Still Craving Analogs...

[gamergirlmo]

Hi y'all... I've been vaping for a little over 2 weeks now, and I still find myself craving analogs. My first e-cig was a Trio, and I kept running into problems with it; some could be fixed, others were caused by personal preferences. I switched to Vapor King, which I just got today and love already. Maybe I'm having a hard time converting because of the difficulties I've encountered. Whatever the case may be, I'm starting to worry. Between the Trio and the Vapor King, I've dumped $150 up front to switch, and now I'm worried because I'm still craving analogs. Is this normal, am I being too hard on myself, or am I doing something wrong?

 

[bornagainst]

Just think of each cigarette you DIDNT have as a little victory.

Secondly, if you have cigarettes in your house, you'll probably smoke them regardless, so its best to get rid of em.

What I did was took a day and just stayed home. I just vaped like a madman all day, and that really helped. I realized I could do it, and it's been much better ever since.

Even if you have the odd cigarette now and then, once you find what works for you, you just smoke less and less until you just don't smoke anymore.

You smoked for years, so allow yourself some time to adjust to something new.

 

[BiffRocko]

You're being too hard on yourself. I'm at about 6 weeks and I still get cravings too.

They are much less than they used to be though and are typically situational now (when I'm partying, stressed, etc).

Cut yourself some slack.

 

[doots]

yes it is normal and happens to us all when we first started,

when I would get the urge for one I would vape until the urge left which is pretty fast.

after a while it will be less and less. really..

just hang in there. it does take determination but you will win out..

 

[CaptJay]

Yeah youre being too hard on yourself
So what if you dont stop immediately? I took 10 days, some people take WEEKS, othrs never give up one or 3 a day. It's not important, what's important is that you take things at your OWN pace, do what feels right for you, reduce your intake when you feel confident about it - you also haven't said what strength nic you're using, that might have something to do with it. Sometimes at first you need to smother your cravings in nic - sometimes you just need TIME (and still other times you need something like snus or snuff to help get you over the hump)
I was an ultralight smoker, I started out on 24mg (too high lol) then went to 18mg - after 2 weeks I dropped to 12 which is where I am now.

 

[cyberwolf]

Ecigs enable some people to quit analogs completely. For others they are an effective substitution, but it still takes a lot of will power to quit. Give yourself some time to find the perfect vape. And like bornagainst says, look for each little victory. Be proud of each time you vape instead of smoke, especially those times that were typical craving triggers. We've all been through it!

 

[boxerdoglover]

I agree with what everyone said, it is not good to be so hard on yourself and just give yourself a pat on the back for trying to quit analogs.

 

[ddavis7426]

stopped analogs eight days ago 1-2 packs a day for well over 20 years.

 

[shastacola]

glad to hear ddavis7426! i wish you nothing but continuing success

 

[tearocks]

I'm quite new to the whole vaping thing too. I have managed to stay away from analogs for almost 2 weeks even though I have a carton in the house. I still feel like going out the back for a smoke now and then (didn't smoke in the house before). It's like a conditioned response - with a coffee, after a beer, after a feed. I read somewhere to vape first and then have an analog if you still really want one. Hopefully, I can overcome my long standing habit. Good to hear others having success with it.

 

[BiffRocko]

I still go outside to vape now and then. It helps to complete the old ritual, but reassociate it to vaping instead of smoking.

 

[WillieB69]

I started out on 24mg (too high lol) then went to 18mg - after 2 weeks I dropped to 12 which is where I am now.

The nic content was my first thought regarding the OP.

I tried to start out at 12mg and it's just not enough. I've cut analogs back considerably but I've found I'm much more sedated with 24mg nic juice and that is what I will be ordering from here on out.

If you're not fully satisfied, try a higher rated nic juice unless you're maxed out at 36mg.

And give it time as others have said. Some get over analogs immediately, others need to work at it.

 

[markfm]

Good things take time. For me switching to an 808, plus a decent stock of 24 mg juice, did the trick, but what liquid will work varies a lot.

As others said, be happy for the ones not smoked.

 

[tekmnky]

I still go outside to vape now and then. It helps to complete the old ritual, but reassociate it to vaping instead of smoking.

The nic content was my first thought regarding the OP.

I tried to start out at 12mg and it's just not enough. I've cut analogs back considerably but I've found I'm much more sedated with 24mg nic juice and that is what I will be ordering from here on out.

If you're not fully satisfied, try a higher rated nic juice unless you're maxed out at 36mg.

And give it time as others have said. Some get over analogs immediately, others need to work at it.

Good advice! When I started I decided to go through the same rituals as I had with analogs, only puffing on the PV instead. That way I wasn't overwhelming my brain with changing everything at once, just the absence of burning tobacco.

I also wondered if you've found the right level of nic in your juice? Being the under-educated beginner that I am, that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read your opening post. You might try a juice with a little more nic in it when those cravings hit real strong.

