Some observations of real cigarettes after switching to e-cigarettes and why I'm glad I switched

[Laktos]

Hi everyone,

I've been vaping for about two weeks now. It's funny because I haven't been a heavy smoker for years, but it's always something I've really enjoyed. When I switched to e-cigarettes, I thought it would be something that would be a inferior substitute for smoking and that I'd just have to get used to settling for it as a safer alternative, but something that would ultimately be less satisfying. Anyway, I ran out of cartomizers today, and since I won't have more e-juice till mid next week, I figured I might as well try a real pack to see what it's like. Here are some of my observations.

1. Size and Weight - The first thing I noticed was how odd it felt to hold the cigarette. It is so much smaller than my e-cig (a KR808D-2 until I can afford an eGo Twist setup), and the light weight really felt off. I thought that it would take me a while to get used to e-cigs, but surprisingly, real cigarettes just feel wrong in my hand now. It's kind of amazing how quickly I've gotten used to the weight and feel of my battery after having smoked for over 10 years.

2. Taste and Smell - I realize that I haven't really enjoyed the taste of real cigarettes for years, but after vaping, I'm finding that I really just find the taste gross. Compared to the smooth and pure feeling and taste of vapor, smoke just tastes dirty and makes me feel polluted. Also, just being in the smoke shop for a few minutes with other people smoking made my clothes smell terrible. I never realized how disgusting regular cigarettes tasted before.

3. Color and Volume - After getting used to the nice white vapor from my e-cig, I was again surprised by the dirty grey color of the smoke and how little there was. It's kind of amazing that after only a couple weeks, all of the things that I found aesthetically satisfying about cigarettes are pretty much gone.

Anyway, I think it's safe to say now that I don't really have any risk of wanting to switch back to analogs. I didn't expect to get used to e-cigs so quickly, and now that I know the feeling of holding a substantial feeling device in my hands and inhaling clean and good tasting vapor, I realize that vaping really is better in pretty much every way compared to smoking. The real test will be when I have to do my final project this semester, as I find I usually wanted to smoke the most when I was engaged in doing something creative, but as long as I have enough e-juice, I think I'll be very satisfied.

The only thing I really miss about cigarettes is the predetermined duration of time that comes with having a finite amount of material to burn. Before I started vaping, I'd go outside to solve a problem while smoking and then come back in to continue working once the cigarette was gone. It would be nice if someone would make a battery that had some kind of meter to approximate the amount of time it takes to finish a cigarette, since I often find myself chain vaping for a long time. But other than that, there really isn't anything appealing about cigarettes anymore.

Just thought I'd share my experience, especially if anyone is reading this thinking about whether they should switch. Vaping really is every bit as satisfying as smoking, and you'll likely quickly come to enjoy it more.

 

[Mustang73064]

How right you are. If you ever find that timer you let us all know I don't think my PV leaves my hand anymore. If I step outside to vap and join the smokers they are done in like 5 min and I want to be like the energizer bunny and keep going and going

 

[artt]

Excellent points on all. Yes the normal end of a regular smoke compared to vaping is quite a difference.

 

[SissySpike]

Nice post.

 

[ninjuh]

I notice when I have a cig now, it burns my tongue. Like it's burning my taste buds or something.. That's usually when I throw it out & pick up my vape

 

[DR. Schwartz]

I agree with everything you have said. I also I would like to add that everyone that used to give me a hard time for smoking doesn't say a word now. A great feeling.

 

[Boden]

I posted this elsewhere but it fits here.

The day I realized I was done with smokes I was sitting on the back porch having a smoke and thought to myself... "self I'd rather be vaping, this tastes like crap". I put that smoke out and havent looked back. I do have the occasional craving but I have found a way to deal with those. I have an old ashtray on the back porch, one sniff of that dank thing and the desire goes away.

 

[VapApe]

Isn't it amazing how much nasty, we were willing to put up with as smokers,to get are nic

 

[opal]

Right there with ya on the chain vaping - since we don't have to go outside to vape.
Even though both of us used to smoke - we didn't in the house.
I think hubby misses the back porch ritual though. I'm good with not going outside unless I have to.

 

[Laktos]

It's funny that when I first started vaping, I wanted the vapor to taste like my old cigarettes. Now I'm smoking this pack and wishing it tasted and felt like the vapor. I'm really looking forward to getting that Highbrow Vapor juice this week.

