Quit Smoking with vaping - sharing experience & some insights

[Sunny Rai]

I have been ex smoker for about 40 years - bit less than a pack a day. Switched to vaping (MTL) in March this year - started with Innokin Jem kit with 6mg juice and never touched a cigarette again. Later moved to Innokin Coolfire/Zenith kit. vaping about 2 - 3 ml per day. Out of curiosity tried 12mg juice and then could not go back to 6mg.

So the first thought - in case one is concerned about total nic intake and to reduce the same or not to increase the same, best to start at lower nic level and if it is satisfactory not to go to higher nic.

There is always a question in mind as to what is the right nic level, especially when quitting smoking and if having a concern of not increasing nic intake. I feel this depends on your vaping pattern and total average juice consumption per day. with my consumption of 2 - 3 ml per day I am ok with 12 mg but would be happier with 6mg.

How I calculate is that in cigarettes our body absorbs about 0.60 - 1.40 mg nic per cigarette depending on brand (say average about 1mg). In vaping I am assuming that 50% of nic in the juice is absorbed by our body. (I am not sure if this is a correct assumption and would appreciate feedback on this.) So 12mg juice 3ml = 36mg nic. 50% = 18mg which is close to about a pack of light cigarettes.

For someone vaping DTL or otherwise consuming significantly more juice may want to accordingly consider lower nic of 3 or 6mg.

While I have been very satisfied with Coolfire Mini / Zenith kit, only issue I had is with its color fading on the mod and paint chipping of from the tank. I feel this is not acceptable. This did not happen on Innokin Jem kit.

On Zenith coils - my experience with Plexus 0.50ohm coil has been less than satisfactory. so am staying with 0.80 for the time being. Looking forward to trying the new 0.48

 

[Izan]

Hi and welcome,
IMO, the products of combustion are why cigarettes are dangerous, not the nicotine.
As long as you are not smoking and your nicotine intake doesn't make you ill, you are doing it right.
I use a nicotine level that allows me to vape as often as I please. In situations where I can not vape as often, I use a higher level.

Best of luck
I

 

[Daniel Forsyth]

Welcome to ECF
If your not happy with the 0.5 ohm Zenith coils I'd suggest trying the higher ohm ones like the 1, 1.2 or 1.6 ohm ones rather than the 0.48.
The 0.48 ohm is much more airy than the others

 

[Jebbn]

I use about 13mg to 15mg a day. It doesnt matter if I dl 4ml of 3mg or mtl 2.5ml of 6mg each day. 15mg seems to be the number I stay sane at and where I naturally seem to feel satiated at. I havnt killed anyone in two years of vaping. Thats much better than when I quit tobacco about 20yrs ago with out any quit aids. Gore fest.

 

[virm]

congratulations! well timed indeed. I first tried the switch a couple of years ago, before nicsalts and podsystems were widespread and anything over 3mg freebase was unbreathable to me. I also didn't get the right advice on how seting the gear toward MTLing to lighten the hit. So I only quit this year too. You're certainly ahead of me in that i am only now shifting to an adjustable wattage device and choosing tanks according to my preferences.

I have a similar project going in terms of controlling nic intake. I asked about it in these 2 threads if you're interested:

greets (and question toward dual use Salt/Sub-ohm)
@BrotherBob posted some reading material on gear, parts and set-ups that might be useful, it's the last post there.

istick pico and nautilus 2 S, options and alternatives?
this latter is rather long, most of the info shared is gear-size oriented and you know most of the rest. The first page, might have some useful tips from others, but ignore it if you're short of time.

Ditto on @Daniel Forsyth's suggestion. Higher ohm and lower wattage are the only way i can take vaping high-nicotine content. And then again, only when it's always salts. The point is simply to have a tank for which there are coils of varying resistance; the Zlide is apparently the most popular MTL/+1ohm tank (though as I've mentioned somewhere in those threads, the Germans have a very different opinion of Zenith/Zlide tanks).
The 7 Best MTL Tanks on the Market Right Now 2019 [Nov]

There's some anti-salts rhetoric here, some by those whose advice was most useful to me, and I am no veteran, BUT, i think it's wrong. I don't know how smoothe 18mg freebase nic can be, MTLing on a tank like Zlide, but on pod's it was terrible with 12mg. It was certainly terrible with 0.2 ohm coils.

Salts are also absorbed much quicker by the body so you'll feel the satisfaction much quicker and need to vape less.

