Must Stop the Insanity! Need advice on stopping dual-use.

[DaveP]

Don't worry about quitting smoking. Let the vape take it away. If the Pod system works for you, keep it up.

One day you will decide that your vape is sufficient to drop the cigs. I was a 2 pack a day smoker when I quit. When I started vaping I cut down on my cigs without thinking about it. I was engrossed in learning to vape and the first week or two I only smoked at the trigger points, after a meal and with coffee. I smoked one before going to bed. That went on for a year. When I decided to not buy another pack it was an easy transition. I just quit, kept vaping, and never looked back.

High nic is a good thing while you are switching from smoking to vaping. You can taper down slowly at any time if you wish and you probably won't experience nic withdrawal doing that. I went from 24mg to 0mg once. 0 nic was boring, but 3mg brought back a little nic bite. I've recently gone to 6mg strength in my DIY ejuice because a little nic is supposedly good for mental faculties.

 

[Vicman]

Each time I say to myself, “I do not need this, I do not need to bring these,” I end up grabbing at the last minute.

I remember having this same argument in my head many times before I quit. This was right when the thought of quitting came into my head. Before that, I was just using vaping as a way to save money from smokes.

A few months in and it became apparent that I enjoyed vaping more than smoking but really could not give up those few I thought were essential (morning, after meals, and before bed). I would tell myself I didn't need a smoke and then would lite one up. It really was the thought of not having a smoke which scared me.

Until one day instead of grabbing for a smoke, I grabbed my vape and chain vaped through it. I didn't freak and it kinda felt good. After making it through this same cycle a few times, I knew I had it beat. It just took that one day where I tried something different.

In any event, don't beat yourself up over it, that seems to do more harm than good. Be thankful for the ones your not smoking and the rest will fall into place.

 

[AngeNZ]

I didn't 'quit' smoking - my mindset was I was just stopping for a while.

Plus I thought of vaping AS smoking. In a way I still do.

Don't stress over 'needing' cigarettes with you - just take your vape gear too. What you are doing is hard enough without adding any extra stress to it.

 

[zoiDman]

... Marlboro lights are my go too. If it’s just a nic issue why am I still drawn to the devil?

...

Because it Isn't just the Nicotine.

When you take a Hit off a Burning Cigarette, you are inhaling a Cornucopia of other Chemical Compounds besides Nicotine.

That's why e-Cigarettes have Less Harm than Smoking. Because inhaling e-Cigarette vapor Doesn't have those other Chemical Compounds. But it is Also why some have a Hard Time completely Switching. Because inhaling e-Cigarette vapor Doesn't have those other Chemical Compounds.

It's kinda a Double Edged Sword.

Don't get down on yourself. Quitting Smoking completely can be Tough. Very Tough. And sometimes it takes Falling Down multiple times to do it.

But you Get Back Up, Bit your Lip, and Keep Moving Forward. You Can Make It.

For me, I needed to Ramp Down on Cigarettes while Ramping Up on e-Cigarettes over a couple of Months. And that all worked Fine. And I got down to 2 or 3 Cigarettes a Day. But to Cross the Finish Line, I needed to use 2 e-Cigarettes.

My 1st e-Cigarette had my Normal Nicotine Level in it with a Nice, All Day, Flavor in it.

My 2nd e-Cigarette had a Much Higher Nicotine Level. With a Hit you in the Face Strong Flavor (Atomic Cinnacide).

I call called my 2nd e-Cigarette my "Break Glass in Case of Emergency." e-Cigarette. And would pull it out when the World seemed to come Crashing Down on me. And the Only thing that would End the Madness was to Light a Cigarette.

You can Quit Smoking. But there is an Old say'n. And it goes... "If you Keep Doing what you are Doing you will keep Getting what you Got."

So You Gotta Change Something.

Take a Short Walk at Launch.
Drink Less Coffee.
Drink More Water.
Take a Different Route to and From Work.
Change the Colour Scheme on your Computer.
Wear you Socks Inside Out.
Put a Rubber Band on your Wrist.
Something to Break Up the Routine.

And it just about Today. Not Smoking a Cigarette Today. Tomorrow Doesn't Matter. Just think about Today.

