crowds the thought of analogs out of your mind and it may just quickly convince you that you like vaping more than analogs. It's all perception, of course, but when it comes to addiction, perception is 100% reality.

 

[cofgrindr8]

At times there does seem to be something missing for many people. I attribute it to the lack of carbon monoxide. Part of the "hit" from analogs is the reduction of oxygen due to the smoke. PV's do not reproduce this.

I have found that having a high nic juice to treat like smoking is good. Then having a low nic juice that you can puff on more like a pacifier seems to help at other times.

I agree here about the high nic to satisfy the actual cigarette but also realize that nicotine is extremely addictive and there will be some discomfort reducing the amount you take in. I smoked light cigs and even though this may not be right for you i've been getting by on a pretty low amount of nicotine (8mg strength) but i do still have cravings. I've only been successful at cutting my regular cigs in half which i think is really good but still not off them entirely. The good thing is after i smoke my ecig and light up a regular cig, it takes likes absolute garbage. Keep at it, just realize that it's hard to lower your nicotine content but when you do you'll feel alot better.

 

[Pokeygizmo]

+1 to Woolfe99's awesome post!!!

 

[doots]

I cant add much here. BUT up your nic..

Some on here are saying that nic is very additive. I think we all know that. That's why we went to vaping.. lol

You can always lower your need once you have kicks the cig habit..

I started with 36 and glad I did. After smoking for 40 years it took that to keep me off of them. I never smoker an analog again after getting my 510 a year ago..

Good Luck!\\

 

[BigJimW]

You're not doing anything wrong.

Here is a video I produced tonight addressing this issue that may offer some encouragement. And there is some comic relief near the end, compliments of my dog.

YouTube - A Message to those who smoked analogs during your vaping experiance

 

[Phayah]

I'm still trying to cut out analogs as well. I smoked 2 packs a day and am now smoking about 1/2 pack a day. The morning is the worst!

I started out with my Joye 510 and a sample pack from Johnson Creek (18mg). It was worthless! I moved on to some Dekang juice (26mg) and it really didn't taste that great but it hit the spot better. It still wasn't enough though. I'm moving on to 36mg. I can't wait to get my order from Tasty Vapor!

I'm kind of like you though. Vaping is a hassle sometimes. So much that I gave up on it about a year ago. I've tried a lot of different things to make it easier and more convenient.

Another thing that really turned me off from vaping is how inconsistent it is. Throughout all my trial and error I kept getting that burnt taste from my atty getting too dry, filler getting too try, or melting cartridges. I hated having to top off or drip.

Right now I'm pretty happy with the Zero Filler Mod. It's a pain to make but you can purchase them pre-made if you end up getting a 510 or 901. You buy your own juice, fill them up, and they work for hours, even vaping heavily. Great hit and taste every time.

So, I think for me the Joye 510 + ZFM + higher nic is going to do the trick for me. I'm also going to be sampling some of the higher quality juices from the different suppliers here.

 

[Katya]

I will listen to all the advices here but if they still do not help after a while here is something that might interest you.
I do not advise reading this now just because your cravings may be gone in one or two weeks and the resume below might discourage you to keep vaping. I suffered from a small withdrawal one week and now I only miss an analog very rarely and does not bother me. heck, I can even vape very rarely now, will have to test if I am addicted to nic or it's just something small now. Keep in mind that an ecig is not 100% like analogs:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Those are fantastic posts, I am familiar with them and I'm a frequent visitor on the "other side of the tracks" forum (smokeless tobacco). They are not discouraging at all. They are very helpful. I couldn't do it with vaping alone, but Swedish snus (General mini mint and such) and dissolvables helped me considerably. The old aahhh... feeling is back. If nicotine alone doesn't do it for you, try snus and Stonewalls or Ariva. Or a combination. Anything but analogs. Good luck.

 

[quakereject]

You're not doing anything wrong.

Bump to a higher strength as people have stated, I needed 24 before I could fully do it. I started with 18, it never seemed like enough, and then I'd be OD'ing and jittery/edgy as all get out, getting headaches, etc.

Then resolve takes it's part. Just tell yourself every morning, "it gets easier every day." And it does.

I'm biased to the 510 so I'd naturally say get one, but I wouldn't expect you to need a whole different PV in order to first get off analogs. Just try filling your carts manually, or direct dripping with a higher strength. If you find that's the proper combination, then it's time to find a PV that makes that scenario easier and you're set.


Edit: Disregard most of what I said, watch BigJim, he is the feckin MAN

 

[BigJimW]

Edit: Disregard most of what I said, watch BigJim, he is the feckin MAN

Naw, I think my dog got more attention. 8-o