What was you biggest hurdle ?

[TENDERFOOT91]

Mine was the first thing in the morning. I was in the habit of getting up and caughing then reaching for my smokes . How dumb was that , but even using my e cig. I still had to fight the want for a morning cig. What worked for me if others are or might have this feeling . Was to wake up a little bit earlier and stay in bed with my e cig. vape a few min. Before I hit the floor. It didn't bother my wife while she slept , no need for a nasty smelling ashtray . As a matter of fact I don't even own one any more. I thought some tips from others would also help everyone out.
What was yours and how did you overcome it ?
Take Care,
Don

 

[Mroutlaw]

I dont have such a hard time in the morning. To get through the morning, I use 12mg of a strong flavor, either ice menthol or ry4 from smokeless image. After about 10am, I switch to sweeter 6mg juices like banana cream, watermelon or buttery nipple.

My hardest time is when I am drinking, which luckily isnt that often. When I drink, i used to chain smoke, now I chain vape. The problem is, if I get a little buzz going, I cant taste the flavor as much or feel the warmth of the vape. I really get the urge for an analog, so I just try and take deeper, longer drags and put my tongue right up to the drip tip.

 

[NGIB]

I was one of the lucky ones as there were really no hurdles for me. My first PV kit came in, I charged it, and started vaping. I had 2 smokes left in the pack while it was charging and when I finished them - I was done smoking. Now, I had done some reading so I had 36mg and 24mg juice on hand as well as some strong menthol flavors (I was a 2 PAD menthol smoker for 35 years) to use. I'm down to 24mg at work and 18mg at home now and to be honest I haven't craved a smoke since day one. I rarely vape menthol now, I did mix up some peppermint juice should I feel like it and I might hit it 2-3 times a week. My go to flavors right now are cherry coke and caramel apple. Still searching for an RY4 I really like...

 

[elfstone]

I hear you! Congratulations on the switch, though. I can't believe I've been smoke free for 5 months and I haven't missed cigarettes at allfor about four of them!

My biggest hurdles, initially, were the "trigger situations". And driving on the highway, lol... two days after I got my KGO, I had a 6 hour drive, and it was brutal. I was very lucky to have the KGO by then, as the previous setup wouldn't have cut it!

I'll just re-post this here, now:

Apart from the chemical "addiction" there are a lot of psychological / situational triggers. For me, for instance, such would be finishing a meal, having a dead time at work, finishing a TV show episode, driving, etc. You need to identify yours and make sure you have you PV ready and start vaping as soon as the triggering event happens, preferably before the craving hits. You won't be able to avoid all cravings, but this could help.

I was lucky enough to be able to switch over without a "transition" period, but many users say they had longer time of vaping and still lighting up here and there. It is important to not look at those cigarettes as failures, and keep vaping trying to maintain the vape as your main fix.

Whenever you can, do not stop vaping until you are satisfied. Nicotine is absorbed more slowly from vapor, and you may need longer "sessions".

Find your nicotine concentration need (the miligrams listed), and don't try to taper it off too quickly.

There's a saying around here, I don't know who coined it, "trust the vape". It will help you with the cravings, you just need to keep doing it. Don't give it up - there are many ways to increase the "kick". Depending on your setup, but you may need a midsize or large battery device, or play with the resistance of the cartomizer / atomizer. Maybe consider variable voltage, or a 5-6V mod or passthru.

It's vital that you explore the flavors to figure out what you can vape with pleasure for longer times. You may want to use such an "all day vape" at lower nicotine strength, and have a "rescue vape" with higher nicotine for particularly bad cravings.

 

[Flyer]

Like a lot of others here, my transition from smoking to vaping has been pretty painless. But as a former cigar smoker, I still miss the smell, taste and fiddling of a good cigar. It's only been about 6 weeks now since my last cigar so I still think about them. When I get a strong urge, I change to another juice flavor and vape like crazy until the urge passes. Best of luck!

 

[Harplayr]

I was a pack+ a day smoker for over 35 years. I immediately dropped to 3 a day with morning and after meal analogs. After a couple of weeks my last holdout was the morning “wakeup” cigarette. I didn’t really stress about it, or worry because at that point even if I kept with only one a day I’d be happy. About 3 weeks later, I grabbed my Blu instead of the morning cig and have been smoke free for the last two months. I think the key for me was not to stress about a firm deadline for quitting. It just sort of happened.

One thing I always do is keep a mini cig (use Volt now) in my pocket at all times for those “trigger” situations. It also serves other purposes. It’s a good backup in case my Twist or Kgo dies, I have it filled with a different flavor for variety, I like it better for driving as it fits in my hand better while I’m holding the wheel and it’s great for a stealth vape.

 

[Cherryblossom]

Not having a cig first thing in the morning was rough for me, and in the afternoon at work was hard. At work I was having cravings and it didn't feel like I was getting enough nic from my very short vaping breaks. I just kept talking myself through the cravings, vaped as much as possible, and focused on one day at a time.