Vaping in the house is one of the things I really enjoy but also something think I should probably avoid. I too miss the outside ritual, and I think it's interesting that a lot of the benefits of vaping also remind me that part of the appeal of smoking was the limitations it imposed. It's so easy now to just sit on my computer while I'm watching something with my e-cig right next to me. I don't even need an ashtray, which is great, but I'm just afraid that if I don't exercise self control, I will end up just sitting here puffing on the thing non-stop. I'm not sure how much of a health risk that will be; I'm sure that in any case it's better than smoking, but I can also see it getting expensive.

In any case, though, this discovery is like magic. Just about two weeks ago, when I was smoking outside while working on a project, I remember thinking to myself that I wished there was some kind of magic cigarette that would just keep going without burning down and wouldn't give me horrible diseases. I had no idea that something like that actually existed.

 

[Baditude]

Thanks for this post. Someone on another thread remarked about suddenly recognizing that she could smell the fresh rain on grass, and how long it had been since she could remember enjoying such a simple joy. It hit home for me, as I had experienced the same sensation just this past week. It was a minor yet significant revelation to me.

 

[opal]

I had no plans to quit smoking either. The doctors all say, when are you going to quit - and my answer was.. the first trick to quitting smoking is that you have to WANT to - and I didn't. It was my rebellion against society - and I still do not believe that tobacco causes cancer.. additives sure and other things that have nothing to do with smoking.. but I digress.

Someone on another forum pointed me here and I think it's all the flavors (chocolate) that got my interest up. I read a lot for a couple weeks before deciding to get on board. I have picked up an analog a couple of times (ok.. part of one almost daily - in the morning) since I started vaping and so far, they don't actually gross me out but they don't satisfy me anymore.

I have just that one hurdle.. that first one in the morning with a cup of coffee.. couple of drags to get the bodily functions kickstarted that so far vaping has not accomplished. I have a heavy tobacco and menthol mix that I hoped would do the trick but nope.. and that particular flavor does not make me happy.

I have two different vapor orders on the way - mostly dessert flavors and am thinking I should get a third company in on the mix.

yep.. hooked on vaping too

 

[Laktos]

My relationship with cigarettes has been kind of odd. I find that I'm much more prone towards psychological addiction than physical. For example, I'll drink like a fish every day for three weeks, then suddenly find the next day that I have no interest, and I'll go a month without touching alcohol. I was a regular smoker for about 6 years, and then when I finally decided to quit, it was actually quite easy. I think that the most difficult thing about trying to quit is when you leave yourself that possibility of having an excuse. If you have a bad day and are stressed out, or if you're excited and allow yourself that wiggle room where you try to negotiate, that's where it becomes difficult. But even though I didn't have a problem when I actually decided to quit and was able to just throw my last pack away, whenever I would watch a movie or something where someone was smoking, it always looked so good, and I kind of longed for it.

After I started college again, I had a lot of friends who smoked, so I ended up smoking on breaks, at parties, etc. Throughout college, it was pretty much an on for a week or two (especially during finals), then off for a month or so thing. Part of it is that I realized that, although a lot of the time I really just don't care about smoking, when I'm really happy and thinking about something, or if I'm writing music or working on a project, smoking was just one of those things that I just found really enjoyable and something that I felt really enhanced the pleasure of the creative process. Before vaping, I had basically just resigned myself to being an occasional smoker, but I was somewhat apprehensive about it, since the times when I was happiest did feel incomplete without it.

The thing is, I always felt bad about buying a pack of cigarettes, since I still basically considered myself a nonsmoker, so it always felt like a lapse. Especially with things like exercise and running, etc., it was really frustrating, because I felt that smoking was so integral to my creative process that I had to either choose between health and actually being able to enjoy myself while productive.

That's why it's kind of amazing now, though, to find that this "substitute" has so quickly made the real thing unappealing. Even after years without it, I still had that conditional craving for it. I'm also really excited about all of the options for different flavors. I remember wanting to buy everything when going into a smoke shop in Japan, seeing all of those chocolate and other various flavored cigarettes. The problem was, of course, that they were always some interesting flavor mixed with a tobacco flavor, which really doesn't mix that well with a lot of other flavors, at least to me. I'm looking forward now to trying a new clove juice sometime, too.

 

[Renolizzie]

I'm way way down on cigs per day and I am thinking that I will just not buy another pack when these are gone. What I like about not smoking is how clean the computer desk is. No ashes all over the place. I also like that the house doesn't reek of stale smoke when I come in.

I kind of latched onto vaping since all my other attempts at quitting smoking were just plain painful. Vaping has actually been fun.