Become a Patron!

How many drags of 12mg nicotine vape equals one cigarette?

rj9923

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Hi, so I got my first vape kit plus a bottle of juice for about 27 bucks online and it arrived today. I had my last cigarette this morning and the vape arrived this afternoon. I knew I would have to ask this question before I even started vaping for the first time, so I counted how many drags my last cigarette lasted and concluded a regular cigarette (for me, a Winston gold) lasted about 25 drags. My vape came with 15 ml of 12mg nicotine ejuice. After a day of vaping, I am worried I'm actually getting more nicotine from the vape than smoking. My first five drags of the vape seemed to give me a little buzz/headache (or it was because I hadn't eaten for almost a day, I don't know). These last few months I've been limiting myself to one cigarette about every other day, but now with the vape I have a constant nicotine buzz. I want to start limiting how much I vape so I don't get even more addicted. I want to get 6mg nic for my next bottle and then 3 to zero.
So my question is, how many drags (including inhaling) of this 12mg nic vape is equivalent to one regular sized, medium strength cigarette?

By the way, my first bottle of ejuice is "Black honey tobacco" flavor and it is very good, I would suggest it to you.
 

Fishee

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Nicotine is absorbed a bit differently when vaping rather than smoking.
It can take a bit longer to feel the affect and therefore it is easy to get too much before realizing that you got too much.
Maybe pace yourself. Say, half the puffs you would take from a cig. Wait a few minutes and if you think more would be good then take a few more.
Just pace yourself though.

As for the actual numbers I have no idea.
It has a lot to do with the atty being used, The device said atty is on, temperature and other factors.
So I don't really think there is a set number of hits to drags ratio something or other. o_O
 

OB61887

Am I saying meow?
Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
What everyone else said. However you should know, you generally will take in more nicotine when vaping than when smoking. A large part of that is that you won't get the buzz from the other good stuff (aka poisons) in cigarettes that let you know when you have had enough. Those will usually make you sick before the nicotine would, so you will vape more nic that you would when smoking before getting sick/buzzed.

With that said, the nic is one of the least dangerous parts of smoking. So I wouldn't be concerned about it as a health concern. Just vape until you are good and if you want to cut back on nic you can wean down the strength.
 

Whiskey

Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
!2
drag-queens1_zps755a1e3c.jpg


tumblr_n8z7vgVZw71sypuuko1_400_zpsnimcxipv.gif
 

BumbaCLot

Bronze Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I went directly off of 5 pouches of drum and American spirit to vaping full time at 24mg. I smoked Marlboro UL200 (2 IN 6 MINUTES). I was getting a huge buzz even off of American Spirit but rolling huge ones and pitching them after 1/3 first thing in the morning. Hand would go numb, almost faint, etc.. My buddy and I always complained AS didn't have the same chemicals as Marlboro (when we wanted them).
Lots of vape shops and Vapers tell people to go low on nic. If you "pre-quit" that's fine. I'm trying to get my friends to quit completely overnight so I say give the body what it wants!
 

4biddenArtist

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
I quit on my istick 30 with a nautilus tank @ 18mg and use about 7ml per day. I smoked about 30 camel 99's per day. I noticed a huge kick (high) when i started sub ohming my 18 mg at 50 watts on a billow and delta II with my smaug 150. I vape pretty much all day. I like to vape in the bathroom and when walking through the warehouse or when out on deliveries when driving. I have noticed that is is hard to restrain myself as I was pretty much a chain smoker when I did smoke. But now that I am rocking the power I feel like getting some clouds going. Maybe a 6 mg max VG blend. But as for now I can chuck clouds at 18mg. It gives me a nice buzz. THe guys at my vape shop here in town say Im on a whole other level then them because they are all pretty much at 3 mg chucking clouds but I can blow em with em at 18mg. I personally love nicotine and cant see the harm in it, actually there are benefits! But I do fein. so I think eventually I will focus on cloud density with my smaug and have my handy i stick for nic levels. I am going to start using my puff counter to see how many puffs a day i average just for my own info.

