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Since making the switch from cigs to vaping

Rossum

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Member For 3 Years
What is WTA?
Whole Tobacco Alkaloids.

Nicotine is an alkaloid, but it's not the only one in tobacco. Nicotine is the most prevalent at roughly 95%, but the other ones (like nornicotine, anabasine, anatabine, and perhaps few more) are missing from most e-liquids.
 

AndriaD

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An article on nicotine salts:

http://vaping360.com/nicotine-salts-e-liquid/


Sent from the future.

That's a useful article, and for those that are dependent strictly on the nicotine, the salts-formation is probably very helpful. But, althougn they do make mention of "other organic components", they never specify them, or in what quantity they're present in nic salts -- so for those that have the strong dependence on MAOIs and the other alkaloids, nic salts is probably no better than regular nicotine. As I've noted, some folks really don't have much dependence on or tolerance for nicotine -- even when I started, I never could use higher than 10mg without becoming deathly ill -- yet without WTA, I'd never have been able to remain smoke-free -- 10mg was the most nicotine I could tolerate. It was those other alkaloids that provoked the intense cravings. But, for making the initial separate from smoking, nic salts is a better choice than WTA, as it allows your body to become free of those other alkaloids, so you can then determine if you need WTA or can do without it. If you haven't quit smoking yet, you wouldn't notice any difference from WTA, except the very high cost of it -- you have to be without those other alkaloids first, to determine if you need them.

Andria
 
I've been just vaping for about a year (aside a one week slip up) and I can give my 2 cents. What made it hardest to quit was thinking "this is going to be my last cigarette ever." That freaked me out. When I quit I still had half a pack lying around and I told myself "If I really want one, I can have one." After meals and while driving were tough, so I would have this little mini conversation with myself that goes something like:
"Do I really want one, or is it just habit to have one?"
"I don't know, I'm just craving one."
"Well, vape, hang on, and see if you still want one in 5 minutes, okay?"
"Okay."
And I didn't. Obviously YMMV since everyone is different, but if I just sat a minute before giving into the routine, I found that I didn't really want one. Sure, I wanted nicotine, but if I was patient vaping would give it to me much more safely and in a more tasty manner. I also had to come to terms with the fact that vaping wouldn't be the same as smoking. It would never taste the same, feel exactly the same, or give me the nicotine quite as quickly as a cigarette, but isn't that a small price to pay for it being significantly healthier, generally cheaper, and much more tolerable for people around me? Hey, I don't smell funky anymore!

I don't set goals as far as dropping to this level of nicotine by this time, etc., because I don't react well to pressure. I don't want to stress if I don't make my goal or beat myself up because stress makes me want to smoke. I've been at 6mg for a while now, if I can go down to 3mg sometime, maybe even 0mg at some point, that would be great! If not, I've still made a healthier choice and I'm okay with that.
 

Rossum

Gold Contributor
Member For 3 Years
I've been just vaping for about a year (aside a one week slip up) and I can give my 2 cents. What made it hardest to quit was thinking "this is going to be my last cigarette ever." That freaked me out. When I quit I still had half a pack lying around and I told myself "If I really want one, I can have one." After meals and while driving were tough, so I would have this little mini conversation with myself that goes something like:
"Do I really want one, or is it just habit to have one?"
"I don't know, I'm just craving one."
"Well, vape, hang on, and see if you still want one in 5 minutes, okay?"
"Okay."
And I didn't
Exactly! I never "quit". In other words, I've never forbidden myself from having one if I really want one because I knew from past (pre-vaping) quit attempts that a part of me would rebel against that and never accept it. I still have a few packs scattered around from the last carton I bought a few days before my first vapemail arrived in December of 2013. Hell, I didn't even intend to quit when I ordered that kit; I just wanted to see if I could maybe use it to cut back some. Well cut back, I did. From 2 packs a day to zero in less than a week. Vaping is a miracle as far as I'm concerned.
 

AndriaD

Yes, I DO wear a mask! I'm vaccinated, too!
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I've been just vaping for about a year (aside a one week slip up) and I can give my 2 cents. What made it hardest to quit was thinking "this is going to be my last cigarette ever." That freaked me out. When I quit I still had half a pack lying around and I told myself "If I really want one, I can have one." After meals and while driving were tough, so I would have this little mini conversation with myself that goes something like:
"Do I really want one, or is it just habit to have one?"
"I don't know, I'm just craving one."
"Well, vape, hang on, and see if you still want one in 5 minutes, okay?"
"Okay."
And I didn't. Obviously YMMV since everyone is different, but if I just sat a minute before giving into the routine, I found that I didn't really want one. Sure, I wanted nicotine, but if I was patient vaping would give it to me much more safely and in a more tasty manner. I also had to come to terms with the fact that vaping wouldn't be the same as smoking. It would never taste the same, feel exactly the same, or give me the nicotine quite as quickly as a cigarette, but isn't that a small price to pay for it being significantly healthier, generally cheaper, and much more tolerable for people around me? Hey, I don't smell funky anymore!

I don't set goals as far as dropping to this level of nicotine by this time, etc., because I don't react well to pressure. I don't want to stress if I don't make my goal or beat myself up because stress makes me want to smoke. I've been at 6mg for a while now, if I can go down to 3mg sometime, maybe even 0mg at some point, that would be great! If not, I've still made a healthier choice and I'm okay with that.

