New Quitter, new Vaper, and a Major Concern

[cloudshroud]

(Major Concern Down Below!)

Hi. I quit smoking cold turkey 2 years ago. I stayed "clean" for a year. It was miserable - and as cray as it sounds, the only way I kept "off" the regular cigarettes was reading what I called "e-cig" porn. I lurked in these forums, read about all the juices and whatever, and for some reason that (combined with about 400 pounds of sunflower seeds and a very understanding wife) I finally go to a point where every moment wasn't one of panic.

Then, some very heavy stuff happened with my family - and I crawled right back into the loving talons of Malboro Menthol Lights.

Now, (6 months later) I'm giving it a go again - this time with e-cigs.

So, I ordered a starter kit from Smokeless Image (the volt) with a few batteries. I ordered some juice (3 menthols and a sampler pack) from Johnson Creek.

3 days into the journey - and I am vaping like crazy. Part of it is the idea that I can "smoke" inside - but I imagine that part is this body panic over not giving into the "ritual." I'd find any reason to "go outside" and suck down as many cigarettes as I could. Even so, I averaged a pack a day.

NOW FOR THE MAJOR CONCERN:

So, my concern. I am sucking on this KR808d (is that right?) CONSTANTLY. I'm sleeping fine, and don't have nearly the "lost zombie" feeling I did when sleeping cold turkey - but how do I "ritualize" vaping?

Do you guys find yourself just sucking on this thing all day (because you can, because it's not enough nicotine, because it's fun(!!!)) or is there some way to moderate and find a closer analogue to analogs?

Thanks!

 

[dotma]

Cloudshroud, I am a newbie too, started e cigs about a month ago and i was kind of wondering the same thing. I work at home, at my computer, and I too find that i am sucking on these all day long -- but I did so with cigarettes too. Its tough!

 

[judybr]

Welcome Cloud,
You story sounds so familiar!!
I think lot of us vape all the time just because we can!!!
There could also be an issue of too low of nic since you didn't say what level you're using.
In time you will level out; when you are ready to. For now, just enjoy the ride and the new adventure with this easier way to quit smoking without so much suffering.
I would guess that most people average at 24 on nic, some higher, some lower initially.
I did 36 then cut back to 24 and some lower as I mix some of mine down depending on where I bought it from, flavor, etc.
Good luck with your new adventure!!

Judy

 

[Tracey1]

One of the many great thing about "e-smoking" is that you can do it however you want to do it. I've read stories from others here that will pick it up and vape for 10 or 15 minutes every hour or so. Others use it constantly. Whatever works best for you. That's what it's all about.

 

[mgordon1100]

When I first started vaping, I didn't know how long I should do it. I picked up the Njoy cig at the store. Eventually, I just figured my body told me when to stop. Just like when I couldn't smoke more cigarette because it was just too much. Then I bought liquid to re-fill the carto. I found with all that liquid surplus, I was vaping even more. Learning how to blow smoke rings for the first time in 30 years of smoking. Not caring about wasting it because there was more in the bottle. That's now subsided and I just vape like I'm smoking a cigarette. It's hard to not chain, because the flavors are so good compared to real cigs. But, I find a way to put it down.

 

[madjack]

...whatever works is the best answer...I started at 12mg and it wasn;t enough to dent my 3ppd habit...went to 24mg and I could vape and set it aside, coming back later and vaping again...BUT, I found I like vaping and went down in nic level, I now vape 16mg and vape pretty constantly, about 5ml/day...one thing is, I don't vape like I smoked, when I smoked, it was puff-puff-puff until finished...15min later, the same(I was a 3ppd smoker), now I take a vape or 3 and 5min later do the same...all day long...and that is just how I do it...................
madjack

 

[Roach]

Don't leave your e-cig sitting out next to you. Try putting it in a box out of reach so you are making a very conscious decision each time you want to vape. Maybe even put the carto and battery in a cigarette package if you really want the analogue feeling. Remove the cart each time and attach it when you want to "smoke." Make it a little procedure like lighting a cigarette. Go outside. Pour a glass of water to go with your vape session and stop when the glass is empty. I understand the need for a little ritual because I rolled my own cigs. I kinda miss rolling more than smoking.

A higher nicotine level might be better for the occasional vaper but if you find yourself chain vaping you can easily overdo it with a high level.

or don't worry about it and just vape away.

 

[dormouse]

You can get higher nic (if SI's highest is 1.8% = 18mg, you can get 24mg elsewhere if you want - I recommend thin clear juices, 20% or less VG though those SI cartos might handle 30% without getting bogged down. Any juice that drops a lot of flavoring sediment in the carto stuffing will clog the carto. Of course if you are happy on 18 stick with 18. If you got 24 and vaped it as much as you are vaping 18 you could get over-nicced symptoms like headache, rapid or irregular heartbeat, hazy or blah feeling.

