Tips to help those struggling to kick the stinkies

Silver

Flavour and throat hit seeker
Staff member
Administrator
ECIGSSA Donor
VIP
LV
63
 
Joined
16/11/13
Posts
43,440
Awards
50
Location
Joburg
Creating this thread because I have seen several posts of vapers here on the forum struggling to kick the stinkies.

Let's all try help contribute some tips to help those members to kick the stinkies completely and convert to vaping exclusively.

martial-artist-man-breaking-cigarette-hit-30006228.jpg
 
Take it one day at a time. :D
Make sure the nic strength of juice you have is aligned with how many you used to smoke. :confused:
Keep a high nic juice in a setup near for that “boost “ when needed.:eek:
Don’t dispair if you have a stinky, just keep on giving up one day at a time.
Perseverance pays the dividends in the end.
Many happy clouds to you, you quitter. :campeon:
 
1) juice with high nic
2) not salts
3) small easy to carry devices
4) mouth to lung, not dual coil 100w cloud machines
5) tobacco flavours at first
6) backup device in case your primary fails
7) start with simple subohm- it's about nic and not flavour chasing
8) research before buying
9) start switching to dessert- with a Bit of tobacco if needed
10) fruit / beverage flavours after that
11) there's no 'just one more cig' - turkey is best served cold. That hybrid vaping/smoking concept is crap.
12) stop over the least stressful 2 days of your week (day 2 is harder than day one, so time this properly)
 
Ok I will try contribute a few tips from my perspective. But I kicked the stinkies over 5 years ago so I can't remember exactly what it was like and I have forgotten some of the things. Also, the equipment and juices have changed leaps and bounds...

Here goes

First things first - You have to REALLY want to stop smoking
It's not that easy to kick the cigarettes. So unless you really want to stop its going to be very difficult.
  • The main reason I stopped was for the health risks. There are two things that pushed me to do it. First, my uncle passed away about a year before from lung cancer and the doctors were pretty confident it was caused by his smoking. Second is the alarming statistic that about half of "all time smokers" (those that continue smoking indefinitely) will die prematurely of an illness related to their smoking. HALF! That's a huge portion. To me the motivation to try improve my longer term health was the main thing.
  • Secondly, I was becoming tired of the smell of the smoke on me and having a wheeze at night. I could feel that smoking was starting to affect my day to day health.
There are so many benefits to vaping compared to smoking - which i only discovered after vaping exclusively for a while. You dont smell. Your clothes and your house doesnt smell. No more of those smelly old cigarette butts. You can smell and taste your food. The flavour options are amazing. You can vape a few puffs and put your device down, you dont have to finish the cigarette.

Get a good vaping device and get a backup device
Today's options are plentiful compared to a few years ago. There are so many to choose from. This is a good thing because you can get something to suit you - but it can also be daunting. My advice is to go for something tried and tested and that suits your style of vaping (essentially mouth to lung or direct lung hit). Use that to get you going and you can experiment more later on. Trying before you buy in a shop is a very good idea. Also speak to friends and experienced vapers on this forum to do your research.

A backup device is important if something goes wrong with your device - it could take a few days to get up and running again. So always have a backup on hand. Also helps to have two flavours running simultaneously.

Find a few flavours that you absolutely LOVE
This is VERY important in my view. If you don't enjoy the flavour its going to be tough. Try find a few you LOVE. Read reviews on here - see if you can go to a shop and try before you buy. Try juices from your friends. Try as many as you can because you may be surprised that what you think you wont like you absolutely love. This can take a while to find juices you like a lot but its so important. Having a few different flavours you really like helps to keep it interesting so you don't get bored of just one.

Use a high enough nic strength to help curb the cravings
This is important too. In the first few months I think you should rather err on the side of higher nic to keep the cravings of cigarettes at bay instead of trying to go with very low nic. You can always drop the nic strength over time once you're into it. Even if you say vape 6mg regularly, keep a higher nic strength juice on hand (say 12mg) for those times when you need an extra kick and feel the cravings coming on too strong.

You need willpower and you need to persevere
This is critical, especially for those times when you really feel the need for a stinkie. Just think of the benefits of stopping smoking on your longer-term health. The short term pain is well worth the long term benefit - in my view. And resort to higher strength juices to keep you going. Tap into the forum and ask for some help. Quitting smoking with vaping can be quite easy for some but it can be very challenging for others. Keep at it. Keep the goal in mind. Keep on persevering.