 

[stols001]

It's been a lot harder for me in some ways this time around, because my motivations were really different and my health status and everything was a lot new and etc., and it just kind of I was learning a lot of new stuff.

What I've realized this time is it's a lot harder to get to that stop and stay stopped. It's so easy to say like it's 5 p.m. and I know I could be fine smoking 2 cigs before bed and whatever.

I'm finding more success trying to be intermittent, like one day "off" (proving I can do it) and one day "on" where I'm like , meh, a cigarette or two, whatever.

I'm really upset I allowed myself to start but higher nic is helpful .particularly in the eveninngs where I'm more likely to "just have one." It's a pain, but I knew it going in, what might happen and etc., and so I'm dealing with the fallout and consequences and etc.

I wish you the best of luck. Oddly enough, SNUS is helping a lot, I won't be able to vape constantly and man, the right level of snus keeps me satisfied and mind totally off vaping for several hours.; Maybe you could try "snus" instead of smoke, and then go to vaping only. It is sort of "super cheap and strong in comparison" WTA goodness, too, so there's that whole aspect. I didn't care for the taste at first but then someone sent me a sample of some real snus from Sweden and it tastes incredible. You can get snus at many gas stations (general, is the name of the Swedish) and it comes in only a few flavors and I'm not gonna lie it tasted like dead racoon to me at first, but as my brain adjusted to it's effects, well, I wasn't craving to vape or smoke. It's a thought anyway.

Anna

 

[Diver9543]

First congratulations on seriously cutting way down on the cigarettes. Like what was mentioned earlier, concentrate on the ones you haven't smoked. When I first started vaping, I duel used for about a year or so. I had a clearomizer on an EVOD VV with unflavored ejuice at 24mg/ml nicotine. I used this setup for a year or so. When I was finally serious about quitting I went to a local vape shop and told one of the sales clerks my decision to quit. I told him of my inability to quit he started talking about the different combinations of that would help me. I wound up leaving with an IPV Mini II with an Aspire Nautilus on top. I considered it an early birthday present for myself as my birthday was only a couple weeks away. I decided that I would set my birthday as my stop day for the cigarettes.
A bit longer story than I had planned. Anyway, my 60th was my stop day and now I can happily say that I have not had a cigarette in the last 4 and a half years. The day after my birthday, I found this forum and have met some really wonderful people. Welcome to ECF and don't worry, there are great folks here to help with advice and help you with spending your money. LOL

 

[Major2829]

I can't vape early in the morning and late at night. I need a cigarette. Sometimes I can overcome it and sometimes I can't. But, as I learned from being diabetic and curbing off sweets, you can do it.
May I suggest you start with a Billet Box? It's very discreet and rebuildable, you can load it up with nic salts that will give you a greater hit. Look into it, it's more satisfying than pod systems.

But aren’t the devices I have nic salts?

 

[Major2829]

Quit worries about quitting.... took me a solid 6 months to stop the smokes.... truth is it took me 2 or 3 week to realize I hadn't smoked In a month when I quit..

If you got a vaoe that Is delivering g enough nick and if you can force yourself to use the vape first.... it might work for getting you to quit. .. IF you stress over quitting quitting is harder. If not impossible.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Brilliant! I’m putting too much pressure on myself and thinking too much. It’s not like there will never be cigarettes around.

 

[Susaz]

But aren’t the devices I have nic salts?

It's not a matter of nic salts, I don't like the vapor early in the morning. I smoke a couple of stinkies, and by the time I'm dressed I pick up the first vape of the day.

 

[stols001]

Yeah, you're going to have to just bypass that one morning, to get anywhere with it. Maybe the next time you are out of cigarettes, like, don't buy more and let the dog hide the car keys.

My first smoke was the one I stopped first, I knew I'd be smoking all day long if I did that.

It's kind of ironic that the first cigarette was the one I LEAST wanted, this time around following my relapse, LOL, I smoked one, ONCE and it tasted like someone poisoned my coffee. But NOW it's at NIGHT that I believe I want to smoke. I totally believe I don't even HAVE to, I totally think I WANT to though....

