Vaping for 4 days now....

[jb80]

Hey all,

Well I have been vaping for close to 4 days now and I feel like sharing my experience. Sorry if this is the wrong section for it.
So pretty much as soon as I discovered what an electronic cigarette was I was instantly drawn to them, I had been considering giving up the analogues and this looked like it might be a great tool to do so.
After some albeit minimal research I placed an order for a Volcano Inferno starter kit, predominantly because I could choose it in a nice annodized blue(green would of been preferable but hey-ho). I also ordered extra RY4 and Tobacco juice so I wouldn't run out straight away.

On Monday afternoon it arrived and I was unusually excited about my purchase and spent some time figuring everything out and my first impressions were very positive. I'm not sure what I was entirely expecting but the whole experience was far more enjoyable than smoking an analogue. I started off using a cartomizer with the tobacco flavoured juice and I guess the most surprising aspect was I was getting a good TH from it followed by a pleasant almost cola/caramel/sugary aftertaste and I was thinking to myself that this may just work out.

I have read plenty of reports saying that as soon as people pick up their PV that they can stop the analogues straight away, this hasn't been the case for me but the situation is improving every day, I think the first day or 2 is about trying to get the feel for it more than anything.
On day 2 I decided to fill up the tube tank with the RY4 and on the larger of the batteries and well... all I can say is this is by far my favourite of the two methods I have tried, how much of that is due to the RY4 being delicious I'm not sure but the TH is substantial and the taste great and nice big satisfying vapour clouds. I haven't even tried out the atty I got yet either.
I'm not sure how long a carto is supposed to last me but I haven't had to replace one yet, then again I'm not sure what the signs are that it needs replacing, presumably it stops working and tastes like crap.

The wife finds it all a bit strange still, but is totally supportive but I can't get her to have a taste. I think she thinks it's just a phase and won't work. Maybe, truth be told I haven't a clue what goes on in there so... probably best not to speculate.

So where I'm at now... Yesterday was the first big test, it was to go all afternoon without having a analogue and unfortunately that coincided with one of the most stressful and tiresome days I have had in a while. However I passed with flying colours just using my PV, I was quite impressed with myself and instead of thinking it may work I now know it will as long as I apply myself.

I still had a few cigs that evening as I finding the habit really hard to break, I mean I want one now. I always want one, but on 24mg juice I definitely feel like I don't need one. What helps and I think this may be the critical part to stopping completely is that after vaping and then going back to a normal one I'm not getting as much satisfaction from it, the TH is almost non-existent and the taste is not so great but the habit is hard to break and there are probably a load of nasties that I'm not having which are giving me withdrawels. Still I've had a couple this morning but am going to go the whole day without anymore, I might weaken come evening time with a bottle of red but I think that will be a positive move more than a step backwards as it will reinstate the feeling that an analogue just wont cut it anymore.

I also have just found and ordered a cheap lot of e juice which I am fully prepared for it to be a bit rubbish but at least I'm in no danger of running out now and I'm looking forward to my trip to Paris so I can actually visit a physical shop

Conclusion/ tl;dr:

So far... Excellent!
For something in the space of a few days to help get me from a 2 pack a day smoker down to about half a pack is something I wouldn't of imagined being as easy as it has been.

Jeez, sorry about the long post.

 

[ImThatGuy]

Welcome to the club! Almost 5 months now since I've been analog free and it feels great. Being more active is not as probelmatic as before! Started with 18mg, now I'm at 0. Hoping by the end of this year I will quit everything including vaping.

This forum is filled with knowledge. Don't be a stranger to asking questions. Congrats!

 

[jb80]

Cheers!

I'm impressed by your progress, sounds great to be down to zero so quickly or at least it seems quick to me.
The forum is great, it's huge but excellent.

 

[kiwivap]

Ok now I'm jealous. A trip to Paris and a trip to a vape store combined. Heaven! Welcome to the forum - glad you're enjoying the vaping. Non-vapers have a bit of an adjustment at first too - they get used to seeing vapers after a while. Well most do I find.

 

[jb80]

Thanks for the welcome.

We are only going to be there for 3 days if it helps, off to see The Pogues in concert but seeing as there are physical stores there and none in Belgium then I'll pop into a couple.
I wont risk a vape on the train though as we'll have the kids with us, maybe a sneaky vape in the bog if I need one.

