Newbie looking for advice/experiences with quitting analogues

[Roni_M]

I'm brand new and have ordered my equipment and am just waiting for it to arrive to get started (should be here Monday or Tuesday). I ordered this joyetech ego twist starter kit (https://www.canvape.com/product-p/ultwistkit.htm) for use at home and the eroll starter kit for when I'm out. I also ordered various flavors of liquids (menthol, spearmint, coffee, French vanilla & black cherry) in 24mg. Currently I'm a 1 - 1.5 PAD smoker (Export A Reg) and still love smoking (no smoker cough or any "noticeable" health problems from smoking). I started when I was 13 (it was the 80's and all the cool kids smoked LOL) and I'm 40 now... so 27 years (crazy isn't it!). So since I know absolutely nothing, I would love advise, tips or just to have you share your quitting experience (how long it took, side effects... all that fun stuff). Also would love any warnings to prevent me from "vaping wrong". I really want this to work and be easy! Thanks in advance!!

 

[ingerri]

I started with the gas station disposable and used that till my kit came in. finished what stinkies I had left while waiting, never looked back

 

[Starrlamia]

Im one of those rare people who had a hard time switching and still smoke the occasional cigarette. If you don't just quit the stinkies right away don't worry about it. Ease into it if you need too. What I did to start was when I had a craving Id pick up my ecig and use that as much as I could to ease the cravings, if I was still craving a smoke, Id smoke it and not worry about it. But I did drop down from a pack a day to 5 stinkies in the first few days. I continued this for a few weeks and then when I felt ready set a quit date and went with it.

Good luck! And remember that every stinky you don't smoke is a good thing.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Some of the constituents of eliquid can contribute to dehydration. A lot of people up their water intake after taking up vaping.

 

[BWhare]

Even though you may feel the need to have a smoke, it is highly recommended that you put your cigarettes in some inconvenient place so you actually have to make an effort to use them. That will give you the time to think about your choices....

Some folk manage to switch without effort but it doesn't always work that way. Don't beat yourself up for the times you may end up smoking, pat yourself on the back for all the times you don't.

 

[fourtytwo]

One thing I learned very fast is that vaping is a much more even delivery system for nicotine.
With smoking, you go and smoke it puff after puff until you are finished. You then go back to whatever until you need another smoke.
Vaping can be done in more places so I found I might take a puff or two and put my device down. I end up taking far more vaping sessions but each is far shorter.

Also, you may find 24mg may be a bit strong. I was a pack a day myself and find 12mg is about right for me. 24mg may be right for you but don't be afraid to move down. If the 24mg is too strong, you can always order 0 nicotine of the same juice and mix to dilute it.

 

[Esharp]

I have to agree with the other posters here. Don't beat yourself up because you have a cigarette. When I started to vape, I still smoked the first week (15 cigs in total). Every time I had the urge I just started vaping. When I went to work, I left the cigarettes at home, so at work I had no choice. I vaped flavors I liked and enjoyed, and with every passing cigarette, the cigarettes tasted worse and worse. By the end of the week, I was done with cigarettes, and it's almost 6 months for me and smoked for 40 years. I know people who do both, and by doing so have cut their cigarette intake by half, and that's ok too. For every cigarette you don't have is a victory in my opinion.

Congrats to you Roni_M, you've already won!, by making a move to vaping. The transition is easier than you think. Welcome aboard.

 

[kariM]

I'm brand new and have ordered my equipment and am just waiting for it to arrive to get started (should be here Monday or Tuesday). I ordered this Joyetech ego twist starter kit (https://www.canvape.com/product-p/ultwistkit.htm) for use at home and the eroll starter kit for when I'm out. I also ordered various flavors of liquids (menthol, spearmint, coffee, French vanilla & black cherry) in 24mg. Currently I'm a 1 - 1.5 PAD smoker (Export A Reg) and still love smoking (no smoker cough or any "noticeable" health problems from smoking). I started when I was 13 (it was the 80's and all the cool kids smoked LOL) and I'm 40 now... so 27 years (crazy isn't it!). So since I know absolutely nothing, I would love advise, tips or just to have you share your quitting experience (how long it took, side effects... all that fun stuff). Also would love any warnings to prevent me from "vaping wrong". I really want this to work and be easy! Thanks in advance!!

Welcome Roni, I think you have chosen a great starter kit. I started with a cig-like and even with that I was able to get down to 1 cig a day. Once I got my eGo Twists and some stronger juice I actually didn't even have that one the day my kit arrived. The amazing part is that I was not planning to quit smoking. I only started vaping to see if it would help me cut down.

