why cant i kick analogs?

[RosaJ]

I quit smoking in spite of it. I was not willing to deny my body of its cravings (quit many times with denial and it didn't work). So I promised myself I would force myself to smoke at least 1 cigarette a day. The rest is history. I totally quit 2 years ago after less than 2 weeks vaping. It just happened, I didn't have to make any conscious decision, I listened to my body and was repulsed by the taste of cigarettes.

Don't obsess about still smoking, just vape and allow yourself a minimum number of cigarettes and most of all listen to what your body is trying to tell you. It's harm reduction, so count the number of cigarettes you're not smoking.

Good luck and congratulations!

 

[Jim Davis]

Nothing will work until you put your mind to it 100%. Stay away from tobacco flavors, and regular smoking areas. Don't buy cigarettes. Vape instead of lighting up.

I was on 2 1/2 packs a day for over 40 years. I went to nothing in 1 week, with 18mg unflavored with menthol.

 

[Patrick21]

Most people have probably already gone over this but just bump up your nicotine, that's most likely the main reason you or anyone else is struggling to quit. It was only up until about 1 month ago where i had to bump up to 36mg from 24mg as 24 just wasn't cutting ie having to vape for half an hour straight to get my nicotine and then still crave a ... etc; Maybe in time i'll come back down to 24mg but for the moment i seem to be ok with it as it satisfies better than other volumes.

 

[kgevans]

My mother smoked cigarettes for 62 years until March 1 of this year when she spent 4 days in the hospital. I started vaping a month earlier and got her started as soon as she came home. She did better than me: she only smoked 2 cigs the whole month of March and none since. I did not smoke cigarettes, only cigars. But, I couldn't stop for 2 months. She is really into flavors as am I. Quitting can be done, just at your own pace. I know another lady who has vaped for over a year and is still doing 24 nic. It just scares her to go down.

 

[Chivalry9mm]

Everyone moves at their own pace. Instaed of beating yourself up over the smokes you are bumming, think about all the smokes you are NOT having. Congratulate yourself for doing away with however many you have eliminated from your daily routine. Maybe tell the folks you are around on those smoke breaks to cut you off, no more bums. Maybe quit going to that smoking area on your breaks, head for the restroom or somewhere and vape it up.

This works well for me too. Great advice and good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jseams]

Holy smokes? 6mg? You are trying to white-knuckle yourself off analogs on as little as 6mg?

I was a smoker for 30 years and there is no way in hell that would of worked for me. lol

I've been analog free for about a year now and I started on 24mg and even that seemed too little at times. I recently switched to 18 but only because I started using RDA's and sub ohm builds. Maybe I'll eventually go down some more but I enjoy my nicotine and although my goal was to quit smoking I was more oriented to harm reduction and taking a very bad habit and substituting it with something "less bad".

 

[icemanistheking]

Without having read the thread, I can say this OP: a lot of times, when you are trying to break strong cravings to something you were/are addicted to, you sometimes need to have complete (as much as possible) separation for a period of time. I.e., hanging out with the smokers on breaks isn't going to make things any easier for you. That's not to say you never will be able to, you might just need some separation for a time. Go for a drive on your lunch break, or read, or go to lunch with a nonsmoker.

I also think your nic level might be too low. I was a pack and a half a day smoker, and 6 mg nic is extremely unsatisfying for me - I stick to 18mg-24mg. Also, for me personally, I wasn't able to quit smoking while vaping and doing analogs at the same time. I tried for a week or so, and it wasn't working. So at one point I just drew the line and said vaping only from now on- I swear, if you do this, it should take about 1-2 weeks (though everybody is different) for your mind to transition over. As long as you are doing them side by side, your mind is always going to see analogs as the better option.

 

[AndriaD]

I don't know if anyone has covered this, but for most of us, quitting doesn't just "happen" -- it takes a decision, and a commitment to that decision, and effort to stand by that commitment. For me, I set a date that seemed appropriate -- after 3 days of smoking just 1 a day. Then I made myself persevere, even when I had cravings, even when the hardware was stressing me out. E-cigs won't make cigarettes "magically disappear" -- you have to want it, you have to plan it, you have to stick by it. Pretty much like quitting any other way, it's just that e-cigs take 90% of the sting out of it. If you keep having a smoke everytime you have a craving for one, you probably won't quit. Your brain knows that it needs/wants something, so it sends you messages to get you to do that thing it craves. At some point you have to tell your brain "buzz off!" and do what you REALLY WANT to do; you own your brain, it does not own you.

And you might want to up the nic level a bit, too. There are other chemicals in cigarettes than nicotine that might cause some problems, but nicotine is the main one.

