There's something missing he tells me.

[Papillon61]

So the gear I ordered for my son has arrived and yesterday was the big unpack day. The iStick 20 and nautilus Mini look like a snazzy starter combo so he should consider himself lucky. I gave him some of my DIY juice - a tobacco flavoured one at 12mg, just in case he is still hankering after the tobacco taste, my own ADV of Tropical Custard and a very nice Peach Melba that I make, both at 6mg. Oh and in the evening I also handed him some Capuccino.

After 24 hours I checked up on him. He said he's happy with it but while he was working on his computer yesterday (he's a lawyer), he did light up a few smokes. He said he's fine with vaping if he's just sitting around but somehow there is something missing. He couldn't put a finger on it and neither can I.

Any thoughts?

 

[alicewonderland]

could be the warmth/throat hit of smoking cigarettes. I remember when i first started RDA's at higher power 40+watts, with my 18mg nicotine it came to me, "that's what was missing". Its that lightheaded calming feeling you get when you take that first puff of a cigarette in the morning, like you can feel it flow through your body and just take off the edge. I personally think its a combination of them all, the warmth of the vapor, throat hit, and the increased nicotine delivery that you seem to get from an RDA at higher power, you get it more instantly/faster it feels, to me at least.

The 'starter' type setups dont really give me that feeling unless i take an uncomfortably long drag.

 

[roxynoodle]

You do have to adjust. A cigarette does seem to hit the brain a lot faster. I had quite the struggle with transitioning. It took me two months of dual use.

I started with 18mg, and maybe I even should've used 24mg. Have him start with some 18 at least, IMO. And not to beat himself up if he struggles to transition. Just keep plugging along. Since I cut down to 50% on the cigs on day one, I knew it could work if I persisted.

 

[DavidOck]

Or maybe too low a nic level?

That was the case for me when I made the switch. At the recommendations of the shop I started with 18, and for the first week was still a dual user. Got some 24 and never had another. (And did reduce it some later, but only back down to 18. Works for me, we're all different.)

And maybe encourage him to try different power settings as well. (Or remind him that he can! )

 

[Tyberias]

Keep in mind that there are other addictive chemicals besides nicotine in cigarettes. There is also the psychological connection to cigarettes. Transitioning between the two is a personal journey for each individual.

 

[Papillon61]

Thanks all. Maybe I shall mix him up something at 18mg (he's still quite young and certainly hasn't been smoking for as long as I had been so maybe 24mg is too much for him) - maybe even go for a higher PG for more throat hit? Or maybe - make him pay for the kit and juice so he knows he's put something into it.

 

[Bookworm]

I think 6 is too low. When I first started, I felt like something was missing, even at 18mg. Took some getting used to. I never could have done it at 6mg. He may also want to try a bit of WTA, I've heard good things.

 

[DavidOck]

Higher nic and higher PG will both enhance TH, and that could be part of his "something missing." If he's a heavy smoker, odds are good that TH is a big part of the experience. (Well, it was for me )

 

[alicewonderland]

if he smokes/smoked menthols also, id suggest maybe letting him try a good menthol flavor, that minty feeling in your nasal passages/throat really helped me once i started vaping on that, the tobacco flavors were nothing at all like smoking when i first started.

 

[Papillon61]

No, he is not a heavy smoker... i mean less than a PAD a day and hasn't been smoking all that long. Straight mild tobacco was/is his smoke. I've mixed him up some 70PG 18mg Eclipse clone that I make. We'll see. Good thing he lives on the top floor - so no harm done if he goes through the roof.

 

[scotdc]

You have to remember that smoking is about more than just inhaling nicotine and smoke. Much of the addiction to cigarettes has to do with the whole "ritual" aspect of smoking. Pulling the cigarette fresh out of the package and the fresh tobacco smell, the spark of the lighter, that satisfying first draw, and the bunker mentality of "us against them." There is a lot more to kick here than just the nicotine addiction.