As to the over-intake of nicotine, again, there's some defensive talk around about how outside of cigarettes, it's ok. I understand the spirit given the anti-vaping mania out there, but that is not ground to defend nicotine; the matter is simply what many others say: it is better to take nic with vapour and flavour than to take it with tarr and CO1/2. Otherwise, even if nicotine was not a harmful substance, I would think one can do better without any chemical dependency (i've recently developed the dependency on caffeine and I am not a happy sailor). Otherwise, I do recall that nicotine is in fact a harmful substance, in addition to being a wily drug which you need to normalize both as upper and downer.
Nicotine - Wikipedia

@Jebbn 's point, I find, is important. Sometimes smokers / vapers are going for the fix, other times you do it for the sake of the act, whether the breathing relaxes you, you enjoy the break or it's just a habit or a distraction... often enough it's a changing balance of the two: you've got little time, so you need a quick high-dose, other times you're savouring the act and want to spread the dose over a longer time.

I don't know how @Jebbn does it exactly: do you carry two mods around or is it more of a setting thing? My current project is to have two tanks, one with MTL/high-ohm for the high-nic and another sub-ohm (more DL oriented) for very low nic (or even maybe in the future none at all). THough I did consider carrying a lighter, smaller MTL (istick-pico or swag-sized) device or a tiny Pod in my pocket and keeping a larger one with low nic in bag or car. I still have my pod, but there's prospect of passing it on to help a friend quit smoking... I am still figuring out how to carry the secondary tank, what to put it in...

as to the peeling paint, there was a recent discussion in Silver / Metal colours cheaper?!

where the most relevant points are that 1) unpainted, metal coloured devices are better to avoid peeling; and 2) should you desire a different aesthetic or an extra layer of protection(?) wrapping the otherwise plain device is the way to go. The gentlement and ladies suggested this J-Wraps

 

[Sunny Rai]

Hi and welcome,
IMO, the products of combustion are why cigarettes are dangerous, not the nicotine.
As long as you are not smoking and your nicotine intake doesn't make you ill, you are doing it right.
I use a nicotine level that allows me to vape as often as I please. In situations where I can not vape as often, I use a higher level.

Best of luck
I

Yes I understand and agree. While most harm and danger in cigarettes is from combustion, which one is saved from in vaping, at the same time for some people like me, it may be a concern to limit, or perhaps even gradually reduce nic intake

 

[Sunny Rai]

congratulations! well timed indeed. I first tried the switch a couple of years ago, before nicsalts and podsystems were widespread and anything over 3mg freebase was unbreathable to me. I also didn't get the right advice on how seting the gear toward MTLing to lighten the hit. So I only quit this year too. You're certainly ahead of me in that i am only now shifting to an adjustable wattage device and choosing tanks according to my preferences.

I have a similar project going in terms of controlling nic intake. I asked about it in these 2 threads if you're interested:

greets (and question toward dual use Salt/Sub-ohm)
@BrotherBob posted some reading material on gear, parts and set-ups that might be useful, it's the last post there.

istick pico and nautilus 2 S, options and alternatives?
this latter is rather long, most of the info shared is gear-size oriented and you know most of the rest. The first page, might have some useful tips from others, but ignore it if you're short of time.

Ditto on @Daniel Forsyth's suggestion. Higher ohm and lower wattage are the only way i can take vaping high-nicotine content. And then again, only when it's always salts. The point is simply to have a tank for which there are coils of varying resistance; the Zlide is apparently the most popular MTL/+1ohm tank (though as I've mentioned somewhere in those threads, the Germans have a very different opinion of Zenith/Zlide tanks).
The 7 Best MTL Tanks on the Market Right Now 2019 [Nov]

There's some anti-salts rhetoric here, some by those whose advice was most useful to me, and I am no veteran, BUT, i think it's wrong. I don't know how smoothe 18mg freebase nic can be, MTLing on a tank like Zlide, but on pod's it was terrible with 12mg. It was certainly terrible with 0.2 ohm coils.

Salts are also absorbed much quicker by the body so you'll feel the satisfaction much quicker and need to vape less.

