I was a pack a day smoker and 2 on the weekends, roughly a carton a week of DIY rolled cigarettes. I immediately cut my smoking in half and quit 1.5 weeks after starting vaping. 1 week after quitting smoking I took a drag of a cigarette and became queasy from the ammonia aftertaste. I now have a negative association with tobacco smells and tastes and can't even vape tobacco flavors.
While quitting analogs my problem wasn't with nicotine, it was with all the other chemicals in the cigarette. If I saw an unlit cigarette and had a craving, I would take a draw on my vaporizer and fulfill the psychological and nicotine craving. If someone then lit up an analog near me and the smoke blew my way my craving would kick in even stronger even though I had fulfilled the previous cravings. After another 1.5-2 weeks those cravings finally went away. I believe it was withdrawal for all the other chemicals in analog cigarettes even though I was mainly rolling my own analogs with bag tobacco versus buying brand name pack cigarettes.
Except for the flavor component, and additive withdrawl, if you know someone that wants to try and e-cigarette this is a good place to start to figure out which device might be good for them then you have to find a flavor and nicotine level that will work for them.
Flavor: Whether it is a tobacco flavor or not, it is extremely important to find a flavor that is psychologically satisfying. I never liked the flavor of cigarettes but some people actually do.
Vapor Output: The visible output of a cloud of smoke or vapor is considered a key psychological components of smoking satisfaction. One easy way to get more vapor from e-liquid is to either get it mixed with Vegetable Glycol (aka VG or Glycerin) or get a bottle of USP Glycerin and add it to the e-liquid. 5-10% should be enough to notice a difference. Traditional smoking cessation programs don't address this.
Throat Hit: The feeling of smoke or vapor hitting the back of the throat when inhaling is another psychological components of smoking satisfaction. I have found that while 3.7 volt devices work for most people, most 2-3 pack a day smokers do better with low ohm/resistance atomizers or 5-6V high voltage mods. Traditional smoking cessation programs don't address this.
Nicotine Withdrawal: Recognized as a chemical addiction, this is relatively easy to control with e-liquids. Most vendors sell 24mg liquid, a few will sell up to 36mg. Nicotine replacement therapies address only this aspect of smoking and none of the others.
Habit: This has to be the hardest to break. Whether it's breaking the hand to mouth routine or a schedule or routine. This is the hardest part to overcome when quitting smoking. Personal vaporizers serve as a substitute to analogs in this case. Breaking that habit is still up to the user.
By using those criteria I have found that habit is the most important component to why I was smoking and vape a lot. Semi-scheduled breaks at work and the hand to mouth routine are the hardest to break for me. Combined with the ability to use my vaporizers anywhere I actually use it more. Flavor is very important and I try many different flavors. Vapor output is a major component. I like to blow out big clouds of vapor. Throat hit is less important to me though I notice it. Nicotine is surprisingly the least important component to me. I can vary between 5mg and 15mg liquids and not notice any difference.
While quitting analogs my problem wasn't with nicotine, it was with all the other chemicals in the cigarette. If I saw an unlit cigarette and had a craving, I would take a draw on my vaporizer and fulfill the psychological and nicotine craving. If someone then lit up an analog near me and the smoke blew my way my craving would kick in even stronger even though I had fulfilled the previous cravings. After another 1.5-2 weeks those cravings finally went away. I believe it was withdrawal for all the other chemicals in analog cigarettes even though I was mainly rolling my own analogs with bag tobacco versus buying brand name pack cigarettes.
Except for the flavor component, and additive withdrawl, if you know someone that wants to try and e-cigarette this is a good place to start to figure out which device might be good for them then you have to find a flavor and nicotine level that will work for them.
Flavor: Whether it is a tobacco flavor or not, it is extremely important to find a flavor that is psychologically satisfying. I never liked the flavor of cigarettes but some people actually do.
Vapor Output: The visible output of a cloud of smoke or vapor is considered a key psychological components of smoking satisfaction. One easy way to get more vapor from e-liquid is to either get it mixed with Vegetable Glycol (aka VG or Glycerin) or get a bottle of USP Glycerin and add it to the e-liquid. 5-10% should be enough to notice a difference. Traditional smoking cessation programs don't address this.
Throat Hit: The feeling of smoke or vapor hitting the back of the throat when inhaling is another psychological components of smoking satisfaction. I have found that while 3.7 volt devices work for most people, most 2-3 pack a day smokers do better with low ohm/resistance atomizers or 5-6V high voltage mods. Traditional smoking cessation programs don't address this.
Nicotine Withdrawal: Recognized as a chemical addiction, this is relatively easy to control with e-liquids. Most vendors sell 24mg liquid, a few will sell up to 36mg. Nicotine replacement therapies address only this aspect of smoking and none of the others.
Habit: This has to be the hardest to break. Whether it's breaking the hand to mouth routine or a schedule or routine. This is the hardest part to overcome when quitting smoking. Personal vaporizers serve as a substitute to analogs in this case. Breaking that habit is still up to the user.
By using those criteria I have found that habit is the most important component to why I was smoking and vape a lot. Semi-scheduled breaks at work and the hand to mouth routine are the hardest to break for me. Combined with the ability to use my vaporizers anywhere I actually use it more. Flavor is very important and I try many different flavors. Vapor output is a major component. I like to blow out big clouds of vapor. Throat hit is less important to me though I notice it. Nicotine is surprisingly the least important component to me. I can vary between 5mg and 15mg liquids and not notice any difference.
