My Experience of Stepping Over From Smoking To Vaping

[Lode]

Until about a 10 days ago I used to smoke from 12 to 15 cigarettes a day. Marlboro Lights. Then I started vaping, and now I see no more than 5 cigarette butts in my ashtray the next morning before I empty it in the trash can. Less than 1/2 to 1/3 of what only so recently I still smoked.

I leave the butts in the ashtray overnight on purpose so I can see next morning that I really smoked much less the previous day than I did before I started vaping. I'm still surprised that it didn't really cost me any effort or trying. And but a few day ago to my surprise I noticed only 7 butts in the ashtray after a whole day, and could hardly believe my eyes. But that's even diminishing.

I got my sister interested in this vaping business at the same time I started as she also smoked. She made a little effort, forcing herself to take a few drags of e-liquid instead of a cigarette, and hasn't smoked for about 10 days at all now. She told me to just take some drags of vape whenever I feel the desire to smoke, but to smoke whenever I feel a stronger desire for that than for vaping. And that is what I've been doing.

I don't make any effort to quit smoking; I just light one up whenever I strongly feel the desire for it. But I've noticed that if I take a few drags of vape a little time before I would normally smoke -about once every hour- that postpones the craving for a cigarette. Without noticing any withdrawal symptoms I now most of the time vape instead of smoke. And I now often prefer to take a few drags of vape to lighting up an analogue.

I began smoking some 40 years ago, with a interruption once of 5 years, and later once for about 1/2 year. I've many times made an effort to quit, and felt guilty for failing. Even hating myself for the habit. The funny thing is that lately -before vaping- I didn't feel that guilty for it anymore. I identified less with being a smoker. But that's a spiritual matter.

Now I feel that I'll never get back to smoking only tobacco anymore. I don't know if I will continue to feel a preference for tobacco those times I still do now during the day, but in any case vaping makes me smoke less, I have the experience of that already. And I'm glad about that. Especially taking this into account:

"Smoking and cancer: What's in a cigarette?" (Note that nicotine is not on the list of cancer causing agents.)Smoking and cancer: What's in a cigarette? : Cancer Research UK PS:It's 5 pm my time now at this moment of writing. I got up at about 7 am this morning. I have 2 butts in the ashtray. A few hours ago I was puffing on that second cigarette, and halfway I put it out. I wanted a few drags of vapor...

 

[Dakota Jim]

Great job! You will find that very soon you will be disgusted by the taste of a cigarette (I cannot hardly stand to be near smokers now and I smoked 30+ cigarettes per day for 36 years -fake gagging, fake coughing, fake collapsing - oh what a hypocrite I turned out to be)

Welcome to the ECF

 

[DetraMental]

Thank you for sharing your story Lode. When I started vaping I too smoked cigarettes and noticed how I slowed down on smoking. Then once I ran out of cigarettes I never bought anymore and vaped only. It's been nearly a year, have about a week to go for my one year anniversary, and it's been the easiest transition I could imagine. There were time in the first 4-6 months that I'd have a really strong craving hit but I'd vape through it and it would pass. My health has improved tremendously and I couldn't be happier about that. I haven't had a cold at all in the year 2013 and that's unheard of for me, no bronchitis!? Wow. Vaping has its benefits for sure. Good luck to you and yours and Happy Vaping!

 

[Lode]

Thank you both. Even though I don't see any reason to be proud, as it's so easy this way. But glad I sure am.

My sister told me exactly the same thing: that I would not like the taste of a cigarette anymore once used to vaping.
When she told me that I though it would take away something I liked, and I didn't like that... but now I see that I got something I like more in its place. And it still tastes like smoking, as I'm experimenting with various tobacco flavours vaping. The Whole Tobacco Alkaloid (WTA) kind gives me the feeling I'm really smoking. But I'm slowly beginning to see how that can also become the case with non-WTA liquids.

I don't see myself vaping pinapple (or any non-tobacco flavour) yet, but who knows...

 

[AteOhAter]

Your story hits a soft spot with me. I quit smoking 3+ years ago almost the exact same way and under very similar circumstances. I wasn't trying to quit, but bought an e-cig out of curiosity. Like you, I didn't make any effort to quit, but found myself smoking less and less, and eventually I was finding only find a couple of butts in the ashtray the next morning. Without putting any pressure or expectations on myself, which I think is key, I decided to see how hard it would be to stop smoking altogether. It took just a little bit of will power, but it wasn't difficult. I allowed myself to 'cheat' on occasion, but within a couple of months, that stopped by itself.
It sounds like you're right at that exact same point and hopefully you'll also find the last step to be relatively painless.
Best wishes.

 

[Lode]

Thank you for your empathy and encouragement.

 

[markcheshire]

That's the way to do it. I started vaping the same way. But after a while my cigarettes started to taste like crap, so now all i do is vape.
Good luck and keep on going.

 

[Chimney34]

That's awesome! Just keep on the path you're on & pretty soon that ashtray will become useless!

 

[Lode]

Wow, it's 1:00 am, I'm already in bed (with my laptop) checking out this forum one more time before going to sleep, and what a nice surprise to see your responses. And there are 3 butts in the ashtray... can hardly believe it. Thank you.

 

[ImageX]

Until about a 10 days ago I used to smoke from 12 to 15 cigarettes a day. Marlboro Lights. Then I started vaping, and now I see no more than 5 cigarette butts in my ashtray the next morning before I empty it in the trash can. Less than 1/2 to 1/3 of what only so recently I still smoked.

I leave the butts in the ashtray overnight on purpose so I can see next morning that I really smoked much less the previous day than I did before I started vaping. I'm still surprised that it didn't really cost me any effort or trying. And but a few day ago to my surprise I noticed only 7 butts in the ashtray after a whole day, and could hardly believe my eyes. But that's even diminishing.