There are no doubt more tips and tricks - but these above are for me some of the more important ones.

One more thing and this is a shameless punt of this ECIGSSA forum - it does help hugely to get involved and be surrounded by the folk here on the forum to get more info on vaping and get help when you need it from the experienced vapers. It helped me massively in the early days and has helped so many others. Just one little tip on how to wick something or an idea for a new juice to try can make the world of difference.

Wishing you all the success for kicking the stinkies. Give it horns and vape on!
 
Last edited:
Everything Hi Ho @Silver said and the most important by a country mile is "You have to REALLY want to stop smoking"!
 
Everything Hi Ho @Silver said and the most important by a country mile is "You have to REALLY want to stop smoking"!
@Silver and @Rob Fisher you are both so 100% correct about wanting to quit the stinkies. There are lots of ways, tricks and tools out there to help you quit but it comes down to wanting to kick the habit. Almost 10 weeks stinky free and I must say it's a big challenge now and again but willpower and vaping get me through. But still good luck to all those who want to quit and who are busy quitting, I am rooting big time for all of you. Vasbyt
 
@Silver and @Rob Fisher you are both so 100% correct about wanting to quit the stinkies. There are lots of ways, tricks and tools out there to help you quit but it comes down to wanting to kick the habit. Almost 10 weeks stinky free and I must say it's a big challenge now and again but willpower and vaping get me through. But still good luck to all those who want to quit and who are busy quitting, I am rooting big time for all of you. Vasbyt

Congrats in the 10 weeks @G+3 !
Id be interested to know what has helped you when it gets very challenging?
 
Other than wanting to quit smoking, I think the most important point is to reverse the "giving up" mindset. When you give up something, you are sacrificing and doing without. If you give up your second car, your DSTV subscription or your holiday home, you no longer have it and your life becomes harder. So when you think of giving up smoking, it's immediately a negative connotation: you are now doing without and your life is harder. We don't want to 'give up' things, we want to gain them.

Instead, think of it in positive terms, not that you're giving up smoking but that you're taking up good health and gaining years on your life. So the first day without cigarettes isn't the first day of giving up smoking, it's the first day of regaining the most important thing in your life: your health. So you're not stopping the habit of smoking, you're taking up the habit of living longer.

Additionally, view withdrawal pangs not in terms of where you have been but rather in terms of where you are going. When you first learn to drive or play guitar, it's hard. You can't change gears or control the clutch properly when learning to drive. When you learn guitar, your fingers hurt from pressing the strings and you can't change chords smoothly. If you continually think about how much easier it was before you started learning to drive or play the guitar, you will never persevere with it. Instead, you think forward to how great it will be when you can drive and be independent, or how cool it will be when you can play your favourite songs on the guitar. Same deal with withdrawal pangs. Think of it as a natural part of the learning curve on the path to being healthy and living longer. Look ahead and not behind you. View it as gaining, not as giving up. Then it will become easier.
 
Other than wanting to quit smoking, I think the most important point is to reverse the "giving up" mindset. When you give up something, you are sacrificing and doing without. If you give up your second car, your DSTV subscription or your holiday home, you no longer have it and your life becomes harder. So when you think of giving up smoking, it's immediately a negative connotation: you are now doing without and your life is harder. We don't want to 'give up' things, we want to gain them.

Instead, think of it in positive terms, not that you're giving up smoking but that you're taking up good health and gaining years on your life. So the first day without cigarettes isn't the first day of giving up smoking, it's the first day of regaining the most important thing in your life: your health. So you're not stopping the habit of smoking, you're taking up the habit of living longer.

Additionally, view withdrawal pangs not in terms of where you have been but rather in terms of where you are going. When you first learn to drive or play guitar, it's hard. You can't change gears or control the clutch properly when learning to drive. When you learn guitar, your fingers hurt from pressing the strings and you can't change chords smoothly. If you continually think about how much easier it was before you started learning to drive or play the guitar, you will never persevere with it. Instead, you think forward to how great it will be when you can drive and be independent, or how cool it will be when you can play your favourite songs on the guitar. Same deal with withdrawal pangs. Think of it as a natural part of the learning curve on the path to being healthy and living longer. Look ahead and not behind you. View it as gaining, not as giving up. Then it will become easier.