 

[VapingViking]

You really like to rub it in, don't you... Paris/vape store/The Pogues... I'm more than a little bit jealous. Anyway, good luck with quitting the analogs. And enjoy the Pogues concert. I know I did when I saw them almost 25 years ago. It would be really fun to see them again.

 

[kiwivap]

Thanks for the welcome.

We are only going to be there for 3 days if it helps, off to see The Pogues in concert but seeing as there are physical stores there and none in Belgium then I'll pop into a couple.
I wont risk a vape on the train though as we'll have the kids with us, maybe a sneaky vape in the bog if I need one.

The Pogues should be a blast. My jealous meter just went went up further. Seriously tho - have a terrific time. And yeah, you know you're really a vaper when you stealth one in the loo.

 

[claudia6913]

I'm about 2 days into vaping, and I too still grab an analog, but find myself drawn to my vanilla vapors. I have about 5 analogs left, and the idea of "being out of cigarettes" is giving me the jitters a little bit. I'm also excited and nervous about going to work today and answering all the questions that are bound to come. My husband did most of the research, not me, so I've been trying to read up so I don't look like a complete idiot.

 

[Yves]

Congratulations to both of you jb80 and claudia6913 Welcome to ECF

I saw some advice a little while ago, I wish I could remember which thread and who said it but it stuck with me and I have passed this on to a few friends.

Don't think of this as stopping smoking, think of it as changing your brand of cigarettes from the old fashioned analogue to the new digital version, it helped them to see things a little differently and the mindset about stopping smoking changed.

So you are not "out of cigarettes" you have a new brand

 

[Rickajho]

Congrats and welcome.

Take it easy on yourself. Part of the beauty of e-cigs is there are no rules when quitting cigarettes. Dunno about you but I tried - and failed - many, many times according to "the rules" of conventional methods. "The rules" issued by the American Cancer Society, "the rules" according to smoking cessation groups in hospital settings. Sheesh - "the rules" seem to emphasize more your failure if you "pick a quit date" and don't make it. Or you are a total failure if you relapse. Get out!

With e-cigs there are no rules. You have permission to play! When I started, I read all those posts from people who reported "The first time I picked up my e-cig I never touched an analog again!" I wanted to reach out and hurt those people. Dunno about other people but those first two weeks for me were all about quit smoking withdrawal. Totally fried attention span. Clutching my PV in a fetal position. Stuff like that. And I was using 26 mg liquids too.

After that it got better! But when it came to actually giving up the butts I figured if I completely quit in 90 days I would be happy. 3 months to quit a 30 year bad habit - I didn't see a problem with that.

Same as you I went through a rapid drop off. In only four days I went from a 1.5 PAD habit to 10 cigarettes a day to 6, to 6, to 4. The rest of the 90 days was up and down. Occasionally I would go through an entire day without one. A (rare) bad day might have been 10. Finally it came down to that last cigarette in my last pack. I smoked it - didn't enjoy it at all - and it was over.

So play! You get to make your own rules. Some of us find it easier to transition than others. But ultimately I think it comes down to having the desire to want to quit. If you have that desire you will figure out your own end game for quitting. This is like no other method out there to quit. You get to decide what works - not big pharma, sadistic cold turkey methods or negative peer pressure in a group setting following rules that are pretty much guaranteed to result in failure. You have permission to play!

 

[jb80]

Sorry guys, didn't want to rub it in. I'd love to of seen them 25 years ago.

I'm about 2 days into vaping, and I too still grab an analog, but find myself drawn to my vanilla vapors. I have about 5 analogs left, and the idea of "being out of cigarettes" is giving me the jitters a little bit.

My wife is a smoker too so there is always some lying around somewhere which is comforting in a way but tempting also. Hopefully in a few days I'll be fine with not having any at all.

Thanks Yves, it's sage advice. Just need to make the brand change stick now.

 

[Cyrene]

I vaped for 2 weeks, smoking about 5 or so analogs a day or so. Finally, I just ditched
them. I still went through some mild withdrawals from them, for the first 5 days. Granted,
they were lessened with the vaping dramatically, but I found myself chain-vaping them away.
Now, I pick up my vape much less, don't think about them very often, and one good smell
of a smoker is enough to turn me completely off.

