Nic level.... help!

[Ace64]

So, this is a weird post but I could really use some help/feedback/experience.

I smoked lots. 2 packs a day, and another if I went out and drank. When I smoked I would go out, burn the cig, and be done. Satisfied.
I started with a spinner and a tank @ 24 level. I never really "felt" anything, but I did not smoke analogs.
I moved to a MVP and Kanger tank again @ 24. I remember driving five hours and vaping the whole way. I used to have to get up real early for work and vape for an hour to get a fix. I could not vape while working so noon came around and I was dying. I would vape a little at lunch. 4:30 I would be out of my mind for a smoke so I vaped lots.
Anyway, I moved to a RDA and a mech mod. Dropped nic level to 12. Took me a long time to figure it out. I did get "nick-ed out" twice. Once when I built a dual parallel coil @ .24 ohms and the other time when I built a dual twisted @ the same .24 ohms. My everyday is .43-.5 dual coils. RDA, mech mod 12 nic.
I use many different juices. Mt. Baker, Cloudwerks, Classified, Cloud Science, Adam Bomb, etc. I tend NOW to like higher VG. In the tank Halo was it for me. They don't say, but I think they are 50/50.
Here are the questions:

Does it take longer to "feel" the nicotine when vaping? I know it does but why?

When I vape I really don't "feel" satisfied immediately like smoking analogs?
Am I building a greater need for nicotine?

I guess I am having difficulty regulating vaping.

Well, except if I do a huge build and take a monster hit.
If I do take too much nic (vape too much) it is too late and I am done (toast) for a few hours. Meaning over nick-ed.
YES I am drinking lots of water!
YES, I did go to the doc and he was very pleased I quit smoking. He said vaping was an OK alternative as long as I dropped nic levels. My blood pressure, heart and all that is great.

 

[Katmar]

You might want to add Swedish snus to your stuff. That really seems to work for people who can't seem to be fully satisfied with vaping. It's extremely safe and I find it fills in the spots where I need something more than a vape. Good luck.

 

[r77r7r]

I have friends that use patches for medicinal purposes and they work great. But not if you're in need of the sucking-hand to mouth part- that need might go away in time...
If you're vaping more than smoking, you're winning Now- and things will probably get better with time.

 

[dragonpuff]

It sounds like you're doing great take your time with it. Many people do need to vape more than they used to smoke at first, that is normal.

The effect you get from smoking comes from the nicotine combined with a bunch of other chemicals, some that are naturally part of tobacco (alkaloids) and some that are additives. These chemicals have similar effects on the brain as nicotine, and come together to boost the effects of nicotine and make smoking more addictive. In order to compensate for no longer having these chemicals, you need more nicotine when you start vaping than you used to when you smoked. That is normal.

However, you were a very heavy smoker, so even that may not feel like enough. Katmar suggested looking into snus, and that is a very good idea - it will give you the tobacco alkaloids you are missing, and at the very least help ease you in the transition from smoking to vaping. Another thing that's worth looking into is vaping with whole tobacco alkaloids (WTA's), there are several threads on this forum where people are discussing it. Other tobacco alternatives, like dissolvables (if you can get them) may help too. They key is to find a tobacco alternative that does not involve smoking anything - then you're good to go.

You may need to use a tobacco alternative only temporarily, or you may find that you need to use it long term to curb the urge to smoke. Either way, as long as you're not smoking cigarettes you're reducing your risk of smoking related disease to almost nothing, and that is the real goal after all.

Good luck

Edit: I'm not sure why you're doc suggested dropping your nic level, as nicotine is not very harmful, maybe because yours is so high? In any case, don't rush into that, or you may end up smoking again. And get a second opinion from another doctor about nicotine if you can... personally I'd rather see you on a high nic level permanently than see you smoking again because you thought you had to quit nicotine too.

 

[Ace64]

Thanks so much for your responses. For me vaping is different because with analogs I "went outside" to smoke. I had to take time to go to a different area. With vaping, I vape in the house. I have four kids and they don't mind. I have asked them several times if it bothers them. They all say "Dad it smells like maple syrup". I have showed them how it works and asked them not to touch.

It is a good idea to add something, but I would rather get a handle on vaping only rather then add another thing. I think what I heard here is that it is the addiction to the powerful chemicals in cigarettes that I am missing. It is not the hand to mouth thing because I have a MVP with an iclear tank for that. I keep it around loaded with Halo 24. It lasts for DAYS on a charge!!

For the doc and others who don't smoke it is so hard to describe the strength of analog cigarette addiction. It is a bad, bad thing. I am grateful to be without for this length of time. When I think I want an analog, I just do another build, or change flavors, or vape lots.

I think DR's see something you are doing and just say.... well you should reduce eating chocolate, or stop drinking, or start exercising because that is what they tell everyone.
I did gain 15 pounds because I was drinking lots of soda in the beginning. I have switched to water and dropped some carbs and I did lose ten of the 15. I am sure the rest will drop off soon and then some more. I am not way over weight.

