Your Urge to Vape...How Strong?

[NoMatches]

Now at about 3 1/2 months, I have noticed something about my physical urges to vape. After an hour or a little more, my urge to vape is as strong as it was to have an analog when I was a smoker. The craving is very similar. I really do feel strong cravings, and it seems physical as well as anything else.

I am guessing this is still my nicotine addiction at work here. I was a 2 1/2 to 3 PAD, and I'm vaping 36 mg juices (V4L of course). If I go too long without vaping, the craving and urges are every bit as strong as when I was a smoker. Virtually impossible to resist. The urges are NOT for an analog, but for a few heavy vapes.

Of course I am thrilled that I am smoke free, and my health and well being have improved vastly, but is this what most of you also have gone through?

I have put no timetable on my original goal, to stop vaping, or at least get the nic down to zero, but now I am wondering if I can achieve that goal. I'm starting to think that vaping high nicotine for life might be unavoidable. I'd actually be OK with that, and I wonder if that is the right mindset... no pressure, will I know when I'm ready to go lower mg's?

Just curious what some of you have experienced, especially the heavy ex-analogers like me.

 

[Morandir835]

Nomatches sir will only put it this way, I average going through 7 ml a day of 24/36mg juice and haven't had a cig since 12/23/10... The nicotine addiction is still very much alive and well....

 

[Who_Wants_To_Know]

I too notice that my need to vape is the same as my need to smoke. I don't know if I will be able to move down my nic level at least not as fast as I had thought I would. I don't really mind given that the harm reduction is so great. It would be nice to one day be totally nic free, but smoke free is good enough !

 

[Glam]

I think I could have quit smoking easier than I could quit vaping. I absolutely love it. Haven't even thought about a tobacco cigarette since my first taste of cool menthol/mint vape juice. I can vape low nic and 0 nic but I cannot give up the physical hand to mouth, and do not intend to. I think this company was named after me: Vapor 4 Life--YES.

 

[keelalagirl55]

I have no intention of decreasing my nic level unless my body tells me otherwise......I have seen too many proven positives in it's use to worry much about it.

 

[ls1chris]

It varies.Usually the strongest urge is when i wake up ,Before bed,or after a meal.Those are the times when i use my 18-24mg nic juices. the rest of the day i use 16 and lower.


But i do not think my urge is near as strong as when i smoked.I have gone Hours to half a day without a vape and it really never bothered me .I vape anywhere from 16-24mg juice.To me the addiction to nic is far less for me in vaping,as i can vape extra low nic and be just as satisfied as a higher or even no nic for that matter when i am just sitting in front of the computer chain vaping.

 

[newb]

3 1/2 months is still a semi beginner. your frequency of vaping seems normal in my book . As far as tapering down, I started at 24 and now I am down to 18. The addiction is there, but I vape until I feel satisfied. Now I find myself not vaping for hours at a time and when I get the urge, I puff away..

When you vape, are you vaping until you feel satisfied? How long would you say each vaping session is for you? Remember, these arent analogs and nic absortion is less than an analog, so even though you vape 36mg, a few drags every hour or so isnt going to do it for you imho. I would say chain vaping for a good 5 to 10 mins will get you where you wanna be.. Just my 2 cents..

 

[Mmc]

I have been vaping excusively for 41/2 months. Finally found my happy spot at 18. Not happy when I lower it to 11, but have found that I vape less during the day than I did during the 1st 3 months and I am not glued to my pacifier (excuse me, I mean pass through) like I used to be. I can vape anywhere and love the freedom of it.

 

[Linden]

I'm starting out my 3rd month on vaping. I have my pv's with me EVERYWHERE. I do feel a strong addiction still and at those times I come sit down on the computer with my PT. This happens 3-4 times per day and for an extended period each morning and evening. Those have always been my peak nic craving times. I started on 24mg and still have a couple of bottles of that but I am now exclusively ordering 18 which seems to be doing the trick. Just switch it up once in a while and see if you feel the difference. Keep in mind that i am not an extremely organized person and I have not tracked whether I vape less when I use 24...I rarely use it anymore. I'm a bit concerned to go down to 11mg and have not taken the plunge to invest in those juices yet. I am not sure when I will feel comfortable enough to do that, maybe in a month. I'm really not in a rush.

