Newbie Questions - Making the Transition

[JudgeSandman]

Hello Everyone,

I've recently started (as in today) to vape exclusively and am hoping I can stay strong and avoid analogs.

Despite taking rather large drags off my 510, with 18mg juice and I'm still crave something (may something other than nicotine?) in the analog cigarettes.

Any advice? How long does it usually take to overcome this? I am very determined to quit and make the switch. Has anyone else had this problem?

Any and all advice and experiences are helpful.

Thanks!

 

[Stu]

I had the same problem. You have to consider how much other stuff is in cigarettes. I think that the nicotine was really only part of what I was addicted to in cigarettes.

I got through it my vaping like crazy. It took me about two weeks until that passed. Then it was surprisingly easy.

Good luck and welcome to ECF!!

 

[banjo]

It is going to be different for each of us. I smoked heavily for over 55 years and quit the day I began vaping, and the transition was very easy for me. I did, for about a month, keep a pack of analogs handy - just in case. But I threw them out about a month ago, and haven't missed having them around. At any rate, thanks for posting, and good luck!

 

[Ms.Cruzer]

I'm having the same problem right now but decided not to beat myself up about it. I'm using pre-filled carto's with some GREAT sounding juice on order that shipped today. I think once I have flavors I like better, I may make the transition smoother. Although I'd hoped to just put them down, I'm one that couldn't do it that way. If there's one thing I know about myself is to do things on my own timing rather than what's expected of me.

Yesterday, I had 4 analogs all day and today, only 1 so far. That may not be as stellar as some reports here but it's awesome for me and that's all that matters right now. I think what you're feeling/sensing is pretty normal....it's the MAOI thing in cigs maybe??

 

[malyden]

Just remember everyone is different. Like others have said some people are able to quite the first day and then there are those like myself who have a more difficult time of it. The hardest part is figuring out what works for you. You will get there it just may take you a little bit longer than you thought! Best of Luck!

 

[grandmato5]

What you're experiencing is pretty common. I'm one of those people that defines my switch to only vaping as amazingly easy BUT that doesn't mean that I still didn't experience WANTING a cigarette much more often than the few times I gave into the urge my first 8 days. I was just really lucky that I was able to overcome most of those urges that kept popping up by chain vaping and putting off that analog for a "few more minutes" and when I did give in I REALLY didn't like the taste of the analog so I could put it out before I'd even finished it and remind myself the next time I felt the urge that i really wanted one that I didn't any longer like the taste.

Its ok to have a few analogs while you're working your way to vaping only. Dont' concentrate on the ones you have but the ones you DON'T have. You might need a stronger nic level to get you through your first few weeks. Different flavors of juice can help too.

Keep experimenting with what works for you and keep trying and you've got a really good chance that it will work for you as long as you keep trying and don't give up before you've given it a REALLY good try!

 

[silkakc]

Judge,

If I was you, I'd order several strengths and flavors to experiment with. I had urges my first two days but when I raised my nicotine level and vaped more, the urges stopped on their own. Like a miracle I might add! I've had zero urges now for 2 weeks and the rotten cigs are in my house (hubby smokes).

Finding a flavor you LOVE makes a world of difference too because real cigs taste like garbage. I started with 5 flavors and liked 4 and LOVED one. Ordered 5 more flavors this week and found one more that makes me smile so now I have 2 that make vaping so enjoyable .

Persevere and find the Nicotine strength that quells the beast and find a flavor that makes you smile. It will be an easy journey then for you

Good luck to you Sir,
Lori

P.S. Also, there are many folks here that had to start with 24 mg strength or 36 mg strength to conquer the analogs. So keep that in mind.

 

[vapspaz]

Yep! Just like everyone else I too had a strange withdrawal from something other than the nic found in analogs. It was a very strange feeling because I KNOW what a nic withdrawal feels like after many failed attempts to quit over the years and what ever I was "missing" did seem to fade after about a week. When I started vapping I stepped down to 4 smokes / day (from over 1 ppd for 25 years) on day one and kept myself there for about a week then "let" myself give in for 1 a day until I finally said F@#$ it... I'm done. I'm just over a month now and only once in a great while do I even think about analogs. This e-cig thing is the sh$t ! I can honestly say that I am NEVER going to smoke analogs again.

Get yourself a couple LR atty's to use on your 510. That's what I had to do to get that "hit" I was looking for and now I only use the LR occasionally when that urge hits for a good hit.

Good luck and don't give up. It's ok at first to "let" yourself have the stinky ones but in the back of your mind you have to tell yourself you are NOT going to fail this time no matter what. You will do it... You'll see.

It's great to be free!

 

[TypeOholic]

I just started vaping yesterday and I am going through a similar effect. I still have 2 packs of analogs left and I finished a pack today (Thursday) that I opened on Tuesday. That is a long time for a pack of analogs to last me. I was a pack a day smoker.

For me, the "missing" part is the ritual that was associated with analogs. I do not smoke in the house and can't smoke indoors anywhere else so I was always going outside to smoke. I find myself wanting to go outside every hour or so. That's when I pick up my new KR8 and give it a few pulls. That is how I have been controlling how much I vape. I only do it when I think about going out for a smoke. Otherwise, I would be doing it constantly because it is something new and fun. That of course would cause me to take in more nicotine than before which would defeat the purpose for me.