So well said and explained @RichJB !!
Thanks for that
Winner

@RichJB is 100% right
Look forward
 
Other than wanting to quit smoking, I think the most important point is to reverse the "giving up" mindset. When you give up something, you are sacrificing and doing without. If you give up your second car, your DSTV subscription or your holiday home, you no longer have it and your life becomes harder. So when you think of giving up smoking, it's immediately a negative connotation: you are now doing without and your life is harder. We don't want to 'give up' things, we want to gain them.

Instead, think of it in positive terms, not that you're giving up smoking but that you're taking up good health and gaining years on your life. So the first day without cigarettes isn't the first day of giving up smoking, it's the first day of regaining the most important thing in your life: your health. So you're not stopping the habit of smoking, you're taking up the habit of living longer.

Additionally, view withdrawal pangs not in terms of where you have been but rather in terms of where you are going. When you first learn to drive or play guitar, it's hard. You can't change gears or control the clutch properly when learning to drive. When you learn guitar, your fingers hurt from pressing the strings and you can't change chords smoothly. If you continually think about how much easier it was before you started learning to drive or play the guitar, you will never persevere with it. Instead, you think forward to how great it will be when you can drive and be independent, or how cool it will be when you can play your favourite songs on the guitar. Same deal with withdrawal pangs. Think of it as a natural part of the learning curve on the path to being healthy and living longer. Look ahead and not behind you. View it as gaining, not as giving up. Then it will become easier.
Spot on @RichJB well said. @Silver it's so true, when going gets tough one has to remind onself of why you wanted to quit. In my case it's the challenge and the sense of achievement when I wake up every morning and tick another day off being smoke free
 
Honestly, it is will power however the right device plays a big part.

The twisp cue is a very basic device but the nic strength and draw is the perfect device for anyone trying to get off cigarettes.

When we introduce or Convert people to vaping, they always trying the nice flavors and enjoying the clouds while it might work for some to get off stinkies others needs a proper mtl device. I for one have tried a lot of mtl devices to get what I need and the only device that worked was the twisp cue.

I am still on the hunt for a proper rebuild able mtl but it's been hit and miss.

@Silver I think u should add devices the might help to your initial thread so that people don't have to go through pages of info to see what might help.
 
Honestly, it is will power however the right device plays a big part.

The twisp cue is a very basic device but the nic strength and draw is the perfect device for anyone trying to get off cigarettes.

When we introduce or Convert people to vaping, they always trying the nice flavors and enjoying the clouds while it might work for some to get off stinkies others needs a proper mtl device. I for one have tried a lot of mtl devices to get what I need and the only device that worked was the twisp cue.

I am still on the hunt for a proper rebuild able mtl but it's been hit and miss.

@Silver I think u should add devices the might help to your initial thread so that people don't have to go through pages of info to see what might help.

Thanks @Rafique
Appreciate the feedback
The thing is I didnt want to make that post of mine too prescriptive because I know everyone is different.
Perhaps we can add a few suggestions in a single area at a later stage

For MTL - Twisp Cue is definitely a contender, I agree.

If anyone else wants to add suggestions for devices that helped them quit the stinkies in the early days then please feel free to suggest - and we can group together some of the popular suggestions.
 
Creating this thread because I have seen several posts of vapers here on the forum struggling to kick the stinkies.

Let's all try help contribute some tips to help those members to kick the stinkies completely and convert to vaping exclusively.

View attachment 154942

It is a brand new year and with that comes all new resolutions! Keep motivated! The key is to develop that will power by developing a personal reason why you don't want to smoke cigarettes anymore! It could be your health, your family, your need to just feel better and quit a bad bad habit.

With that said the best way to quit a habit is to change your routine! If you know you smoke as soon as you wake up then change your routine. Instead of going to the bathroom first, go outside. Even for 5mins.

Use replacement therapy when going cold turkey, it helps the process along. Also keep carrots, celery and sticks foods around. Avoid triggers that will make you want to light up.

Lean on family, friends and social media platforms for support. You need the encouragement. Also reward yourself even with praise when you passed even an hour without the cigarette.

Remember this is a battle and you can only win by fighting on so keep fighting those urges.
 
Using a high nic juice in the beginning is definitely important. That’s what helps me after I fall off the wagon and start the switch over to vaping again. Today, I filled my Siren 2 with a 12mg free base juice not because I crave stinkies, sometimes I just want a high nic kick. So, it’s nice to have nearby.

