trying to kick analogues, new to vaping and forums

[epiphonic]

Hello Everybody,

My Husband and I are "n00bz" to the vape world. Luckily Ed is an IT/Computer geek which allowed us to easily locate tons of information on e-cig reviews and forums. I have never read/followed or participated in a forum before this week. Eddie sent me the link to ECF last night and I have truly enjoyed the community/support/kindness which thus far seems to be the essence of ECF.

I am anxious about putting myself "out" there. The irrational (at sometimes paralyzing) fear of quitting smoking is embarrassing but I am taking the leap. So here we go....

I started smoking cigarettes and drinking at 11 years old. I know that almost everyone has suffered traumatic events in their childhood so I will keep it to the minimum. The idiotic part of the smoking is that I have struggled with asthma since I was 2 months old. My mother was young and ignorant of the dangers of smoking while pregnant, so I have known the feeling of nicotine since the womb. Growing up in a tiny house with 4 heavy adult smokers didn't help much either. I started with stealing my dad's pall mall unfiltered.

Being the little rebel, I experimented with other drugs and it was crappy. Over the years I have been able to kick almost EVERY addiction (including a 9 year ....... addiction myself with the help of my husband) BUT the cigarettes, which I always put on the back burner. I constantly make excuses to myself that the smoking was the least of my worries. But now I realize, it needs to be top priority. If I can do this, my god...to be free from cigarettes??? I can't even imagine my life without them. Its not that I love them. I need them. I hate the taste. I hate the smell. I feel horrible for the people around me who are affected by my addiction to these disgusting cigarettes. The money I have spent over the years... It is sickening.

Another complication for me is my Bipolar Disorder. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this - it is a psychological disorder that medical professions believe is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. So an average healthy human feels emotions that range from very happy to very sad. I experience emotions magnified to the extreme. The "highs" are known as mania, which feels like you are invincible, suffer from hyposomnia (difficulty and/or less need for sleep)and makes it difficult for me to make responsible decisions. I get very impulsive and over excited, along with the insomnia that often leads to smoking more than usual. The "downs" are known as a major depressive episode where I feel powerless, insignificant, worthless. it often ends up being days of suffering from psychosomatic pains similar to flu like symptoms mixed with tears and hypersomnia (excessive sleeping often through the entire day) Needless to say, this is another tier to my battle.

We purchased our joyetech eGo kit from LitCigUSA and my husband hasn't smoked a cigarette since he started using it 4 days ago. I am not having as much luck. For some reason, I can't seem to get the pull right and end up with not enough vapor, or too much that leaves me coughing like crazy. The other problem I am having is figuring out the dosage of nicotine to go with. I tend to "have" a cigarette, but dont really smoke the whole thing. My husband makes fun saying that I burn cigarettes like incense. Years ago i tried those nicotine patches and a 21 mg patch had me vomiting and unable to stand up without the room spinning.

I really want to do this. I want to quit. I am scared of failing. I am aggravated that I cant get the pull to where it works for me. BUT...here I am hoping the ECF forum will be a another tool in the belt that builds my strength to succeed.

- Epiphonic

 

[ScottinSoCal]

It takes a little while to get used to the difference between an old fashioned cigarette and vaping. I coughed, too, for several days after I'd completely switched. The throat hit was too harsh, and it felt like sandpaper in my throat. Now my eGo isn't doing it for me - not enough throat hit - and I've ordered more powerful PVs. So you do adjust, and it does get familiar.

As far as the bipolar goes, I only know it from two people, and both of them engaged in heavy risk-taking behavior during the manic phases. To the point it was self-destructive and dangerous for them. If you do the same, you could go back to the old-fashioned cigarettes during manic phases. If you do, don't beat yourself up about it. Just accept that you skipped all those *other* cigarettes while you were vaping, and take that as a win.

 

[StarrzChylde]

Epiphonic,

Oh, how I feel your pain. I too suffer from Bipolar Disorder, and it has made my journey into vaping an interesting experience. Every mistake, every problem I encountered, made me feel like I was an idiot and would just add to the downward spiral of depression. I was terrified of failing, like it was a direct showing of just how inept I was in life in general.

Sound familiar?

All that I can tell you to do is to keep trying. Talk to your doctor if you are on meds. He can probably help you talk things out, or up your meds because your anxiety level will be higher for a little while until your get the mechanics of vaping down.