I have noticed though that after the initial few nic hits in the back of your throat you become accustom to the level and it eventually feels like your just inhaling warm tasty mist even at the higher nic levels. I don't know if thats normal but it allows me to take 6 second pulls at 50 + watts in the evening. But in the morning or if I eat and don't vape for an hour I would cough up a lung trying to pull a fatty like that 8)
Vape on Vape strong. Have a CLOUDYDAZE 8)
 

madmonkey

The Road Warrior
VU Donator
Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Member For 5 Years
I honestly don't know how I used to sub ohm drip 24 mg liquid and vape 36 mg liquid in cheap clearo's and carto tanks when I first started vaping...now I tank vape at 12 and drip at 6 or I get a headache. The best answer I can give (other than 42, because we all know the true answer here is 42) if you have to balance your nic level with your habit. You're not going to vape the way you smoked,,,especially in the beginning because although it's simular to smoking it's not smoking. You're not getting the same chemical intake in the same manor. You're not lighting up and putting out your vape...it's just there to puff on when you want to puff on it so...if you're like me...you keep puffing on it trying to get your fix till you realize too late that your head is spinning and you've gotta sit down before you get nausous o_O

If five puffs give you a headache then take four, wait a few minutes and then take another one, then wait a bit and take another one...nic runs threw your system pretty fast and with a little time your body will adjust to the new way of doing things....If you want to puff constantly than lower your nic level...if you're like me and don't have time to smoke alot and need quick nic fix on the fly than load a tank up with the good stuff and take two puffs on the run to get the job done :) It's all about balance my friend. And only you can find it and tell you what's right for you...I can only vape for myself, no one else.

Best of luck! :)
 

rj9923

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
So I think I figured it out, but I want to know if you guys agree. I think 1000mg = 1ml depending on density. So I did the math, and that means there would 12mg of nicotine per ml in a 1.2% nic juice. So if I'm vaping 12mg nic vape juice, and go through about 1.6 ml of juice a day (the capacity of my CE5), then it would be the equivalent to approximately one pack of cigarettes (19.2 mg) since the average amount of nicotine absorbed in one cigarette is 1mg. Am I right? Or do you have other facts or opinions?
 

Midniteoyl

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Member For 5 Years
12mg is 1.2%, correct, but, you will go through more juice than 1.6ml ;) You will ~double that much in a day.
 

OB61887

Am I saying meow?
Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Nic lvl is measures in milligrams per milliliter.
 

Giraut

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
You can't really compare the nicotine intake from smoking and from vaping: the former delivers nic in huge immediate spikes, while the latter delivers it much more slowly, with a lag. As a result, you don't vape like you smoke.

The only metric I go by is this: how many milliliters per day do I need to equate one day of smoking in terms of keeping cravings at bay and feeling as satisfied as with tobacco?

FWIW, when I quit smoking, I needed about 2 ml of 12 mg nic juice to replace one pack of medium strength cigarettes per day - vaping it out of your average throwaway clearo at 8W. Nowadays, I vape around 8 ml per day, but at 3 mg and out of an RDA at 25W. RDAs are more efficient at nicotine delivery, but are also notoriously wasteful juice guzzlers. So all in all, I'd say my nicotine needs haven't evolved a lot in a year and a half.
 

NoNicNick

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
So I think I figured it out, but I want to know if you guys agree. I think 1000mg = 1ml depending on density. So I did the math, and that means there would 12mg of nicotine per ml in a 1.2% nic juice. So if I'm vaping 12mg nic vape juice, and go through about 1.6 ml of juice a day (the capacity of my CE5), then it would be the equivalent to approximately one pack of cigarettes (19.2 mg) since the average amount of nicotine absorbed in one cigarette is 1mg. Am I right? Or do you have other facts or opinions?
You are correct that there is 12mg nicotine in one ml of juice, and that one cig contains about one mg nicotine. Theoretically, then, 1.6 ml juice should satisfy you. But that's why I am No Nic. It was too complicated to do nicotine. I wanted off the roller coaster so I did patches plus No Nic juice. A month of 21mg, then a month of 14mg, and now finishing off my 7mg patches. Then I will be 100% Nicotine Free! (I believe that is a good thing, but not everyone would agree. To each their own.)...
 

bondo

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
It's true that a cig is around 1mg per but you lose 90% of that in the filter.
you're getting a lot less nic per square than you might think...
 

