Vaping 2 years/still can't quit cigs

[SnapDragon NY]

Hi and Welcome-
Set a quit date and stop buying cigarettes! You need much will power along with ecigs.
I gave myself two weeks, buying regulars( I smoked menthol) and gradually cut back on cigs till I had none-
My vape pens were filled with 24mgs of nic in menthol- tasted way better than the cigarettes! Almost 4 years later I still haven't had a cigarette and no desire to ever smoke again!
Best of Luck to you!

 

[VapePro]

Instead of smoking your regular/favorite cigarettes, buy a brand that you wouldn't normally buy or smoke. If you're a non-menthol smoker, buy a menthol variety. If a menthol smoker, buy a non-menthol brand.

Don't smoke an entire cigarette when you do smoke. Smoke 1/3 or 1/2 of it, put it out and save the rest for the next bad craving. Those partially smoked cigs will taste on the nasty side, but that will help you quit.

Always vape more instead of automatically smoking a cigarette to relieve a craving.

Don't "reward" yourself with having a cigarette.

You probably do need to increase your e-liquid's nic concentration. Whatever it takes to relieve a craving.

Avoid situations that tend to be associated with smoking. Going to bars where alcohol is consumed. Hanging with other smokers. Don't put yourself in situations that you will be tempted to smoke.

We FInalLy agrEE on SOMPTINg.

Yes, the issue is not with the vape. IT is with you. I know SOUNDs harsh. IM sorry. NO IM NOT. YES i Am.

I'm going to go out on A gANDER here but I think YoU are infatuated with tobacco CIGs. Maybe it's a reminiscing thing OR brings back memories of something you dont want to forget. BUT YOU haVe to Let IT gO!

OR maybe you actually enjoy the TastE and SMeLl of a crisp Tobacco Leaf bloWing off and In to the WiND surrounding your SensEs in SweEt StaiNed CloThes.

I recoMMEnD you do something sPeCIAL with YOUr cig, SOMEthInG WILD and CraZY. Because you DoNt have an addiction at aLL. ITs an EMotiONAL bond you do not yet Share with YOUR E-cIG !!!

SHOW THAT E-CIG SOME LOVE.

 

[NealBJr]

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?

Sorry for the late response. Hopefully you'll see this.

As a former 20 year smoker, I switched to vaping, and haven't had a cigarette in several years. I can understand some of the troubles you're having. I have always thought that everyone's quitting strategy is different. I can try to relate some of the problems I went through, and maybe you can modify my strategy to match your own.

First, make it inconvenient to smoke. For me, this was a no brainer... since I never did like the tar residue cigarettes made. So, I decided to not smoke in the house, or in the car. My wife helped me with that, since she's a non smoker, if I cheated, she could definitely smell.

Second, is the nic strength. This depends mainly on the device you use. For me, I started Ecigs via the EGO/CE5 days (MTL, 1.6 ohm coils). For that high of an ohmage, I started with 18mg/ml. For those devices, it wasn't uncommon to have that high of a nic strength. In retrospect, I was using the ego kind of like todays pod systems.. high nic solution in a low powered device. That helped me get used to the denser vapor. Seems you're already used to vaping, so you can go with a lower ohm and lower nicotine setup. If I had to make a suggestion, it would have to be based on your current setup and vaping style. If you chain vape a .5 ohm coil, I would probably start at around 6mg/ml and work from there.

Don't think of the whole process as "I smoked a cigarette, so I have failed"... instead, think of "I didn't smoke X amount of cigarettes today, so that's a step forward" Also, I have never thought of vaping as a direct 1:1 replacement for cigarettes... it's a totally different thing that will HELP you quit.... you still have to put some effort in it. When you wake up... try vaping first... see how long it can delay your first cigarette in the morning. After you eat, do the same thing.. try vaping first.. and see how long you can go without smoking. Take baby steps. For me, it was a whimsical challenge, but surprised me at how effective it was. keep challenging yourself to see how well it works for you. For me, it's been several years since my last challenge.

And lastly, never give up trying. Each cigarette you don't smoke is just a bit less tar in your lungs... keep working on it... you can do it. good luck.

 

[Katdarling]

@Littlebeanmachine -

Wow, it's a rough road, as each individual takes a different path, with so many, many dependent factors.