This is precisely why I still have 12 cigs in my last open pk in a ziplock in my freezer, behind a box of nicotine. :D Having those cigarettes, it remains MY OWN FREE CHOICE to vape and not smoke. I'm perfectly happy with that choice, which is why I haven't touched those cigarettes in over 3 yrs. But if they were gone? First I'd panic, SERIOUSLY, with screaming and crying and such. And then I'd be in a RAGE... and then my husband would have to go get me cigarettes, because I'd be in no shape to drive. And I'd probably smoke the whole pk, by which point, those goddamn things would have their hooks in me AGAIN, and I'd have to go to the trouble to pick them back out, with pain and cussing and trying to find a new source of WTA.

Much easier if I just stay smoke-free and leave those 3 yr old tobaccocicles right where they are. :)

Andria
 

Rossum

Gold Contributor
Member For 3 Years
And I'd probably smoke the whole pk, by which point, those goddamn things would have their hooks in me AGAIN, and I'd have to go to the trouble to pick them back out, with pain and cussing and trying to find a new source of WTA.
Damn it Andria, you're being irrational here. If you smoked the whole pack, you'd be back to not having any security sticks in the freezer, and that sounds like a vicious circle. I think I need to talk to your husband and make sure he knows not to let you have more than 8 of them; that he must make sure you put the remaining 12 back in the freezer, no matter how much you kick and scream. :)

As for the WTA, I've got ya covered.

My fear is that I'm not sure what would happen if I wasn't able to vape. I suspect I'd be at the closest Stop&Rob within a few hours buying smokes. So I've made darn sure I'll never be in the position of not having stuff to vape. :D
 

AndriaD

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Damn it Andria, you're being irrational here. If you smoked the whole pack, you'd be back to not having any security sticks in the freezer, and that sounds like a vicious circle. I think I need to talk to your husband and make sure he knows not to let you have more than 8 of them; that he must make sure you put the remaining 12 back in the freezer, no matter how much you kick and scream. :)

As for the WTA, I've got ya covered.

My fear is that I'm not sure what would happen if I wasn't able to vape. I suspect I'd be at the closest Stop&Rob within a few hours buying smokes. So I've made darn sure I'll never be in the position of not having stuff to vape. :D

Oh I'd smoke the whole pk only if those 12 in my freezer somehow vanished -- and then buy another pk and smoke half of 'em -- as long as they're there, I'm in no danger. :D And being unable to vape, that was part of what led to my dual-use relapse in 2014; I was so godawful sick after that appendectomy, I couldn't eat, or vape, and barely managed to get some Pepsi down and mostly keep it -- and after 4 days of that, the vape tasted TERRIBLE -- as did everything else, including water! And yep, I subscribe wholeheartedly to backups for my backups' backups. :D Which is why I have 18 or 19 mods, and along with the 2 Achilles which I love above all other attys, I do still have 3 KFL+'s, this new Berserker, a couple of Prometeys, a couple of Magmas, a couple of original Lemos, and a couple of squonk thingies -- hell, I've even still got some 2.5 ohm XL cartos!

I *might* make it longer than a few hours... maybe even a few days. But I haven't the slightest doubt, if I couldn't vape, I'd be smoking again within a week.

Andria
 

CactusCutie

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Hi guys!
Glad to still see you're all here. :)
Phew! Been busy as all get out and I'm exhausted. I'm going to make dinner (Grilled lemon garlic shrimp over linguine in a roasted red pepper sauce) a bit early and then just sleep the rest of the day. Ahhhhh. Heaven.

I must apologize for my absence. Kind of feast or famine thing with me. Weird thing about my life is either I have oodles of time for a few days or not a moment to myself. :xD: Just the nature of how things work in regards to my so not 9-5 life. If I drop off the radar for a few days I'm not being an asshole. I just haven't had a chance to respond. I apologize if this seems rude. I don't mean it to be. Sometimes I am literally busy from 5:00a.m. until midnight. You guys got lives and jobs and homes. You know how this shit goes.

Let's see. I went to the vape shop and got my juice adjusted. They were nice enough to do this for me complimentary. So they fixed it to about a 9mg nicotine and a 65% VG / 35%PG ratio. It is so much better. Makes nice clouds, lots of vapor and there's no harsh throat hit that leaves me coughing or hacking. I'm very happy with it.

O.K. now I feel like I got half the battle won. I so love the way this smokes. Very much satisfied with this formulation and much happier with it than everything I had before which was a 50/50 mix. Yes. It is the exact same flavor and I'm happy with that. I'm just enjoying vaping this and reaching for my pen more and more instead of the cigs. So now I now I can try some new flavors at this formulation and be good.


My newest vaping device came and it is sweet.:vapemail: I like it. It is very aesthetically pleasing and super creatively engineered. It is fine for the person who is only going to take a few hits and then stop. It is not for a heavy user. Makes super great clouds and lots of vapor and heats up nice which is impressive for such a little device. My only bitch with it is it shuts off when it gets too hot which is all the time. Grrrrrrrrr! Best for the stealth vaper or the 'show and go' type of person. Not the best investment but cute never the less and something I don't mind taking to the bar or restaurant or place I need to be discreet.

Will say I am doing good. I am getting headaches from analog cigarettes and feeling nauseous from them more often then not. Preferring to vape if only for the reason I'm not experiencing that. I'm taking this all as good signs. Not exceeding half a pack of analogs a day so that's good. Hoping to go down even more very soon. I think with me it just may have to come to not buying any at all and just vaping 100% for the switch to happen.