Lefty

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Member For 5 Years
I agree that there is no real answer (other than 42). Too many variables. What cigarette? How you smoke it. The difference in nic absorption in vaping vs smoking. The difference in efficiency of delivery between various vaping equipment. Difference in vaping styles.
You can't get there from here.
However much it takes for you to reach the same level of satisfaction.
 

UncleRJ

Will write reviews for Beer!
Staff member
Senior Moderator
VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Reviewer
Moderator
I don't think there is one good answer to that.

Kinda like asking how many licks to get two the center of Tootsie Pop?

The world my never know!:D
 

Iamme

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
I would not worry about extra nicotine will help the withdrawal you will start to get in the next day or to from all the other shit you're addicted to in smokes. It will last a few days to a few weeks. Not everyone gets it, but some get it bad. It was rough for me and lasted for almost a month. I still didn't want to smoke and knew it would pass in time. I started at 24mg. I smoked non filters though so that probably didn't help things.

You may not get it but many do.
 

Haadkoe

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
IMO, if you're down to one cigarette every other day you've pretty much kicked the physical nicotine addiction already. Psychological addiction however, is another story.

If I were in your shoes, I'd try vaping either 0mg juice, or 3mg at the most. Even at 0mg, the very act of inhaling that vapor may very well be enough to convince yourself that it isn't really the nic you're craving, but the comfortable sensation of filling up your lungs.
 

4biddenArtist

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
well i guess i went from 30 cigarettes a day to about 10 ml of 12 mg juice a day and in the evenings and at lunch i drip a 6mg juice at 75 watts. sooo from this thread i gather I used to get about 30 mg of nic a day and now i get 10/1.6 = 6.25... 6.25 X 20mg =125 mg of nic or more per day! lol yummy nicotine 8)
 

zaroba

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Its impossible to say how many drags equal a cig. There are too many different variables. Really, the only way to measure is by the buzz / cravings. If you feel like your getting too much from the 12, lower to 6 or vape less. Or, if 6 is too low, hold it in longer to absorb more.

Smoking:
What type? shorts? regular? 100s?
What strength? Mild? Medium? Full flavor?
How much did you smoke a cig? Smoke (and thus nicotine) is being lost to the environment anytime your not inhaling from the cig. A cig may have 2mg of nicotine, but your not getting the full 2mg if half the cig smoulders away without you inhaling the smoke.
How much of the cig did you smoke? Same as above. If a cig has 2mg of nicotine then you'd have to smoke the entire cig, meaning down to the filter, to get the full 2mg. If you discard it when there is still half an inch left, then the nicotine from that half an inch is lost.
What kind of hits? Lung? Mouth only?
How long did you hold the smoke in? Longer hold in = more nicotine absorbed
How old were the cigs? I'm sure most current/former smokers can/could taste the difference between a cig from a new pack and one from a pack that is a week old. Cigs get 'stale'. As they dry out, stuff is lost from them.
What brand of cig? I'm sure different brands have different levels of nicotine. AND, more importantly, different mixtures of other chemicals. These other chemicals are a major factor in cigs. They amplify the effects of nicotine by altering your brain chemistry.

Vaping:
A low ohm high watt RDA will produce far more vapor from the same amount of liquid as a high ohm low watt tank. Hence why people drip at a much lower nic content then use in tanks.
What kind of hits? Mouth? Lung?
How long do you hold in the vapor? Obviously holding it in until there is nothing to exhale means you get far more nicotine absorbed then if you have vapor to blow out into a cloud.
 

NoNicNick

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I agree that there is no real answer (other than 42). Too many variables. What cigarette? How you smoke it. The difference in nic absorption in vaping vs smoking. The difference in efficiency of delivery between various vaping equipment. Difference in vaping styles.
You can't get there from here.
However much it takes for you to reach the same level of satisfaction.
Good point about satisfaction. A man returned to smoking because he found it to be more satisfying than vaping. But RIP Trippers advocates not giving up on vaping--that satisfaction can be found. Today is my first day without a patch, and I vape no nic juice. I vape for flavor and sensation instead of the rush of nicotine. But I will admit that sometimes I consider a cigarette as a more satisfying option. Instead, I brush my teeth and then vape a tasty flavor.
 

