Stopping smoking: Types of vapers

[John1952]

I'm a lucky one. Eight weeks into it, I'm off of cigarettes. In fact, I was off them from day 1.

I read lots of threads at ECF, and I think there are three general types of vapers:

1. Immediate quitters. I'm one. I took my first hit from an e-cig, and realized that it had the potential to be a perfect substitute for my 40-year habit. It took some research on how to do it properly, but I'm done with them, and I'm now a happy vaper and former smoker.

2. Slow quitters. Those who have cut down on the analogs a lot, but still haven't kicked the habit. These folks mostly vape, but still smoke. Some of them will quit eventually. Some of them won't.

3. Substituters. Those who vape only because they can do so when they can't smoke analogs. They are still hooked on cigarettes, and (for some reason) vaping isn't enough to make them quit. Most of them will never quit.

I might be missing a category or two, but you can probably pretty much relate to one of those three.

So the question is: What is it about you that that puts you into the category you're in? There must be some good predictors. But maybe not. If, three months ago, someone told me about vaping and I was asked to predict which one of these categories I'd be in, I would have chosen #3. I thought it was impossible to quit. But it wasn't. In fact, it was easy. Amazingly easy.

Another issue is hardware. How many people like the idea, but get turned off because of the crappy "starter" products? Personally, I think that's a key point: Too many rip-off companies selling overpriced and under-performing products. I spent way too much money before I figured out how to do it right.

Thoughts?

 

[tinajfreeman]

I started over 2 years ago when all you could get (unless you were into building mods) pretty much was the cig lookalikes with the little batteries that crapped out all the time just when you needed them and the little carts with foam inside that you had to drip on like every 2 minutes to keep decent vapor going. You couldn't even buy the crappy ones in drug stores...I had to search the internet and try to figure out what to buy. I went with a "No. 7" ecig.

Nonetheless, I fell into category one. I think the reason I was an immediate quitter was that I had been trying and failing to quit smoking for at least a decade. I tried everything, including paying cash for Chantix which my insurance didn't cover. From the first puff, I could see that this was going to be my answer! it simulated smoking...and no amount of nicotine replacement therapy could take away my love of that "inhale". So I struggled through, bought lots of extra batteries (had 3 or 4 on the charger most of the time), experimented with lots of juices and was just bound and determined to make this work for me and stay off cigarettes.

When the ego came out I finally found satisfaction.

I think the key to being in Group #1 is you REALLY have to WANT to quit smoking at some level. Even if you've been in denial about it (saying I don't want to quit smoking when you are really saying you don't want to give up the pleasures you get from it, but would love to do it without feeling like you are playing Russian Roulette with your health). You have to want a healthier alternative enough to put the effort into it to make it work for you.

 

[Tiny]

I'm a lucky one. Eight weeks into it, I'm off of cigarettes. In fact, I was off them from day 1.
...
If, three months ago, someone told me about vaping and I was asked to predict which one of these categories I'd be in, I would have chosen #3. I thought it was impossible to quit. But it wasn't. In fact, it was easy. Amazingly easy.

I would add a subcategory under #1 called Accidental Quitters. I started vaping thinking it might help me cut back on my 40+ year smoking career. I had no thought of completely giving up smoking, I tried too many times to quit and never succeeded, it was impossible. Less than 24 hours after buying my first PV I had my last analog, the only reason I smoked the last one was because I had gone through the 2 cartos that came with my first PV, it was terrible.

I was lucky, I found a sales lady at local Brick & Mortar E-Cig shop who really cared that people quit and set me up with some good gear. From then on it was, as you said, Amazingly Easy. I wish everyone else's experience was as good as mine.

 

[Butters78]

I'm number 4. Quit a while ago and vape for fun lol..

I quit smoking back in June 2010 with snus and nasal snuff. I picked up vaping a couple months ago for the fun of it. I kind of missed the hand to mouth and blowing plumes of heaven! lol

 

[tinajfreeman]

Actually you're right, there are at least 2 more categories...4 are people who quit smoking completely before starting vaping.

5 are people who NEVER smoked but who tried it and liked it and picked it up. I have seen several examples of these people in the forum. They seem to do zero nic, just enjoying the vaping part.

 

[Blargh23]

I'm in category 2, sort of -- I tapered off cigarettes over the first couple of days of vaping.

Getting some juices with WTA definitely cut back on the cravings. Yeah, I'm self-medicating.

 

[MickeyRat]

Category 1 I guess. I got a crummy kit at a smoke shop. It didn't work well but, it was enough for me to realize there was some potential. So, I went looking for something better and I found it here. That was a year ago and I'm done smoking.

 

[mattkohl71]

I'm number 4. Quit a while ago and vape for fun lol..