I also need to explore some new flavors. Love mine but there's some mighty tasty ones out there you guys mentioned. What a pity more of them don't come in 'food' flavors instead of dessert like flavors. I'm not a 'sweets' fan but man show me a cheeseburger or a plate of pasta and I'm all over it! :p Can I get something in T-bone or Porterhouse please?
 

CactusCutie

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Happy Halloween guys! :zombie::devil:
Have a fun, good and safe one.
Doing o.k. here.
You guys crack me up.
Yep! That's about what they are too. I'll never forget the time I went by one to get a pack of smokes and a cop had some guy on his knees with his hands on his head outside his car in the parking lot! Uh....yeah! I did a U-turn in the parking lot and kept driving. You think that would be enough to deter me from smoking. Nope. Just made me drive further down the street to the next Stop&Rob. F***ing things. Hate them. Happy to say though still maintaining at half a pack despite the lowered nicotine of 9mg. Cranky as all get out and miserable to be around. :crab:

My normally wonderful husband has reached the end of his patience and told me to go blow it out my ass today! No----no pun was intended! Can't blame him as I've put him through a bit of a challenge with this reduced tobacco and nicotine thing both in such a rapid time. Like I said it has only been about a week now. But he is proud of me for my progress. I am too.

I'm looking something new in terms of vaping devices. I'm listening to what you guys are saying and so don't want to run out of working/functioning vaping devices and go back to smoking 1-1.5 pad again! UGH! How disgusting. Looking at the Eleaf IJust 2. Like you guys said. Back ups for backups for the backups. :)

Anyway hope everyone is doing well and having a happy Halloween.

C.C.
 

Rossum

Gold Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Hate them. Happy to say though still maintaining at half a pack despite the lowered nicotine of 9mg. Cranky as all get out and miserable to be around.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say: If you're cranky & miserable while still smoking half a pack a day, then you're not getting enough nicotine from your vape.

During my last pre-vaping quit attempt, my wife (a never-smoker!) reached the end of hers to. She told me: "Honey, if you wanna stay married, you need to start smoking again!" Well, she didn't have to tell me that twice. :oops:

Years later, she was amazed and delighted that with vaping, I was never once cranky & miserable. I'll note that I used mostly 18mg juice, with occasional hits of 24.
 

AndriaD

Yes, I DO wear a mask! I'm vaccinated, too!
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Happy Halloween guys! :zombie::devil:
Have a fun, good and safe one.
Doing o.k. here.
You guys crack me up.

Yep! That's about what they are too. I'll never forget the time I went by one to get a pack of smokes and a cop had some guy on his knees with his hands on his head outside his car in the parking lot! Uh....yeah! I did a U-turn in the parking lot and kept driving. You think that would be enough to deter me from smoking. Nope. Just made me drive further down the street to the next Stop&Rob. F***ing things. Hate them. Happy to say though still maintaining at half a pack despite the lowered nicotine of 9mg. Cranky as all get out and miserable to be around. :crab:

My normally wonderful husband has reached the end of his patience and told me to go blow it out my ass today! No----no pun was intended! Can't blame him as I've put him through a bit of a challenge with this reduced tobacco and nicotine thing both in such a rapid time. Like I said it has only been about a week now. But he is proud of me for my progress. I am too.

I'm looking something new in terms of vaping devices. I'm listening to what you guys are saying and so don't want to run out of working/functioning vaping devices and go back to smoking 1-1.5 pad again! UGH! How disgusting. Looking at the Eleaf IJust 2. Like you guys said. Back ups for backups for the backups. :)

Anyway hope everyone is doing well and having a happy Halloween.

C.C.

I really don't understand that at all. My husband was understanbly not really *thrilled* with the idea of my trying to quit smoking, because he knew how absolutely psychotic I became when I tried it twice before, using the patch. One of the many things he loves about vaping is that it didn't affect my temperament at all -- I just smoked fewer and fewer and finally they were just gone.

Now when I had my relapse... it was when I realized that I had NO cigarettes in the house, and the next day he would be at work an I would have no means to get any cigarettes... that I just fucking lost it, totally psycho -- so he went and got me some cigarettes, at midnight on a sunday night.

If it's affecting your temperament that much, you must be trying to force it too fast; which causes stress, which causes really foul moods. Don't force it. Just fucking smoke if you really really REALLY need to smoke; next time, vape for a while first. Gradually the smoking will fade away.

Andria
 

CactusCutie

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Hi gang, :D
There seems to be some direct connection between.
My being a cranky, miserable bitch who is not getting enough nicotine(or alcohol) is directly correlated to the exact same days and times when my mother calls me. Imagine that;) !

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say: If you're cranky & miserable while still smoking half a pack a day, then you're not getting enough nicotine from your vape.

If it's affecting your temperament that much, you must be trying to force it too fast; which causes stress, which causes really foul moods. Don't force it. J

I think you're both right. I did set a goal; a specified time frame in which I wanted to be both tobacco and nicotine free. What I didn't account for is that may not be realistic and/or practical. I'm a human not a train and therefore I many not run on schedule. :rolleyes: I'm failing to allow time for both my body and brain to adjust to the changes I've already made before I attempt to make even more.

And yeah, if I need a smoke, I'll have one and try not to beat myself up about it. I mean in less then a week I went from 20 -30 analog cigarettes a day to 8-12. WOW! :bliss: That was due to vaping. Right now I'm adjusting fro 18mg nicotine to 9 mg nicotine. So basically give myself time to get used to it. Vape more if I can't cut back more. I'll probably have to hang at this level for quite awhile if I'm honest with myself about wanting to quit tobacco.

