Not quite able to kick the habit of the real cigs

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Renolizzie

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Aug 7, 2012
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I started vaping on August 11, 2013 - officially. I tried a couple of those disposable cigs before going on line and finding ECF. I started with the Volt and I liked it a lot. I only cut down by half but in the spirit of "Count the ones you don't smoke" I felt I was doing great!!!!

I experimented until I found my perfect vape. Also I started DIYing my juice. I was then down to maybe a quarter of a pack a day from my 40 plus habit. Yay!!! I was doing so good. I dropped to two ciggies [once in awhile three] a day and started varying when I smoked them. Yay!!! I am doing so good:)

Saturday morning I smoked the last ciggie in the pack. Did I panic? Nope, I decided I would go buy some if I really wanted them. Well, I haven't really wanted one so here i AM A NON SMOKER after 8 months of vaping. I kept it low key and congratulated myself on doing great every step of the way.

You are doing great. Find the right set up and the right mg juice and you will find yourself wanting to smoke less and less. Vaping is a good happy thing so don't let negativity creep in. So you haven't quit right away, it's okay:)
 
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mujuru

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Here's my experience...

I vaped like a dragon the first week or so... 18mg and was probably going through close to 6-8ml per day. People told me that I'd probably vape more initially so allow yourself that freedom. I still felt pretty strong cravings in the morning and after a good meal... I'd chain vape on those occasions at first, but then later opted to buy some 24mg juice just for those situations. Wow.. 24mg was strong for me, but boy did it make those cravings disappear very quickly! So i'd vape 24mg in the morning, then settle into 18mg for pretty much the rest of the day..

Now after 6 months of vaping, I start my day with 18mg and move to 12mg thereafter and i go through about 3ml of juice per day.

I think there lies the beauty of vaping... you can customize your nicotine intake based on your personal preferences and needs... from what ive read, everyone metabolizes nicotine differently, so everyone's needs are slightly different. Don't be afraid to customize your intake based on what your body is telling you...

There was once i time i couldn't go two hours without a cig without feeling very jittery... now... 4-6 hours without a vape doesn't really bother me.. do I get a little jittery? yes, but i don't freak out like when i couldn't have a cig.. lol.

Anyways... trying having a bottle of juice that's a little higher in nicotine that what you'll use through out the day... I found it very helpful, and I hope you do as well. And allow yourself to vape as needed initially. It will taper down a bit naturally just as your body/mind get used to it... you'll settle into your own routine over time!
 

SantanzChild

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Don't be afraid to really up the nic get a bottle of 24 and another in 36. When it gets really bad drip 3 or 4 drops and vape away. You will still have some craving for the stuff not in a juice but it really takes the edge off.

This is coming from a guy that requires 36 as my adv you don't even want to know what I have to keep around for the tough times...
 

Jakey

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May 21, 2013
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Lots of interesting experiences, here's mine.

I have stopped analog for about 21 days now, not a single stick but it was initially tough given that I had smoked for 20 years. Started vaping with the slim eGo-type ecig alot but progressed recently to an evic and now provari mini with z-atty pro (zap). I must admit that there is something about the z-atty pro that delivers the nicotine much more than the other atomisers - had two side by side at any one time and I had to take the last few puffs from the zap before calling it a night - gives me the 'satisfaction' perhaps compensating the lack of nicotine intake throughout the day. About stopping analog completely, one point that I do tell myself is the refusal to even take in one puff from a friend since I started vaping - helps keep me in control.
 

RedhatPat

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I've been reading post after post about how everyone has been able to make the switch from the real thing to e cigs pretty easily, but for me I just can't kick the habit. I have cut way down from a pack a day to maybe 7-8 cigs a day. Is that how you guys stopped, or did you quit cold turkey? Any advice would be great. Thanks guys. By the way "guys" is a general term not talking to just the men. Thanks

Thor, welcome to the "cannot determine gender on ecf" club. Now as we all differ as smkers, so does our introduction and eventual transition to digital land. Say for example, you are stuck with the strongest strength nicotine patch. You've been analog-free for a few weeks while in patch-land. You're ow used to the slow release of nicotine (upwards of 3 hours from what I understand on the subject) yet it's just not cutting it. You know it's a matter of time 'til you quit the patch.

Then let's say you try a digital cig, now you're gonna feel the power of vaping because the nic will be absorbed faster than your new smoke-free body was used to. Now if you're a smoker, Big Tobacco has put a lot of R & D into delivering that 1mg of nic (average analog contains 1MG nic) straight from your lungs to your brain at internet-like speeds. The catch is, it kills you and those around you in the process.

In short, don't beat yourself up over not being as satisfied with feeding those nic genes as fast as with poison sticks. It gets easier over time your body just needs to heal and adapt, then you'll stop counting the days and just realize vaping is a more effecient way.

 

Rusty S.

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Feb 7, 2013
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One thing I'd like to chip in on this: there have been studies done on smokers who took up vaping, and the one that sticks with me studied hard-core smokers who had no plans to quit at all. A large number of them switched to vaping permanently and some cut back their smoking dramatically. The numbers were high and encouraging. Great, right?