As to the over-intake of nicotine, again, there's some defensive talk around about how outside of cigarettes, it's ok. I understand the spirit given the anti-vaping mania out there, but that is not ground to defend nicotine; the matter is simply what many others say: it is better to take nic with vapour and flavour than to take it with tarr and CO1/2. Otherwise, even if nicotine was not a harmful substance, I would think one can do better without any chemical dependency (i've recently developed the dependency on caffeine and I am not a happy sailor). Otherwise, I do recall that nicotine is in fact a harmful substance, in addition to being a wily drug which you need to normalize both as upper and downer.
Nicotine - Wikipedia

@Jebbn 's point, I find, is important. Sometimes smokers / vapers are going for the fix, other times you do it for the sake of the act, whether the breathing relaxes you, you enjoy the break or it's just a habit or a distraction... often enough it's a changing balance of the two: you've got little time, so you need a quick high-dose, other times you're savouring the act and want to spread the dose over a longer time.

I don't know how @Jebbn does it exactly: do you carry two mods around or is it more of a setting thing? My current project is to have two tanks, one with MTL/high-ohm for the high-nic and another sub-ohm (more DL oriented) for very low nic (or even maybe in the future none at all). THough I did consider carrying a lighter, smaller MTL (istick-pico or swag-sized) device or a tiny Pod in my pocket and keeping a larger one with low nic in bag or car. I still have my pod, but there's prospect of passing it on to help a friend quit smoking... I am still figuring out how to carry the secondary tank, what to put it in...

as to the peeling paint, there was a recent discussion in Silver / Metal colours cheaper?!

where the most relevant points are that 1) unpainted, metal coloured devices are better to avoid peeling; and 2) should you desire a different aesthetic or an extra layer of protection(?) wrapping the otherwise plain device is the way to go. The gentlement and ladies suggested this J-Wraps

@virm Thanks for elaborate share. I have few questions

1. There is a difference between amount of Nic in a cigarette and amount absorbed from it by us - usually the nic mentioned on packs is the nic absorbed by us, which is around 0.60 - 1.40mg per stick depending on Brand. How much of the nic from E-juice is absorbed by us? So we can use this as a cross comparison with our past smoking. I have been assuming 50% but I am not sure if this is correct or near correct.

2. For someone concerned with limiting nic intake, what should be a reasonable target/limit for vape nic

 

[Izan]

Yes I understand and agree. While most harm and danger in cigarettes is from combustion, which one is saved from in vaping, at the same time for some people like me, it may be a concern to limit, or perhaps even gradually reduce nic intake

If your doctor advised you to reduce your nicotine consumption, then follow his/her advice.
However, IMO, your primary goal in switching to vaping is to cease using combustion cigarettes.
Once you have moved away from combustion, then tackle the nicotine monkey.
Imo, Stay focused on your primary mission. The monkey is indefatigable, insidious and clever. Don't let him distract you from leaving combustion behind.

Best of luck
I

 

[virm]

The question about nic-consumption requires some research, I am sure there's an article out there, or someone here who's done the research. I tried the search and found
E-liquid nic
Vaping vs Smoking Equivalent Nicotine Intake - Does Vaping Cause Way Higher Nicotine Intake?
Nicotine absorption from electronic cigarette use: comparison between first and new generation devices

Though some of this might be off or out-dated (concerns older devices or only freebase nicotine e-liquid (you have yet to mention if you're using that or nicotine salts e-liquid)). I truly have no info with levels, numbers, etc.

Here's what i've done (this go around, not the times that failed from a couple of years ago):

1. a. I started with a pod device, which has much higher resistance (above 1 ohm) and very low wattage [the point is the stronger the electricity the less nic you'll be able to comfortably inhale]
b. I used nicotine salts [they are smoother to inhale and absorbed much more quickly]
==in terms you and I understand: I would feel normal by the 4th inhalation in the morning AND i could easily vape without having eaten something.
c. I started with 20mg nic. and I realized that as long as I was not short on nic, no one could actually tempt me with a cigarette. The only times I thought a smoker next to me was not disgusting and wanted to borrow one was when I hadn't vaped prior.

2. When I realized I was sometimes just vaping away for no physical need (like if i was reading or watching something at home) there was no need for nicotine, at least not high. So i cleaned up my first device, the failed Aspire K4, put 3mg nic with a nice thick flavour. It has a 0.2 ohm coil so much lower resistance, and much higher wattage than my Minifit pod which i use for the high-nic. I loosened the air 3/4 of the way (which made for a much looser inhalation_ more Shisha-like than cigarette). And I puffed on and on.