I've been vaping a week or so and at this 9mg nicotine level I've been able to maintain my analog smokes at half a pack . When I say be honest with myself I mean be honest. If I dropped the level lower I'd be nic-fittin' and back to smoking for real. So yeah. Hanging here at 9mg will be good for me until vaping becomes engrained as my permanent and steady habit. I think that will happen when I find and fall hopelessly in love with the right device

Oh.....Leticia, that was a good idea you gave me. Thank you.:vino: I did what you said to. Sometimes I'll have half a regular cigarette before I vape. It tastes yucky by comparison and makes me appreciate my vaporizer so much more. Appreciated the tip.
 

Rossum

Gold Contributor
Member For 3 Years
I think you're both right. I did set a goal; a specified time frame in which I wanted to be both tobacco and nicotine free.
IMO, that's a mistake. Nicotine is not the enemy. Smoke is. Nicotine without smoke is likely no worse for you than coffee. So use whatever nicotine it takes to put down the smokes and worry about reducing your nicotine later, once you're certain that you're done with cigarettes.
 

AndriaD

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What Rossum said. :D Unless your heart or blood presssure are in really bad shape, nicotine won't hurt you, at these levels. You have nothing to prove -- and as you yourself already noted, you're already doing just fine! One thing I used to see people say a lot, though I don't see it as much as I used to, is that you shouldn't count all the ones you still smoke and then kick yourself... count all the ones that you DON'T (that you know damn well you would have smoked, if not for vaping), and pat yourself on the back! And VAPE! The more you vape, the more you'll like it, the less you'll smoke.. and the less you smoke, the worse they will taste and smell, and the less you'll want them. You're going in the right direction, but there's no rush -- rush will just cause stress and strain, which is counterproductive to the MAX when quitting smoking -- stress just makes you want to smoke MORE!

And I can SOOOOOOOOO relate to those stressful calls from one's mother, but... I just have to throw in... I spent the last 4 months of my mother's life, last year, totally avoiding her.... I had good reasons for that avoidance, but now... I can't even think of that avoidance without wanting to cry. You just never know when she won't be there anymore. She and I had a very troubled relationship, my whole life.... but I'd give a lot just to be able to talk to her again.

Andria
 

CactusCutie

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Yep. Hear you about mom. I'm sorry about the loss of yours. I lost my dad when I was in my 20s and he was exactly my age! So although I am convinced Gandhi would strangle the woman and there is a legitimate reason I have to live 2 time zones away, there is also a reason why I make sure to still pick up the phone every time she calls. Let's just say we love better from afar. :rolleyes: Nothing can ever be easy or uncomplicated when it comes to family can it?

And yep....not focusing on the nicotine so much as focusing on vaping, vaping, vaping and cigarettes avoided! Reading up on the nicotine a bit more and you are correct Rossum, it isn't such a big deal. I may need to rethink my dosage as you had suggested prior. Gotta keep in mind this is all still new to me and I had come from a site that was hardcore antis full of NO SMOKING, NO VAPING AND NOOOOOOOO NICOTINE! So switching gears for me is still a bit challenging. Bear with me. It will seep in about readjusting the nicotine. It makes perfect sense to not be uncomfortable if it means I can throw out the smokes!
Still loving vaping though. :inlove: Feeling better and better. Happy with it and the fact I'm smoking less and less.

Have a happy Halloween guys.
Gotta go.
Hugs to you all.
C.C.
 

Letitia9

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I refuse to stress about nic. If I stay at 9mg, so what. I'm not smoking and I love vaping. Win win IMO.
 

Rossum

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Member For 3 Years
I had come from a site that was hardcore antis full of NO SMOKING, NO VAPING AND NOOOOOOOO NICOTINE!
Oh... That explains much. I suppose that approach might work for some people, but I'm not one of them.

The smoking addiction is multi-faceted. First, there's the nic itself. Second, there's other things in cigarette smoke that are either addictive themselves or at the very least, potentiate the nic addiction. Third, there's the hand-mouth habit. And fourth, there's what I'll call the 'breathing habit' of pulling in the smoke and exhaling it again, including the throat hit. Those hard-core anti sites expect you to break all four of these facets all at once. That's great if a person can, but in the real world, most people cannot, and even if they manage to do it for a while, the risk of relapse is quite high. Conventional NRTs require you to break three of those facets simultaneously, which is why they're not tremendously successful either. With vaping, once you get it right, you only have to break one (the second one). And if you manage to break that one, you've got at least 90% and possibly as much as 99% of the health gain that you could achieve by breaking all four.

In addition to getting your nic level right (and only you can figure out what's right for you) another thing that seems to be a big help to people is finding one or more flavors that they really like. As in, "This tastes much better than a cigarette".
 

AndriaD

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Oh... That explains much. I suppose that approach might work for some people, but I'm not one of them.

The smoking addiction is multi-faceted. First, there's the nic itself. Second, there's other things in cigarette smoke that are either addictive themselves or at the very least, potentiate the nic addiction. Third, there's the hand-mouth habit. And fourth, there's what I'll call the 'breathing habit' of pulling in the smoke and exhaling it again, including the throat hit. Those hard-core anti sites expect you to break all four of these facets all at once. That's great if a person can, but in the real world, most people cannot, and even if they manage to do it for a while, the risk of relapse is quite high. Conventional NRTs require you to break three of those facets simultaneously, which is why they're not tremendously successful either. With vaping, once you get it right, you only have to break one (the second one). And if you manage to break that one, you've got at least 90% and possibly as much as 99% of the health gain that you could achieve by breaking all four.