ECigVaporBargains

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Unlisted Vendor
I started out with ego/ce4 set up with 18mg...moved to vamo/vivi/ set up..down to 12mg the we got DNA box mods and I started using Atlantis...HOLY MOLY..I swear I thought I was having a heart-attack! Almost had hubby take me to ER...heart was palpitating, super dizzy, then someone asked if I lowered my nicotine when I switched. Apparently..I was OD"ing on nicotine. Now I switch between 6mg and 3mg, depending on my day :) I used to smoke 1 1/2 pack a day of Marlboro Lights.
 
I was never a cigarette smoker but I tried my ex's vapor pen and fell in love. I started at 9 and now up to 18 mg at around 30W. 3.8V and 0.5 ohms. I'll be honest and say I'm addicted, because I like the buzz. I don't get the buzz often anymore at 18 but I found if I don't vape for a day or two, it comes back. That makes me happy. I'd rather be addicted to vape and nic than all the chemicals in cigs.
To Each their own.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Nicotine is absorbed a bit differently when vaping rather than smoking.
It can take a bit longer to feel the affect and therefore it is easy to get too much before realizing that you got too much.
Maybe pace yourself. Say, half the puffs you would take from a cig. Wait a few minutes and if you think more would be good then take a few more.
Just pace yourself though.

As for the actual numbers I have no idea.
It has a lot to do with the atty being used, The device said atty is on, temperature and other factors.
So I don't really think there is a set number of hits to drags ratio something or other. o_O

Fishy I owe you one for that DAMN bug on my monitor! I was trying to catch it for a while before I realized what it was!

Reminds me of the time I posted 12 hours of cricket sounds and a bud got side tracked and forgot her left the page to the forum open. Spent hours searching his office for a cricket!
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
When I quit smoking I was at 1.8 to 2.4 and when I got a MOD I cut it to .6% mixing with 1.2% to 1.8% when I need some kick. Now with doing DIY I am making 3MG and have not gone up since I am vaping twice the volume of e-Liquids.
 
Last edited:

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Blue, because if it were yellow we would lose the Green Lantern.

Oh oops, wrong window. :)
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
So since you posted in the wrong window you bumped this thread.

I am curious how the OP Is making out after quitting and vaping? Do you have good news to share? Good Luck! :stars2:
 

rj9923

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
So since you posted in the wrong window you bumped this thread.

I am curious how the OP Is making out after quitting and vaping? Do you have good news to share? Good Luck! :stars2:
Thanks for asking. I have quit smoking, but to be honest I've had five cigarettes in the last six months. I set aside six of them for emergencies when I more officially quit and I had five within the first two months, but I've still had the last one sitting in a drawer for a long time and haven't even thought of having it. Even when I did have those five analogs, despite wanting them so badly at times, they were not satisfying at all when I actually had them and it seems only vaping satisfies me now. I also started using an RDA and making my own liquid a while ago. Things are going well.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Thanks for asking. I have quit smoking, but to be honest I've had five cigarettes in the last six months. I set aside six of them for emergencies when I more officially quit and I had five within the first two months, but I've still had the last one sitting in a drawer for a long time and haven't even thought of having it. Even when I did have those five analogs, despite wanting them so badly at times, they were not satisfying at all when I actually had them and it seems only vaping satisfies me now. I also started using an RDA and making my own liquid a while ago. Things are going well.

Well thanks for the update! Over the course of the first year I had a couple of cigarettes here and there. I think a total of three and they were not enjoyable and the last one I had made me spend the entire rest of the night washing my face and brushing my teeth along with scrubbing my hands to try getting rid of the smell. Looking back now I smelled like that to other people? Wowee Zowee!

You are doing great and a slip or two here and there will eventually be a memory and you will ask yourself why did I did I like those things?