I love S&S's post (below), and I agree with it kompletely. It might be worthwhile to find out exactly what it is for YOU that holds you to smoking rather than vaping full time. EVERYONE here can give you their own path to quitting, but it may not be your path. You may walk many miles til your socks wear out if you take everyone else's path. Ouch. Painful feet.

How bout we chat with you to find yours?

Only you know what is holding you back. If it is the craving of not being satisfied with just the nicotine and your body is still screaming no matter how much you vape? Or is it the emotional aspect of letting go of something that you have come to consider as a friend? You decide and go from there.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

Every day I think of the list of reasons that I wrote down as to why cigarettes are disgusting.

Cigarettes ARE disgusting. It happened overnight because I WANTED it to happen.

The siggie says it.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

You have gotten good advice. I will add my personal experience for what it is worth. I had a dependence that went beyond the nic/physical. I would have a panic attack if I ran out of cigs. The first week of vaping, I bought one pack and of course, I slowly smoked them. I had to tie myself down practically to not buy a pack for 'just in case'. I finally realized the worst thing that could happen is I would have to run to the corner store if I got that desperate so I didn't buy the back up pack. It was hard, I kept vaping and that was it, I never smoked again. That was almost 9 years ago.

It is different for everyone so keep trying things until you find what works, you can do it.

Rose, we had almost the experience when first starting to vape. I too would have panic attacks at just the thought of running out of smokes. So what I did that worked for me(oddly enough) was to keep an unopened pack of smokes in my kitchen drawer. Just knowing it was there if I really needed it was enough to calm me down. At first, every time I would open that drawer and see the pack, I would just think 'no don't need you' LOL but it worked and then it got to the point I would wonder why I was even keeping them. I must have held onto that pack for a couple of years before throwing them in the trash. But I never did open them from the first vape. And its been over 8 years for me being smoke free.

 

[Coyote628]

I started at 18mg and stepped down to 12 and then 6.

 

[VapeAficianado]

I tried vaping years ago and quit vaping because I couldn't quite get the true nic buzz I got with cigs. (Also hated the leaking atomizers and messy aspect of replacing coils every refill). Then when nic salts was introduced I thought of giving vaping another chance. And oh boy! did it make a difference. Try using nic salt 50mg nicotine. The draw tastes way better and my nicotine cravings are completely satisfied.

 

[BrotherBob]

Is there anything else I could/should do to help quit?

Welcome and glad you joined.
Don't sweat it, smoke if you must and please keep vaping. Who knows, you might find the perfect vape juice. Might like to read:
Still smoking support and chat thread

 

[United States]

Thanks for the link BrotherBob!!!

 

[VapePro]

You know what! It's hopeless. We should all just go down to the store and pick up a pack of smokes. I'm headed there now to pick me up some P FunKs. You know the ones with the little recessed filter. Whoes with me?! ... I need your lighter.

 

[Katdarling]

 

[smoked25years]

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?

I'm at 8 months cigarette free, vaping every day. I started at 50mg/ml with the Juul pod. It was easy for me to make the switch with high nicotine on low power devices. And over time, I've slowly reduced the nicotine without increasing my vaping.

I am "tootle puffing" on low power devices like pods. And I use a low 8-10W on a Eleaf Pico 75W battery with a clone of the Kayfun Prime RTA.

My goal is to quit using nicotine entirely. I went from 50 mg/ml to 25 mg/ml to 12 mg/ml. Today is my 2nd day at 6mg/ml. I made it through the day yesterday--yeah!! I've previously tried 6 mg/ml but yesterday was the 1st time that I successfully made it through an entire day at that low concentration.

For me, it is a struggle to use this low 6 mg/ml concentration without increasing my vaping or cheating with a few puffs from a higher concentration. I definitely would have had a difficult time giving up cigarettes if I had started that low in the beginning.

Since high power and low concentration isn't working well for you, you might try high concentration and low power. It worked for me but everyone is different. Maybe try the Suorin Drop or Smok Infinix with some 25mg/ml Salt Nic... or a similar set up. Good luck!

 

[Diver9543]

It appears that you have been given loads of great information so I will just say Hello and welcome to ECF.

 

[casuald00d]

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?

I've tried some different vapes but in the end there were two things that worked for me when it came to quitting smoking: JUUL and always making a point to puff on the e-cig instead of the real cig. If I felt the urge to smoke a cig, I would tell myself to puff on the vape instead. Puff on it until you don't want a cig. That is more or less how I managed to pull it off. While the JUUL works for me, you might find another setup to be more suitable. Good luck!!!