In addition to getting your nic level right (and only you can figure out what's right for you) another thing that seems to be a big help to people is finding one or more flavors that they really like. As in, "This tastes much better than a cigarette".

So very true, all of it. The hardest part of the *smoking* addiction to break, for me, was the "minor alkaloid cocktail" with those damned MAOIs. But I finally did, thx to weaning very slowly off WTA. But that "breathing" thing... that's exactly why I STILL need a very tight draw; that was what I missed the most, when I tried before to quit, using the patch -- that feeling of suction, the inhale/exhale... I don't think that need will ever go away -- 3 and a half yrs as a vaper, and STILL vape in the "golfball thru a garden hose" style. :giggle:

I've also never been one of those vapers who bounces from flavor to flavor all day -- I smoked the same *brand* of cigarettes for over 30 yrs, VA Slims of one strength or another; occasionally I might bum one from someone, and that was better than doing without, but it just seemed *wrong* because it didn't taste right -- and that's exactly why I've had the same all-day-vape for nearly 3 yrs now -- yes, it's yummy, but more importantly by far, it's *familiar* -- other stuff might taste good, but it doesn't "scratch the itch" the same way that my familiar strawberry & cream does. Which is also why, when I've had a cold, sometimes I do need to vape something different for a week or so, if the strawberry & cream doesn't taste right, due to not being able to smell it properly. But I have to be pretty damn sick, to be that impaired -- mostly, since I switched to vaping, I do have to be pretty damn sick to even notice that I AM sick, not having the tubercular coughing for 6 wks. :D A cold really does last just 7-10 days now, not a couple months!

Andria
 

CactusCutie

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Oh... That explains much. I suppose that approach might work for some people, but I'm not one of them.
The smoking addiction is multi-faceted. First, there's the nic itself. Second, there's other things in cigarette smoke that are either addictive themselves or at the very least, potentiate the nic addiction. Third, there's the hand-mouth habit. And fourth, there's what I'll call the 'breathing habit' of pulling in the smoke and exhaling it again, including the throat hit. Those hard-core anti sites expect you to break all four of these facets all at once.

Rossum your observations and explanations are right on! :)
I'm not 'one of those' either! :headbang: That hardcore anti approach failed me repeatedly and with predictably abysmal results. The idea of being able to free one's mind and body simultaneously of everything both toxic and addictive via one's own sheer willpower is appealing but not realistic. It discounts too many facets of the smoking addiction.

It adopts a cookie cutter mentality and assumes everyone can handle the obstacles of quitting smoking physically, emotionally and mentally the same. There is no considering individuality or an individual's habit when it comes to quitting tobacco in the world of antis. The cold turkey methodology does not take into account a person's psychological and emotional profile. IMO, that's a big part of 'Why' we all started smoking tobacco cigarettes to begin with.

Vaping is great in that it addresses, as you stated, the nicotine itself, the hand to mouth habit, and the inhale-exhale motion of smoking as well as not forcing you to change a long engrained habit.:inlove:

As for me I'm getting les nicotine paranoid and adopting Letitia's attitude. :vino:
I refuse to stress about nic. If I stay at 9mg, so what. I'm not smoking and I love vaping. Win win IMO.
A nicotine addiction won't kill me. I'm cool with that. NO I don't want it to be a high level nicotine because I do honestly have some circulation problems and yes I do take a med daily that cautions about smoking.

I have noticed since I dropped levels and now smoke 1/2 pad or less of analogs that I DO NOT have achy and sore throbbing legs or bruise so easy. I'm also not coughing and wheezing and my feet and hands aren't cold all the time. So that's important. But if I am at a 9mg nicotine level then so what? Who cares? If I can get it lower good. If not I'll be fine with that too.

As for flavors I'm a lot like Andrea. I found one I like and keep going back to it just the way I smoked the same brand of cigarettes for decades. It just tastes *right* . It is a thing called Baker's Dozen which taste like banana nut bread. YUMMY! Odd, as I like banana nut bread but don't go ape over it when I see it in the grocery store or feel like I gotta have a muffin all the time. I really don't eat sweets or care for stuff like that. (My guilty pleasure is Breyer's Butter Pecan ice cream). I would have though I would have went for a berry or a chocolate flavor. So what's that all about? o_O Has anyone else picked something a-typical from what they thought they normally would?

Have a great day all.
C.C.
 

Letitia9

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I don't like dragon fruit, but love to vape it. I love strawberries, but don't like strawberry vapes. Am addicted to milk chocolate and have a strong dislike for chocolate vapes. Think that has more to do with mouth feel rather than flavor. Not unusual at all, except maybe the strawberry thing. Seems everyone likes strawberry vapes.
 

AndriaD

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As for flavors I'm a lot like Andrea. I found one I like and keep going back to it just the way I smoked the same brand of cigarettes for decades. It just tastes *right* . It is a thing called Baker's Dozen which taste like banana nut bread. YUMMY! Odd, as I like banana nut bread but don't go ape over it when I see it in the grocery store or feel like I gotta have a muffin all the time. I really don't eat sweets or care for stuff like that. (My guilty pleasure is Breyer's Butter Pecan ice cream). I would have though I would have went for a berry or a chocolate flavor. So what's that all about? o_O Has anyone else picked something a-typical from what they thought they normally would?

