Please Help...!

[lunachan]

I started using an electronic cig from mad vapes 6 months ago-then went to a manual joy510 in November...And still, I can't quit analogs! Honestly, I really want to and have been chain smoking since I was 16 and mom died(I'm now 35). Another thing is I've been agoraphobic w/ panic disorder since I was 7 years old am currently on medication. Question is, how do I quit? Am I doing something wrong? Do I need another type of e-cig? My panic attacks have gotten worse but I don't want to get cancer. I guess that was more than one question but I really don't know what to do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You ,

-Lunachan

 

[pkj]

Welcome to the forum. Glad you found us.

What strength of nicotine are you using?

What flavors of juice are you using?

What flavors of foods do you like?

How much a day did you used to smoke? 15cigs? Pack a day?

The answer to these questions will help us find answers for you.

Paula

 

[jbblack]

Another thing to consider is the health issues that you're having. One thing that cigarette smoke contains that e-smokes do not are MAOIs, which are used to treat many forms of depression and anxiety. Try upping your dose of nicotine first to see if that helps matters. If it does, great--problem solved. On the other hand if it doesn't seem to help, then you may need to consult your physician and explain to her/him that you're having trouble quitting smoking and that this may be related to your health issues. She/he may have to switch out your type or dosage of medication, but usually won't have a problem doing this as it will help with your overall health.

 

[Moonflame]

I have anxiety, panic attacks, and Fibromyalgia which is exacerbated by stress so I know exactly what you mean. I knew I'd have to trick myself into quitting cigarettes because they were my lifeline for years and even the thought of quitting would send me reeling. I used a combination of 2 things. Rephrasing it in my mind and laziness. I thought of it as switching brands instead of quitting smoking. I've switched brands many times over the years I smoked due to cost and that never hurt me so switching brands from smoking to vaping would be ok too. I still say "I switched" rather than "I quit." I told myself I could have a cigarette when ever I wanted one but I put everything for smoking in different places in the house. I put the cigs in my bedroom, the ashtrays in the kitchen, and the lighter in the bathroom so that it would take some effort to go fetch everything. I kept all my stuff for vaping right beside me at the computer or on the table by my seat on the couch so that it was totally convenient to just grab. I often thought about going to get a cigarette, planned to go get one next time I got up and would just vape until I got around to it, but laziness always stopped me from going to all the effort. I'd grab the PV eith the thought of using it until I got up, not to avoid something I loved doing, but to avoid having to stop doing whatever I was in the middle of. Eventually, I stopped thinking of going to get a cigarette and it became natural to reach for my PV without even thinking of smoking. It was a couple of months before I threw out the pack in my room and the emergency pask I always kept in the freezer, but eventually I found I didn't need the security of knowing they were there. Now I need the security of knowing I have plenty of juice, extra atties, and plenty of batteries for my mod. I think the key was to not feel like I was really denying myself anything and wasn't really changing anything other than the flavor of what I was inhaling, and since I enjoyed the flavor more from vaping that part was easy.

Don't stress yourself out trying to "quit", it's counterproductive and only makes you want what you've told yourself you can't have even more, which adds more stress, which makes you want it more....that panic circle that you can't get out of that we know so well but can't explain to anyone that hasn't experienced it. And if you have a cig every once in a while don't beat yourself up, it just starts the same cycle only with guilt added on top of it.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[pkj]

++++ for what Moonflame just wrote.

 

[Rosa]

+2 moonflame.

It's not quitting, it's switching.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, per se, but there are a couple of things you can take a look at that might help. One is the nicotine level you're currently using. You didn't specify this in your post, but say that right now you're using 18mg. That might not be enough for you, so bump it to 24mg and see if that takes the edge off of your cravings. If you're already using 24mg you can try 36mg, but I wouldn't go higher than that. You might also want to consider getting a larger battery, such as a Riva or an eGo because it sounds like you smoked A LOT! The regular 510 might not be enough for you.

You might also want to look at how attached you are to cigarettes. Yes, I said attached. It sounds like there might be a comfort level associated with them that you just aren't ready, or even willing, to leave right now. I don't want to sound terse or mean, so please don't take it that way, but you have some other issues going on. The thought of quitting analogs might be a little tough to handle and trying to do so all at once might not be a good idea.

There are plenty of people on this forum who are still smoking even though they also vape. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this. Everyone is different and sometimes making the switch immediately doesn't work. I would try not to focus on the cancer thing too much. Getting fixated isn't going to help you. Just ease into it and do what feels comfortable for you. There's no pressure here, really. Try the things I suggested and see if that might help, even if it just helps you smoke less.

 

[cckilla]

WomanOfHeart has a good point too. I didn't want to stop using analogs when I was vaping 18mg juice. When I started using 48mg unflavored VG it made a world of difference.

 

[Rosa]

WomanOfHeart has a good point too. I didn't want to stop using analogs when I was vaping 18mg juice. When I started using 48mg unflavored VG it made a world of difference.

true.

OK:

+ the MAOI thing, good point and worth looking into
+ it's switching (not quitting)
+ I could never have switched with less than 24mg (and 36 would have been better for me, since I vaped non-stop at 24)

 

[wv2win]

Also, tell us what part of the PV (personal vaporizer) you are using is not satisfing you enough to stay off the analogs (cigs). My guess is you need a higher nicotine strength (24mg to 36mg) and possibly a PV that gives you better throat hit. But as those above have mentioned, we need more information.

 

[silkakc]

Welcome to ECF Lunacahn

There's some great ideas here. I'd like to tell you what *feels* like a cig hit to me that I've found recently. I bought a 5 volt passthrough and AC/ASB wall plug from MadVapes for @$25.00. It feels exactly like a cig did to me. I can take a 2 second puff on it and it feels EXACTLY like a puff on a cig felt in my mouth and throat. It satisfies me with it's heat and the amount of vapor it gives me.