Andria

 

[Joshleeman]

I have been vaping for almost 3 months now and still CRAVE analogs. I have been able to get down to about 3 a day but quit analogs. I've even got a SID and RDA, cloud chasing and what-not. What can I do to kick the "stinkies"? Would kicking up the nic level help? I'm vaping 6mg with a 1.2ohm coil at like 12w. I'm ok when at the house, but on my breaks at work I still find myself bumming analogs. HOW DO I QUIT?!?!?

6Mg is waaaaay too low for just getting off ciggs. Unless u smoked like half a pack of ultra lights your gonna crave your smokes no matter how good the juice tastes. Get your favorite flavor in 18 and 24, see which u like better and vape that making sure to give yourself 8-10 seconds between hits to guage the nic intake. I started on 18 and havnt smoked or even had a slight urge to smoke a single drag ever since. I vape 24mg in a tank/kayfun style when im on the go and in bed, and when im home at my desk or watching tv I drip 18mg on sub ohm builds around .4. Neither leave me even ever thinking about smokes, to me ciggs now smell like trash.

 

[Bobw1951]

Try upping your nic level, 20 a day Marlborough equates to about 18mg in ecigs, 6mg is a bit weak, you can always reduce the amount say in about 6 month to a year of no smoking

 

[Jim Davis]

Whoa guys. Upping the nic isn't always the answer. You can't tell someone to up their nic until you know how they're using their device.

If a person is puffing their e-cig non-stop for hours at a time, 6mg is the way to go. I use mine like I used to smoke. I hit it every few hours, the same as I used to take a smoke break. 18mg every few hours does me fine, but a person hitting 18mg non-stop is going to OD on the nic, and anything higher is just stressing your heart & raising your BP to bad levels. We're dealing with an addictive substance, that can be bad in excess. More is NOT always better.

 

[Cloud Junky]

YOU CAN and WILL QUIT!

You may be able to bump up the nicotine a bit, I would not go above 12mg if you still smoke as to much nicotine can make you sick. There are a few dual users out there and it is a teeter totter, if you vape more you will smoke less. Do not give up!!! If you are at the RDA point you can vape hotter and get more vapor production, have you tried lung hits of vapor? It may take some getting used to but it helps.

 

[BobAA]

Hey OP, go easy on yourself. You are now 3 cigs a day away from perfect! Amazing! Would you have ever expected to get down to that level? I know I didn't. I smoked for over 50 years. One to two PAD. After researching some of the ways people have quit using e-cigs, I came to the conclusion that even vaping isn't going to make this an easy process. Like most, I tried quitting repeatedly over the years, but it was not until I found vaping that anything came close to working. Based on the schedules listed elsewhere on this site, I chose to start with 18mg. That was wrong. It was not enough to deter me. I switched to 24mg and have been almost smoke free since November. I say almost because there was a time in the beginning when I would allow myself to smoke one analog a day. Most days, I could get 4 or 5 sessions with the one cig. I would take a couple of puffs and put it out. This lasted until my cig stash disappeared. I had made myself a promise (set a goal), not to buy anymore analogs. So far, I have been completely off of them for several months. As you might be able to tell from my username, I have had some experience with quitting things. And, not necessarily things I wanted to quit. But, realizing that "whatever the mind of man can conceive, and believe, it can achieve," I understood that setbacks might be an issue, but the finish line was within sight. You may have adversities along the way, but I promise you if you stick to the goal, you will succeed! Eye on the prize and all of that. Final piece of advice. If you can focus your thoughts on what you want (to quit smoking) to the exclusion of what you don't want (to smoke), the process is exponentially more effective and sped up.

The last statement in the above paragraph needs a little more explanation. Your mind does not do negative really well. It has to transpose what you say/think before it decides what to do. For example, say you are smoke free rather than I smoke. Think of yourself as a non smoker. Even if you do still smoke. I know that this is hard to believe and grasp, but I will give you a way to try it for yourself. Tell someone to do something in a negative way vs. a positive way and see the reaction. Johnny, don't forget to shut the door on the way out, is negative, the mind has to translate that and what happens is Johnny forgets to shut the door. Now tell Johnny, hey remember to shut the door on the way out. Guess what, far more often than not Johnny will remember to shut the door. The mind can process the request without having to translate.

Sorry for the psychological approach, but it works. When it comes to most things I only care what works and for me vaping and positive reinforcement have proved very effective.

I wish you well, keep at it and never, ever, ever, give up.

Regards,
BobAA

 

[AndriaD]

As you might be able to tell from my username, I have had some experience with quitting things. And, not necessarily things I wanted to quit.