I have an eGo, and I love it. It did take a little while to get the pull down, since mine kicks like a mule. LOL. I found that the easiest pull for me int he beginnign was to drag for about three seconds and hold the vapor in my mouth for a second or two, then inhale into my lungs. That seemed to ease up the throat hit enough that I wasn't gagging. I'm used to it enough now that my drag is quite a bit heftier, but that came with time.

If the 21mg patch was a little too much for you, start with 18mg juice and see how that makes you feel. If that is still too much, just step down a bit until you find your sweet spot. It's all about trial and error. i wish I could give you a handbook that would tell you exactly what to do, but it's more personal preference than anything else.

If you need anything, PM me and I will do all that I can to help. You are not alone!!!!

-Starrz

 

[bobby9621]

I am fairly new myself, and I have tried many brands. I am getting ready to switch to the Ego myself it has great reviews. Hang in there, I notice a difference in physical activities and energy. If your spinning I suggest lowering your MG and everyone is different, some like very little, some like so much they risk overdose, and some like in between. It took several days for the "throat" issue for me to subside.

 

[epiphonic]

Scott,

Thank you so much. I feel better knowing that someone else experienced the coughing thing. I thought it was just me :/ Congrats on your being smoke free for almost 22 days! Thank is incredible.

-Epiphonic

 

[epiphonic]

Starrz!!!! You are an angel. It means a lot that you are sharing your experiences with me. Many people don't understand just how invasive bipolar is. Thank you, I would love to continue correspondence with you.

Always,
Epi

 

[epiphonic]

Bobby,

How many days would you say it took for the energy level to increase as well as the "throat issue" to subside?

-Epi

 

[StarrzChylde]

Epi,

Then PM me when you hit the post count where you can! I use lots of instant messengers too, and would love you be your vaping buddy! Just be forwarned, I kind of latch on to my friends and can be quite a pain in the ...! LOL

Lots of LOVE!
Starrz

 

[WomanOfHeart]

Hi, Epi! Welcome to ECF! You're very brave for sharing your story and I just want to let you know that you aren't alone here.

If you're having trouble with getting good vapor and coughing you might want to try taking long, slow, gentle draws. vaping isn't like smoking, so you have to approach it a little differently. Inhaling when you're vaping is like sipping a glass of fine wine. If you try to suck on it like you're trying to suck up a thick milkshake through a straw it doesn't work right. You'll get the hang of it in no time. A lot of people cough when they start vaping just like they did when they first started smoking. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water and keeping yourself hydrated. Vaping is dehydrating and many people will get a sore throat from that and from coughing. Water will help it pass.

If you're still having the urge for a cigarette you can try stepping up your nicotine level. I started out at 18mg, but still wanted to smoke. I bumped it to 24mg for a short while, then I started taking it back down to 18mg. I vaped both for a while, too. I would use 18mg when I could vape freely and 24mg when I was away from home or couldn't vape whenever I wanted. I recently started using 18mg exclusively. This is something you could try and see if it works for you.

 

[Mudflap]

Starter hardware, even a great kit like the eGo, can be a PITA to learn how to find your "sweet spot" in vaping. The frustration is compounded by the withdraw symptoms when you deny yourself analogs. And then there's your bipolar issues possibly coming into play. I feel for ya. But we need to get you off analogs, so let's get to it, shall we?

IF you can't get the eGo to work right when you need it most, consider the eGo Tank system. I have no personal experience with these, but the reviews are mostly favorable so far. They just became available in the USA this month. They're relatively simple to set up and more importantly, they give consistent, satisfying, vaping, which you need. We don't know about long term performance but we're watching.

Another option you might consider is a juice fed box mod. These are typically the size of a pack of cigarettes and are powered by a lithium ion battery that lasts several hours longer than Joye 510's and even the eGo batteries. Bottom-fed juice mods also include a 3 mL or 6 mL plastic bottle that feeds e-juice to the atomizer from the bottom. Give the bottle a gentle squeeze and you have juice in your atty for a perfect vape. The Reo Grand is pictured in my avatar, and is a bottom-fed juice mod, but there are other models that work great too. It took me getting a Reo to put down the analogs for good. I'm only on day 8, but I honestly have no desire to light up again. I much prefer vaping.