The juice matters too. Find your comfort zone juice and then buy a stronger juice to use during the "911" times. make that juice a unique flavor that you love and only vape that stronger flavor when the panic is rising in your chest. Your brain will associate that flavor with relief and it will calm you down immediately when you need it in the future.


Lori

 

[silkakc]

Duplicate post

 

[dormouse]

How much do you smoke? What kind of cigarettes do you smoke? What exact juice were you using in the 510 (PG/VG and nicotine, brand and flavor)?

What makes you pick up the cigs instead of the 510? Is the 510 always available to you - do you always have a charged battery and a ready cartridge?

510 isn't enough for some people. Or maybe you are using inferior eliquid. Maybe you would like 510 better with cartomizers which can be vaped longer between filling.

Believe me - if you get your juice and equipment right for you, it is better than smoking. I smoked a lot longer than you and I don't just mean "better for you" - I mean better as in more enjoyable. When you have the right equipment and eliquids that have satisfying aromas for you, it will be really good.

 

[Nic_Fan]

how much do you smoke? What kind of cigarettes do you smoke? What exact juice were you using in the 510 (pg/vg and nicotine, brand and flavor)?

What makes you pick up the cigs instead of the 510? Is the 510 always available to you - do you always have a charged battery and a ready cartridge?

510 isn't enough for some people. Or maybe you are using inferior eliquid. Maybe you would like 510 better with cartomizers which can be vaped longer between filling.

Believe me - if you get your juice and equipment right for you, it is better than smoking. I smoked a lot longer than you and i don't just mean "better for you" - i mean better as in more enjoyable. When you have the right equipment and eliquids that have satisfying aromas for you, it will be really good.

****this****

 

[jeannest]

Have you cut down on regular cigarettes? Some people get their ecig and never smoke again. Others, like me, continue to smoke regular cigs for a while. I did drastically cut down when I started vaping. I was down to 3-4 cigs a day, then 2, then 1 and finally none. Don't give up! Adjust your nic levels and equipment if you have to.

 

[whelanska]

lunachan, I'm finding that the MAOIs provided by tobacco (and likely other alkaloids/substances in tobacco as well) are what really kept me going back to analog smokes, and are why I felt so terrible after a few days of not having them. I'm still VERY new to this, but try supplementing your e-cig w/ a couple portions of snus per day. The e-cig is a fantastic substitute for a cigarette in general, but I think if you're relying on smoking to balance some brain chemistry, you might not find that same relief from liquid nicotine alone. There's a lot more at play when it comes to smoking addictions than just the nicotine compound alone. I'm certainly not a doctor, so take anything I say with a grain of salt, and certainly consult yours if need be, but I would suggest adding snus into your arsenal of smoking cessation weapons if you're okay with still using nicotine but not okay with smoking.

 

[CountVapula]

i can somewhat relate. when i started vaping i was using a joye 510 with standard carts, later on a bought a bottle of bwb applewood. i continued to smoke a half pack or a full pack a day because it just wasnt as good as smoking to me, didnt satisfy me nearly as much. so about 2 weeks ago i knew i could improve my vaping experience but wasnt giving it enough effort, i bought more juice to mix it up, debridged my attys and started dripping. this greatly improved my experience and got me off analogs, the few times ive had an analog over the last couple weeks (out of curiosity, not an urge) its been gross and i just want to put it out after a couple drags, i can really taste the poison and junk. my advice is put more effort into it and make a bigger commitment to it if you havent already. i love vaping now.

 

[TheGreekTitan]

Try a 24 - 36mg menthol flavor. I was never a menthol smoker during my 20+ yrs of smoking 2 - 3 packs a day but wow!!! During the 1st two weeks of me quitting analogs (cold turkey btw) the menthol saved my .... on numerous occasions. I vaped several different flavors, but when I really needed satisfaction I popped on my menthol and good as gold.

 

[smirkette]

...Another thing is I've been agoraphobic w/ panic disorder since I was 7 years old am currently on medication. Question is, how do I quit? Am I doing something wrong? Do I need another type of e-cig? My panic attacks have gotten worse but I don't want to get cancer. I guess that was more than one question but I really don't know what to do. ...

-Lunachan

First: So very sorry for your loss.
Second: Welcome to ECF!

N'thing upping the nic level of your juice (or maybe adjusting PG/VG proportions to max vapor/TH?). Because you mention panic disorder (hi! me too!), wondering if you've heard or read anything about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)? I've found it incredibly helpful, and since you're already on medication, it can't hurt adding it to your treatment regimen if it's not there already. I started with this book (an AskMetafilter favorite if you're over there at all) and it's helped my anxiety and depression issues a LOT.

Good luck, and hang in there.

 

[lunachan]

What strength of nicotine are you using? THANK YOU I'm using 18 mg; and I also had 36 mg but it
s been cut with VG in half to 18 mg.

What flavors of juice are you using? I have awesome vapor menthol, Nu-port from freedom smokes, sample sets from awesome vapor: coffee, banana, cream, apple cinnamon, vanilla and strawberry (also I have sweetener from Ms T). All are 18 mgs as well.

What flavors of foods do you like? Any kind of Chocolate,vanilla, coffee, sprite, pizza,cheeseburgers, quesidillas ( I like fast foods) chicken, turkey

How much a day did you used to smoke? 15cigs? Pack a day? A pack ...sometimes, that and a half.

The answer to these questions will help us find answers for you. Thanks again. I really appreciate it any help - Lunachan