3. Now I'm shifting to what you're doing, having a more serious device than either, which has adjustable wattage, and a tank for varying ohm-age/resistance. Forgetting the idea of having two vaping set-ups simultaneously, like I'm trying to do (i.e. forgetting point 2.), I am basically trying to make sure that 'the monkey' does not needlessly sneak up on me as I lower the nicotne. I mean though the gradual lower of the nicotine might indeed cause some nervous craving for a minute, it might also be the inhalation that might be the problem. This is because the nicotine content affects the inhalation quite a bit, the more there is the stronger the hit.
You mentioned that after trying the 12mg out of curiousity you couldn't go back to 6mg. I suggest, that at least at first, this was not simply a stronger dependency issue; rather, the stronger hit / heavier inhalation also played a part. Hence adjastability. As i lower the nicotine, I would 1) raise the wattage and/or 2) change to a coil with lower ohm and/or 3) shifting airflow 4) probably also choose/mix liquids with different VG/PG balance (i still haven't got the hang of this, my current understanding is "switch to high-VG/lower-nicotine sub-ohm setups as you wean yourself off and start to branch out." from Beginner’s Guide to Salt E-Liquid (I found the page quite useful, but you are already way ahead of what it addresses: you're using a pod (more cigarette like) device, you're not doing high nicotine (the guy who introduced me to salts was doing 50mg!) and if you're not using salts at all then you're past needing the quick fix phase. This is all to say I'm trying to maintain the comfortable and satisfactory inhalation while lowering the nicotine.

Not to put too much on the encouragement aspect, but again, you've gone quite a long way so far. The page I've linked mentions that many who are in it for the quitting smoking don't need to delve into finer gears and more options and a simple pod device will do. Indeed true. But I could only keep with small pods and stay away from cigs as long as i kept high nic content. When I started branching out, enjoying the vaping in and of itself, then I started feeling more comfortable lowering the nic, knowing that any craving or dissatisfaction was within the domain of some tinkering in the flavour-cloud hobby, and cigarettes were farthest from my mind.

I would mention there is potentially a diff. approach: above mentioned friend has not branched out. He continues on Minifit with 20-50mg nicsalt, but only takes a hit of the strong stuff when needed, and he is needing it less and less often. I doubt he takes more than 15 puffs a day at this point. Some days much less. He might be onto something too. A key point in what he's doing is that he hasn'teven tried the thicker cloud gear, nor any subohm device, and only enjoyed what little flavour you could get from a device like the Justfog minifit insofar as it wasn't the stench of burnt tobacco.

 

[BrotherBob]

Quit Smoking with vaping - sharing experience & some insights

Welcome and glad you joined.
Thank you for your insights.

 

[virm]

If i'd known this was coming out i would've had a hard time forcing myself to get something already available. I was mostly sold on the older Swag, before someone dangled the idea of larger batteries in addition to the fact that nothing of this size/family could fit larger tanks. This does (will)! 'Pre-order starts mid-Nov'. No idea whta that means exactly.

Swag II » Vaporesso
Vaporesso Swag II Mod $21.22 | Kit $30.95 - Vaping Cheap Deals
$42.09 Authentic Vaporesso SWAG II 80W VW APV Box Mod Kit - 3.5ml / 0.15/0.5ohm / 5-80W / 1*18650 / 25mm diameter at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[dmc5259]

Hey everyone! New member here. Starting this past Monday I'm trying to quit smoking - a 48 year habit at 2 packs a day. I started vaping on and off a few years ago with the eGo brands which were okay. I'm still a little outdated - I use an Aspire Breeze and just recently tried the Vuse Alto which I think is surprisingly good. I don't know much about the newer vapes that are available now. I like a good throat hit and lots of vapor. I haven't read through many of these threads yet but I see there's lots of good information and I'm working on catching up.

 

[seminolewind]

Hey! I'm a veteran from 2009, I've survived thru everything including using aquarium filter inside carts and putting our cumulative trust in China being the only distributer sending us e-juice. China was very good to us.
I knew I'd never stop smoking tobacco. But I did with this miraculous invention. From the USA, with Big Tobacco having the FDA in their pocket, so many many lies and untruths have been hurled into the public. So many are on the "evil ecig train" that I think they clearly forgot their fight against Tobacco (known cancer causing for over 70 years), and liquor which comes in a hundred wonderful flavors . What happened to the fight against important issues? And not a pure fight? Pure meaning the simple ingredients that were meant to be in ejuice.
I am so convinced that society does not want people to quit smoking tobacco. It's a money thing that starts with Big Tobacco and the FDA on down and losing billions of dollars if people don't smoke.
If you are new to this, don't give in to all those that don't want you to vape. They are ignorant to the true facts. I hope you read this because YOU people are the next generation that holds responsibility for maintaining positive change for all tobacco addicts! Love ya!