ANYWAY... there is a downside to bottom fed juice mods. Availability for starters. The really good ones aren't mass produced like eGo's, 510's, etc. They're built and sold by individuals who can only turn out a limited quantity of units per week and they can't put their lives on hold in a futile attempt to meet the actual demand. But, if you want one, you can get one. Mine was approximately $143 shipped. Another downside is the batteries and charger. You have to order these separately. Expect to pay a minimum of $15 for a charger, and approximately $7 to $10 per battery. You'll want at least 2 batts. Better, safer, chargers run $50 to $60 and you can pay more for batteries, too, if you want to avoid Chinese models. Chinese made batteries work fine, but the Chinese aren't sticklers about quality control and lithium ion batts can release a lot of energy at one time if things go south. (i.e. - boom!)

I hardly ever recommend mods to newbies. I believe they have to figure out if they genuinely enjoy vaping before they decide for themselves that a mod would best suit their wants, needs, and desires. That's where starter kits come in. For many people, the starter kits are perfectly fine for long term use. They tweak the hardware and their routine to make it work and that's a great thing. It just wasn't MY thing.

I bring up the Tank system and juice mods in your thread because you've got multiple demons to fend off in your journey to becoming an ex-smoker. My sole intention is to provide some additional information that might be useful to you. It matters not what PV you use, as long as it works for you and gives you what you need to free yourself from analogs. Cigarettes are easy. PV's aren't. But they're getting better all the time.

You've come to the right place for the goal you've set for yourself. The community here is beyond awesome and they'll support you as long as it takes to get you where you want to be. The amount of information floating around waiting to be absorbed is freaking scary, but we all get past that if we try. I'm still learning every day.

I wish you tons of luck and success and hope I can help you become analog free.

 

[DonG]

Epi.......welcome and I would wish you luck but with your good mindset/attitude I KNOW you will succeed without much "luck" being involved, especially if you keep posting here for support. PMA (positive mental attitude) is the greatest asset to getting free of analogs.

Mudflap.......great post!

 

[shinoda]

welcome and wish you all the best agreed with DonG, i believe you can do it with your positive mindset!

 

[dormouse]

Ego is a manual battery isn't it? You can control your drag best like this (I think) - do the press and release of the button a bit earlier in time than your drag.

Press on - then 1/2-1 second later start dragging - then before your drag is done Let Up the button - while you continue to drag out the end of the vapor. Also - don't drag hard like a cigarette - try dragging a bit less intensely and more slowly.

And be sure to let yourself smell some of the vapor. Let some waft out of your mouth so you can smell it (because an e-cig is not going to blow smoke all over you like a cigarette does). The smelling the vapor will help more when you have juice you like the smell of.

Some other things you can try if you just don't get along with what you currently have

1. OTHER JUICES!!!! The initial juice you got may be 100% PG base and that can be a bit harsh - irritates my tongue after a while and irritate some people's throats. You can buy juices that are a blend of PG and the smoother VG (VG also makes more visible vapor). I like 70% PG / 30% VG - check places like FreedomSmokeUSA - you can choose the PG/VG ratio on most of their regular size juices (start at $4) but not on the sampler size they have for some flavors. usual discount code freedomsmokeusa for 10% off. I am fond of their Desert Ship (a Turkish blend that smells a bit like a freshly opened pack to me) and oRYental (their sweet vanilla caramel tobacco). And I got myself some of their Almond Pleasure too (like an Almond Joy).

2. Nicotine - If you are vaping about as much as you smoked then typical starting points are
Full strength cig smokers -> 24mg and some need 30+
Lights smokers -> 16-18mg and some need 24
Ultralights smokers -> 10-12mg and some need 16-18
If you are vaping a lot more than you smoked then you may want a lower nicotine. If you feel your nicotine needs are not met then you could try higher (bit note - some warning signs of too much nicotine are headache, dizziness, rapid heartbeat)

3. Maybe a different atty. If the 510 atty on the Ego is too harsh for you, maybe try a 510 battery to 901 atty adapter with a standard DSE 901 atty and 901 carts - 901 gives a somewhat airier cooler tasty hit. On an Ego you could also use an LR 901 atty (low resistance) for a bigger 901 hit. You can get this stuff at FreedomSmokeUSA too - 901 atty and carts are in their DSE901 section and the adapter is here
FreedomSmokeUSA

 

[evilfrog]

allowing the smoke out of my mouth and inhaling through the nose has mitigated the coughing issue for me (when I was a kid this was known as 'french inhaling'. I don't where this idiom came from or if it's use was widespread....). I'm still waking up with a nasty sore throat though.