Somewhat... I'm a HUGE fan of blueberry muffins, and just pretty much blueberry ANYTHING... and actually blueberry muffin vaping was my turning point from tobacco flavors to everything else... but my ADV for nearly 3 yrs has been this strawberry & cream. I do love strawberries, very much, but never to the extent that I love blueberries... but blueberry vapes are hard to get *just right*. When sweet-vapes.com still had their "house juices," which they would customize for PG/VG levels, I often ordered their blueberry muffin flavor, in 80% PG, which I could customize with more flavoring, sweetener, and extra PG, to bring it to my preferred 85%-86% PG.... but the other flavor I added was TFA Banana Nut Bread, because I love the flavor of blueberry and banana together -- and the banana nut bread flavoring both accentuated the muffin/sweet cake profile, and somehow "rounded", softened, the sharpness of the blueberry flavor.

Andria
 

AndriaD

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I don't like dragon fruit, but love to vape it. I love strawberries, but don't like strawberry vapes. Am addicted to milk chocolate and have a strong dislike for chocolate vapes. Think that has more to do with mouth feel rather than flavor. Not unusual at all, except maybe the strawberry thing. Seems everyone likes strawberry vapes.

Can't say I'm really wild for chocolate vapes either; in fact I had a really hard time finding a chocolate flavor that I could even TASTE -- it turned out to be Molinberry's Glamour Chocolate. But... although chocolate cream pie is probably my most to-die-for sweet treat... vaping it just doesn't do it for me. I think you're right about the mouth feel. However I did get some of Capella's new Vanilla Whipped Cream flavor, so I thought I might try another chocolate cream pie recipe and see if I like it any better.

Andria
 

Letitia9

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Can't say I'm really wild for chocolate vapes either; in fact I had a really hard time finding a chocolate flavor that I could even TASTE -- it turned out to be Molinberry's Glamour Chocolate. But... although chocolate cream pie is probably my most to-die-for sweet treat... vaping it just doesn't do it for me. I think you're right about the mouth feel. However I did get some of Capella's new Vanilla Whipped Cream flavor, so I thought I might try another chocolate cream pie recipe and see if I like it any better.

Andria
I just started mixing this week and chocolate is not even on my radar. The oranges are so much better without the sweeteners. Thought I might try one strawberry in case that was my problem with strawberry vape. For under 5 bucks figure it's worth a shot. I have collected several recipes that need a small amount of strawberry anyway.
 

AndriaD

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I just started mixing this week and chocolate is not even on my radar. The oranges are so much better without the sweeteners. Thought I might try one strawberry in case that was my problem with strawberry vape. For under 5 bucks figure it's worth a shot. I have collected several recipes that need a small amount of strawberry anyway.

For a really authentic strawberry, I can't recommend anything other than Inawera's Shisha Strawberry; all the others smell pretty good, but have zero taste -- imagine slicing a strawberry, putting it in a glass of water, then removing the strawberry and drinking the water -- that's all the other strawberry flavors. :D

I've never been a big fan of orange in ANY context -- the only citrus fruit I could even claim to LIKE is grapefruit, preferably ruby red grapefruit... but I'm not sure that would make a very good vape. :D

Andria
 

Letitia9

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For a really authentic strawberry, I can't recommend anything other than Inawera's Shisha Strawberry; all the others smell pretty good, but have zero taste -- imagine slicing a strawberry, putting it in a glass of water, then removing the strawberry and drinking the water -- that's all the other strawberry flavors. :D

I've never been a big fan of orange in ANY context -- the only citrus fruit I could even claim to LIKE is grapefruit, preferably ruby red grapefruit... but I'm not sure that would make a very good vape. :D

Andria
lol I already know your strawberry recommendation! Grapefruit is an excellent citrus mixer and I don't even like the fruit. I love citrus vapes and it is hard to find good commercial vapes that aren't too sweet. Main reason I wanted to diy.
 

Letitia9

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It was a local house-mix dragonfruit blend called "Dragon's Blood" that was my "Aha!" moment and made me realize it was a mistake to think I had to have tobacco flavors.
My first tobacco vape was a fail. My cousin loves Tribeca and maybe one or two times a year I'll take a few puffs of hers. It's actually good, but can't imagine it all day every day. ugh
 

AndriaD

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lol I already know your strawberry recommendation! Grapefruit is an excellent citrus mixer and I don't even like the fruit. I love citrus vapes and it is hard to find good commercial vapes that aren't too sweet. Main reason I wanted to diy.

TFA makes a flavor, well really a "flavor additive," called Sour; if that's the profile you want, that's a good one. And FlavourArt has one called Bitter Wizard -- it's really the best thing possible for tobacco vapes, but might also serve to eliminate some of the natural sweetness of vape, to let the tart/sour shine thru. I never liked sweet tobacco when I smoked; VA Slims are rather bitter and semi-dry, and the Bitter Wizard, with Tobacco Express plain Virginia, makes a really nice vape. But I really can't tolerate tobacco flavors anymore; now they just taste kinda... dirty? I remember when I started smoking, I loathed the taste, and I've pretty much regained that opinion.

Andria
 

Rossum

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My first tobacco vape was a fail. My cousin loves Tribeca and maybe one or two times a year I'll take a few puffs of hers. It's actually good, but can't imagine it all day every day. ugh
Yep. I started with a Halo "sampler" of tobacco flavors, one of which was Tribeca.
 