I got my sister interested in this vaping business at the same time I started as she also smoked. She made a little effort, forcing herself to take a few drags of e-liquid instead of a cigarette, and hasn't smoked for about 10 days at all now. She told me to just take some drags of vape whenever I feel the desire to smoke, but to smoke whenever I feel a stronger desire for that than for vaping. And that is what I've been doing.

I don't make any effort to quit smoking; I just light one up whenever I strongly feel the desire for it. But I've noticed that if I take a few drags of vape a little time before I would normally smoke -about once every hour- that postpones the craving for a cigarette. Without noticing any withdrawal symptoms I now most of the time vape instead of smoke. And I now often prefer to take a few drags of vape to lighting up an analogue.

I began smoking some 40 years ago, with a interruption once of 5 years, and later once for about 1/2 year. I've many times made an effort to quit, and felt guilty for failing. Even hating myself for the habit. The funny thing is that lately -before vaping- I didn't feel that guilty for it anymore. I identified less with being a smoker. But that's a spiritual matter.

Now I feel that I'll never get back to smoking only tobacco anymore. I don't know if I will continue to feel a preference for tobacco those times I still do now during the day, but in any case vaping makes me smoke less, I have the experience of that already. And I'm glad about that. Especially taking this into account:

"Smoking and cancer: What's in a cigarette?" (Note that nicotine is not on the list of cancer causing agents.)Smoking and cancer: What's in a cigarette? : Cancer Research UK PS:It's 5 pm my time now at this moment of writing. I got up at about 7 am this morning. I have 2 butts in the ashtray. A few hours ago I was puffing on that second cigarette, and halfway I put it out. I wanted a few drags of vapor...

What are you using for a mod/battery? I still smoked a little when I started with a cheap little Ego. The real difference for me was stepping up to a better mod like an MVP2. I quit smoking completely after 3 days with it. I smoked for 25 years. I have since bought even better equipment and I am even further away from analogs than I have ever been.

 

[Jman8]

I still do Marlboro Lights. Had 1.5 yesterday, and then maybe 1 about 4 days earlier. I strongly prefer vaping, and really could quit smoking now at any time, but do think the taste isn't as horrible as some vapers make it out to be.

I really really like being able to smoke moderately. A pack a month? C'mon, what could possibly be the problem with that?

To each their own.

Congrats to you Lode on your experiencing of cutting down without even trying.

 

[Lode]

What are you using for a mod/battery?

A white JoyTech 510 Mega push-button battery with a G5 510 Clearomizer.

A steel Ego-C Twist 650 mah battery with a steel Ego-C Mini Kit plus a set of Ego-C tanks A white.

A steel Ego-CC Clearomizer.

I'm only vaping WTA juices now after trying 5 Halo's and 2 other non-WTA juices. All tobacco flavors. The Halo's taste good, but I'm under the impression that WTA juices give me just a little more of the feeling I'm smoking. Might be just my imagination though.

For me now it's a non-flavored DIY WTA (it has no added flavor to it, but tastes all the more like tobacco cigarettes) which I vape straight without mixing, and 3 different tobacco flavored WTA's from Aroma Juice, plus the Whole.cig American Cigarette WTA.

So it's 5 total. I like all of them. In the end I might stick to just 2 or 3 of them for variation. Or just one...

I'm glad to know I'll never only smoke again, and that vaping is increasingly taking the place of smoking. If it continues this way, I'll be off that tobacco sometime soon it looks like...

Yesterday I smoked 2. Now at this moment of writing I've smoke one so far, and it's already 2:30 pm... I just vape when I feel the urge to smoke. Same effect; same feeling, same taste.

 

[Lode]

I still do Marlboro Lights. Had 1.5 yesterday, and then maybe 1 about 4 days earlier.

Congrats to you Lode on your experiencing of cutting down without even trying.

You too.

 

[Maytwin]

I was a packet a day smoker for many years, managed to halve that for another few years and in 2011 cut down again until November 2013 when I was getting by on 2 or 3 a day with the occasional vape as well. Anyway, having promised my OH I would give up the analogs entirely by the end of 2013, I had my last cigarette on 19 December and have gone over entirely to vaping since then. I have to say I do still miss lighting up first thing in the morning and with a coffee during the evening but am assured by a vaping friend that this will pass by the end of the month ! I do know though that I could never have done it without the e-cigs

 

[Daisey Moonshine]

Thanks for this post. It gives me the encouragement to keep trying. Mornings are hard for me too. I'm just going to vape every time I feel the need for a smoke until I don't smoke anymore.

 

[Lode]

The choice is easy:

"Before I light one up, I'll vape a bit. If after that I still feel the desire to smoke, I'll just smoke one."

But instead of lighting one up if I still don't feel satified, I just vape a few draws more. Then the craving for a cigarette is gone. To still light one up at that point would feel like smoking one after I just had one. And I never was nor am now a chain smoker.

 

[DaveP]

I still smoked a few after vaping. I felt like I needed one with coffee and one after each meal. I did that for a long time before quitting. One day I started vaping while I was smoking to compare. I decided that cigs tasted bad and vaping tasted good. Once that idea became embedded in my mind, I decided one day not to buy another pack of smokes. There was no withdrawal and no cravings. I could even sit next to my wife and vape while she smoked!

Hanging on to a few cigs isn't a problem while vaping. It's pretty common when you are starting to vape. You are the one who decides when you don't need them anymore. It will happen if you really want to quit. Think of the extra money you will have to spend on vaping hardware and supplies!