Re rituals - when I smoked it was in one room of the house. I now leave my ecigs there so I have to get off my .... and go vape. My Kindle is there too - I can read a few pages and vape. If I left the ecigs next to me I would vape constantly so the only time I do that is when I may be stuck away from that room for more than 20 minutes. It's still not exactly the same - sometimes you just want a few drags, sometimes you want 2-cigs worth of drags, but it works for me.

 

[stephen1979]

I don't think my ritual has changed that much since going on e-cigs. I think I just replaced the act of taking out a cigarette out of a pack and lighting up with putting a few drops of liquid in my drip tip and starting to vape. It's nice not having to go outside during the winter, but will still do it for the social aspect. I don't use it while I am working, even if it is technically "legal" to do so. I have a feeling that it wouldn't be looked at so favorably by my employer.

 

[Boodle]

(Major Concern Down Below!) I am sucking on this KR808d (is that right?) CONSTANTLY. I'm sleeping fine, and don't have nearly the "lost zombie" feeling I did when sleeping cold turkey - but how do I "ritualize" vaping?

Do you guys find yourself just sucking on this thing all day (because you can, because it's not enough nicotine, because it's fun(!!!)) or is there some way to moderate and find a closer analogue to analogs?

Thanks!

Listen to your body. It'll tell you if you get too much nic. Drink LOTs of water. That vapor coming out of your mouth is your water supply going up in... vapor. The water can't be overstate. It's the only thing I'm aware of that could be potentially dangerous. The cure is a glass or two of water

The flavors taste better than cigarettes, we can vape inside and in the car... so we do. The nic delivery is different with vaping than cigarettes. The tar that carries the nicotine and sticks to your lungs to give you an hour or so satisfaction in a cigarette isn't present with an ecig. I vape much more than I smoked too as do most vapers. Relax, you've done your homework and you're doing fabulous. You'll slow down a bit after a month or so (maybe). Congrats to you!

 

[justinjj1280]

I'm a new member, too. This is one of the main problems I've encountered. Instead of substituting vapes for analogs, I find myself just vaping indoors all day long but still going outside for analogs at about the same rate as before. Also, after I vape, I usually immediately want an analog. Agh, they're not the same thing! I so badly want them to be, but they're not. That's kinda why I'm here. I desperately want this to work. Best of luck to ya.

 

[Jeremy-WI]

I'm a new member, too. This is one of the main problems I've encountered. Instead of substituting vapes for analogs, I find myself just vaping indoors all day long but still going outside for analogs at about the same rate as before. Also, after I vape, I usually immediately want an analog. Agh, they're not the same thing! I so badly want them to be, but they're not. That's kinda why I'm here. I desperately want this to work. Best of luck to ya.

Sounds like you might need some more nic in your juice, I bought 24 strength liquids when I started vaping and I loved it. I just believed that I was doing the right thing by vaping- I never intended to totally quit smoking but that is what happened. If you find a flavor that is great for you(and with enough nic) it should be easier. I haven't even touched a cig in about 5 weeks and have vaped for 6 1/2 weeks. How is the throat hit on your vapes? It might be what you miss about the analogs

 

[jibblet]

I picked up some good advice in this thread, recently started vaping too. GL with it OP!!

Have been wondering around with my PV in my pocket and started being worried that I am consuming a lot more nicotine than I ever was smoking. I like the suggestion of not keeping the PV on you at all times and having a specific place to go vape.

One way to look at it if you are worried about consuming more nicotine than before, is to think about what you are giving up. From what little reading I have done so far, nicotine is not a severe health risk, so even if you are taking in twice as much, you are cutting out a huge amount of filth in exchange.

 

[cloudshroud]

Great suggestions. I always chain-smoked while on the phone, and so don't mind chain vaping then - (I even ordered a low-level juice that I hope to use while on the phone.)

I actually really like screwing in the battery and assembling the little two-piece.

I feel like a smoking sniper!

Maybe I'd like a three--piece better, and the disassembly seems fun.

I got a little rechargeable battery pack when I got my starter kit, but it's super geeky and tron-like.

Can anyone recommend a cigarette-box like package or e-cig holder that holds the pieces separately? Like cartos go here, batteries here?

Thanks!