Letitia9

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I went with FA sicilian Mix for the citrus bite I like. Sweeteners just kill the bite. Tobacco juices were never my thing. I've tasted some good ones and used to keep pistachio ry4 and tripoli here at the house to change things up occ. One tank and I was done for another couple of months. Finally gave them away to someone who appreciates them.
 

CactusCutie

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I don't know why, but I find the mixology a bit intimidating. :rolleyes: A little embarrassing to admit but still getting comfortable with the of vaping. Not quite ready to take on the next challenge yet although custom blending my flavors and nic strengths sounds perfect not to mention super economical. Looking forward to getting to that point. It will be soon as it will be saving me even more money!

Been super busy but doing really well. I had the same pack of smokes for 3 days now! :vino: That means instead of about 8-11 a day I'm only having about 5-7 analog cigs a day. Very proud of that. More proud of the fact it hasn't been a struggle for me and I haven't had to 'choose' between vaping and smoking. Vaping is just easier and far more desirable now so it isn't surprising the smokes are lasting longer and longer.

Yep! You guys are right. They're just falling away and by the way side the more I vape. I feel confident they'll go away completely on their own. I just keep reminding myself to be patient. I mean it has only been 2 weeks and look at the pace and progress I made. It will happen. It hasn't even been a month so just be patient.

I'm also celebrating as my husband (Dave) has finally decided to quit his chew habit......Ewwwwwww! Some hideous Skoal mint stuff he was putting in his bottom lip. :blech: I wouldn't even let him kiss me unless he brushed his teeth! He tried my vaporizer and loved it. He has now got a vaporizer of his own and is vaping. For the last 2 days he hasn't had a chew. He said he doesn't even miss it and thanks you guys for the help you're giving me and others. He says that big kiss......... :blowkiss: is for you all. He's been a big help also in encouraging me to cut down even more with the smoking and congratulates all of you guys for having quit.

Hope you guys had a great weekend.
C.C.
 

AndriaD

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I don't know why, but I find the mixology a bit intimidating. :rolleyes: A little embarrassing to admit but still getting comfortable with the of vaping. Not quite ready to take on the next challenge yet although custom blending my flavors and nic strengths sounds perfect not to mention super economical. Looking forward to getting to that point. It will be soon as it will be saving me even more money!

Been super busy but doing really well. I had the same pack of smokes for 3 days now! :vino: That means instead of about 8-11 a day I'm only having about 5-7 analog cigs a day. Very proud of that. More proud of the fact it hasn't been a struggle for me and I haven't had to 'choose' between vaping and smoking. Vaping is just easier and far more desirable now so it isn't surprising the smokes are lasting longer and longer.

Yep! You guys are right. They're just falling away and by the way side the more I vape. I feel confident they'll go away completely on their own. I just keep reminding myself to be patient. I mean it has only been 2 weeks and look at the pace and progress I made. It will happen. It hasn't even been a month so just be patient.

I'm also celebrating as my husband (Dave) has finally decided to quit his chew habit......Ewwwwwww! Some hideous Skoal mint stuff he was putting in his bottom lip. :blech: I wouldn't even let him kiss me unless he brushed his teeth! He tried my vaporizer and loved it. He has now got a vaporizer of his own and is vaping. For the last 2 days he hasn't had a chew. He said he doesn't even miss it and thanks you guys for the help you're giving me and others. He says that big kiss......... :blowkiss: is for you all. He's been a big help also in encouraging me to cut down even more with the smoking and congratulates all of you guys for having quit.

Hope you guys had a great weekend.
C.C.

I totally understand being intimidated by the whole mixing thing, however... you don't really have to go whole-hog DIY to get benefits from using some of the additives -- I was adding Flash (for TH), and sweetener, long before I started real DIY -- and just adding those additives improved my vape 100%!

In fact, I think the drastic improvement I found with using those additives in my ejuice was one of the reasons I decided to give "real" DIY a try -- and have never regretted it! You're right that it does have a bit of a learning curve, trying all the different brands and flavors to find good combos, but just adding a bit of this or that to ejuice that you buy makes a world of difference.

It also encouraged me to start acquiring some of the "hardware" for DIY -- syringes, etc. Buying all the necessary stuff would be quite cost-prohibitive for me, if I'd had to buy it all at once, but buying a little here and there as I could, made it painless.

Andria
 

Letitia9

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Congrats to you and hubs Cactus! Glad to know you are both enjoying the vaping journey together.
 

Rossum

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I don't know why, but I find the mixology a bit intimidating. :rolleyes:
As @AndriaD mentioned, there are different approaches that don't require you to jump in whole hog. I started the opposite way she did. Instead of adding stuff to vendor juices, I started out by making unflavored juice at the PG/VG/Nic ratio I wanted in order to dilute the vendor juices I was buying, because I found them over-flavored.

Never forget: Everyone is different. :)
 

CactusCutie

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Hey gang,

Sorry for the long absence. Super busy but also happy to report I'm still doing super well. Still hovering at half a pack of analog smokes to a bit less a day. Grrrrrrrrr. :deadhorse:

But I'm not going to let that frustrate me because on the 17th it will be my 1 month vaping anniversary! When nothing else worked vaping got me from 30 smokes a day down to what----between 6 -11 a day? Pretty damn good and an awesome improvement not only to my health but my wallet!

