Why It's Hard For Some and Easy For Other's

[Oktyabr]

Oh, and "nicotine rush"? The tiny "cig-a-likes" failed in that department for me. Today three or four gigantic rips off of 24mg 50/50 pg-vg blend on any of the variable voltage units we have gives me far more of a "rush" than the best cigarette I remember smoking... and tastes FAR better too! It puts me into a very pleasant dopamine infused state of mind, very quickly.

 

[alpha1961]

Hello, Maky and welcome to both ECF and the rest of your life as a non-smoker. And the same congrats to others who've just entered the world of vaping.

I know what you mean, Maky. Like you, I simply do not understand why a person wouldn't want to quit, especially when you've just been admitted to the hospital because those chest pains which normally accompany your usual GERD attacks were a lot worse and a lot different this time, as happened to me. But with me, I had already decided to quit *before* this incident, due to the addition of hormonal replacement therapy, my disposable e-cig was already on its way. Thankfully, it wasn't a heart attack. But my age and medical history, well staff wouldn't risk it so I was admitted on May 11th of 2011. I was so nervous when I got out, knowing my DIY analogs would be waiting for me. But I threw it all out and, the next day, my disposable e-cig finally arrived; the rest is history.

On this coming May 11, and many e juices and two KGo's since (still have them), I'll be two years smoke free, never to return. But my neighbor down the way--and former friend--will die one day from a heart attack/lung cancer/emphysema/CoPd, etc. all caused from analogs. And why? Because he doesn't want to quit.

On the eve before his birthday, I thought I'd give him the gift of health. I fully charged two old 510's, got some juice I didn't use anymore (tobbacco flavor). I loaded up two cartos, the battys, the e juice bottle and a charger and went down to his place. This guy was not in a good mood. I showed him time and again how to vape. It's not hard science, I told him. His eyes were bulging out of his head; he went cuckoo for cocoa puffs. He was right and I was wrong--but that's how this guy lives. In the end, I wound up being verbally abused by him. I left the stuff at his place and have never returned. I say hi to him in the hallways but that's as far as it goes.

Some people just won't get it. We can scratch our heads until we're bald, but it won't change them. We can give them all the supplies they need, but some will always be right, no matter what. When they die from lung cancer or heart attack, etc., they will only have themselves to blame.

But you've learned, Maky. You and the rest of us here have made the better choice for both us and the planet.

Be well, Maky~alpha~

 

[yzer]

There are so many factors involved in this proposition. Some people take longer to quit smoking than others, some people will never quit. The effort involved varies with each individual as well.

-How long have you smoked? Generally, the longer you have smoked the harder it is to quit. A forty year habit is much different from a one year habit.

-What did you smoke? The difference between light cigarettes and regular cigarettes, filtered and not filtered gets fuzzy. Low tar doesn't always mean lower nicotine or lower amounts of other addictive substances.

-How much did you smoke? The more you smoke, the stronger the habit.

-Addictive psychology. Aside from physical addiction there is mental addiction. This varies with individual.

-Will power and/or faith. How do these elements work for an individual trying to quit?

-Suitability of vaping as a smoking substitute. Some people find vaping a better substitute than others.

-Reaction with peers. The people you associate with can either help or hinder your attempt to quit smoking.

Basically, quitting smoking and reaching the point of having that last cigarette is a different process for everyone. If I were to characterize my quitting experience I'd say that I was heavy on physical as well as mental addiction. Will power is a strong suit for me but I tended to relapse after a month away from smoking. At first, I found vaping to be about half as satisfying as smoking. It took me five months of smoking and vaping together to reduce from 30 cigarettes a day to 3 to 6 cigarettes a day. After smoking 3 to 6 cigarettes a day for a month I was ready to quit smoking completely and rely on vaping.

 

[zx10r]

I think in the beginning it's finding the right tobacco flavor, throat hit, and vapor. Most newbies buy the cheap disposables from the gas station and they don't produce much vapor and it's not enough, so they give up.

 

[yzer]

Finding the right juice and the right device is important. On the other hand believing that the device will work can be just as important as how well it works. I have a friend who quit with a Blu and is still using it a year later. I needed a bigger, eGo-sized 510 APV to do the job.

