Opinion - Better to Quit or Vape?

[CandyCigs]

Hi all,

About two years ago or so I purchased a pathetic e-cig setup from a random website when I first heard about it. I didn't know anything about it then and wasted a lot of money. I never ended up spending more money on a decent setup (after learning about it all) as I was worried it wouldn't help me off analogs, same as last time.

However I just reached a dilemma. I started taking Chantix two weeks ago and haven't smoked at all for three days now. I don't even have the physical urge to start again. The mental urge though is driving me mad. Reaching for the 'pack that should be there', constantly putting things in my mouth, my hands fidgeting and shaking like crazy. I don't WANT a cigarette.. but my hands do.

I quit because I'm really young, yet my doctor said I'm at risk of developing COPD very soon. So that was it. Quit. But... the dilemma is that I love smoking. I love the feeling, the warmth.. the everything except the health risk, coughing, dying aspect. I'm worried that because I love smoking, I'll start again.

Now I'm at a crossroads. Is it better to keep forcing myself through quitting completely without touching anything.. or am I giving up if I get 0mg no nicotine juice and a new e-cig to enjoy? I'm worried that it might push me back to analogs if I start physically smoking something again. I did get a disposable 0mg (haven't used it yet) and it has me thinking about smoking more than I was yesterday but I think it is because I feel so guilty right now. Like I was smoke-free but I failed and gave in.

What if I vape like crazy? I remember when I had one before and I would pick it up every five seconds. Is that possibly hurting me in any way? I'm trying to make sure that I'm not quitting.. and then just picking up something else that is going to harm me. While the no nicotine won't give me the addiction, I'll still have the mental addiction to work through at that point but will be out of my chantix which has been helping me deal with this.

If I start vaping after I quit smoking outright.. is that just a failure? Should I avoid this completely? I just want to hear other's opinions on it so I can try to work this out better in my head.

 

[swedishfish]

Welcome to the forum! If you can quit and stay quit- do that. Chandix didn't work for me. If you feel like you're definitely going to have a cig- try vaping. You could even get zero nicotine juice or cartridges if you feel that would be an issue. You won't get the TH of nicotine juice, but if it's just a hand/mouth thing for you it might work.

 

[swedishfish]

If I start vaping after I quit smoking outright.. is that just a failure? Should I avoid this completely? I just want to hear other's opinions on it so I can try to work this out better in my head.

It depends on how you define failure. Chandix didn't work for me. I couldn't quit and stay quit long term. Epic fail.

Not smoking cigarettes and vaping-- Big fat success. I'm thrilled.

 

[Pamdane]

Welcome.
If your doing ok except for the hand to mouth habit, get a good e-cig and get "0" nic juice. Then you have the best of both worlds.

 

[Balthezar]

Hi Candycigs Don't be so hard on yourself. A lot of people here use PVs (person vaporizers they call them ) because they enjoy them, not just for habit or addiction. And a lot (like me) use them for that 'want something to take the place of the cig in your hand-mouth. I started with 18mg nic (just over a week ago) and am cutting it down to almost nothing. By using the e-cig, you are cutting out thousands of things that hurt you, so you are much better off. There are countless stories in here about how they are helping people like you and me . And the flavors you can get will make it a really enjoyable experience, IMHO. You can get some really good starter kits from vendors in the forum suppliers section above, do some comparative sho[pping, read some of the threads here, and think about it. I spent hours reading in here before I ordered my first real one (bought a gas station cheapo for my first one, unfortunately). Lots of good advice and experiences here. Don't give up yet
And I now sit at my computer vaping quite a bit, like a kid with a new toy, but I'm starting to slow down a little LOL

Balth

 

[ViLe]

hi newbies here~
i share the same feeling as candy~T^T but if i go zero nic...it doesnt replace the urge to smoke does it?or does it??
i mean...its the nic in analog that gets mi hook up~really confuse now~

 

[HeadLikeOrange]

Do you still have the kit that you were unhappy with? I would use this as a crutch. When you think you are going to break down, hit the e-cig you've got. If you find that it isn't cutting it, by all means get something better that will work for you.

Having switched from smoking to vaping, I still wish I could be dependent on nothing. I love vaping, but there is still a certain stigma to it. People who don't know anything about vaping just look at it as another unhealthy habit; it's still not something I would do in front of my kids, other kids, other kids' parents, etc. My goal with vaping is to get to the point where I need nothing at all eventually.