I have taken advantage of my time out and about in the vape shops to speak to other customers. Several are now full-time vapors who were former full-time smokers. What I discovered was that there were a lucky few who were able to quit immediately and make the switch effortlessly but most were like me. It took them an average of 2 to 6 months to completely quit their analog cigarette habits 100% . So I felt much more reassured by this an my progress. :)

Advice was the same, vape more, vape more, vape more, vape more and smoke less! <3
Sounds likes a plan to me. All the more since the holidays are will be here soon.
Thankfully my psycho relatives won't be! :bliss: :vino:

Also did some inquiries into the nicotine levels people were using. Some people were at zero and most hovered at a 6mg. All of them started off with high nicotine levels originally when they first quit and worked their way down. I agree with you guys, however, in that the nicotine, unless it is a health issue with circulation or other concerns, isn't a big deal and who cares.

Been also playing with some new flavors. Clouds of Cream by Eliquids is pretty tasty. Kind of a creamy hazelnut and butterscotch profile. A little different but not too far off from what I had been using. The 'cream' aspect is nice. I like this new element and will have to explore more flavors with it. Picked it up on sale for $6.00 because it was 12mg nicotine. Husband is into a Strawberry Waffle Cone. Let's just say it ain't my thing. :blech: Little too sickening sweet but that's o.k. because the husband is still doing good and NOT chewing. So I'm proud of him.

I think for my second vape anniversary, December 17th, I am going to NOT buy smokes at all and see if I can do it. Honestly at this point I think part of the reason why I'm smoking them still is because they're still there and I have them around.
 

CactusCutie

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Very proud of myself.
Had 8 cigarettes all day yesterday.
Today had 3 so far and barely vaped. Nothing wrong. Just no major cravings.
Feeling good, feeling good.
Vaping 1 month now. :inlove:
Loving it.
 

CactusCutie

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Happy Thanksgiving gang.

Hope you all have a good one. I'm very thankful and truly grateful for all that I have. My list wouldn't be complete without taking a moment to say thanks to you guys for being here.:hug: Much appreciated.

I'm happy to say a pack of smokes is now lasting me 3 days! That means at the most I'm only smoking between 5 to 7 cigarettes a day. Vaping more and in a competition, so to speak, with myself where each week I just keep chipping away at the analogs by 1 or 2 a day. I'll hold steady with that a few days and then chip away some more. Super proud of the husband as he is still 100% nicotine free. <3 The vaping is working for him as a substitute for the chew (ewwwwww! ) and also seems to help with the work related stress.

Time to start the day. Have a good one. Looking forward after work to just going out for a nice quiet dinner with the husband. Today I get a treat. I don't have to cook, clean, or make a mess in my kitchen. I can eat what I want and somebody can wait on me. :vino: :vino:YIPPEE.
 

Carmmond

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Smoked for 35 years, I vaped and smoked for 1.5 to two years. I vaped MTL that whole time. Well this year I got sick of paying $50 more for health insurance at work and said enough was enough. Joined a cessation group to lower my insurance and bought some sub ohm tanks and mixed up 3 meg juice.
Going from MTL 12 meg to sub ohm 3 meg did it for me. Have not touched a cigarette in almost 8 months and to tell you the truth it was easy for me this time... very easy.
Good luck in you and your husbands journey you will find what works for you and it will all click. For me it was finding the right combo and getting sick and tiered of getting fleeced buy my government and insurance companies :xD:
 

CactusCutie

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:gaah::cuss2: Fucking insurance companies and government! They suck but that's a whole new rant.


I agree with you though Carmmond, it is just a matter of finding what works. Seems like I am maintaining at 6 cigarettes when I use on certain flavor and mg. strength of e juice. When I switch flavors and mg. strength I creep back up to 10 or 11 smokes a day. Grrrrr! So, yep. Getting the balance right is important.

Still I envy you though that quitting was easy for you. Good for you. That's admirable and I'm sure it has made all the difference in your health and well being as well as in your wallet. :)

I'm also beginning to think a large part of quitting is in the mind too. Determination. You have to just say, "Enough." and make the change psychologically. I've told myself "Enough." and I refuse to ever go back to smoking 1 or 1.5 pad of cigarettes again and I haven't. I've stuck to it and have felt just fine. It is possible to do. My husband is still doing great and hasn't relapsed or thought about it. In January he will be filling out new insurance forms.

The next challenge I gave myself is quitting by the end of December. I will. That's when I'll put my ticker up! :bingo:
That will be my little 'reward' to myself.
 

Carmmond

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Still I envy you though that quitting was easy for you. Good for you. That's admirable and I'm sure it has made all the difference in your health and well being as well as in your wallet. :)
Took almost 2 years to get my act together..... but yep once I had the knowledge, tools and determination it all fell into place.

My husband is still doing great and hasn't relapsed or thought about it. In January he will be filling out new insurance forms.
It felt great to put down tobacco free on the forms!
The next challenge I gave myself is quitting by the end of December. I will. That's when I'll put my ticker up! :bingo:
That will be my little 'reward' to myself.
Good luck you came to the right place for great help and support.
 

AndriaD

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I'm also beginning to think a large part of quitting is in the mind too. Determination. You have to just say, "Enough." and make the change psychologically.

This exactly -- both times I quit with vaping, I found that the hardest part was simply making up my mind to not smoke anymore period. Once you actually make the decision, then with vaping as a substitute, it's really not all that difficult -- but getting the mind around to the idea of doing without its traditional comfort...? That can be a real challenge. :D

Andria
 

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