 

[apbtdog1]

First thing in the moring wasn't too hard but once i got that cup of coffee in my hand, oh boy! Then i wanted a analog more than ever, i mean was goes better with a cup of coffee than a cigarette, ya know!? I cut down on my coffee a lot at first. I still get the urge after i eat but soon as i pick up my pv i'm good.

 

[Pappy]

When I got my KGO, I had 4 cigs the next day, 2 the next and 1 the next, and I've been smoke free since then. I've had the urge for a smoke a number of times, usually in situations where I would have normally smoked. But I pull out my KGO and vape for a while and I'm good. Those urges occur less often now, maybe once every few days.

My advice is for anyone having the urge for a cigarette is to "vape through it." It will get you past the urge.

 

[anfleet]

For me, I could never smoke and vape at the same time. Cigarettes just don't taste as good anymore.
My big hurdle came about 1 year into vaping. I had been doing good with my cig look-a-like, but I started having problems with the cartomizers and the battery life seemed to keep getting shorter. I got frustrated and went back to smoking for about 6 months. But I never really enjoyed it. So this time I made up my mind to stick with it and to find a setup that worked for me. I got an ego 650mah, but the battery life still was a little short for me. Then I bought a kgo and a J Tank and now I couldn't be happier vaping.

 

[TENDERFOOT91]

That was also a problem I had, it was the ego t atty leaking after a few uses. That and the price of replacing the dirty or slightly burnt ones, I'm cheep . It was just easier to pick up a pack of smokes, had a local shop sold them I would hav bought one . I didn't make the same mistake this time. I bought two new e go t kits one cone style and one tank b style with pass through 1000 batteries , two extra reg. 1000 bat. A e go booster to try higher v , liked it so bought a Vmax with a rat tank with rebuildable atty. extra ce-2 carts a few stardust and a plenty of juice. I have a back up to my backup . One in both cars and garage. Each with a bit of juice. This time I QUIT for good. Thanks to everyone for this forum it is acting like a extended support group for me along with my family and friends. It's surprising how easly quoting can be with the e cig by my side .
Thanks again everyone.
Don

 

[BlueGlass]

Hi Tenderfoot! My hardest times so far have been after meals. I just vape like a madman and its all good.

 

[TENDERFOOT91]

Fight the good fight my friend

 

[WickedSick]

The morning cigarette with the coffee. That was the hardest thing for me to overcome. Vaping didn't feel the same and the habit stuck with me for a long while. Now my morning vape with my coffee is like aritual for me.

 

[kyriakos]

Smoking analogs makes me seek nowadays.
I have an all day vape with 6mg of nicotine and a strong smoky taste one for the morning coffee.
For drinks i cant get along without torque or tribqa.
In the car i dont vape when i am with my baby boy. i make stop for vape and then i continue.
when i have a big trip i prepare well with lots of batterys for my VV my Oddy full and Iatty on another PV for change.
but i get myself not vaping all the time just one or two good ones and then i leave it down

 

[Ratchet]

Mornings on the patio or in the garage with a cup of coffee and my cigis. I broke the cigi habit but not the Garage/Patio habit. I'm still having my morning cup of Joe outside, but with my Lavatube instead of stinking ashtrays and cigarettes....

 

[ditchell]

going to bars was the toughest for me. After 4 months though, I can't imagine smoking a cigarette and will vape away next to a smoker without wanting one.

 

[grego66]

I haven't had any hard hurdles yet, I've only ever felt like an analog once and that was in the first week of changing. I've been on E.Cigs for just over a month. I was a pack a day smoker for over 20 years.

I think I've made the transition easily enough without wanting an analog because I remember what it was like trying to quit analogs without any alternative. It's not just the physical addiction but the actual habit which is hard to kick such as going out for a cig after a meal, the first cig of the day etc. Well with E.Cigs I can still keep any of the previous habits if I want to and I am still feeding the physical addiction.

I think the only thing I miss is the disposable aspect of analogs and watching the smoke flowing from the end of a cig.

 

[Stormlark]

For me, the hardest part of switching was getting used to the taste of the vapor. I don't know if it's all in my mind or just a peculiar sensitivity, but all the juices I've tried have a chemical aftertaste. The first ones I tried were the worst, and switching vendors was a tremendous help, but the aftertaste is still noticeable to me.

One of the differences between then and now is that I've successfully associated my nicotine intake with the vapor, so even if I notice the chemical taste, it's still awesome because it's associated with satisfying my cravings. If I overdo the vaping to the point of giving myself a headache however, the aftertaste will make me nauseous and then it's difficult to get back into it without thinking all the vapor tastes nasty again.

 

[DedTV]

Finding juices that I liked enough that I preferred them over cigs. Once I found juices I really liked, quitting was easy.
And after a few weeks, when I ran out of juice at work and bummed a cig off someone, it was like someone had taken a decent juice and added window cleaner and mud to it. Couldn't figure out why I ever liked smoking in the first place.