But those people were all individuals, which is why 100% of them didn't switch to vaping full-time. There are also plenty of people on this board who still smoke, either daily or occasionally (I fall into that category).

You will get a lot of posts from people who say they dropped smoking like hot lead the first time they fired up their PV. Good for them, but don't feel self-conscious if you don't fall into that category. Relax, enjoy vaping, and see what happens. If you're more focused on enjoying vaping, rather than turning it into smoking cessation agony, you stand a higher chance of stopping smoking, like the folks in the study did, or at least cut it down significantly, again like the folks in the study did.

The mantra on this board is "Your Mileage May Vary." Please take that to heart and don't worry.
 

Red_Bird

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Its ok if u had a few cigs on your vaping journey. Get yourself one really strong tobacco eliquid, at least 24 mg strength. Vape this when u get a strong urge to smoke, like with your morning coffee. Or if you get really stressed.

If you really WANT TO QUIT the cigs it will happen. Some are able to give them up faster then others.

Welcome to ECF. If you need help with vape stuff give me a holler!
:)
 

OTownB

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May 20, 2013
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Orlando, FL
I went cold turkey after trying several different types of e-cigarettes. I started with Green Smoke back in 2010, which only lasted about a half a day before I gave up. October 2012 I tried Blu, only lasted two days. I am not sure if the taste was turning me off or I wasn't getting enough nicotine or enough vaper.

This year, my New Years Resolution was to quit smoking. A husband and wife couple that I know suggested that I try the eGo tank system. At first I had trouble finding a throat hit and flavor that I really liked. Lucky for me, there is a local e-smoke shop that was very helpful and let me try flavor after flavor until I found a few that I really liked.

After about a month using the eGo I kept getting a burnt taste. I am not sure if I got a bad batch of atomizers or something else was the problem. After going back to my local shop I started using the Vison ego Clearomizer which was 100 times more enjoyable than the basic eGo setup.

After this I was good to go! I have not had an analog cigarette in 70 days! I have also switched the the Vision ViVi Nova and a few battery mods that I love. After 20 years of smoking close to a pack a day, I still cannot believe I have made it this far.

My advice.....Take your time and find what works for you. When you have the right combination and feel you are ready to totally give up analogs then it will happen. It took me about 20 days to find exactly what worked for me. It is helpful if you have a knowledgable shop in your area that will allow you to sample liquids. I work from home and do go out to the bars often (have to get out of the house). With that being said, when I started vaping full time I made it a point to avoid any alcohol consumption for three weeks. Without a doubt, avoiding alcohol for awhile was a big part of me giving up analogs.

Unlike others I kept my last pack of cigarettes in my night stand drawer and told myself if I really needed an analog then I have them available. I found myself going to the drawer several times a day (after meals and mornings especially). Every time this happened I would take the pack out, hold it in my hand and ask myself: "How much do you really need one of these?". I would then vape until I was satisfied with the pack of cigarettes in hand. Once I felt satisfied I would put cigarettes back in the drawer. I know it sounds crazy, but it really helped me. I think that I just needed mental re-asurance that they were there if I really needed them. Two weeks ago that pack of smokes went in the trash with the same amount of cigarettes that it had when I first placed it there on March 12th.

Good Luck.....you will get there eventually just don't rush it and don't get discouraged.
 

ennagizer

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May 18, 2013
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Just over 5 weeks into vaping.

Received my first kit and started using it right away. Still had a pack with 15 canalogs which I nursed over the next week. I smoked 2-3 per day until the pack was finished.

I took the pack with me, like I normally do (did), and whenever I wanted a smoke I would use the ecig. But, I had to make a conscious effort to use it, working towards the goal of never buying another pack again, which so far I've achieved.

The most difficult part for me was the mornings when I'd usually have 1 or 2 with a coffee. Next was the after dinner smoke. Those two times still itch at me, but I vape and in a minute or two all is good.

In the past few weeks I've gone from 24mg to 18mg and now 12mg. Over the course of a couple decades trying to quit I tried going from regular to light to ultra light and it never worked for me - same thing with patches. But, for some reason, lowering nicotine while vaping is working fine for me.

Thor190203, keep at it man. The best advice I can give is whenever you want a smoke, vape instead until the craving goes away. And it will within a minute or two. We're all in the same boat and know exactly how it feels.
 
It is quite hard if you have analogs with you also. Try to not buy them and stay away from people who smoke them for a bit. You will still have triggers for a real analog, because they give you more than just nicotine. If you increase your mg on the eliquid to begin with, might help a bit also.

I third what jerzi originally said. I started out with 24mg nicotine and I didn't sleep that entire first night! I didn't even desire a cig or a cigar. I suppose it also depends on the device you have. If your not getting enough throat hit your going to always go back to the pack. I smoked Blue cigs for almost 2 years inconsitantly because I would keep going back to the real thing. That was until I invested in an APV. Congrats on cutting down, your gonna make it

Matt
 

Leithan

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Hang in the Thor190203! I'm on day 4 of cold Turkey, the "cutting back quit" has never worked for me, too weak willed I guess. So far this is the most successful I have been at quitting. I think it's because I cant just reach for a cig in a moment of weakness. Its either vape or suck. Stay strong brother, you will make it.
 
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