I too never thought I could go more then six hours without an analogue cig. I still carry the unopened pack I bought last Tuesday with me at all times, and I didn't tell anyone that I bought an e-cig. The shame of potential failure, both financial and behavioral, was too great. Keep experimenting and you could also get lucky!

 

[Aeric]

Hello Epi;
I think you have made 2 great chioces. Giving up analogs and getting an ego. I got my ego 8 days ago and haven't had a cig since. I smoked for over 32 years and couldn't get away from cigs til now. My wife, a non-smoker, is overjoyed. Long slow draws seem to work for me. There is a ton of great info in the forum and a lot of support. Hang in there.

 

[ScottinSoCal]

The sore throat should clear up within a couple of weeks. Your sinuses are clearing up for the first time since you started smoking, and all that crud is dripping down your throat every time you take a breath. My throat has gotten sore every time I've quit smoking. I'm also lucky enough to get killer ear infections.

 

[dormouse]

Oh and re fear of quitting smoking - I smoked for decades (1.5-2 PAD) and I was so afraid of quitting that I never even tried to quit. I could not bring myself to even attempt it. But I was able to switch to vaping really easily - I had one cigarette while I was learning how to use the e-cig and then that was it. I did research my purchase and nicotine level first so I ended up with a reasonable setup for me. Even with that crappy ejuice I had to start with I was able to stay off cigarettes with not much effort at all, but getting some good juices you like are part of the key to sticking with it. nd I do think it helped that the cigs I had around just-in-case are cheap harsh ones I never really liked anyway (I couldn't afford my mellow faves anymore - and I am glad they weren't around)

I had a couple of bumps - no charged battery and I had to smoke a cigarette but once you are vaping, cigarettes will taste really gross (especially if the emergency cigs you have are ones you don't like). I was real paranoid in the beginning and carried my smokes in my other pocket (not in their usual pocket) but I didn't need them. Then I moved the pack of cigs and my lighter to the car trunk just in case. I guess they are still there. I did get spare batteries, spare chargers (home and work), spare attys, PTs for emergencies only, and a PCC - I am loaded - no more battery emergencies.

Another relaxing thing I did was once I had plenty of batteries and charging cables, I started leaving the PV set up overnight. I found it a bit stressful and weird to disassemble my e-cig before bed and to need to put it together when I got up, so now I don't have to. It's set up all night and right there when I get up.

 

[RandomMusing]

The first 4-5 days of vaping I had a sore throat as well, and cold like symptoms but it totally passed.

 

[epiphonic]

You guys are amazing. I am literally about to tear up. Thank you so very much for the advice and support!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went out and got the most disgusting pack of analogs, have been smoking them most of today. My husband purchased me every combination of nicotine PG/VG mix and flavors so that we can narrow down what will work. He put a low resistance atty on my PV and mixed some wyatt earp (24mg) & honey (12mg). I think I am going to order some more of the wyatt earp in a lower dosage. Doing the french inhaling is helping, I also like that the smell stays in your sinuses for a bit.

I am finding that the fruity and sweet flavors remind me more of hookah. I think I am going to set up another cartridge with Desert Ship which is supposed to be flavored like my usual blend.

You guys are truly wonderful people. Most of my life, when i asked for help no one had the time (or figured that I would work through it myself). Luckily I have been able to do that with the help of my husband. But, I have to admit that I was really nervous to post here (especially considering the issues I needed to disclose). You have all helped me feel MOTIVATED. The day I can go 24 hours without a cigarette...dnvklanvwkldvne I am so excited.

-Epi

<3

 

[Lisa B]

Hi Epi, welcome to ECF and vaping. I am bi-polar also and I know how difficult that is and one of the things that keeps us addicted to cigarettes is that they actually have an anti-depressant in them. It took me awhile after I started vaping before I quit smoking but then it just kind of happened by accident. You will be surprised how many people accidentally quit. Vaping has to be learned and you got a lot of good information in this thread how to vape. But as Woman said drink LOTS of water, it will help a lot.