Anna

 

[Major2829]

What @Rossum said. I was around nine months smoking and vaping. One day, I realized that I had not smoked in who know how many days. That was about four years ago and I am now considered by people with a brain (those who are not group thinkers) as a former smoker.

As someonewho has a brain as well, you’re totally a former smoker. Actually you might not have even been considered a smoker and less you tell people because most people I know consider smoking and vaping to be two totally different things. When I am vaporing the only question I hear is, “is that weed?”

 

[Major2829]

Easier said than done but, just stop with the cigs already and every time you feel like lighting up, vape like there's no tomorrow. Chain vape. Break a cold sweat, nausea and dizzy and then set the vape down til it wears off. A little over nic isn't gonna have much worse effect than I just described and it will keep you from wanting that cig. This is how I did it. I remember more than a few episodes of over nic-ing it. I lived thru it. And I was doing this with 18mg juice too. Hooboy, did I get dizzy a few times. But the end result was I didn't want cigs. Desperate times call for desperate measures...

I am finding the more I just grab the Vape, the longer it takes for me to even think about having a cigarette. I am now up to about 2 PM before having a real and that is only because Of my work smokers. For some reason it’s the feeling of, “missing out on something,” which is totally ridiculous. But I like it out as that I have kind of settled on one flavor instead of constantly thinking about what I like because smoking regular cigarettes is pretty mindless. When I have my first Real cigarette, it tastes gross and I smell.

 

[Major2829]

Because it Isn't just the Nicotine.

When you take a Hit off a Burning Cigarette, you are inhaling a Cornucopia of other Chemical Compounds besides Nicotine.

That's why e-Cigarettes have Less Harm than Smoking. Because inhaling e-Cigarette vapor Doesn't have those other Chemical Compounds. But it is Also why some have a Hard Time completely Switching. Because inhaling e-Cigarette vapor Doesn't have those other Chemical Compounds.

It's kinda a Double Edged Sword.

Don't get down on yourself. Quitting Smoking completely can be Tough. Very Tough. And sometimes it takes Falling Down multiple times to do it.

But you Get Back Up, Bit your Lip, and Keep Moving Forward. You Can Make It.

For me, I needed to Ramp Down on Cigarettes while Ramping Up on e-Cigarettes over a couple of Months. And that all worked Fine. And I got down to 2 or 3 Cigarettes a Day. But to Cross the Finish Line, I needed to use 2 e-Cigarettes.

My 1st e-Cigarette had my Normal Nicotine Level in it with a Nice, All Day, Flavor in it.

My 2nd e-Cigarette had a Much Higher Nicotine Level. With a Hit you in the Face Strong Flavor (Atomic Cinnacide).

I call called my 2nd e-Cigarette my "Break Glass in Case of Emergency." e-Cigarette. And would pull it out when the World seemed to come Crashing Down on me. And the Only thing that would End the Madness was to Light a Cigarette.

You can Quit Smoking. But there is an Old say'n. And it goes... "If you Keep Doing what you are Doing you will keep Getting what you Got."

So You Gotta Change Something.

Take a Short Walk at Launch.
Drink Less Coffee.
Drink More Water.
Take a Different Route to and From Work.
Change the Colour Scheme on your Computer.
Wear you Socks Inside Out.
Put a Rubber Band on your Wrist.
Something to Break Up the Routine.

And it just about Today. Not Smoking a Cigarette Today. Tomorrow Doesn't Matter. Just think about Today.

Thank you for those great tips. One vice I don’t have is coffee. I find my best hit of the day Is in the morning right after I get out of the shower. I sit there I grab my Vape, I take a long drive and I feel it almost travel through my lungs and out of my mouth and exhale slowly (yes, I realize this statement could be considered “dirty.”). I think it’s because I don’t feel “contaminated,” like I would if I had a real cigarette in the morning. That goes now with my routine of getting ready to go to work and now I’m using it in my car. MILESTONE ALERT - I have not smoked in my car in three weeks.

 

[Philabos]

As someonewho has a brain as well, you’re totally a former smoker. Actually you might not have even been considered a smoker and less you tell people because most people I know consider smoking and vaping to be two totally different things. When I am vaporing the only question I hear is, “is that weed?”

