Vaping 2 years/still can't quit cigs

[United States]

Swoop, I've always said that even if cigarettes had zero nicotine I'd still smoke 'em.

I started vaping at 3%. I agree, once you break habits and find the right device it is easier.
I switched to decaf coffee and that all but squashed my craving for a smoke. I had to do 50/50 decaf/not for a week or two in order to not crash in hectic traffic.
Now I'm used to decaf that does have a little caffiene in it, just not much.

 

[CosmicTruth]

I've been vaping 2 years and still can't quit cigarettes . I've tried different flavors, different PG/VG, tried MTL and got frustrated, played around with nic strengths...I'm currently vaping on a Wasp Nano RDTA. I've gone through a vape pen, to crap tanks and beginner RDAs, to the Pharaoh and now my Wasp. I prefer the Wasp best so far. I enjoy a 3.6 tiger coil at 30 to 40 watts. I'm getting vape mail tomorrow and my juice will be 6mg. I can add more nic if need be. But what nic strength should I bump it up to? I'm still willing to play around with different strengths. I currently vape 4.5mg and smoke 5 to 10 cigarettes a day. Is there anything else I could/should do to help quit?

5-10 cigs per day is 7.5-15mg nic per day, you need to be vaping enough liquid to exceed 15mg per day (IMO). After you draw the line and quit cigs completely you can begin reducing your nic level slowly to be free. You can vape 3.33ml of 4.5mg liquid to get your daily dose of 15mg, but the only way you will ever be able to quit cigs is your own willpower.
I have faith you can do it if you try.

 

[smoked25years]

5-10 cigs per day is 7.5-15mg nic per day, you need to be vaping enough liquid to exceed 15mg per day (IMO). After you draw the line and quit cigs completely you can begin reducing your nic level slowly to be free. You can vape 3.33ml of 4.5mg liquid to get your daily dose of 15mg, but the only way you will ever be able to quit cigs is your own willpower.
I have faith you can do it if you try.

I don't think those numbers are correct. This chart is from a study published in Nature, a scientific journal. It is a comparison of nicotine levels after vaping 18mg vs smoking. The study concluded with the hypothesis that 50mg would come closer to the levels from smoking. Juul came out with their pod system the year following.

I have no idea about the accuracy of the data in the chart shown below but it compares vaping Juul's ~50 mg/ml to smoking a cigarette. This chart is all over the web but I've heard it originated from Juul's marketing so keep that in mind.

 

[stols001]

you need to be vaping enough liquid to exceed 15mg per day (IMO).

I don't think this is correct, actually, the OP may need more. I believe the nic in cigarettes and vaping is absorbed particularly the same, and everyone has different needs, tolerances etc.

The OP needs to experiment and find a nic level that keeps them satiated for the most part, combined with a higher nic setup or two if having an intense craving.

Whatever that will look like is totally different for everybody. It just is. That is why experimenting some (with nic level, with WTA if desired) is useful. Period.

Anna

 

[ames001]

i have been vaping since 2009.
i was prescribed nicotine at 15 (2007). yes, prescribed. i incurred a brain bleed during birth and it was suggested that it might help counteract the issues i had.
fast forward to the 3rd day of 2012, when someone decided to try and push my car through a red light while in the left hand turn lane....
first two years the relapses werent bad... a week or two and then i'd switch back.
then my pain circumstances changed again.... more than once... and i'd relapse, every time my pain circumstances would change.
the last time those circumstances changed was last march. i was managing on an evic but if i had to walk on pavement, i would smoke.
long story short by may, i was dualing.
full relapse in october.
I have NEVER had a unit that as soon as i was on it there was not a single smoke more. until i got an Aspire skystar with revvo. i was mad at my relapses and i was done having them, so i decided to go big.... because i was tired of going home smelling like smoke.

i got my unit and swindled my buddies spare set of batteries last monday.
at 5pm.
i still have the 16 smokes i owned at 5pm last monday.
all of them.
i've even cut down from the 12 that ive ALWAYS used (normally with a bottle of 18 or 24 for bad days) to 9 thanks to diy. which i only started tuesday.
i'm wondering if you're like me and like vapor that feels as close to smoke as possible. smok doesnt do it... neither does any of the other big brands... joyetech did but the revvo was more up my alley so i took a chance on aspire and i'm glad i did.

oh, and my disability decided to beat it up yesterday (let it drop onto falsie hardwood) and theres no issues with the unit even though it has a touch screen
my 2cents

i'm going to the diy store now, good luck!!!! (oh, i have a HUGE recipe "book" if you wanna take a look - its still in progress so its still in parts.... but theres all sorts of recipes and they WORK)

 

[CosmicTruth]

5-10 cigs per day is 7.5-15mg nic per day

vape 3.33ml of 4.5mg liquid to get your daily dose of 15mg

I think my numbers are correct, but I should have included the word "potential", I have done a personal experiment when I needed nicotine but did not have a vape, I smoked 2 light cigarettes and later compared my experience with vaping 12mg e-liquid, they were similar. I think it does have a great deal to do with exactly what equipment you are vaping with and how you vape.

I was just trying to in a roundabout way suggest to maybe up the e liquid nic level and exercise willpower.