I quit smoking back in June 2010 with snus and nasal snuff. I picked up vaping a couple months ago for the fun of it. I kind of missed the hand to mouth and blowing plumes of heaven! lol

Man if only I was you and knew what I was getting in to before I started shopping around... Going straight for the ProVari and Buzz Pro!? Madness!

I was definitely a number 1. I got a little Smokeless Image Volt, and it's worked wonders. I actually enjoy them more so than some of the larger models (Right now anyways...) so everything is going great. I love how portable and sleek they are. Now that may change when I get around to picking up a 1300mah battery from Smokeless Image for home use, but for now my little batteries work perfectly!

I got supremely drunk one night and looked at my little pack and a half of cigarettes and tossed them, including the ash tray, then went inside and vaped until my throat was sore!

It's been a transition, but it's definitely going fantastically. Too bad I ordered some juices at 3.2% nicotine (I thought I was going to have a harder time transitioning) so I have to finish the bottles a little at a time. I get headaches/really hot and red when I vape these juices for longer than an hour. SO. MUCH. NICOTINE.

 

[Butters78]

Man if only I was you and knew what I was getting in to before I started shopping around... Going straight for the ProVari and Buzz Pro!? Madness!

I was definitely a number 1. I got a little Smokeless Image Volt, and it's worked wonders. I actually enjoy them more so than some of the larger models (Right now anyways...) so everything is going great. I love how portable and sleek they are. Now that may change when I get around to picking up a 1300mah battery from Smokeless Image for home use, but for now my little batteries work perfectly!

I got supremely drunk one night and looked at my little pack and a half of cigarettes and tossed them, including the ash tray, then went inside and vaped until my throat was sore!

It's been a transition, but it's definitely going fantastically. Too bad I ordered some juices at 3.2% nicotine (I thought I was going to have a harder time transitioning) so I have to finish the bottles a little at a time. I get headaches/really hot and red when I vape these juices for longer than an hour. SO. MUCH. NICOTINE.

Ha I'm a nic fiend bro 100%. I just did alot of research on here the info is priceless. Research the mod you are looking into then watch the youtube videos. Right now I'm using a strong snus (Jakobsens mint) and vaping some 12mg RY4 on the provari and flavorless on the pro. If you like to chain vape just lower the nic content. I like the 12mg YMMV..

 

[tidegirl]

I'm a 2. That is the way I approached it. The all-or-nothing approach hadn't worked with countless attempts at quitting over countless years, so I hoped a more casual approach would work. So far, so good. I haven't bought a pack since late Feb, but have occasionally bummed when around smokers.

 

[cricque]

I am a 1, stopped immediately ... tried 2 cigarettes 5 days after I first started out with a 510-t ... never looked back
The plan was ... lets gives this a week and see if I like it ... then I had to wait for batteries to get charged ... and had some friends over ... and I said i'll try a normal one ... I couldn't believe I smoked for 16 years ... Didn't finish. so tried a menthol one ... And so vaping it was !


Using ego mega dual coils from smok, ressurectors, boge LR cartos now and never ever will I take up an analog again

 

[tinajfreeman]

It's been a transition, but it's definitely going fantastically. Too bad I ordered some juices at 3.2% nicotine (I thought I was going to have a harder time transitioning) so I have to finish the bottles a little at a time. I get headaches/really hot and red when I vape these juices for longer than an hour. SO. MUCH. NICOTINE.

Don't do that to yourself...buy the same or similar flavor in zero nic or low nic and mix them. I do this all the time. Or you can also buy some plain VG at Walmart and dilute it with that...that will dilute the flavor also though.

 

[AuBadge]

I'm in the first category, even though I smoked cigarettes for 30+ years. I think I was able to quit immediately (on 2/9/12) because of the device I started with which took care of certain things about smoking that were "attractive" (for lack of a better word) to me and my addiction.

My first device was a Joye 510; looked and felt enough like a cigarette to satisfy my tactile needs. I've moved on to a Lavatube and tank, because I needed more vape time between battery charges and topping off cartomizers has lost it's charm (unless I'm testing a new juice). I also no longer need a device to look like a cigarette. Watching the vapor as I exhale it (which still fascinates me) satisfies my visual need now as it did when I watched the cigarette smoke I used to exhale. Last but certainly not least, I still have my beloved nicotine.

In a nutshell, I believe I was able to quit smoking because all my ritualistic needs have been met by vaping.