However, I found real fast that the cigarettes did not taste near as good as the vaping. Started to question why I was even smoking them. So I ended up quitting after 46 years of smoking over a PAD (you are right it is crazy)

Only additional advice I have is to read up on how to inhale. Some (not all) do have some trouble with the inhale. I actually found that 18mg juice (80pg/20vg) that I started with hit my throat real hard. I figured that the nic was too strong - so when I ordered more juice I lowered it to 15mg and higher vg. I am actually now going between 12 and 10mg and 40pg/60vg or 50/50.

By the time the juice order arrived - I was actually getting used to it and it was not bothering me as much. However, I have continued to lower my nic - not really planning to go to 0 - but then I wasn't planning to quit smoking either

Here is a link to a thread on inhaling

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337017-inhalation-technique-e-cigarette.html

Good luck and I hope you end up loving it as much as so many here do

 

[Roni_M]

Thanks guys! I should also mention that as I approached my 39th birthday last year I decided I needed to make some improvements to my health. First off was getting my weight under control. So I lost all my excess insulation in about 14 months, so now I'm at a very healthy weight. Through that process everyone (doctor, my mother, some friends) was nagging me about how if I wanted to be "healthy" I had to give up the smokes too. My response was always "one thing at a time". So now I guess the time has come. I'm a little worried about putting on weight but am pretty good at calorie counting so hopefully that won't be a problem. I'm hoping that in a few months they only thing they'll have to nag me about is "vaping" and I can tell them to bite me! LOL

Some great advise here.

Interesting about the dehydration. I already get a good 2L of water a day and it won't bother me to increase it if needed.

I really have no idea about the nic in juices, I went strong thinking it was a good place to start. I'll get some low nic or 0 nic juice so I can cut it down if I find it too strong. I imagine that will be trial and error for a while.

One good thing, although both my husband and I are smokers, we don't smoke in the house. So the hassle of going out to the porch for a smoke will make me grab the ecig first (at least that's what I'm hoping for!).

I think my strategy will be to use one of those quit smoking apps that tells you when to smoke (I'm such a type A personality! LOL) and vape in between. Then I will have a quit date set and a schedule (but if it doesn't appear to be working I'll have to re-evaluate). A review I read said to switch to a crappy brand of smokes when you start vaping. Apparently the taste will start to bother you faster if you switch brands. I'm thinking this might be good for a die hard smoking fan like me. =)

 

[Roni_M]

Welcome Roni, I think you have chosen a great starter kit. I started with a cig-like and even with that I was able to get down to 1 cig a day. Once I got my eGo Twists and some stronger juice I actually didn't even have that one the day my kit arrived. The amazing part is that I was not planning to quit smoking. I only started vaping to see if it would help me cut down.

However, I found real fast that the cigarettes did not taste near as good as the vaping. Started to question why I was even smoking them. So I ended up quitting after 46 years of smoking over a PAD (you are right it is crazy)

Only additional advice I have is to read up on how to inhale. Some (not all) do have some trouble with the inhale. I actually found that 18mg juice (80pg/20vg) that I started with hit my throat real hard. I figured that the nic was too strong - so when I ordered more juice I lowered it to 15mg and higher vg. I am actually now going between 12 and 10mg and 40pg/60vg or 50/50.

By the time the juice order arrived - I was actually getting used to it and it was not bothering me as much. However, I have continued to lower my nic - not really planning to go to 0 - but then I wasn't planning to quit smoking either

Here is a link to a thread on inhaling

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337017-inhalation-technique-e-cigarette.html

Good luck and I hope you end up loving it as much as so many here do

Thanks! I got some great help and advise from another member who was kind enough to let me pester him with tons of questions. He helped with hardware advise and suggested I try the 50/50 mix to start with and then make tweaks from there. I have read that thread, but it wouldn't hurt to re-read it! From a newbie's standpoint there is a lot of information to take in. I don't even know if I'll be able to assemble my kit when it arrives since I don't know what half the pieces are for! LOL

Export A Reg (my brand) are pretty much the strongest things on the market and a lot of heavy smokers find them too strong (which is good cause no one wants me to share! LOL). Locally most people call them "prison smokes" and are pretty surprised to see a woman smoking them. So that's why I went with a stronger nic content... I think I may need "harsh" to start off but I'm really just guessing! LOL

 

[kariM]

Thanks! I got some great help and advise from another member who was kind enough to let me pester him with tons of questions. He helped with hardware advise and suggested I try the 50/50 mix to start with and then make tweaks from there. I have read that thread, but it wouldn't hurt to re-read it! From a newbie's standpoint there is a lot of information to take in. I don't even know if I'll be able to assemble my kit when it arrives since I don't know what half the pieces are for! LOL

Sounds like you are well on your way - now all you need is the kit It really is not hard to use and whenever in doubt there are a lot of great YouTube videos that can show you how to deal with almost anything.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

I think my strategy will be to use one of those quit smoking apps that tells you when to smoke (I'm such a type A personality! LOL) and vape in between. Then I will have a quit date set and a schedule (but if it doesn't appear to be working I'll have to re-evaluate). A review I read said to switch to a crappy brand of smokes when you start vaping. Apparently the taste will start to bother you faster if you switch brands. I'm thinking this might be good for a die hard smoking fan like me. =)

Maybe you'll surprise yourself and won't want a cigarette. You may not need additional water.