 

[Vapntime]

Oops sorry all there is a myth being circulated in this thread. Just so we know there is no safe or 'safer' amount of traditional cigarette use. One or 100 cigarettes per day is harmful and can lead to a multitude of disease.

Health consequences of smoking 1–4 cigarettes per day
Sometimes hard facts can help those who wish to quit.

 

[NealBJr]

It appears that you have been given loads of great information so I will just say Hello and welcome to ECF.

Lol... I feel that was sometimes as well. lots of help here all the time.

 

[Swoop03]

Number 1. Stop buying cigarettes. Until you find the strength to do that, and go through your personal battles with willpower, it won't happen. Go two weeks without cigarettes and you may never look back. You've done A hard part already (for some) and went through a few devices, found some stuff you like to vape. That gives you all the nicotine you want and replaces hand to mouth or fiddling habits. Now you have to take control of your life.

This is what helped me. Raising my nic levels in my vape just got me more addicted. I first found juice and a device I could stick with then I went on to replacing habits. First to go was vaping on the way home from work. It was the easiest to cut. Then once that was conquered I quit smoking after meals, then quit smoking while I was outside doing yard work or whatever. The hardest and still is hard a solid year later of no smokes is driving to work after a cup of coffee. The vape just doesn't do it for me. I just mentally tell myself I dont have the money or time to stop for smokes in the morning before work. I almost stopped this morning in fact. The neighbor was smoking on his porch and the smell stuck with me. I'm still craving a smoke right now. It's about will power, nicotine IMO is easier to cut out or replace than a ciggarette. I miss the aroma, the taste of the smoke, the act of lighting and taking a satisfying drag and the ease of the habit. Once you can get yourself to turn down a smoke and replace your daily habits with vaping itll be much easier. If you stick around and talk to others here you'll find that for a lot of people smoking sticks with them for life. Others never look back. Everytime I'm near someone smoking I am horribly tempted to bum one off of them. But I know as soon as I do that I'll be grabbing a pack on the way home or going out to get one immediately. You can do it, it's not easy, nor fun. But I feel much better without smoke, I smell better, and my shinyitis disorder with all the new vape gear is still cheaper than a pack a day. Cigs also aren't mango flavored...mmm...

 

[stols001]

I am going to make a suggestion (although it may or may not work). I was never that interested in snus, I was pretty uppity about it in fact. However, I started the return to work process, and I had interviews including a day long one and I just did not want to be that employee who vapes. So I rather quickly got to reading that "what is under your lip, nose etc.," thread (they are tremendously helpful on that thread, btw) because I knew I was potentially going to have a day where I was NOT going to be willing to smoke or vape.

When I tried it (you can buy Swedish snus here under the name of "General Snus") well, I thought it tasted rather foul (and you can certainly get better tasting stuff if you order direct from Sweden as well as like, stronger portions if you need it and if you buy enough well, you can compensate for the cost of shipping).

Well, I practiced here and there, and the biggest revelation for me was I was in a smoking relapse at the time. I mean, I upped nic in some tanks and stuff, but man that snus.... I did not want to smoke and if I DID want to smoke I would use snus first and it was TOTALLY HELPFUL for my cigarette cravings in a way vaping (even with WTA) isn't. It took me awhile to adjust to the flavor (I'm pretty sure most folks don't ADORE their first taste of it, I didn't anyway) and the whole experience but it is what I turn to when I go, "I'm going to smoke." You can vape on top of it if you don't overdo it and need some hand to mouth action.

But, I'm fairly sure that a) no one at my new job is going to find out I am a vaper unless *I* want, and b) it could be worth trying a piece of snus if you are getting an intense craving. It's just more "cigarette like" (not in hand to mouth) but more in mechanism of action, taste etc.. It's also like 3 dollars for a tin in my state and you can pick it up in most gas stations.

If you are having cravings that are almost driving you to tears, it may be worth a shot is what I"m saying.

Anna

 

[NeonH1]

As others have mentioned, it may not be as simple as replacing nicotine. I suffer from depression, and I can say, without doubt, that cigarettes helped... from research I've found that burning tobacco actually releases a very rudimentary anti depressant... acronym is MAOs. So quitting cigarettes was a problem. After starting to take anti-depressants, it was easy. For a while I dual used, and then I started craving the vape more than the combustibles, and now, I only vape.