Time to quit vaping - how did you do it?

[LaughingWarrior]

But not for the reasons you may think...

I believe through my own experience and those of family members and friends that vaping is THE best way to be free of cigarettes. I also believe that it is not 'safe' nor 'harmless', but is orders of magnitude less harmful than tobacco.

I'm in Canada, so at the moment am not affected by the flavour ban nonsense happening south of 49°, though I believe it's coming here, and soon. Our politicians and bureaucrats are just as dishonest, disingenuous and corrupt as those in the US, make no mistake.

My reason is simply that in spite of dropping a pack-a-day cigarette habit of over 20 years, and tapering from 24mg/mL nic at the outset 5 years ago to 3mg today, I'm still addicted to nicotine. So much so in fact, that it became glaringly obvious this week.

I usually order my juice in bulk, 500mL or 1L at a time. This time, I let my supply get critically low before I placed my usual order. Due to the deep, systemic incompetence of Canada Post (which is for another discussion), I ran out completely before I received my order. So, I drove 200KM round trip to the next town that has a vape shop, to buy a couple of retail bottles to hold me over.

Obviously, I could have avoided that by ordering in a more timely fashion, but it still raises the truth that I'm still an addict, and will go to great lengths to feed that addiction. Vaping played a keystone role in getting tobacco out of my life (after several quit/relapse cycles over the decades), but the addiction persists, and vaping isn't serving me in a positive way any longer.

I plan to give away my vaping gear to a person/people who wish to kick the tobacco habit, and will always advocate in favour of vaping to anyone who cares to listen.

I'd appreciate any advice from former vapers who have given up the habit and the nicotine monkey once and for all. I'm also a currently non-practicing alcoholic, so I understand the process and challenges well.

How did you do it?

(And there is no universe in which I will go back to smoking, ever.)

 

[lordmage]

you could try a 0 nic switch or interment 0 nic to slowly lower the nic you intake daily to nothing once there you can either stay 0 nic or clean your gear up and pif it to the next person save for when and if you need 0 nic again.

 

[f1r3b1rd]

I quit vaping for about 6 months... my wife started dual using so I started vaping again a year ago.

Essentially I went from 1.8 ohm until builds at 12 mg to 0.2 ohm builds at 70w with 3mg, then down to 1mg and then 0.

Now I vape 0.01 on builds at 80w with 1.5 mg or mtl builds at 5mg.

But slowly lowering my nic is what worked for me

 

[Jinx'd]

thats it = slowly lower your nic. but even if i used 0 nic. idk that i could quit. and i don't want to quit, i like vaping. a mans gotta have sumpthin.

 

[Wb80]

Quiting nic sucks. The only way i know from 3 mg is to simply stop. Dont vape. Get past the initial insanity and just do it 1 day at z time until its gone.

 

[lordmage]

thats it = slowly lower your nic. but even if i used 0 nic. idk that i could quit. and i don't want to quit, i like vaping. a mans gotta have sumpthin.

at 0 nic there is no more addiction other than to see and enjoying the flavor and the cloud. in terms of stepping away at that point id say if you dont want to then dont if you want to and cant then there is more to it that nic addiction

 

[Theboss]

I in no way want to downplay the nic addiction here because I believe that we're all different and affected by it in different ways, but for me it was more a psychological hurdle than it was a physical withdrawal.

As an almost 30 year smoker who quit cigarettes the day I bought my vape set up I personally noticed that I went through a wicked 4 day withdrawal, in which my family probably would've been justified in disowning me, from the cigarettes despite the fact that I was vaping nicotine. This lead me to believe that the withdrawal we experience from cigarettes has more to do with our bodies being dependent on who knows how many of the vast chemicals in a cigarette. Anyway, all of those years of reaching for something, be it cigarettes or my vape had obviously become a major psychological dependency because when I quit vaping that was the part I missed, I didn't go through a single day of physical withdrawal.

I am back to vaping again because I missed the act of vaping, not the nicotine and I now know that I can quit again if the desire presents itself. Roughly once a week or so I'll vape 0 nic for the day just to prove this to myself and I don't get anxiety.

 

[Wb80]

I in no way want to downplay the nic addiction here because I believe that we're all different and affected by it in different ways, but for me it was more a psychological hurdle than it was a physical withdrawal.

As an almost 30 year smoker who quit cigarettes the day I bought my vape set up I personally noticed that I went through a wicked 4 day withdrawal, in which my family probably would've been justified in disowning me, from the cigarettes despite the fact that I was vaping nicotine. This lead me to believe that the withdrawal we experience from cigarettes has more to do with our bodies being dependent on who knows how many of the vast chemicals in a cigarette. Anyway, all of those years of reaching for something, be it cigarettes or my vape had obviously become a major psychological dependency because when I quit vaping that was the part I missed, I didn't go through a single day of physical withdrawal.

I am back to vaping again because I missed the act of vaping, not the nicotine and I now know that I can quit again if the desire presents itself. Roughly once a week or so I'll vape 0 nic for the day just to prove this to myself and I don't get anxiety.

Wow. Respect. I on the other hand went from a 2 to 3 pack a day habbit yo vaping. Started at 10mg and have upped it settling on 18mg(atleast for now). My theory is no nic....no point.
I love seeing the vast array of vapers here on vu.

 

[lordmage]

I in no way want to downplay the nic addiction here because I believe that we're all different and affected by it in different ways, but for me it was more a psychological hurdle than it was a physical withdrawal.

As an almost 30 year smoker who quit cigarettes the day I bought my vape set up I personally noticed that I went through a wicked 4 day withdrawal, in which my family probably would've been justified in disowning me, from the cigarettes despite the fact that I was vaping nicotine. This lead me to believe that the withdrawal we experience from cigarettes has more to do with our bodies being dependent on who knows how many of the vast chemicals in a cigarette. Anyway, all of those years of reaching for something, be it cigarettes or my vape had obviously become a major psychological dependency because when I quit vaping that was the part I missed, I didn't go through a single day of physical withdrawal.

I am back to vaping again because I missed the act of vaping, not the nicotine and I now know that I can quit again if the desire presents itself. Roughly once a week or so I'll vape 0 nic for the day just to prove this to myself and I don't get anxiety.

indeed well done and on point i too vape for the mental aspect vs addiction i like the taste and the action over the nic some days i go no vape just to make sure i can do it if needed or desired.

when i started i was at 48 to 52 mg on a cialike stick batt's now i am a 3mg on mesh rdas went thur a bit of cash finding the me in each generation of vaping lord knows what i will be at in another 5 years. i however have no plans to stop.

 

[Theboss]

Wow. Respect. I on the other hand went from a 2 to 3 pack a day habbit yo vaping. Started at 10mg and have upped it settling on 18mg(atleast for now). My theory is no nic....no point.
I love seeing the vast array of vapers here on vu.

Everyone on here that has stopped smoking and switched to vaping deserves credit and respect. Good for you for going from that heavy of a smoker to vaping! I always like hearing people's stories/journeys in vaping

 

[Wb80]

Everyone on here that has stopped smoking and switched to vaping deserves credit and respect. Good for you for going from that heavy of a smoker to vaping! I always like hearing people's stories/journeys in vaping

Once i figured out i could up my ni addiction i was sold on vape. Lmao