 

[Lilkurty]

Welcome Roni!
This forum is awesome. If you have ANY questions just ask, ppl are super friendly and helpful. As has been said, don't beat yourself up if you don't get the hang of it right away. I agree, you are starting with an excellent choice of equipment etc. I got into vaping almost 2 months ago with no expectations. I hadn't planned on quitting. But lo and behold here I am! Had a couple of analogs and they were horrible! I am still getting used to the nic as well and I am at 36 mg! However everyone is different and this works for me at the moment. I don't get headaches, nausea or dizziness AND my blood pressure is way down (Doc loves that and supports my choice) and my husband told me my complexion looks better. tee here
As for the weight, first off congrats on achieving your goal...second, I think ppl gain when they quit and replace with food. We are substituting a less harmful (like by about 99%) method. My weight has stayed the same.
I'm excited for you!

 

[BWhare]

People gain weight because they substitute food for their cigarettes. You are in a prime position to substitute whatever cravings you may have with vaping alternatives. You can have your cake "vaped" without eating it too. A lot of folk have noticed that their cravings for sweets are satisfied by vaping appropriate liquids.

I can't taste anything so I can't offer an opinion on that part (well, I can taste what is "really bad" but most things are kinda iffy at best - but not as bad as burnt filters).

 

[Light Seeker]

Good kit, lots of different options to try, you will probably find you like some delivery methods over others.

Quitting smoking is up to the user. My wife immediately quit, been vaping for 6 months now with no desire for a cigarette. I still unfortunately smoke a few analogues a day, particularly in the morning. One thing that's helped is I threw all my lighters away, & keep my pack in the upstairs bedroom. Since I've never smoked inside (but we do vape), I now have to go upstairs, grab my pack, down to the kitchen stove to lite it, then out to the garage .... quite the hassle for someone as lazy as me

Also, primarily because my wife cant stand the smell anymore, quit smoking in the car - where I used to chain smoke. And actually hasn't been hard at all switching to vaping instead of smoking ..... just those mornings which I'm working on! Good Luck!!!

 

[astounded]

If you don't end up going to zero cigs right away (and if you do good for you!):

I have found it helpful to make little behaviour changes so any cigarettes I do smoke are not linked with things I do while having the cigarette (like with coffee or checking my email) or immediately before/after (like after a meal, right before bed) ... even little changes help break the association.

Good luck & congratulations on the changes you are making!

 

[fourtytwo]

If you don't end up going to zero cigs right away (and if you do good for you!):

I have found it helpful to make little behaviour changes so any cigarettes I do smoke are not linked with things I do while having the cigarette (like with coffee or checking my email) or immediately before/after (like after a meal, right before bed) ... even little changes help break the association.

Good luck & congratulations on the changes you are making!

That is a very good point. When I quit smoking, I made an effort to go to a different gas station. That one station was where I bought my cigs about 90% of the time.
It was so closely associated with smoking to me that I could not gas up without thinking about buying a couple packs.

 

[Hello World]

Rey Roni ... welcome to the board.

They sure give you a lot of clearomizers with that kit. It's a good starting point.

A lot of good advices on this thread. If I were to add anything ... become knowledgeable and be prepared. Ask lots of questions. Some of the Clearos which are part of your kit need maintenance, some coil replacements, some rebuilds as these will conk at some point.

Also make sure you have enough juice on hand so you don't run out at the last minute. 10ml on average gives you between 1.5 to 3 days. 100mls is what I consider to be minimum stock. 24mg nicotine is a good starting point when you quit smoking, but can also have undesirable effects should that end up being a bit too much, and so for that reason stay in contact with someone and/or this forum to assist you troubleshooting such issues.

And still, a back-up plan in the event the unit fails (damaged or lost) so you don't end up back on cigarettes again. Your Kit is pretty solid as far as that is concerned as you have duplicates in various forms. Nonetheless, locate a vendor you can turn to on a dime for immediate support.

