Why I quit-a cig rollers story

[lilith79]

I didn't quit smoking to save money. I mean, sure, it was part of the reason. But the reality is I won't break even for a long time, according to one calculator it will likely take me 3 years to break even. Because I rolled my own, I was only spending about $1.20 a pack. In the grand scheme of things that is nothing. Even if you add in the supplies I had to buy, the occasional part for my machine, a new case (I have 4), etc. my cost was very very low. If you added that in I might have spent up to $2/pack. Extremely cheap these days!

So, I've realized that the money wasn't the issue at all. My health was the issue. I noticed last year that I was wheezing a bit at night, nothing major, but still irksome. My father passed away a year ago (3/5) at the age of 54. He was a heavy smoker, among other things. I found out after his death that he had COPD, at 54! That scared me a bit, but not enough to quit. I've also noticed that my lung capacity flat out was poor. Granted, I am obese (working on that), but I shouldn't become out of breath from climbing stairs at a moderate pace. I shouldn't be ill for weeks with respiratory problems. I shouldn't be so prone to bronchitis. I shouldn't be smoking because I have Meniere's disease! I'm almost 31, been smoking since I was 17. I did always quit when pregnant, but couldn't take the cravings and always restarted. Nicotine calms me down, I know that I'm addicted and I need it. But, I don't have to kill myself to satisfy that craving.

I had heard of ecigs about a year or so ago, thought they were neat. Then I saw someone using one in public last fall. That intrigued me a bit more. I really started wanting to get one in Dec. Didn't have the money to order though. Had to wait to become 'student loan rich' again so I could order. I was talking them up for weeks to friends who smoke, many are interested too. I was the first to order, I suspect I won't be the last. A friend took a hit off of mine 2 weeks ago and really liked it, he and his gf are going to get one.

I'm glad I've started vaping, even if I won't save money doing it for a very long time. Even if I vape more than I smoked. My health is what matters here. It's only been a month, and I'm feeling a lot better than I have been. The wheeze is practically gone. I'm not out of breath so easily. And I don't stink anymore! My health is worth far more than the cost of supplies in order to vape.

Any other rollers who quit? If so, or if not, why did you quit? Was the reason financial, health, or both?

 

[Shortstuff116]

I was an 'intermittent' roller a few years ago for a couple of years, but as the government started cracking down on untaxed tobacco sales (online) I gave it up. I continued to make my regular cig purchases but stuck with the cheaper brands as best I could.

I liked your story in that you explained yourself and history very well and sorry to hear about your dad at such a young age (I'm 54). After 36+ years at 2+ packs a day I've already done significant damage, but every cig not smoked now is a good thing. Now that the clock just hit midnight, I have officially hit 4 months without any cigs and don't have neither the desire nor urge for one and I know for a fact that I never will again.

Congratulations to you on your month of vaping and for doing your part to spread the word. You can begin to rest easy from now on knowing that you've joined a very special group of people who have made the best decision of our lives to quit smoking and look forward to a much healthier future. I don't know about you, but I'm now actually looking forward to doing things I thought I would never have the health to do again, like walking and bike riding.

Good for you!

 

[featherpaint]

I started when I was 16(40 now) and started rolling in 2003 after I saw a guy at work do it and cigs had started to climb in price.It was kinda a hassle but better than spending $4-5 on a pack.I usually just did enough for the work shift(10-12) and then as I needed them at home.

Had heard bout ecigs but was never was too impressed with the cost or the looks of them too much(ignorance of not researching more,though)

I started to cough alot in morning and almost really anytime I had an analog.I would see people with oxygen tanks,etc but it never made enough of an impact on me to quit.At some points I couldn't even breathe and told myself I'VE GOT TO QUIT!!! Easier said than done though.

My fiance bought a 510 couple weeks ago and I followed suit after trying it.We both love em and at one point said she hardly knows I'm in my studio since I'm not coughing as much now.I know I'm addicted to nicotine and actually I really don't want to quit so I'm happy to just vape and realize it maybe not the best thing buts it's a hell of a lot better than the analogs. I go outside to smoke maybe once or twice a day now and I just can't believe the difference in such a short time. So I basically did it for my health.

 

[gashin]

For me the kick I got out of rolling was the fact that it made me feel like I deserved to destroy my lungs after all that work - I used to hand roll or use one of those cheap rollers and make a bunch and just chain smoke 'em right after... ecigs are way better

 

[lilith79]

For me the kick I got out of rolling was the fact that it made me feel like I deserved to destroy my lungs after all that work - I used to hand roll or use one of those cheap rollers and make a bunch and just chain smoke 'em right after... ecigs are way better

Ah! I hate hand rollers! I have a Premier Supermatic Excel, so much easier! I don't know how my dad did it, he rolled with a roller and added the filters by hand. Maddening I'm sure.

I've wondered if those filters could be used in a cart. Hmm... I got all of his stuff after he died and I think those are lying around here somewhere.

 

[TheBlueAdept]

I too did the hand-rolling thing in search of saving money, but agree that even if the costs of using ecigs instead is (slightly at best, unless you go nuts on devices/adapters/juice) marginally more expensive than rolling your own, that the health benefits are far more important than saving more money.

And good job so far!!!

 

[Catwhisperer]

I never rolled my own, but I was just thinking today that being a vaper is a LOT like being a roller! There's all this preparation and all this equipment for it Sorry for the off topic comment!