I wish quitting drinking had been as easy as this. I gave it up first because it was killing me faster, and also I thought giving up smoking would be harder -- based on all my previous attempts to quit! My first 5 yrs sober was pretty much white-knuckles all the way. But since about 15 yrs, it really barely even occurs to me. This year will be 22, which is a big deal to me, because both my husband and I have our *real* birthdays on the 22nd, so 22 is kind of a "magic number" for us. I didn't want a chip at 20, was afraid I'd get too cocky and start drinking again. And I didn't want a chip at 21 yrs, because then my sobriety was old enough to drink. So this year, I'M GETTING THAT CHIP! Aug 14 will be 22 yrs of a whole lot of 24-hrs.

I do think that those with experience in giving up other substances might have a little bit of an edge; we already know that craving will not kill you, how to distract ourselves from cravings so they don't just take you over -- because they will, if you give 'em half a chance. I think it also helps if you already know about 'stinking thinking,' about not thinking yourself into some kind of corner where it feels like you have to [drink, smoke, whatever] or die.

Take it easy.
Andria

 

[Rat2chat2]

I think maybe you should have a stronger nic juice maybe and see if that helps with the cravings. I keep high nic for the special time I need to refrain from hurting someone. heehee

Experiment and find flavors that you truly are fond of and keep cutting down on the real ones. That is what I did and it got to the point where my brain told me the real ciggies tasted awful to me and I accidently quit smoking. Everyone is different and what works for one might or might not work for you. The important thing is that you keep trying and keep talking to the wonderful people here on ecf for encouragement and support. Good luck to you and I hope it gets easier for you.

 

[nostinkies]

Get different friends on those smoke breaks. Smokers will try to suck you back into your old habits. They might even be jealous you are smoking less than they are. Also, UP that nic level for sure. Setup a second device with 12 or 16mg juice. When the REAL cravings hit, pick up the stronger device. Better yet, STAY AWAY FROM "SMOKE BREAKS". They perpetuate a habit you've been doing awhile. You body says, OH SMOKE TIME!!! YAY!!! Gotta kick that if you want to completely quit. My bad habit was walk out into the garage and have a smoke. Once I quit going to the garage and vaped on the couch, I realized I didn't need to go out there and FREEZE just to smoke a ..... But just hang in there for now and keep trying. Don't count the failures by the ones you DO smoke or bum off a buddy. Instead count your success by the ones you DON'T smoke. ;-) IF I could do it, YOU CAN TOO! Be strong. It's worth it!

 

[peraspera]

But guys, the OP is hitting a dripper. Dripping 6 mg is like 24 mg from a tank. You try to rock some high mg juice in a dripper and your head might explode!! Been there, done that!!

The OP is dripping using "6mg with a 1.2ohm coil at like 12w". Dripping 6 mg. at 12 watts would probably give a non-smoker a good nicotine buzz but isn't going to make anyone's head explode. Dripping 6mg. with a sub-oHm coil at 30 watts would be another story entirely as it would be delivering a whole lot more nicotine.

 

[Bernard Marx]

After more than 3 months of successful vaping I have experiences to share - particularly with others new to this as well.

First of all I started with a strong, tobacco flavored, high nicotine product. This was perfect to kick the analogs. After a few days I went to fruit flavors with a lower nic level – again a good move. To combat a bit of a sore throat I bought a bottle of vegetable glycerine which I used to add a few drops to my mix to cut the harshness of the high PG /Nic in the mixture and to create more vapor. About this time I discovered menthol. First I mixed it with my juice blends and then I stopped juice flavors and just used different levels of menthol in my leftover (diluted with my VG) fruit flavors. Then I increased the VG and to prevent clogging up my lungs and my device, because of its greater thickness I cut the mixture right in my vaporizer with a few drops of vodka. So where does that leave me?

Basically, tobacco and fruit flavors are in the past. A lot of menthol or a little or none depending on if I am going to be vaping for short periods of time or extended periods or just don't feel like any flavor. The same with nicotine- 3mg-10mg - VG dominance, cut with a few drops of vodka but nicotine determined with largely PG-based, very mild (lemon, tea) store-bought flavors.

Inhalation technique: Definitely a progression from lung hits (when I started) to a very light occasional shallow inhale after savoring it in my mouth and nostrils (where you get most of the hit).

I think my experiences are probably very similar to those of other long-time smokers who have successfully made the switch. My advice would be that you not try to jump to the last stage right away but rather go through them one after the other. Just realize that vaping is not quite as simple as cigarette smoking. Essentially I am now as satisfied with vaping as I was with smoking and a whole lot healthier and more comfortable in society for all of the reasons you already know.

 

[jdm1982]

bump up to 12-18 mgs.

 

[Kristoffer]

Not sure I can add anything new really since most have said the same thing I would. Increase nic level will probably do it - but if you find yourself smoking while on a break with the smokers - don't have a break with them. Or if you do, vape like crazy instead.