 

[Wallelf]

But as I write this post, I catch myself thinking fondly of that "rush" from a cigarette. Especially such as that first one in the morning. I'm very much aware of the whole nicotine/dopamine thing. It's a very, very nice feeling. I like it very much. Too much.

Vaping, the absorption is somewhat slower. For a while, I'd start the day with a cig then I could "coast" for hours and hours with vaping. It's like I needed a quick "fix" of nicotine then could maintain the nicotine level with vaping.

This is exactly where I am at the moment. I have one (or two) when my feet hit the floor in the morning, then I'm good to vape until maybe mid-afternoon. Sometimes I can distract myself past that, but still usually have an analog around 5ish pm and maybe another just before bed.

I still consider this a win because I was a 2+ PAD smoker, so to go from that to 3 or 4 a day is a serious step in the right direction for me personally. I don't have any of the fancy e-cigs; I have what you folks call a "cig-a-like" and I'm content to stay with that for the time being. I used to smoke the VA slims 120s and found some ecigs that are similar: thin and lightweight {and pretty} with refillable cartos/blanks. I'm just going to muddle along and I think eventually I'll be able to quit the analogs completely at some point in the future. I'm not in a race, so I'll win whenever that happens.

~B~

 

[chellemmm]

I don't know why feb 19 was the last day. In march the evic helped and yesterday as a almost 2 month gift my partner got me a provari. Tiffany is a huge help. The analogs just taste like crap. I like my hawk sauce peach rings and apple rings a lot more. Oh and having a one year old makes a huge difference. I've also started to scale down my nic. From 24 to 18.


Smoke free since feb 19 2013

Is "Tiffany" your one year old, your Provari, your partner, or your choice of singers? LOL!

Congrats!

 

[jfalbanese]

it all comes down to level of commitment. the right gear to get the job done. and a reliable support system. like the fine people on here. without those three, i think most people will repeat their mistakes.

 

[mkbilbo]

This is exactly where I am at the moment. I have one (or two) when my feet hit the floor in the morning, then I'm good to vape until maybe mid-afternoon. Sometimes I can distract myself past that, but still usually have an analog around 5ish pm and maybe another just before bed.

I still consider this a win because I was a 2+ PAD smoker, so to go from that to 3 or 4 a day is a serious step in the right direction for me personally. I don't have any of the fancy e-cigs; I have what you folks call a "cig-a-like" and I'm content to stay with that for the time being. I used to smoke the VA slims 120s and found some ecigs that are similar: thin and lightweight {and pretty} with refillable cartos/blanks. I'm just going to muddle along and I think eventually I'll be able to quit the analogs completely at some point in the future. I'm not in a race, so I'll win whenever that happens.

~B~

That's the way it went for me the first couple of weeks. This big, big drop to a handful of cigs a day. I was floored. I wasn't even trying. Vaping was just... better. Then the more I played around with flavors and such, the better vaping became and the less attractive cigs became. Heh, especially when I found some great blueberry liquids. I love blueberries.

It's starting to look like, maybe, I'll be saying it took a month. I haven't had a cig since Thursday. Waiting to see if this holds. And if I have one, big whoop. To actually have whole days now I can go without even one cig? That's huge.

You're right, it's not a race. And from 2+ PAD to three or four cigs a day? Big win. So, as I see people say, vape on!

 

[alisa1970]

I haven't had a cig since Thursday.

Congrats, and Hang in there!

 

[indianajames]

For me it was a transition. At first I wasn't sure if I even liked vaping, but stuck with it and tried different things. By the time I found eGos and various and random attachments and juices to try out, I was slowly working my way through my last carton of cigarettes.

The hardest time of day for me is when I first wake up. I'm good with a vape before my eyes are even fully open, but I sometimes think of cigarettes and that 8 seconds it takes for the nic to hit the brain, as opposed the to epic 30 seconds or so it takes with vaping.

I've not smoked since 27 February, but I don't think I will ever be so bold as to say, "I'm never going to smoke again." I know myself better than that. The last few cigarettes I had tasted like 1,000 ***holes and were quite boring in comparison to vaping, but that thought still does cross my mind now and then. Addictions just really aren't that easy for some people to let go of.