I think my strategy will be to use one of those quit smoking apps that tells you when to smoke (I'm such a type A personality! LOL) and vape in between.

I would suggest not adding more complexities, variables or difficulties as you already have your hands full migrating over into e-cigs. Make e-cigs your crutch, and first base won't be too far off.

 

[Roni_M]

Awesome tips!!

One of my challenges with quitting and food is the hand to mouth aspect. I find myself touching my lips (weird I know) prior to lighting up. When I looked at how best for me to quit, I knew I had to replace that aspect of it or I'd start munching or chewing my nails or something. Luckily I sent all my plus sized clothes to charity so any changes in girth will be noticed very quickly! LOL

The next biggest challenge for me, is that my brand of smokes will continue to be in the house because hubby and I smoke the same brand. So they will always be available. The good thing is with us "Type A" people, if we make a plan we stick to it (I'm not going to call it will power because that sounds too positive, and it's more of a negative quality like a stubborn pigheadedness). That is how I got the extra weight off... stubborn refusal to go off my "plan" (although I did make sure before hand that the plan was do-able and included planned out "cheat days" and allowed for special occasions). I haven't quite figured out my "plan" for quitting. I'm going to wait until I have tried vaping for a few days to see how it effects my tabacco use. I'm sure my plan will include "cheats" but I really need the structure of a plan. I can easily say " 2 hours before I can have a smoke" and stick to it if I have something to take the edge off. Of course I hope vaping is so satisfying for me that I just make the transition automatically as some of you have done (incredible!)

I agree that the kit has a lot of clearomizers.... I wasn't sure why but another member said that it gives you lots to try so you can decide what you like. I guess having many parts to try is better for me than ordering individual pieces and not liking them. As a newbie, I bad experience could turn you off of the whole thing. I also have an eroll kit coming so I can use that as a backup for my backup LOL I got some great assistance with hardware selection from one of the seasoned members. He made recommendations, listed the pros and cons of each and provided a lot of information. The members on here are amazing!

I have 110ml of liquid coming in various flavors. 60ml is in menthol which I was told was a pretty safe bet for most and can also be added to most other flavors (I don't mind menthol smokes so hopefully I'll like it). I'll re-order once I have a chance to try some of the other flavors, see how much I'm using and how the 24mg is working for me. I think having a 30 day supply will be in my comfort zone. Do the juices have a shelf life?

Thanks so much for your responses, it's really helpful to have different points of view.

 

[pothole]

Hi Roni, and welcome to the best information forum on the net. As has been said everyone has different experiences when they start vaping, so I'll just give you my 2 cents.

I smoked 2 packs of stinkies ( great name as you will soon hate the smell of real tobacco smoke and be able to smell someone who has been smoking a mile away ) for 40 yrs. I then needed bypass surgery on my leg and decided at the behest of the surgeon, to quit the cigs. I tried everything including champix ( I have serious issues with that particular mind control drug ). I then heard of ecigs in a poker forum I am a member of, I googled of course to find out all I could and found ECF.
I ordered a starter kit and have never looked back, all it took was one draw on my ecig and stinkies were done. I haven't had a stinker in 4 yrs now, I still crave the nic but a couple of puffs on the ecig and It's gone.

The first thing I noticed when I started was the amount of goo I coughed up, that lasted a couple of weeks then stopped, it has not returned so I believe it was my airways expelling what was there from smoking.
My sense of smell and taste returned and it was like I had gone to heaven, I love cooking and I could taste individual herbs in what I was making again.
My appetite returned and I was eating more than I had been in a long time, I did not however gain weight because I had so much more energy and did not get 'winded' when walking or doing anything strenuous and last for hours ( my woman is very happy, lol ).
I didn't experience dry mouth as many do but like you I do drink lots of fluid normally. I never get headaches or nausea and have had no negative side effects from vaping.
One piece of advice I will give, many juice flavours do not taste anything like their description, so to start I would buy small amounts of different kinds till I found one I really like then stick with it.
Also make sure you have plenty of spare parts so if your ecig goes kaput, your not tempted to have a cig while waiting foe the mail.
You will find you have more energy so find something burn it off or the weight will follow.
Ignore the naggers and do it for yourself, not because someone wants you to.

In closing, I went to see my surgeon for a 2 yr check up, and all the tests were great, I told him I had quit smoking and he asked my how I had managed it after 40 yrs, I pulled my ecig out my pocket in the hospital and took a couple of puffs, the cheeky bugger asked me where can he get one as he is trying to quit. I told him of course, and about ECF and am pleased to report he has now quit too and told me many of the nurses followed his lead and have quit too.

I hope vaping works for you and your hubby and will follow this thread with interest.