Just my

Bill

 

[gamergirlmo]

I'm on the 24mg juice now. After reading your posts I realized that I'd shot myself in the foot a little bit. I decided to mix flavors and added a 0mg flavored juice to my 24mg juice, it ended up being 1/2 24mg and 1/2 0mg; I guess that was a little too low for me. I'm now at 24mg of chocolate, and it tastes a heck of a lot better than any chocolate flavored tobacco I've had. The smell kind of reminds me of the pipe tobacco my sister and I chose for my Dad once, back in the day when it was acceptable for kids to go into smoke shop and choose pipe tobacco for their fathers.

I've also changed brands. I was using an e-cig with an automatic battery, and I bought one with a manual battery. I think it's a little easier for me to drag on, the drags are more satisfying, and I don't even notice the blue LED. I will use it more like a tobacco cig; I was warned about possible nicotine poisoning so I was afraid of overusing it, conveniently forgetting that I've been smoking for about 20 years now and that I'm quite capable of knowing when enough is enough.

I'm glad I posted about this. I feel a lot better now than I have in a little over two weeks. I'm definitely more enthusiastic, and I don't feel so alone in this anymore. Thanks everyone for replying so quickly, and I hope to see y'all around on these discussions.

 

[jimho]

Quitting is hard and it takes commitment. I tried pearing down but at some point got back up to a pack a day and vaping as well. I had to mentally prepare with a quit date, and convince myself that I would never smoke another cigarette again - all the stuff you have to do in any smoking cessation program or any addiction for that matter. I also went for accupuncture over the first 4 weeks and it helped a bit... also it me mini milestones- just make it to the next session... 10 weeks and I still have urges but they are fewer, further apart and much shorter and when I get them, I know they will pass.

Don't forget there are 4000 + chemicals that you get lighting up a cigarette... maybe 10 with an e-cig. There are tons of posts here about what's missing... like others have said, don't beat yourself up, but try and figure out how to get past the urges one at a time and when they are gone you can pat yourself on the back.

 

[JohnnyPhive]

Just keep at it. I've been vaping for four weeks and every now and then I still want one. Not for the nicotine or for the smoke. Simply to follow the same routine I did for 16 years, open pack, pull out cig, light and inhale. I threw my lighters away because touching them in my pocket or seeing them made me want to use them to light up. Strange how deep routine habits go.

 

[War Mouse]

One of the hardest things for me to understand was that there are two sides to the analog problem. The addiction and the habit. The addiction part is purely your body telling you it's going to die unless it gets nicotine. A few puffs on your ecig and that gets taken care of. What a lot of people who try to "switch cold turkey" miss is the habit part. The mind becomes used to a stimulus and a response. I eat, then I smoke, I feel good. Now you have to train yourself to eat, vape, and feel good. It won't happen overnight. Take it slow and listen to the advice you find here. Everyone is different so no one can tell you what to do. I just spent a week vaping myself sick at every chance so I never wanted more nicotine. I don't recommend this process, but it worked for me. Nothing else did. Try things, experiment, but don't rush yourself. It'll happen for you.

 

[AtomPunk]

I agree with all of the other posters. I just started vaping 4 days ago and have cut down to 1 or 2 cigarettes a day. I have a bunch of 24mg liquid, but I got some 30mg today in the mail. When I went out on a job tonight I was using the 30mg and I really noticed the difference. I drive from site to site for my job and am used to smoking right after I leave one site and right before I get to the next (no matter how close lol). The higher nic liquid gave me the throat hit and punch that I expect from my analogs. At least for me, it made the difference tonight. I still have half a pack of smokes in my bag, but I think I will be reaching for the 30mg liquid instead. I do admit, that after drinking a bunch of beers and watching football last night my cravings were really bad and I ended up smoking some analogs. On the bright side, one pack of smokes has lasted me since Friday and I still have over half a pack left (used to smoke a pack a day). Like everyone else said, look at how many cigarettes you haven't smoked since you started vaping!

P.S. I also go outside to smoke, so going outside to vape is definitely helping start coping with my little smoking "rituals".

 

[firefox335]

I have to disagree with bornagainst somewhat. When I didn't have analogs in the house, it drove me crazy and made me want them even more. When they were lying around and I knew I could have one anytime I wanted, I didn't crave them as much.

But... everyone is different.

Also realize that there are 4000 other chemicals in analogs that your body craves. What worked best for me, was smoking while vaping. If I wanted an analog, I'd have one. But I'd take a drag off my PV every 3rd or 4th analog drag. It helped me to realize that vapor tastes so much better than smoke. I still get cravings from time to time, but now I just vape till they go away. (Which doesn't take long.) Don't beat yourself up. Let your body get used to vaping and chances are, you'll be just fine. It may take you a bit longer. It took me over a month.