 

[AG51]

I will reach my 6 month mark in 2 weeks. I started out with a higher nic and the last 2 weeks have been nothing but 0 nic. I did crave it badly when I started this & NEEDED it. But my main goal was to be nic free by summer IF I could do it. I didn't put a lot of pressure on myself cuz I felt no need for that. I was feeling great ! Every few orders I would get a step lower nic along with my usual nic. I would alternate each until I was using the lower of the 2. When a bad nic fit started I chain vaped until it passed. As time went by the really bad cravings also passed. As they passed & the lower nic, I found I could taste the flavors even more & it was loads easier. If that makes sense ? Now I'm quite a happy lil camper at 0 nic. I still have some 4 nic left and will use it occasionally but the need for it is not an issue anymore. I can do without it. I just love to vape and never plan on quitting it. I get enjoyment like I've never had with anything else like it. I can go long periods thru the day and not have it bother me anymore. Something I could NEVER do before. I think the main thing with me was the fact I didn't put any pressure on myself worrying about it. When ever I worry about anything the stress will do a number on me, always has.

 

[lujin4]

Well said Anita

 

[Tracker II]

I have put no timetable on my original goal, to stop vaping, or at least get the nic down to zero, but now I am wondering if I can achieve that goal. I'm starting to think that vaping high nicotine for life might be unavoidable. I'd actually be OK with that, and I wonder if that is the right mindset... no pressure, will I know when I'm ready to go lower mg's?

You ask if you can achieve your goal NoMatches? I answer with a resounding YES!

You say that you are starting to think that vaping high nicotine for life might be unavoidable? I say BULLPOOP!

You CAN do it NoMatches ... there is absolutely no doubt in my mind. How long it will take and how hard it will be will be answers given only after the process is over and you look back on it with pride. I don't know which approach is best for you; quitting nicotine or tapering down, and maybe at this point in time you don't either, but the important thing to know is that you are entirely capable of doing it. And maybe you will fail the first time, the second time, and so on - but that only makes you even more prepared for the next attempt as you learn from your mistakes.

I noticed that you refer only to tapering down and that's a great approach for many, but don't rule out going cold turkey as a viable approach either. I personally loaded up on 0mg juice, tons of water, and hard candy and spent a weekend being a couch potato - watching TV and taking naps as often as possible (which is easy to do if a mild fever is one of the symtoms). For me it wasn't a particularly fun weekend riding that withdrawal beast but hey, I've had worse weekends over the course of my lifetime - a lot worse what with illnesses, sports injuries, car wrecks and all. And the great news? When it was over, it was over! No tapering down on nic just to taper back up again when stress levels are high. Your just plain done ... for life!

That's just my story and for every cold turkey success story, I'm sure there is an equally compelling taper-down story. Come to think of it, you could choose a hybrid option by tapering down to a certain mg and then finish it off by going cold turkey. The important thing to know is that you CAN do it NoMatches. There is no question in my mind. And if the day comes that you decide to ride that nicotine withdrawal beast and get it over with, I would be more than happy to PM you my home phone number and make myself available day and night for three days if you felt like that would help. Yes I know you're a Jets fan but I would do it anyways (Go Bears!).

Until then, Vape on!

 

[plantlvr]

Even though i have lowered my nic from18mg to 8 during the day, and 4mg at night, I'm still addicted to vaping and I love it! So much more satisfying than smoking ever was.
I can see myself vaping in the old folks home someday

 

[teslastick]

I started at 36 and now at 18. Seemed to be no prob going down to 24 one order then 18 a month
LAter or so. Will go down more sometime soon.

Go Rams!!!!!

 

[HarmonyPB]

I wasn't a heavy smoker, but my cravings are still here. I just spent a weekend with family and they are all non-smokers. they didn't know I smoked and they don't know that I vape. I went about 6 hours without vaping or even thinking about it and had no cravings. I vaped in my room the first night. The next morning was brutal though!! Cravings that I couldn't satisfy by vaping for 2 hours in my room. Was in a foul mood all day from the cravings, but when I left and vaped all the way home I felt much better. I have to spend next weekend with them too, this time camping so I won't even have my own room Looks like I will be going on several looong walks by myself. One day I hope to confess my addiction...but I don't know when that will be. Probably not this weekend!
I can't say much on tapering down either. I'm not planning on doing it, ever. And I don't see a problem with that. I enjoy vaping and I like nicotine. The cravings might get to a point that they are so annoying that I do decide to go 0mg one day (I'm not completely discounting it, just not planning on it). But until then I will stick with my 18-24mg.