I was just thinking about it and I haven't had an analog in over 6 hours now. WOW! That is huge for me.

I plan to finish off my remaining analogs since I can't bring myself to throw away $12. But, so far I can say that I see myself being analog free very soon.

Now, I wonder how much I can get for the dozens of lighters and ashtrays I have!

 

[Krisb]

Echo what everyone has already said. For me, my PV came a day earlier than I expected and I was literally about to walk out the door to buy what I hoped would be my last pack. I only had one cig left at the time. I was so excited, I put off my trip to the store and started charging one battery while playing with the other one immediately. Luckily, my juice also arrived the same day and I actually did well with my choice, they are still 2 of my favs (BWB honey flu and espresso). Knowing I still had one cig left, I just kept putting myself off every time I felt the urge. I still, almost 4wks later get an urge here and there but it passes. I have just completely submerged myself in the e-cig (and have spent a fortune on juice).

A week after starting to vape, I lit that last cig (forced myself to wait until I knew long enough had passed that I banked on it tasting bad...and, Oh, my, did it ever!). Don't worry about when you fall off the wagon and have one, think about all the ones you resisted...stay positive! Good luck!

 

[BobTheKlown]

+1 for everything said above...

Cigs also have MAOI's (anti-depressants) in them, I think that's what I was really craving, I stepped up from 24mg liquid to 36mg liquid and that helped some, but still felt like something was missing, then went to a LR atty, and again, it helped, but not enough, I finally stepped up to 42mg liquid on a LR atty and that did it, no more cravings for smoke, just a loverly feeling...
I do vape constantly when I'm not working though, my PV never leaves my hand, but it's not a problem as far as I can see, I leave it in the car when I'm working, and just go out for 'smoke breaks' when I need to...

I think I had to step up so high because I was a very heavy smoker and because I was using the nicotine to overcome the loss of the other addictive chems in analogs... 'Most' people who smoked as much as, or more then, I smoked, have quit on much lower nic dosages, and I don't recommend 'jumping' up to that high a nic level, just pointing out that everyone's different and trying different flavor, strength, and PG/VG mixes is really the only way to find your 'sweet spot'...

 

[Curlygirl27]

Gosh, I didn't know about the maoi in cigs! That explains some things for me. I know for myself... ever since I started vaping and found a juice I really like (Caramel Macchiato by Viking vapor) analogs have tasted worse and worse. I made the mistake of getting low- or no-nic juice to begin with so am just waiting for my new stuff to get here and hoping to be analog-free just like you! My advice would be to make sure you have plenty of your favorite juice and maybe two or three others to mix things up once in awhile... hey, browse some of the juice sites and get some samplers! If you get excited about what you're getting maybe you will just forget about what might not be there.... just a thought... I have also heard that some people on here keep a higher nic juice on hand in case of serious cravings or for certain times of the day. either way, the longer you go without, the worse it will taste and you will realize you haven't really missed anything. Good luck!!

 

[coralie]

What you are experiencing is quite normal for several of us who have switched. I can only speak for myself, but it took me about a year to wean off cigarettes, partly due to the other stuff. I first tried to switch cold turkey and ended up a teary mess while out of town with my mother and two sister in laws. I realized after caving that weekend at a bar that I needed to progress more slowly. I considered snus or snuff many times... but decided against adding something that I'd want to be rid of later. So each time I lowered my cigs, I used little tricks.

One that I used early on was switching to a different brand of cigarettes. First from Marlboro to Camel (both menthol lights). I still craved something that was in the Marlboros that wasn't in the Camels. Then when I got past that, I switched to American Spirits...that sucked so I went back and forth for a while...then I got comfortable with that and reduced cigarettes more...and then for the last 6 months or so I didn't buy cigarettes, only bummed from my husband. That helped too, cause I couldn't smoke when he wasn't here.

Finally I was down to 4 or 5 a day, at the beginning of Spring. At that point, a trick I used was the forum...posting and reading more kept me vaping more. I decided to work towards a vapetastic summer, and weaned myself down to 1 or 2 a day, only at night before bed. Held steady there for a while... most of the summer.

Another trick I used throughout the process was purchasing different models, different juices, a mod, just to see if any one thing was "the sweet spot" for me. It wasn't, but I have plenty of options and that, for me, was and is the sweet spot. Then the husband went out of town. I knew I was able to make it 4 days without one and if it got really bad, I could always go get a pack and still be working towards my goal. I never bought a pack, and I made it. I had a couple hiccups after he got back.

The last trick I used was that I didn't go outside at all to vape those first few days off analogs. I had to make new routines, new places to take my breaks. Especially after the hubs got back and the temptation returned. 24 days ago decided I was done for good...and haven't caved at all. I want the "whatever's missing" sometimes, but I just vape heavily and/or switch flavors or devices and sometimes I just accept that I'm not going to get that missing thing and I go to bed. I'm fine in the morning. I'm not a teary mess. And I'm proud of myself for holding strong. I'm not sure when that urge will finally let me be, but in the mean time, I have all I need and I know I can do it.

My point is, don't give up. Vaping will work. It's not like other quit methods where with one cig you're back on the wagon. Or off. It can be a process and you can take it at your own pace. Snus or snuff helps a lot of people, but it isn't the only way. Time and persistence also work wonders. Hang in there. Keep us updated.