I guess the question remains.... Does it take longer to "feel" the nicotine when vaping?

Also thanks to everyone posting on this forum. It has helped me tremendously!

 

[Rickajho]

Hi

Vaping 101: Vaping is not smoking. It is not an efficient nicotine delivery system. It's a slow process where the majority of the nic is absorbed through the mucous linings in the oral cavity. Anyone who has ever used nic-o-gum knows what that is like and absorption from vaping is just as slow. So the first thing you have to do is change your expectations. Vaping cannot smack you upside the head they way a cigarette does because you aren't getting nic into your system in the same way. Smoke and vapor are two very different things. Smoke can get nicotine molecules into your blood stream via the lungs, vapor - very little if any gets in that way.

This expectation can be a problem for a lot of new vapers when they try to vape the same way they used to smoke, taking short infrequent vape brakes and suffering the withdrawal consequences. Or trying to ramp up their nic level to the point where they get a nic buzz - and the symptoms of a nic OD in the process. One of the first things to adjust to when switching is vaping enough and on a consistent basis. I know you have to vape around a work schedule but you gotta find some way to adapt more vaping into your schedule rather than trying to make vaping deliver something that by it's nature isn't going to happen.

 

[dragonpuff]

I guess the question remains.... Does it take longer to "feel" the nicotine when vaping?

The quick "hit" you get from smoking, that rush, isn't just from the nicotine. You are inhaling a slew of chemicals that's adding to the sensation - in addition to the alkaloids and additives I described earlier, you are also getting a buzz from carbon monoxide and oxygen deprivation.

The combined experience of all of these cannot be mimicked by nicotine alone. Now that the only psychoactive substance you're inhaling is nicotine, you are feeling the effect from nicotine alone, which is much milder. When inhaling nicotine alone, it does take time for it to build up in your bloodstream to a level that feels satisfying. This can take some getting used to, especially for a former heavy smoker.

Basically nicotine gets absorbed quickly with vaping, but it takes longer to build up to a comfortable level in your bloodstream because the additives in cigarettes that inhibited nicotine metabolism are no longer present.

In light of this, as Rickajho pointed out, you have to adjust to vaping. You cannot vape the same way you used to smoke, as it won't be satisfying. Since you have different types of equipment, try different kinds of inhales (mouth only, mouth to lung, direct lung) and see what works best for you. It is difficult to adjust to vape breaks as opposed to smoke breaks because there's no obvious cue that you've had enough (i.e. the cigarette is burned down to the ....), but you will get the hang of it.

Learning how to stealth vape helps a lot btw

Like I said before, take your time it will get easier.

 

[Ace64]

Thank you both for the responses. I get now. Slow and steady. I always carry my "set-up" I don't mind dripping.

My water intake has greatly increased. I am guessing this helps the absorption of nicotine. I have learned for me 18 is too high to drip. 12 is ok. I use 6 when I just want to "sit and vape"

 

[dragonpuff]

Thank you both for the responses. I get now. Slow and steady. I always carry my "set-up" I don't mind dripping.

My water intake has greatly increased. I am guessing this helps the absorption of nicotine. I have learned for me 18 is too high to drip. 12 is ok. I use 6 when I just want to "sit and vape"

View attachment 386413

My adv for dripping is 9 mg mix one of your 12 mg and one of your 6 mg together half and half, and give that a shot. It gives you a good amount of nicotine, but it's not too harsh on the lungs like 12 mg can be.

Very nice looking setup btw

 

[Rickajho]

Don't forget too that the beauty of vaping is that very flexibility. I was a 30 year 2 PAD smoker when I switched and I had hard core quit smoking withdrawal - which as dragonpuff rightfully pointed out - this isn't just about replacing nicotine with nicotine when you switch. That withdrawal from smoking is different for everyone - some people just breeze through it, I was a complete mess - even with vaping. But vaping is the only thing that ever got me through it and kept me off the smokes.

Why? The flexibility. Switch your nic level up as needed. I used two different nic levels for a good four months, bumping up to the nigher nic level for the craving black holes in the day. I started the day at a higher nic level and stayed there for the first couple hours when getting up. And for some odd reason I had a real problem in the couple hours right before bed time. The rest of the day I was fine on a lower nic level. But don't forget that - the flexibility we have is a good thing. Use as needed.

 

[Ace64]

Golly gee another thing I have to "figure out" which is entirely OK.
I thought I was done "tweaking"
I was just unsure of how long... in regards to how long it takes to "feel" the nic. Yesterday I vaped primarily a 6. I was OK.
.......all 15 ml of it
Nic from vape is "different" than analogs.

I bought a 30ml of 6 last night and I will see how it goes. Problem is I have two 126ml of baker vapor in 12. I did buy some VG from Michaels I think I can cut it with.