 

[CharlieGirl]

This is only an opinion, only you know what's best for you, but the reason vaping is so popular is because it allows you to transition less painfully, to satisfy those other cravings. Vaping at 0 nic can't hurt you nor do I think it would lead you back to cigarettes if you find vaping enjoyable with all the advantages and flavor options. I would MUCH rather see you vape than take Chantix...you are aware there are issues with that stuff? I'm glad it has worked for you, but please be done with it ASAP. There is no crime indulging in a habit if you aren't harming anyone, including yourself. So what if you vape? Failure? NO! That would make the people here failures too, and we sure don't see it that way! It is the NOT SMOKING part that is the health issue, not the habit. Even those that still choose to vape nic have probably cut their health risk 99%, nicotine by itself is similar to caffeine, there are pros and cons but it is not lethal. Cigarettes are. That's just my take, good luck!

 

[emperor bohe]

obviously it's better to quit than vape, but it is also a lot harder

 

[Balthezar]

Like many people say, you can start off with a high level of nic, to curb the cravings, then gradually cut it down to nothing if you wish, or anything in between. There are a lot of different nic strengths you can get, or you can try mixing your own, countless options out there when you know where to look

Balth

 

[swedishfish]

obviously it's better to quit than vape, but it is also a lot harder

True. If I could do nothing at all I would. Since I can't successfully quit, I vape.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Yes welcome to ECF. Although I never took Chantrix I LOVED, with a capital L, my analogs. When I decided to quit the worst part for me was the actual habits I had grown accustomed to- ashtray/ lighter/ analogs on the desk- leaving the living room and then getting a worried feeling that I left a burning analog- first smoke in the a.m. with coffee- worried that I would forget my analogs when going out- the actual oral sensation of an analog- the TH- the nicotine hit. These analog habits are slowly falling by the wayside with time and I am beginning to feel free again. IMO this is certainly better than ingesting all those chemicals and eventually I would like to stop vaping all together but, at this point, if I vape for another 5 yrs it doesn't bother me. I started 3+ weeks ago on 36 mg Nic and am now using 30 mg and will scale down over time.
As for quitting and feeling comfortable about it I wouldn't want to be white knuckling my way through and vaping has actually made quitting analogs an enjoyable experience.
I sincerely wish you the best of Luck and hopefully you'll become a regular here, Vapoor.

 

[swedishfish]

This is only an opinion, only you know what's best for you, but the reason vaping is so popular is because it allows you to transition less painfully, to satisfy those other cravings. Vaping at 0 nic can't hurt you nor do I think it would lead you back to cigarettes if you find vaping enjoyable with all the advantages and flavor options. I would MUCH rather see you vape than take Chantix...you are aware there are issues with that stuff? I'm glad it has worked for you, but please be done with it ASAP. There is no crime indulging in a habit if you aren't harming anyone, including yourself. So what if you vape? Failure? NO! That would make the people here failures too, and we sure don't see it that way! It is the NOT SMOKING part that is the health issue, not the habit. Even those that still choose to vape nic have probably cut their health risk 99%, nicotine by itself is similar to caffeine, there are pros and cons but it is not lethal. Cigarettes are. That's just my take, good luck!

But you still are addicted. Some jobs still frown on it and consider vaping/smoking. You won't pass a life insurance test or if an employer tests you for nicotine. In my state they don't allow it in buildings and you stand outside with the smokers.

I'm fine with vaping. But I can see reasons for people to want to be nicotine free. Not that there's anything wrong with nicotine except for the reasons I've stated.

 

[Optimo]

Vape, vape, vape and then vape somemore. I will vape till the day I die.

 

[CandyCigs]

A few things have been confused by my wording. The main question of is it better to quit or vape is not one of those 'Well duh' things. It is if someone loves to smoke but has a choice of quitting outright or vaping -- should they enjoy vaping at that point or give up on all of it completely?

If it is better to quit than vape, then I'll just continue to keep quitting. I wasn't trying to get anything with nicotine in it, as I posted in my original one. I haven't smoked in three days, nor vaped during that time. I don't have the urge. So I don't need to vape. I can quit without issue of that. I just -wanted to- vape because I already miss smoking. I'm basically a smoker who never had any intentions of quitting by choice, not by addiction. I assumed that using a no nicotine vg juice wouldn't be far from not vaping. Does anyone know of any health risks with vaping?

