Ok. I just started using vaping a week ago as a means of smoking cessation. I thought I would put down a few lessons learned.
1) Research is good so you might as well start with an excellent forum such as ECF. Get unbiased opinions. The community is relatively small, dedicated and in many ways fringe. It is also very free with opinions as to what equipment to use. Many suggestions tend towards, what may seem to be, rather advanced set ups. Ask questions!
2) Research is good but only to a point. At some point, you will have to step on the treadmill and buy something. You can research forever but each day you delay, is another day on cigarettes.
3) Dont get hung up on the idea of e-cigs that look and feel like cigarettes but also, dont discount them either. Almost all people move up to those strange looking devices at some point. Get something you will use. Whether it is a cheap gas station mini, a variable voltage bottom feed mod or something in between, you have feel comfortable in order to use it. Move up to more advanced hardware when you feel comfortable.
4) Vaping is not, just like smoking. Get over it!!! You cannot get a direct comparison between vaping and smoking. Whether you are trying to compare nicotine levels or how long a cart lasts in comparison to a pack/carton of cigarettes, they are different.
5) If you simply stop cigarettes and switch over to vaping in one go, it might be helpful to keep one pack of cigarettes in the house. You do not have to open it. Just having some on hand is a kind of mental safety net. It is there, just in case things get really bad but each day you do not open it, is another accomplishment.
6) A less abrupt way is to phase cigarettes out over time. On day 1 of my vaping, I went from a pack a day to a third of a pack a day and vaping in between. At the end of week 1, I am down to 3 5 cigarettes per day and do not feel any stress or urge to smoke more then that. My goal is 1 or less per day by end of week 3 and 0, two weeks after that. The taste of cigarettes has already started to become harsh and unpalatable for me.
7) The cost of equipment can be high initially, but is cheap in comparison to cigarettes. When comparing cost, dont forget the cost of juice and shipping associated with it.
8) Order supplies well in advance. Cigarettes can be found in stores and gas stations at every corner of every street. Only a handful of online stores sell juice. Having a good supply of consumables on hand lessens the tendency to stalk the mailman (kinda creepy if you think about it).
9) Order from domestic vendors if at all possible to avoid customs problems.
10) Vaping is different then smoking. When smoking, one lights up and smokes it to the end because there is no pause to allow you to put a lit cigarette in your pocket and get back to it later. Vaping is different in that you can take a drag or two, put it down and then take another couple of drags 10 or 15 minutes later. The more even flow of nicotine seems to lessen the cravings for cigarettes (for me, at least).
11) Dont be afraid to try different equipment and accessories. If your new vaporizer does not give you the sensation you were looking for, dont give up. A change to a different tank, cartomizer, drip tip or juice may change everything. You do not have to be a Mod ..... and buy every new product out there but you may want to compare what you are saving each week in not buying cigarettes. Calculate what you spent per week when you were on cigarettes and then put that amount into consumables and different equipment until you find a set-up that suits your needs.
12) Use common sense when it comes to where you vape. I vape at home, in my car and places where I used to smoke. Sure, you can legally vape just about anywhere but for me, it is not about doing it because I can. Its about using it as a tool to get off cigarettes. I never smoked in the middle of the supermarket before so I am not likely to crave vaping there now. Ill fight the good fight later.
13) Charging equipment and spare batteries are your friends.
14) Try sample sizes of different juices, as taste is subjective.
BTW, here is what I started up with:
2 x KSD eGoVV 900mAh Pass Through Batteries
1 x Vision Stone Tank V3
Pack of Boge SR Cartomizer
Pack of Boge LR Cartomizer
1 x Stainless Steel Drip Tip
1 x Ego Cone/Atomizer Cover
couple of sample size juices and a 30ml of RY4
1) Research is good so you might as well start with an excellent forum such as ECF. Get unbiased opinions. The community is relatively small, dedicated and in many ways fringe. It is also very free with opinions as to what equipment to use. Many suggestions tend towards, what may seem to be, rather advanced set ups. Ask questions!
2) Research is good but only to a point. At some point, you will have to step on the treadmill and buy something. You can research forever but each day you delay, is another day on cigarettes.
3) Dont get hung up on the idea of e-cigs that look and feel like cigarettes but also, dont discount them either. Almost all people move up to those strange looking devices at some point. Get something you will use. Whether it is a cheap gas station mini, a variable voltage bottom feed mod or something in between, you have feel comfortable in order to use it. Move up to more advanced hardware when you feel comfortable.
4) Vaping is not, just like smoking. Get over it!!! You cannot get a direct comparison between vaping and smoking. Whether you are trying to compare nicotine levels or how long a cart lasts in comparison to a pack/carton of cigarettes, they are different.
5) If you simply stop cigarettes and switch over to vaping in one go, it might be helpful to keep one pack of cigarettes in the house. You do not have to open it. Just having some on hand is a kind of mental safety net. It is there, just in case things get really bad but each day you do not open it, is another accomplishment.
6) A less abrupt way is to phase cigarettes out over time. On day 1 of my vaping, I went from a pack a day to a third of a pack a day and vaping in between. At the end of week 1, I am down to 3 5 cigarettes per day and do not feel any stress or urge to smoke more then that. My goal is 1 or less per day by end of week 3 and 0, two weeks after that. The taste of cigarettes has already started to become harsh and unpalatable for me.
7) The cost of equipment can be high initially, but is cheap in comparison to cigarettes. When comparing cost, dont forget the cost of juice and shipping associated with it.
8) Order supplies well in advance. Cigarettes can be found in stores and gas stations at every corner of every street. Only a handful of online stores sell juice. Having a good supply of consumables on hand lessens the tendency to stalk the mailman (kinda creepy if you think about it).
9) Order from domestic vendors if at all possible to avoid customs problems.
10) Vaping is different then smoking. When smoking, one lights up and smokes it to the end because there is no pause to allow you to put a lit cigarette in your pocket and get back to it later. Vaping is different in that you can take a drag or two, put it down and then take another couple of drags 10 or 15 minutes later. The more even flow of nicotine seems to lessen the cravings for cigarettes (for me, at least).
11) Dont be afraid to try different equipment and accessories. If your new vaporizer does not give you the sensation you were looking for, dont give up. A change to a different tank, cartomizer, drip tip or juice may change everything. You do not have to be a Mod ..... and buy every new product out there but you may want to compare what you are saving each week in not buying cigarettes. Calculate what you spent per week when you were on cigarettes and then put that amount into consumables and different equipment until you find a set-up that suits your needs.
12) Use common sense when it comes to where you vape. I vape at home, in my car and places where I used to smoke. Sure, you can legally vape just about anywhere but for me, it is not about doing it because I can. Its about using it as a tool to get off cigarettes. I never smoked in the middle of the supermarket before so I am not likely to crave vaping there now. Ill fight the good fight later.
13) Charging equipment and spare batteries are your friends.
14) Try sample sizes of different juices, as taste is subjective.
BTW, here is what I started up with:
2 x KSD eGoVV 900mAh Pass Through Batteries
1 x Vision Stone Tank V3
Pack of Boge SR Cartomizer
Pack of Boge LR Cartomizer
1 x Stainless Steel Drip Tip
1 x Ego Cone/Atomizer Cover
couple of sample size juices and a 30ml of RY4