 

[erictho]

hello.
i was in category one, which is not exactly something i predicted. i hated my addiction to tobacco for a straight year, i felt all negative effects on my health and financial situation were due to it. i did a quick google search on vaporizers and was thoroughly impressed. the last time i had looked into pvs, i only really knew types like njoy and essence, which are two of the most common starters in my area. when i received my first starter kit (ego-T) i smoked two cigarettes a day out of obligation of finishing the last bit of my tobacco. my starter kit arrived when i had 5g of tobacco left (i smoked 10g a day), and it took me a week to finish it off like that. so i'm guessing my loathing towards cigarettes had reached a certain high-point i was not aware of by the time my kit came in. i was not satisfied by the vapor production, the liquid i initially ordered was awful/putrid, and i immediately did more research to find an alternative to the ego-T. but i was sitting on 150 ml of juice and what i thought was enough hardware to last for a few months, even though i just had the 2 atomizers that was included in the kit.
i've introduced 3 people to vaping so far. the first person made an immediate switch. it was awesome.
the second and third are both slow quitters, but to varying degrees. one of them really liked the idea of vaping, and the few times we hung out i shared my pv with her as if we were sharing cigarettes. she recently received her orders and probably still smokes cigarettes a little bit, but i'm confident that within time she'll likely vape exclusively.
the other is a lady who quit for a few years, but started smoking last summer. i gave her my 650 mah ego batts that came with my first kit (and were in use for like a month), 3 smoktech dcc 5ml cartos which i prefilled, and about 10 ml each of 3 liquids i wasn't crazy about, and other necessary accessories. i've only seen her use the pv once, and it was when we were indoors. to be fair, she doesn't smoke inside, and i only have a chance to cross her path outdoors. so possibly a little bit of substitution? probably more substitution than i'm aware of. i hope one day she does not feel the need to buy tobacco.
i'm starting to introduce the concept of pvs to my parents, hoping they will at least vape half the time. i have no idea what to expect there. my father thought steeping loose leaf tea was too much of a hassle, so maybe we'll get to visit more often as well?

 

[WhatRobEats]

I'm in the immediate quitter category. The key is having the strong desire to want to quit. It is something I have been thinking about for about 2 years. In that time I have been stepping myself down. I went from Full Flavors, to Mediums, to Lights, to ordering my E-Cig.

Another big part of it is like another poster said having all of my ritualistic needs met by an electronic device. I can still satisfy my hand to mouth ritual, my inhaling ritual, and my cloud ritual.

My wife on the other hand is a slow quitter. Since ordering her E-Cig last week she has stepped down to only around 4 or 5 cigs a day down from 15 or so. Now she only tends to smoke analogs 1st thing in the morning, after meals, and at bedtime. I'm really proud of her and don't pressure her to join me in group 1. Like I said the most important thing and thing that makes it stick is the genuine desire to give it up.

 

[dlsw]

I'm a 4. I quit completely with Chantix, was on the verge of smoking again, picked up a gas station disposable, and the rest is vaping history. No analogs since Feb. 4. Vape on, good friends.

 

[versaden]

I would consider myself of the 2nd category. I might have a cigarette and a clove once a week, respectively. I'm only five weeks in, but I'm pretty damn proud considering I was a pack a day+ smoker. And it's getting to the point now where I don't even enjoy the taste of an analog--but I don't see myself passing on my once-weekly clove from my girlfriend any time soon.

Plus, I'm finding it so much fun to tinker and clean my eGo. The joys of ritualized machine maintenance. Way more fun than buying a pack and tossing it when it's done.

V.

 

[Antoly]

Too bad I ordered some juices at 3.2% nicotine (I thought I was going to have a harder time transitioning) so I have to finish the bottles a little at a time. I get headaches/really hot and red when I vape these juices for longer than an hour. SO. MUCH. NICOTINE.

What a problem? You shouldn't finish all these bottles with high level of nicotine. Just buy pure PG or/and VG and dilute them. You can make any nicotine level you like. Yes, this will decrease flavor a little, but, as for me, almost all e-liquids have so strong flavor that diluting only makes them better.

 

[Antoly]

I think the key to being in Group #1 is you REALLY have to WANT to quit smoking at some level.

Not at all. I never tried to quit during my 42 years of smoking and never even wanted to quit. And I still am in category 1. I just tried e-cigs out of curiosity and this was it just next day. It was just so much better and so much fun. I never had feelings that I make some heroic efforts to switch to vaping.

 

[renthepen]

I'm a 4. I quit completely with Chantix, was on the verge of smoking again, picked up a gas station disposable, and the rest is vaping history. No analogs since Feb. 4. Vape on, good friends.

Looks like we're a bunch that fit in this 4th category. I quit smoking 2 years an a half ago, but got addicted to nicotine gums after quitting tobacco. I'm new to vaping and I'm way happier and healthier now than when I had my gum or cigarette addiction