 

[kaahn]

I would suggest a higher nic content. Everything in vaping suggests less is better especially when your talking about mixing your own ejuice but in the case of trying to kick the habit in the beginning I would suggest I higher nicotine level even if he wasn't a heavy smoker. He can always Vape less since he wasn't a chain smoker but hopefully be satisfied as if he was still smoking the 'logs. Also if its the throat hit or girth of the vapor that he's missing you might try a higher pg ratio. It seems to give more of a throat hit. I started with a cigalike but it didn't give me that "thickness" I was looking for but it didn't take me long to upgrade (literally a matter of hours lol) my device. I also started with 18mg nic. I didn't have a problem going from 2+ PAD for 20+ years down to cold turkey in a matter of days! Good luck with helping him kick the habit!

 

[AntC]

Another vote for upping the nicotine. Just went through this with a buddy, I had started him on my juice,which is low nic, but same thing,he still needed a smoke here and there. He ordered higher nic juice and a Subtank Mini and he's good to go! Which brings me to my other recommendation, a subohm tank. Subtank mini is a great choice but there are more. And maybe the 30 watt istick for some more ooomph? My friend kicked smokes a week ago with that exact combo, subtank mini and istick 30. Before that,I gave him a Innokin VV (11 watt max) with an Evod tank and he still smoked cigs throughout the day. But once his new gear arrived he hasn't bought a pack of cigarettes since!
I hate to say "spend more money", but for 60-70 dollars, it may just be the answer to quitting for him,which 70 bucks is a grain of sand on a beach, when you think of the complications smoking has on a person. Good luck I hope you can convert em!

 

[WillyZee]

gotta also join the raise the nic camp ... at 12mg, he's missing the nicotine.

 

[Shipwreck]

I believe I know exactly what it is, as I had that same feeling... It's the habit of having that cigarette there, reaching for it, having it between your fingers, flicking the ash..... I believe it's due to the inactivity of sitting at a computer. I came to that conclusion when a friend was over and I was fixing his computer. After about a half hour my buddy said "Man, do you ever smoke a lot!", and one of my sons said "He doesn't smoke a lot a all, he just lights a lot of cigarettes." After that I did realize that I didn't "smoke" nearly half as many cigarettes as I lit. I would just light them while being at a computer and they would burn away basically, either between my fingers or sitting in the ash tray.

It went away very quick for me though, after a couple of days. I still once in a while reach for the lighter or cigarette that isn't there.... But I'm doing fine without the smokes.

 

[VictorViper]

Keeping my hands busy is an enormous part of the equation for me as well. I think I wrap coils more than I actually vape (nah, not really). Getting as far from a cigalike setup, even pen/stick setups was also huge, as it helped avoid the comparisons as I vaped.

Vaping a crappy cigarette sucks. Vaping an awesome PV rocks! Your son just needs to find his method of tricking his brain. Nicotine is only part of it, for me disassociation was far more important.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Yet another vote to increase nic to 24 mg. I remember one of the things I missed about smoking was that quick "rush" of the nic hit. Also missed the MAOI's in tobacco but nothing to be done for that. Anyway, to make the switch, he has number one, want to switch, but number two get enough nic fast enough that the "something is missing" feeling is reduced as much as possible.

 

[DeAnna2112]

Maybe it is just me, but vaping nicotine behaves like tequila by creeping up on me. When i first started vaping i learned that the hard way several times and i almost ditched vaping because of it. I started with 12mg on a triton and would vape on it for the same duration i would a cig...i ended up with a massive headache, room spinning and darn near barfed my guts up for a couple hours. So i moved down to 6mg and didn't seem to have a problem. Then i got a nautilus and the same thing happened...i had to back down to 3mg....and i was a 2 PAD smoker.
Given your son has not been smoking long and smokes less then a pack a day...i would be careful bumping up the nicotine because if he gets sick off it like i did due to it being too high..it may completely turn him off to vaping..it almost happened with me...just my two cents
I hope and pray your son picks vaping over smoking

 

[VictorViper]

Nic-hit-pro-tip: Let that vapour sit in your mouth and blow some O's. Enjoy the instant elation.

 

[edyle]

Thanks all. Maybe I shall mix him up something at 18mg (he's still quite young and certainly hasn't been smoking for as long as I had been so maybe 24mg is too much for him) - maybe even go for a higher PG for more throat hit? Or maybe - make him pay for the kit and juice so he knows he's put something into it.

he's still quite young.
That would be my guess; when you're still young with clean lungs theres something you get out of a good cig or cigar, but when you smoke for years and your lungs are a mess, you can't get that anymore, and it's easy to switch to vape.