 

[TheBlueAdept]

That's not off-topic at all! I agree that having the raw tobacco, tubes, machine, etc and 'rolling your own' smokes was certainly as much 'work' as keeping batts charged, attys clean, carts/cartos filled..

Part of rolling my own was i had hoped it would slow me down, being such a 'pain in the a**', but of course it didn't work out that way at all.

That's one of the things I love about ecigs; even if I'm never able to go below my current nic intake level, and even though I still have the occasional analog, it has so greatly reduced my analog intake that I couldn't be more thankful!

 

[Papagoatee]

Good for you! My story may seem weird. Been smoking since 13. Currently 35.

I heard about e-cigs 2 years back. Always wanted to try it but it's hard to find it here and it's "semi-banned" in Singapore.

Main reason to find alternatives is, believe it or not. Cigs were affecting my sperm count. My health was also deteriorating.

Well, now 2 years later. Wifey is happy. Sperm count normal. Able to jog 10km without major issues.

 

[lilith79]

I'm glad to hear that Papagoatee!

 

[lilith79]

Something I was thinking of, but didn't include in the computation of cost is MY TIME! I would spend about an hour a week rolling, on average, and that was roughly 4 packs. So 15 minutes of my time, per pack surely is worth something and isn't free. Yeah, the supplies were cheap-$12/carton, but I spent 4 hours and 10 minutes rolling each carton. Even at minimum wage that adds on about $30 per carton. Gee...guess it wasn't so cheap anyway!

 

[D133]

I switched to roll-ups about 6 months before discovering e-cigs, the main reason was to save money, plus they supposedly do not contain as many additives.
Initially I was smoking less because they aren't as 'to hand' as regular cigarettes, but over time I upped the amount.

They didn't really affect my health (so far, touch wood), but I was starting to feel terrible when I woke up in the mornings, presumably from all the carbon monoxide and goodness knows what else. I didn't smoke much during the day, but more than made up for it at night after work.

I just didn't want to feel like that anymore, totally washed-out, lacking in energy and requiring more cigarettes to get back to 'normal'. I've read somewhere on the forum that cigarettes don't make you high, they just take you from a bad state to normality which I can understand in a way.

No plans to go back to roll-ups, I slipped up early on in my vaping and they tasted awful - like a dry burning atomiser. I suppose roll-ups did serve a purpose - a stepping stone between regular cigs and e-cigs.

 

[BradSmith]

going from RYO to e-cigs is a natural. In fact I find it's less work to use e-cigs (510) than it was to RYO. I smoked Kools for 20 years and then started to RYO for the last 4 or 5 years. Then they went and taxed the holy heck out of them as well. I could also feel the effects of smoking and new I had to quit but nothing seemed to work, until now.

I wonder if it's that I am not trying to quit? I am happy with my e-cig and don't plan on quiting it.

It's kind of like going on a diet with a really good chef that not only feeds me just as much but it tastes and smells better too.

 

[buttercrunch]

Oh I had forgotten about that..all the time spent with the handy dandy Premier Supermatic Excel, I still have it stuck in a closet... I went from RYO to e-cigs, mostly because of the cost, the tax increase almost tripled the cost of the tobacco. I literally couldn't afford it any longer. I was a reluctant smoker for decades, sick of being addicted and hating the stink (yes, I thought they were gross even as a smoker. For years I tried and tried to quit, never came close...so I was desperate to find a painless way to be tobacco free ...thought it was hopeless until the day I got my first e-cig (510). I DIY a lot to save $$, and I'm pretty much nic free now, so far I'm doing great!!! I'm sure I'll probably give up the vaping eventually too...I'm not thrilled about putting artificial coloring and flavorings into my lungs.

 

[otter]

I also made my own smokes via supermatic, but when they taxed loose tobacco, started buying packs of cigarettes. I did think initially that vaping would save me money, but having been vaping for one month and spent about $600, so far it's much worse lol.
Hopefully now I'll be stocked up for a looong time to come :'

 

[mn shutterbug]

Another RYO bum here. At the end of my rolling career, I was buying cigarette tobacco labeled as pipe tobacco, to avoid the higher taxes. I was still getting by for less than $1 a pack. However, I was getting tired of the taste, the smell, being forced to go outside in -35 degrees farenheit wind chills, and being ostracised by everyone. None of my friends or in laws smoke. So, I'm not saving much money and I never felt any adverse affects from the cigarettes, but this sure tastes and smells better and I probably will live a couple years longer.

 

[doublewhiskey]

I stuffed tubes for 9 years before switching. I don't miss the messy tobacco, or the machine jamming up, or having to stop what I'm doing to roll a few...

 

[daveshoot]

I started at age 15 and rolled my own Kite (like Bugler, but menthol). Fingers only, no machines. Still miss that flavor, to be honest. Over the years went to Salem, then Marlboro Menthol, and finally non-menth Marlboro Lights.

Now at 55 I have found vapes. I am finding flavors I enjoy again, since as most of us know we stopped tasting individual analogs a long time ago.

Yes, the kit does remind me of rolling. Even with fingers, I had papers, terbackey, scissors to cut the ends off, a newspaper to roll over, and a case or something to put them in (plus a lighter, of course). It was kind of fun but a PITA when it became a regular chore.

A KR8 and carts is way less hassle. Battery management is the only real challenge but now I have quite a collection of batts and PTs.