Don't leave your e-cig sitting out next to you. Try putting it in a box out of reach so you are making a very conscious decision each time you want to vape. Maybe even put the carto and battery in a cigarette package if you really want the analogue feeling. Remove the cart each time and attach it when you want to "smoke." Make it a little procedure like lighting a cigarette. Go outside. Pour a glass of water to go with your vape session and stop when the glass is empty. I understand the need for a little ritual because I rolled my own cigs. I kinda miss rolling more than smoking.

 

[cloudshroud]

I've got the 24mg to start, and also a package of 18. The juice I ordered is mostly 18 with a lower level for times I know I'll be chain-vaping.

I might just use the "have to go outside" rule, and make it a pain in the .... to vape for myself! Thanks!

 

[cloudshroud]

I don't think my ritual has changed that much since going on e-cigs. I think I just replaced the act of taking out a cigarette out of a pack and lighting up with putting a few drops of liquid in my drip tip and starting to vape. It's nice not having to go outside during the winter, but will still do it for the social aspect. I don't use it while I am working, even if it is technically "legal" to do so. I have a feeling that it wouldn't be looked at so favorably by my employer.

I'm a writer, and so often at the computer all day. So the temptation is great to just use the USB thing and vape vape vape! It's weird, though, because I feel like I'm "smoking electricity."

 

[cloudshroud]

The tar that carries the nicotine and sticks to your lungs to give you an hour or so satisfaction in a cigarette isn't present with an ecig. I vape much more than I smoked too as do most vapers. Relax, you've done your homework and you're doing fabulous. You'll slow down a bit after a month or so (maybe). Congrats to you!

Ah, the TAR - that's brilliant. Cigarettes really are magical little devils!

I'm not going to stress too much now - but as we all know BAD HABITS are hard to break, so I'd like to get my relationship with vaping off to a healthy start.

But I can also see it as we've just started dating, and just can't keep our hands off each other!

Pretty soon we'll be sitting on the couch, watching bad TV, and arguing over who forgot to charge who.

 

[cloudshroud]

I'm a new member, too. This is one of the main problems I've encountered. Instead of substituting vapes for analogs, I find myself just vaping indoors all day long but still going outside for analogs at about the same rate as before. Also, after I vape, I usually immediately want an analog. Agh, they're not the same thing! I so badly want them to be, but they're not. That's kinda why I'm here. I desperately want this to work. Best of luck to ya.

Have you ever quit smoking for any significant time before? If not, part of what you're feeling is this kind of terror - you know, that feeling that you get when you open a fresh pack of cigarettes in the woods on a glorious fall day and realize that you haven't got any matches.

It's the devil riding ya'!

Because I quit CT once before, I think I'm kind of psychologically steeled to the panic and temptation.

I've found that the USB passthrough thing is somehow psychologically helpful. I keep worrying that my batteries are going to die, and I don't know exactly when a "carto" is empty.

So what I suggest (what's been helping me anyway) is plugging in - SMOKE THE CARTO DRY. Puff puff puff. It's not going anywhere, see?

In other words, I think you're experiencing a new type of anxiety (new device, new way of "smoking") and the old signs and symbols (the physical burning of the cigarette, the number of cigs in a box, the number of matches in a match book) don't apply.

SO, do whatever it takes to make yourself NOT WORRY about running out, even if it means vaping yourself silly.

Until we learn the new roadmap, the new indicators, the new signs and symbols, we're dealing with a kind of double-anxiety.

 

[Suncruiser]

Great suggestions. I always chain-smoked while on the phone, and so don't mind chain vaping then - (I even ordered a low-level juice that I hope to use while on the phone.)

I actually really like screwing in the battery and assembling the little two-piece.

I feel like a smoking sniper!

Maybe I'd like a three--piece better, and the disassembly seems fun.

I got a little rechargeable battery pack when I got my starter kit, but it's super geeky and tron-like.

Can anyone recommend a cigarette-box like package or e-cig holder that holds the pieces separately? Like cartos go here, batteries here?

Thanks!

Yes! The case I have is exactly like that - holds 2 batteries and 4 cartos - got it from Vapor 4 Life....I love it!

 

[cloudshroud]

I picked up some good advice in this thread, recently started vaping too. GL with it OP!!

Have been wondering around with my PV in my pocket and started being worried that I am consuming a lot more nicotine than I ever was smoking. I like the suggestion of not keeping the PV on you at all times and having a specific place to go vape.

One way to look at it if you are worried about consuming more nicotine than before, is to think about what you are giving up. From what little reading I have done so far, nicotine is not a severe health risk, so even if you are taking in twice as much, you are cutting out a huge amount of filth in exchange.

Very good point. I've been so instilled with this Purticanical fear of "smoking" that a part of me is convinced that I'm really just doing the same thing - carryover guilt.

Gotta get over that!