So just because you are vaping, even when you toss the analogs for good, you will still need
to get through those humps (I found mine at 3 days and 5 days), probably from all those
chemicals from the analogs you are trying to get out of your system.

But there is no set time limit, go at your own pace. Don't think of it as, "I smoked 10 analogs today,"
think of it as "I DIDN'T smoke 15 analogs today." Positive reinforcements.

 

[jb80]

Congrats and welcome.

Take it easy on yourself. Part of the beauty of e-cigs is there are no rules when quitting cigarettes. Dunno about you but I tried - and failed - many, many times according to "the rules" of conventional methods. "The rules" issued by the American Cancer Society, "the rules" according to smoking cessation groups in hospital settings. Sheesh - "the rules" seem to emphasize more your failure if you "pick a quit date" and don't make it. Or you are a total failure if you relapse. Get out!

With e-cigs there are no rules. You have permission to play! When I started, I read all those posts from people who reported "The first time I picked up my e-cig I never touched an analog again!" I wanted to reach out and hurt those people. Dunno about other people but those first two weeks for me were all about quit smoking withdrawal. Totally fried attention span. Clutching my PV in a fetal position. Stuff like that. And I was using 26 mg liquids too.

After that it got better! But when it came to actually giving up the butts I figured if I completely quit in 90 days I would be happy. 3 months to quit a 30 year bad habit - I didn't see a problem with that.

Same as you I went through a rapid drop off. In only four days I went from a 1.5 PAD habit to 10 cigarettes a day to 6, to 6, to 4. The rest of the 90 days was up and down. Occasionally I would go through an entire day without one. A (rare) bad day might have been 10. Finally it came down to that last cigarette in my last pack. I smoked it - didn't enjoy it at all - and it was over.

So play! You get to make your own rules. Some of us find it easier to transition than others. But ultimately I think it comes down to having the desire to want to quit. If you have that desire you will figure out your own end game for quitting. This is like no other method out there to quit. You get to decide what works - not big pharma, sadistic cold turkey methods or negative peer pressure in a group setting following rules that are pretty much guaranteed to result in failure. You have permission to play!

Thanks for the post, I'm kind of thinking along similar lines to how you went about it. As you say you are made to feel like a failure so often when trying other means and there certainly seems to be more of a freedom with vaping.
The desire to quit is what I have found to be important like you said as well, yeah I've tried before using other methods and none of it worked.
Is that down to the products being rubbish?
Probably not, I put it down to not being ready myself. But now the desire to quit is stronger than it's ever been and I feel the time is right.
As it is I'm ecstatic that the numbers have decreased so rapidly and you're right, if over a period of time they stay down then the day will inevitably when it's over full stop.

Although from the sounds of it the next week or so is going to be interesting, at the moment all I feel is a bit odd, lethargic and lack of concentration but I'm not certain that's the withdrawal or just me. The craving is still there, even while I'm actually vaping but it's just so much easier to say 'No, I don't need one just yet' now.
What works for me might not work for everyone and really I'm too fresh at this to understand entirely what works for me yet.

@Cyrene, I totally agree with you about flipping the how many I smoked to how many I didn't smoke.
When I think of it that way it seems far more positive to know you have cut so much down.

 

[MonoXimian]

Thanks for the post, I'm kind of thinking along similar lines to how you went about it. As you say you are made to feel like a failure so often when trying other means and there certainly seems to be more of a freedom with vaping.
The desire to quit is what I have found to be important like you said as well, yeah I've tried before using other methods and none of it worked.
Is that down to the products being rubbish?
Probably not, I put it down to not being ready myself. But now the desire to quit is stronger than it's ever been and I feel the time is right.
As it is I'm ecstatic that the numbers have decreased so rapidly and you're right, if over a period of time they stay down then the day will inevitably when it's over full stop.

Although from the sounds of it the next week or so is going to be interesting, at the moment all I feel is a bit odd, lethargic and lack of concentration but I'm not certain that's the withdrawal or just me. The craving is still there, even while I'm actually vaping but it's just so much easier to say 'No, I don't need one just yet' now.
What works for me might not work for everyone and really I'm too fresh at this to understand entirely what works for me yet.

