Nasty Cravings 6 Months later

[batman624]

So I just realized that I recently hit the 6 month mark without a single analog. I got a halo triton kit after not having luck with a cigalike. the day i got it in the mail was the last day i had a cigarette. I upgraded from the triton to a spinner 2/mini protank combo and got a bunch of other stuff since then. I'm very happy with the kanger emow kit for out and about, and at home, i have an MVP2 that does the trick. I got sick of buying inconsistent coils, so i started building my own and have had a lot of luck.

about three months after my last analog, i drank a sprite. it blew my mind. for the first time in YEARS, i could actually taste it and thats when i realized that i could smell things i couldnt smell and taste things i couldnt taste while i was smoking. i realized that all the clothes that i hadnt worn since i quit smelled awful and couldnt believe that's how i probably smelled to everyone else. also fun to note, i dont get winded just by walking up a set of stairs anymore. I dont know if its connected to not smoking or just having some kind of quarter-life crisis thing and making healthier choices, but i've also lost a fair amount of weight and weigh about the same as i did my freshman year of college about 8 years ago and thats kinda cool.

With all those wonderful things happening, I cant understand why the past week or so I have had THE WORST cravings for a cigarette. It could be that i'm sick of tinkering with things. analogs are easy. open the pack, take one out, light it up, good to go. You dont have to fill tanks and twist wires and charge batteries and all that jazz. I also think maybe its because of the change of seasons here. If I remember correctly, I think i may have started smoking sometime in the fall.

Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for some tips on avoiding the shameful walk into the gas station convenience store. Thanks for listening to my little rant.

 

[Rickajho]

Well I don't know how long you were smoking, but there is a lot of naivete out there regarding "I'll just vape for a couple few months and I'm done!" I still got a fit of "wanna cigarette" cravings that lasted about two weeks - after I had been off them for three years.

You just vape through it - that's all. Temporarily bump your nic level up even if it's a real problem. The cravings get weaker and the time span between craving fits gets larger over time. But after smoking for 30 years I know better than to never say never when it comes to staying an ex-smoker.

 

[Warpigs]

Like you said there is alot of positives from being a non-smoker. With that said can you think of more good things about smoking? That's what got me through those tough times. Because once you start smoking again and then want to quit again you have to go through all that withdrawl again. I myself had a very hard time quitting as I smoked 2-3 packs of Marlboro Reds a day and chewed 2-3 bags of Red man a week. My withdrawls were so bad sometimes I could not leave the house or I knew I was gonna buy a pack at the 1st place I could. So I sat there and vaped and started watching TV. The best thing to do when you get these strong urges is to distract yourself and get your mind on something else. Like I said TV, Game, Reading a book, Taking a walk and vaping as you are walking.

Once an addict always an addict. My mother has been off cig's for about 10 years. She still gets craving once in a while. It will get better my friend. But whatever you do, I would not buy a pack of smokes. Stick with the vaping, if you have to get a couple bottles of 36-38nic level to get you through the touch ones. Then so be it. I started out with 36-38nic level. I'm now down to 24. And I'm planning on going 1 more level down here in the next few months.

Take it day by day. Good luck!

 

[Moneyball]

You've lost weight, you can taste things, you aren't getting winded.... Think about the positive things that have already happened.

You just have to be strong.. maybe switch to a juice that has more of a throat hit when you have cravings. That's what I do and it helps me. Some people say they don't get cravings anymore but I do. Once you're a smoker, it's something you can crave for a very long time. I still get cravings every now and then... I quit for 2 years at one point and started back up. It is always easier to start back up than it is to quit, so don't put yourself through that again.

 

[joelmora89]

Just try to smoke one....see how that taste lol

 

[xxJollyRogerxx]

They taste super nasty now and I am not even a year into vaping! I did the same thing. I walked into a buddy's office and said "Man you smell like ****"

 

[Rickajho]

They taste super nasty now and I am not even a year into vaping! I did the same thing. I walked into a buddy's office and said "Man you smell like ****"

You got lucky too - for the majority of us smoking turns on you in short order for some unknown reason(s). Despite that having happened, you can still get cravings for smoking - even though you really don't want it. I knew it was going to taste gross so getting over/past the three year fit wasn't a problem. Still there was things "mental image" thing going on, that somehow a cigarette was going to taste good and was something I was really wanting. (Ick.)

Just be mindful. Sure, it would be wunnerful if none of us ever started smoking, so we never started vaping either. But going down that path of dropping nic levels too quickly and dumping all gear as soon as you think you are past a smoking addiction can have consequences - like smoking again. Been known to happen. Remember quitting smoking isn't as simple as just replacing nicotine with nicotine.

 

[Ryedan]

Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for some tips on avoiding the shameful walk into the gas station convenience store. Thanks for listening to my little rant.

It took me a bit over a year for the last of the real cigarette pangs to go away. At six months I was still having to vape through some and sometimes they were still nasty. I can now be around smokers and not have to worry about wanting one. I still like the smell of a burning cigarette, but it has no pull on me past that appreciation.

Give it time and hang in there, it will get better for you too

 

[Warpigs]

On my 1 year anny I light a cig up, took 1 hit and said to myself "that's what I was inhaling/tasteing for the last 30+ year?". Wow unbelievable how vaping is much more enjoyable than smoking those death sticks.

 

[djsvapour]

Mostly, I'm down on 6mg.

If I get a really nasty urge to smoke (very rare really) or feel my normal hardware isn't doing it, I take a walk upstairs to the attic room and have a few puffs of higher nicotine liquid (as in, up to 24mg!) or stick a Plume Veil (clone) on top of a Nemesis and hit the hard stuff.

Works for me. 12mg at 35 watts usually has me praying for mercy.

I've re-built it to 1.0ohm not 0.5ohms, as it was getting silly. 4.2 x 1.0 = 17 watts. Enough to out-power my normal mini Nautilus.

 

[Cool-breeze]

You're not alone. I've been vaping since November, and had maybe a pack from the first of the year till march with none since then and I've been having some cravings myself. What helps me is there is still half a pack in my home. Knowing "I can but I choose not too" helps me continue to choose not to. That and a lot of vaping. Using a dripper also helped me. Bigger coil, more power, denser vapor all that makes it more satisfying for me.

 

[Grimwald]

My worst period was after about 3 months when I could taste things again. I started missing the taste of tobacco and could not match that with vaping. It was hard to finally say goodbye to cigarettes after 40 years. Plus, you never know what will set off those cravings. I remember a piece of apple spice cake. I am not aware of any scientific, peer reviewed research that links apple spice cake with cigarette cravings, but I can assure you there is a link.

 

[batman624]

Thanks for the love, y'all! I managed to make it past that nastiness yesterday without the walk of shame, but will be snagging a few new juices for when that comes back. IIRC, halo's tourque 56 had a pretty harsh TH that might help get past that. I WAS planning on trying to lower my nic level soon, but it's too early for that. I might even grab something higher than my 18mg just in case.

I appreciate all the feedback and tips. Keep 'em coming, though. I'm sure other will go through similar frustrations.