 

[seminolewind]

Newbies: If you walk away from vaping, I guarantee that you are not using the right equipment set up for yourself. The more elaborate , the more possible frustration.

 

[virm]

Hey everyone! New member here. Starting this past Monday I'm trying to quit smoking - a 48 year habit at 2 packs a day. I started vaping on and off a few years ago with the eGo brands which were okay. I'm still a little outdated - I use an Aspire Breeze and just recently tried the Vuse Alto which I think is surprisingly good. I don't know much about the newer vapes that are available now. I like a good throat hit and lots of vapor. I haven't read through many of these threads yet but I see there's lots of good information and I'm working on catching up.

Welcome! I'm a recent success, after 17 years of smoking. I have tried on and off for the last two years. The first two times around I kept cigarettes around in case I needed the proper satisfaction. I did start to enjoy the vaping, but the cigarette remained the standard thing, someimes even more enjoyable since it felt like I was appreciating the 'real thing again'. It only worked for me the third time around, with a nicotine salts liquid, along with a pod device like the ones you've mentioned. So, if I may, I strongly recommend not keeping any cigarettes around, in addition to making sure you're getting very satiating nicotine doses.

Lots of vapour and heavy nicotine might be sort of opposite goals in a way. But, if you're looking for some company exploring, first thing's first:

I imagine you prefer the easy to use pods, do like them to be on the larger side (like the Breeze)?
Are you using freebase nicotine or nicotine salts?
How high is the nicotine?
What is the coil you've been using on Breeze (is it over 1 ohm or lower)?

 

[dsites]

Hey everyone! New member here. Starting this past Monday I'm trying to quit smoking - a 48 year habit at 2 packs a day. I started vaping on and off a few years ago with the eGo brands which were okay. I'm still a little outdated - I use an Aspire Breeze and just recently tried the Vuse Alto which I think is surprisingly good. I don't know much about the newer vapes that are available now. I like a good throat hit and lots of vapor. I haven't read through many of these threads yet but I see there's lots of good information and I'm working on catching up.

Welcome .... You're in the right place. There's lot's of great info and support here.

 

[fourmedallions]

If your doctor advised you to reduce your nicotine consumption, then follow his/her advice.
However, IMO, your primary goal in switching to vaping is to cease using combustion cigarettes.
Once you have moved away from combustion, then tackle the nicotine monkey.
Imo, Stay focused on your primary mission. The monkey is indefatigable, insidious and clever. Don't let him distract you from leaving combustion behind.

I so agree with this and I also think the best bet is not to overthink to much. Give yourself some time and distance from the smokes and be content with that. Your body has a lot of healing to do, so don't rush it. If you find a level that you are comfortable with, stick with it.

I used a step-down approach when I switch from smoking to vape (and actually that turned into pretty much two steps) because smokes lost all appeal very quickly, and I'm thinking that the step-down might also work with reducing dependence on the nicotine, but I am NOT as concerned about that as I am about the potential to smoke again.

If I am at work and need a jolt of nic, I vape 12mg. At home, I am perfectly content to vape 6 or 3mg. For me, it's whatever works in the moment as long as I am not smoking.

 

[tgs3]

I started vaping back in August 2017 hoping to at least cut down my 30 cigarette a day 40+ year habit. I dual used for nine months vaping 24mg. Since quitting I have gradually reduced to 3mg. I plan to go lower in the near future. However, can't imagine quitting vaping, though I can imagine going to zero nic. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor and for me that is an excellent reason to go as low nic as possible as I can without going back to the smokes.

 

[chellie]

It interesting to read others' experiences. I was a very heavy chain smoker since I was a pre-teen. Smoked for decades. Never once did I ever attempt to quit analogs. In fact, if I was without one for any length of time, I was not too pleasant to around.

It was 8 years ago that I started reading about Vaping and I lurked around here for a while.

I then made the decision to go with vaping rather than analogs. I set a date and from that day I instantly quit analogs. Used 50 nicotine then stepped down as I purchased better and more modern equipment and have been at my current 3mg for awhile.

Everyone is different. I've read about folks that dual-use --- I would never have succeeded if I was vaping and smoking analogs. If I would have gone that route I would still be doing both.

Whatever works for anyone is great!