Roger that! I was on a Bermuda cruise a few weeks ago and a fellow vaper told me HM Customs stopped him getting off the ship (I have never seen them stop anyone) . He was carrying his mod in his hand and they wanted a smell to make sure it wasn't weed. Took a whiff, checked his bag, and said have a nice stay in Bermuda.

 

[Philabos]

As someonewho has a brain as well, you’re totally a former smoker. Actually you might not have even been considered a smoker and less you tell people because most people I know consider smoking and vaping to be two totally different things. When I am vaporing the only question I hear is, “is that weed?”

Roger that! I was on a Bermuda cruise a few weeks ago and a fellow vaper told me HM Customs stopped him getting off the ship (I have never seen them stop anyone) . He was carrying his mod in his hand and they wanted a smell to make sure it wasn't weed. Took a whiff, checked his bag, and said have a nice stay in Bermuda.

 

[HauntedMyst]

I am now considered by people with a brain (those who are not group thinkers) as a former smoker.

Me too. It is glorious being a former smoker. FYI, I like hanging around those brain people. They helped me understand that Ashley Graham really does want to be a model and isn't just trying to trick people into going to Sea World. I always just figured she was getting kick backs.

 

[ScottP]

you can load it up with nic salts that will give you a greater hit.

I have to point out a couple of things here. First nic salts do NOT give you a "greater hit", they give less throat hit at a given level of nicotine allowing people to use higher levels of nic without coughing and pain in the throat. Second she is already using a Juul that is 50mg.ml of nic SALTS. If it was 50mg/ml of nic base it would be unvapable for most people.

But aren’t the devices I have nic salts?

Yes. Yes, it is. While it is also quite concentrated, it could just be not enough volume and a different device could be in order. However, before you buy something new, I would strongly suggest (as others already have) getting some WTA (Whole Tobacco Alkeloid) juice to try. I believe I have heard that the Juul can be refilled by some technique. So try that first. I don't know of any 50mg/ml WTA/Salts juice on the market, so you may need to just get some WTA base nic and add a couple of drops to an already mostly full pod (if that's possible). At least then you will know.

 

[Pete M]

I don't know about your personal life set up, but I switched to vaping more because of my new girlfriend (now wife) than not liking smoking - I loved smoking - and when I saw someone at a party back in the early days with a cig a like I felt I'd found a great compromise that would please everyone. My transition was admittedly relatively easy to yours by the sounds of it.

Anyway my point is - if we were ever out and I fancied a proper smoke, I would get a brief lecture or just a look along the lines of "don't you effing dare..." which put me on the right track. So maybe what would help is a quitting buddy? Doesn't have to be a partner just someone who can give you some tough love when you need it! It's a really hard thing to do what you're doing and people who care about you might try to support you if you need it. You don't have to do it alone

 

[mcclintock]

"If it’s just a nic issue why am I still drawn to the devil?" -- it's not. There are many other chemicals in tobacco and smoke. There are Whole Tobacco Alkaloids. Info wasn't as a available back when I switched, I heard something and decided the specifics didn't matter. Maybe it was one other chemical or maybe it was every one of the other 6999 chemicals in smoke, it's different (I think I could have switched to nicotine-free cigs easier than switching to tobacco-free nicotine!). Some people seem to switch very fast, maybe it's simply easier for them. But if takes you weeks or even months, that's still not very long in the scheme of things.

I was still smoking some in morning and evening and tried to go all the work day without a smoke. I'd get a headache due to lack of a cig or vaping too much to make up for it. So I went back to having one around 4 PM for a while. But that only lasted 2-3 weeks and then I didn't need it anymore. Originally when I started vaping I went from 14-15 cigs a day to 7. Did that for 2 months and did get an improved sense of taste and reduced need for whole smoke that made it easier to advance. So I'd say that if you can immediately drop to half the smokes, you can make it. That's all it takes, and patience. Determinism helps, but isn't necessary.

 

[tara81]

All I can say is , don't give up and keep looking for some flavors and tanks you really enjoy !