And I wasn't trying to say that anyone else was a failure if they vaped instead of quitting. I was saying would -I- be a failure if I -chose- to vape instead of quitting. Not everyone has that choice. As I seem to have noticed most of you chose to vape instead of smoking. However quitting is working for me with Chantix so it isn't about that. It is all my choice right now but I don't want to make the wrong choice and end up with another addiction in the future, you know? Can vaping with no nicotine be harmless?

 

[ViLe]

u got good mental strength~i simply cant do w/o a analog~T^T

 

[HeadLikeOrange]

A few things have been confused by my wording. The main question of is it better to quit or vape is not one of those 'Well duh' things. It is if someone loves to smoke but has a choice of quitting outright or vaping -- should they enjoy vaping at that point or give up on all of it completely?

If it is better to quit than vape, then I'll just continue to keep quitting. I wasn't trying to get anything with nicotine in it, as I posted in my original one. I haven't smoked in three days, nor vaped during that time. I don't have the urge. So I don't need to vape. I can quit without issue of that. I just -wanted to- vape because I already miss smoking. I'm basically a smoker who never had any intentions of quitting by choice, not by addiction. I assumed that using a no nicotine vg juice wouldn't be far from not vaping. Does anyone know of any health risks with vaping?

And I wasn't trying to say that anyone else was a failure if they vaped instead of quitting. I was saying would -I- be a failure if I -chose- to vape instead of quitting. Not everyone has that choice. As I seem to have noticed most of you chose to vape instead of smoking. However quitting is working for me with Chantix so it isn't about that. It is all my choice right now but I don't want to make the wrong choice and end up with another addiction in the future, you know? Can vaping with no nicotine be harmless?

Only you can answer this for yourself. However, I will say that vaping can be expensive, and even without nicotine, it probably has SOME negative health effects. It hasn't been well-studied, but even minor health issues like sore throat, dehydration, etc., are routinely mentioned in this forum. I would say, if you don't need to vape, don't.

 

[CandyCigs]

u got good mental strength~i simply cant do w/o a analog~T^T

Oh honey it is much easier on the 'mental aspect' with the physical urges gone. Chantix does not work for everyone and it can be rather dangerous. When I first started it I had to stop taking another medication because it made me severely depressed. Once I stopped the other, Chantix was fine in my system. Until my dosage kept going up with it and my cigarette smoking was not stopping though I was under half a pack which I've never been before. The mixture of cigarettes and this pill made me highly aggressive and angry. So one day I got ticked off enough I tossed out my cigarettes and ashtray. Been over 50 hours now without them and I'm back to being quite cheerful and feel normal again If you want to try Chantix to quit, you have to go get a prescription for it. Costs around $160.00 with coupon from Chantix, without insurance. But that is the best $160.00 I ever spent as I can -breathe- again without inhalers... which is how severe my issues were getting with analogs.

 

[ViLe]

good for u~n keep it up~i wouldnt go for vap or analog if i were u~just my 2 cents~
i mean,u R doing good now~no point missing it(smoking that is) this kinda 'missing' is best forgotten~
n ya~im weak in both mentally n physically~LOL~so here i am looking for alternative~>.<ll

 

[RichieRich]

Correct me if I am wrong but, nicotine doesnt lead to COPD. Tar and carcinogens do. Staying analog free and vaping something with nicotine shouldnt affect your lungs anymore than a nasal spray (I am no doctor so this is just my assumption).

Now that being said, vaping in my opinion is not like smoking an analog. The vapor is a lot cooler. The throat hit isnt quite the same. I never got the same euphoric, calming buzz that I got with a cigarette. But, for me vaping was close enough. When I bought my PV, I threw away all my remaining smokes. I had determined that day I was going to quit. Fast forward to today. Now, its more or less a game I keep on winning. I get to pat myself on the back every day I see my little counter add another smoke-free day. And I have reduced my nicotine to 6mg. My next step is zero.

It sounds like you have the right frame of mind and reason to quit smoking, which is a huge priority for success. Just keep in mind vaping is not the same as smoking but, its a great healthy alternative.