@Cyrene, I totally agree with you about flipping the how many I smoked to how many I didn't smoke.
When I think of it that way it seems far more positive to know you have cut so much down.

I am desperate to quit smoking......I seem to kick it for a week and then start again.. Hope my new electronic cigarette will help me

 

[niczgreat]

If I might make a suggestion, HHV Heathers Heavenly Vapes makes a e-liquid called Dark Horse.

It is the bomb, tastes just like Marlboro Light. They also make it in 36mg. The higher Nic content is harsher and
will satisfy your craving for Nicotine and simulated smoking better.

It is the perfect liquid to get you off of Analogs and it's very reasonable at $12.00 for a 30ml bottle.

I was lucky , I took to Vaping like a duck in water, but only once I found the Higher Nic Liquids. I haven't smoked a cigarette in 3 years, not because I've been denying myself, just because the vaping totally replaced Cigarettes.

It's become a hobby. I now DIY at substantial savings and my e-liquid is as good or better than any storebought stuff.

I just started my newest project, I have a batch of Tobacco in solution aging for 45 days. If this works and my home brewed tobacco flavoring is
as good as I expect, my dependence on store bought liquid will be totally broken.

One other suggestion, I switched to 100% Organic VG Liquids due to a PG Allergy. The allergy developed after 2 years. If I had known then what I know now, I would have gone the 100% VG Organic Route from the beginning. They are putting alot of chemicals into the standard e-liquids as well as PG. 100% VG (Debatably) and Organic is a better road to follow.

The higher nic content makes up for the more muted taste and lesser throat hit (supposedly) of the PG Liquids.

 

[jb80]

I am desperate to quit smoking......I seem to kick it for a week and then start again.. Hope my new electronic cigarette will help me

Hi MonoXimian, I wish you all thye success in being able to kick your habit and I'm positive that your new ecig will be able to help you do that. There is also lots of advice here on the forums and plenty of people who have been in the same position that are willing to share their experiences as well.
Good luck and let us know how you go.

If I might make a suggestion, HHV Heathers Heavenly Vapes makes a e-liquid called Dark Horse.

It is the bomb, tastes just like Marlboro Light. They also make it in 36mg. The higher Nic content is harsher and
will satisfy your craving for Nicotine and simulated smoking better.

............................

Thank you for the suggestion, I've had a look at the site and found what you said. I'm a bit concerned about getting it through customs here as as far as I know the sale of e cig related things are prohibited in Belgium and while it may make it through customs I dread to think what tax they might put on it unless there is an EU supplier of HHV?

I'm finding the 24mg pretty nice at the moment but I think I will take your advice and try a higher one, I won't know if I don't try.
Once I find my feet I can start work out what the differet juices are and get into that side more.

 

[hpsfcrash]

Congrats... Keep on vaping!

 

[Techwipe]

Keep it up, you'll do fine. I fell off the wagon for almost a month not too long after I first started. When I went back to vaping, I went back hardcore, now I may have one cigarette every 3 months or so, just when I'm really hammered.

 

[Varrius]

6 weeks later, and I still have a can of snuff on the counter that I haven't managed to throw out. It had been 3 years since I smoked before I even started vaping, but I was going through at least a can of Copenhagen a day.

I went cold turkey on the Copenhagen the day my ecig arrived. It really wasn't hard for me, but... I didn't tell myself I couldn't have a dip, that's why I left the can sitting there. If I really wanted it, I wasn't going to deny myself. I never really wanted it, so I didn't pick it back up and now that I'm 6 weeks out I know I won't ever need to again.

I suppose I should throw that can of Copenhagen away, since I know I won't ever open it again. But then again, I'm not denying myself Copenhagen, I'm choosing to vape instead. It works for me..

 

[Mikael S]

......

Thank you for the suggestion, I've had a look at the site and found what you said. I'm a bit concerned about getting it through customs here as as far as I know the sale of e cig related things are prohibited in Belgium and while it may make it through customs I dread to think what tax they might put on it unless there is an EU supplier of HHV?

.....

I'm in the Netherlands, so I too was wary of ordering stuff from outside europe. Found this place, they have quite the selection and good service, and they say they ship throughout Benelux for free: EBN Ferro Dutch