 

[zoiDman]

I think my numbers are correct, but I should have included the word "potential", I have done a personal experiment when I needed nicotine but did not have a vape, I smoked 2 light cigarettes and later compared my experience with vaping 12mg e-liquid, they were similar. I think it does have a great deal to do with exactly what equipment you are vaping with and how you vape.

I was just trying to in a roundabout way suggest to maybe up the e liquid nic level and exercise willpower.

Unfortunately (but really Fortunately) there is One Thing that e-Cigarettes can Not Equate directly with Smoking Cigarettes.

And that is the Cornucopia of Chemicals Inhaled when a person Smokes caused by Combustion. And from all the Extra Chemicals that are put into Cigarette Tobacco.

I Firmly Believe that I was just as Addicted to those Extra Chemicals Compounds as I was to Nicotine by itself. So e-Cigarettes can Only take some so far.

Using Higher Nicotine can Help. Most Definitely it can help. And it can for some be Enough to get them "Over the Hump". But No Amount of Nicotine is going to Replace all the Chemicals one Inhales when they Smoke.

So I would Never would want One to Feel that it is Only about the Nicotine.

 

[Plumes.91]

the 6mg from 4.5 should help. is it possible that you need a little help ironing out your will to quit? maybe you could google "negative effects of smoking" and write down the ones that really resonate with you on a loose leaf sheet of paper. under that, write what personal negative effects you've noticed? getting everything out in front of me, especially in written word, always seems to help me move in the direction I wish to move.

good luck on ya.

 

[OhmzRaw]

Lots of great advice on this thread. @Littlebeanmachine I firmly believe that nicotine salts may just be what you need to give you that extra bit of help to quit cigarettes completely. Although nicotine salts do not have all the other compounds found in traditional cigarettes, it does have a more 'well absorbed' nicotine contruction which makes it more effective compared to normal nicotine e-liquids. Since it lacks the other harmful compounds found in cigarettes, it will require a bit of will-power to fight the cravings.

My advice would be to get a pod device which there are many out there to choose from. I would suggesting checking out the reviews sub-forum or post a thread to get more advice on the best pod device for you.

Once you have a pod device, I would recommend getting some 25mg/35mg/50mg nicotine salt e-liquids and give these a try. Although these pod devices won't be winning any awards for flavour chasing, they will definitely provide you with the nicotine fix you need with the added benefit of being absorbed into the bloodstream much faster than normal nicotine e-liquids would.

I hope you find a method that works for you and gets you off the cigarettes completely

 

[ames001]

OOOOH! i forgot to mention... back in the day (when i first joined ecf), the "idea" was that due to the fact there is a significant (and positive) lacking in chemical compounds in e-juice, theres less catalysts.... and therefore you only absorb 1/3 of the nicotine you're intaking.
i always operated off of this....seems to work

 

[zoiDman]

OOOOH! i forgot to mention... back in the day (when i first joined ecf), the "idea" was that due to the fact there is a significant (and positive) lacking in chemical compounds in e-juice, theres less catalysts.... and therefore you only absorb 1/3 of the nicotine you're intaking.
i always operated off of this....seems to work

Back in the Day when You and I joined the ECF, 30 ~ 35% Nicotine Absorption rates were probably about right. Because 1st Generation or so Hardware just wasn't all that great.

Today, that Percentage for Much of the Hardware used is probably Twice or Almost Twice that.

 

[SlowTalker]

The thing that helped me most was finding an all day vape - some flavor that I craved as much as I craved the taste of cigarettes. I didn't realize how much that was a factor until recently when that juice became no longer available and I actually got a little scared. Hello DIY.

The thing with smoking is that it's like snacking all day long. You're always tasting something, and that's part of the habit - like always having something in your hand. Once I found my flavor I was able to go longer and longer without smoking, until I got to where I didn't panic if there were no cigarettes in the house. At that point I stopped buying them altogether. And although I still bummed the occasional cigarette when I was out someplace and found myself surrounded by smokers (this was before the no smoking within 50 feet of doorways law), I was able to go longer and longer periods of time without it.

I had smoked for 40 years so I was still skeptical of ever being able to completely quit. Then one day, after not smoking for about 4 months, I bummed a cigarette. I was an inch into it when I started to feel sick all over. The effect on my body was so different to what I had become used to with vaping that it clarified to me what smoking had been doing to me. I stomped the thing out and have never looked back.

The whole process took almost three years for me, so hang in there. I still vape at 18mg. I have accepted that I will likely never conquer my nicotine addiction, but for me, switching to vaping was about getting all the other junk out of my system. What will work for you is what will work for you. Good luck!

 

[CosmicTruth]

I don't agree with the "50mg salt" hype, I think 50mg is too high. If you get liquid that high, I might suggest getting a bottle of 0mg at the same time so you can easily dilute to 24mg. Even in a low power Pod IMO you can get plenty of nic at 24mg.

I do agree with @SlowTalker suggestion to get a flavor you love, hopefully your local B&M has a juice tasting bar. Further than that you should find multiple flavors so you can rotate flavors as your palate gets tired.

And also IMO immerse yourself into the hobby of vaping, It is fun to try new flavors, DIY liquids, try new hardware and as you do it is easier to quit. If you are like me your nicotine cravings will go away automatically, and you will want lower and lower nic level liquid automatically. I'm down to 6mg liquid, and like you I started too low, went up as high as 24mg, and am now back down to 6.

Wish you all the best of luck in your efforts.