 

[Religion]

The stress of quitting cigarettes was killing me and the smell was a constant nag. Vaping eliminated the life-draining smells from my world. I am so relaxed now, I find it really hard to care about monitoring my urges. But, to be a good sport for the OP, I will answer.
Vaping seems to make my nic levels so constant that I don't get urges. I just kinda do it when I get a chance. This has actually been the hardest part of switching because I used to measure time by cigarette breaks. Stockholm Syndrome? Who wants to live their life by someone else's clock?

 

[AG51]

I used to measure time by cigarette breaks. Stockholm Syndrome? Who wants to live their life by someone else's clock?

Omg, this is so true !!! Everything in my life revolved around the cigarette ! Where I went, what I did, what time etc. etc. I'm so happy NOT to have that anymore

 

[Maxwell_Edison]

I am a chain vaper and every bit as addicted to vaping as I was ciggies. That's why I'd never call E-cigs anything but an alternative for smoking, IMHO (and more than a few unbiased scientists), it's a better habit by far than smoking, and I am not completely sure it's just an addiction without also being something I like doing. It relaxes me to vape and ''inhale and exhale'' vapor. I don't want to quit, so I haven't tried, but I suspect it would be as hard as quitting smoking. I do know some people that have run out of vape and bought cigarettes, and I suppose I might too. I'd be gagging on that awful taste, I'd try to fight it, but I don't know.... lol

 

[NoMatches]

3 1/2 months is still a semi beginner. your frequency of vaping seems normal in my book . As far as tapering down, I started at 24 and now I am down to 18. The addiction is there, but I vape until I feel satisfied. Now I find myself not vaping for hours at a time and when I get the urge, I puff away..

When you vape, are you vaping until you feel satisfied? How long would you say each vaping session is for you? Remember, these arent analogs and nic absortion is less than an analog, so even though you vape 36mg, a few drags every hour or so isnt going to do it for you imho. I would say chain vaping for a good 5 to 10 mins will get you where you wanna be.. Just my 2 cents..

I am now working in an evironment that is "customer rich", and I doubt being seen vaping would be something management would be able to accept, so, I have to go for periods of time, sometimes as long as two hours before I can sneak in some chain volcano vaping. That second hour can be difficult, no, it is difficult. Strong urges start at about an hour. Usually I can find someplace to power vape for just 30 seconds to a minute. That satisfies the craving, using 36mg.

Recently I had my first nicotine buzz since I started vaping after going about 90 minutes without and then power vaping. I have to say, I sure did enjoy it! Felt great! Chain vaping for 5 minutes would blow me away I think! Basically, about 5 to 6 power vapes kill the urge, and a nic buzz is right around the corner with a few more. I love a nic buzz.

That is why I wonder IF I will reduce. I still really like that nic buzz. Therin lies the problem me thinks. While a nic buzz isn't quite euphoric, it sure is a booster! Mentally and physically, at least for me.

Tracker, I am sure what you say is true. See, when I started vaping I desperately wanted, needed to quit smoking. I don't feel as desperate to lower my nic level as a vaper. I can afford vaping for one thing. No econimic motive now. My health is so much better, so the health motivation is lessened too.

Motivation is the issue for me. My mindset goal was (is still sorta) to lower the nic, but I'm content, and honestly, probably lack the kind of motivation needed to cold turkey on nicotine. My hope is that at some point, my motivation will increase, and then I'd be more ready for the next challenge, if that makes sense.

Thanks for all the replies and sharing of experiences. I find this sort of exchange a great support mechanism. I'm learning as I go, but the most important thing is that I am an ex-smoker. The nicotine battle has not yet been fought in my war, but at some point, it will be... when I feel enough motivation is the bottom line, I think.

 

[Stevew443]

The last time I tried vaping, I made it 6 months and never decreased the nicotine (staying at either 24 or 36) and at the end of that 6 months, I was vaping just as much as I was when I first started. This time out, I find that I am vaping just as much, but I have been decreasing the nicotine strength and find that 18 will do me now. Also on this go around, I have better equipment. The last time it was only standard 510 equipment that I had, but for this round, I am using eGos almost all the time. I enjoy vaping, and if I ever make it to 0 nicotine, I will continue to vape because I like it. Maybe I am addicted to PG, who knows.