:blah::wait::crazy::wave::xD::gaah::cuss2::tantrum::bliss::headbang::zombie:
 

rj9923

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Well thanks for the update! Over the course of the first year I had a couple of cigarettes here and there. I think a total of three and they were not enjoyable and the last one I had made me spend the entire rest of the night washing my face and brushing my teeth along with scrubbing my hands to try getting rid of the smell. Looking back now I smelled like that to other people? Wowee Zowee!

You are doing great and a slip or two here and there will eventually be a memory and you will ask yourself why did I did I like those things?

:blah::wait::crazy::wave::xD::gaah::cuss2::tantrum::bliss::headbang::zombie:
It's an odd feeling. Sometimes, but very rarely I crave analogs, but during the few times I've had an analog in the last year it is just not enjoyable. After the first few drags I'd feel like throwing it out, but I'd end up having the whole thing anyways in hopes that it would keep me away from them for another few months. I only really crave tobacco when my vaping experience isn't the best (i.e. bad build, bad juice, small clouds). It's really pushing me to learn how to build coils better and mix my juice correctly. Right now I'm having a hard time because my DIY flavors ran out and I'm trying to finish several bottles of premade juices that I never vaped before I mixed my own because they are terrible. But I only have about 30 mils left of terrible cigar flavored juice from a local shop to finish before I am going to allow myself to restock on DIY supplies. Then I should have fewer tobacco cravings.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
If I was you I would make the order because you have shipping time to consider. I was going crazy trying to find a store bought Tobacco for a long time and when I started DIY that quest was over. Slowly but surely finishing off the last of my store bought Buck Naked and I will never buy that again. Of the few analogs I had I remember having to relight them a bunch of times when I tried smoking. Now I can honestly say with the setup I have I do not have cravings. Just remember what a good friend told me many times that I attempted to quit.............

It is OK to want one just don't have it!


Too bad Wayne passed away from Smoking Related Illnesses before he was able to see I finally quit.
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
when your eyes start bleeding stop.
Good advice. I stopped once my head began spinning full circles, using 1.8 nicotine level. I was wrong though. As you point out, one needs to have their eyes bleeding before stopping. Anything less is well, less.

Also we must not wear hats when watching the microwave ovens prepare our foods. Doing so limits the alpha waves from our alien overlord kidnappers and alpha waves are used to communicate with us. They tell us to not obey the guy selling us whiter whites on the tell lie visions.
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
If I was you I would make the order because you have shipping time to consider. I was going crazy trying to find a store bought Tobacco for a long time and when I started DIY that quest was over. Slowly but surely finishing off the last of my store bought Buck Naked and I will never buy that again. Of the few analogs I had I remember having to relight them a bunch of times when I tried smoking. Now I can honestly say with the setup I have I do not have cravings. Just remember what a good friend told me many times that I attempted to quit.............

It is OK to want one just don't have it!


Too bad Wayne passed away from Smoking Related Illnesses before he was able to see I finally quit.

I am genuinely saddened in empathy for your loss.
 

wheelie

VU Donator
Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Funny is that I did like others ejuice until I started doing DIY. Year and a half later I find no ejuice I like better than my own. I get a ton of free samples and vape testers of different liquids 5 days a week. Worst I ever vaped tasted like dead fish that was flopping around in my boat for a week. Took three days to get the taste out of my mouth. I don't see how even the company that made the juice thought it was good. LOL CHEERS!
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Funny is that I did like others ejuice until I started doing DIY. Year and a half later I find no ejuice I like better than my own. I get a ton of free samples and vape testers of different liquids 5 days a week. Worst I ever vaped tasted like dead fish that was flopping around in my boat for a week. Took three days to get the taste out of my mouth. I don't see how even the company that made the juice thought it was good. LOL CHEERS!

Think I'll start into DIY using a cheat. Will get some pre-made 1.8mg nicotine 50/50 based, which I see now is really 41/41 base. Then if I want to vape unflavored fine, or add a flavor mix, fine.

Meanwhile will look on the DIY forms to learn.
 

VU Sponsors

Top