I’ve been doing well lately, I’ll just have to be disciplined enough to say “no” to the stinkies going forward. I want this a lot, it’s a new year and I’m ready to stay smoke free!
 
Mindset and determination. One may argue those two are closely related but let me explain. Yes, correctly stated above, you must really want to quit cigarettes, that is a given. It is easier after several decades of smoking to develop this desire, especially if like me, you can no longer climb a flight of stairs without stopping halfway to catch your breath. But desire alone does not cut it to quit an addiction. It is crucial to be determined enough to get back on the wagon if you fall off.

I have the greatest respect for those that managed to go cold turkey. Hell, I was not strong enough to do that. Originally quit within a camping weekend but once back into daily routine, the habit of rolling one and lighting up came back with a vengeance. Fought it a while and fell back into the ashtray. Thing is it was no longer the same. Even after just a week, it tasted awful!

Instead of feeling like a failure, (Which I did) and just giving up on giving up, I just got right back on the vaping wagon and in the next few weeks, maybe months, did so repeatedly. Found some gear and juice that did it for me and the rest is history.

I changed my mindset from giving up smoking to smoking as little as possible. The longer the intervals between failures, the less I enjoyed the experience and after stomping out a couple of stinkies after one or two drags I eventually got it into my thick skull that there is nothing there for me anymore.

Id do not know when I had my last drag of a cigarette, the important part is that I know without a doubt in my mind that there is no way I am going back. I am sure of that because I have returned enough times to know I no longer enjoy that. It disgusts me as a matter of fact.

So my advice is that vaping may not be a miracle cure (to some) but if you keep on quitting, eventually you will get there.

Regards
 
Also reward yourself even with praise when you passed even an hour without the cigarette.

Great point @Mida Khan !
An hour without a cigarette is an hour of being healthier - the body repairs itself all the time.
I like your point of rewarding yourself. You could set up rewards for each milestone. A day, a week, a month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months and a year! These are epic achievements and should be rewarded. Each one is great
 
Mindset and determination. One may argue those two are closely related but let me explain. Yes, correctly stated above, you must really want to quit cigarettes, that is a given. It is easier after several decades of smoking to develop this desire, especially if like me, you can no longer climb a flight of stairs without stopping halfway to catch your breath. But desire alone does not cut it to quit an addiction. It is crucial to be determined enough to get back on the wagon if you fall off.

I have the greatest respect for those that managed to go cold turkey. Hell, I was not strong enough to do that. Originally quit within a camping weekend but once back into daily routine, the habit of rolling one and lighting up came back with a vengeance. Fought it a while and fell back into the ashtray. Thing is it was no longer the same. Even after just a week, it tasted awful!

Instead of feeling like a failure, (Which I did) and just giving up on giving up, I just got right back on the vaping wagon and in the next few weeks, maybe months, did so repeatedly. Found some gear and juice that did it for me and the rest is history.

I changed my mindset from giving up smoking to smoking as little as possible. The longer the intervals between failures, the less I enjoyed the experience and after stomping out a couple of stinkies after one or two drags I eventually got it into my thick skull that there is nothing there for me anymore.

Id do not know when I had my last drag of a cigarette, the important part is that I know without a doubt in my mind that there is no way I am going back. I am sure of that because I have returned enough times to know I no longer enjoy that. It disgusts me as a matter of fact.

So my advice is that vaping may not be a miracle cure (to some) but if you keep on quitting, eventually you will get there.

Regards

Thanks for adding that great perspective @Raindance
If you fall down 7 times get up 8
 
First things first - You have to REALLY want to stop smoking

Yep! This is THE most important. Just a few days ago I told someone that it doesn't help to think that you should stop smoking - everyone knows that they should) - you have to want to stop smoking.
 
My advice, based on the comments on mods, juice and nic strength above, is:

1. Don't throw in the towel just because you don't like the mod or the juice.
2. Persevere! It's not going to be easy, so don't expect it to be.
About two weeks ago an acquaintance of mine told me most firmly that, "This is it. I'm not going to smoke anymore so please help me with vaping."

She bought a mod from, the Innokin Endura T20 and I gave her 7 different flavours of juice to try, since she couldn't tell me what she thought she would like. I also gave her some in 3mg and some in 6mg.

She tried two of the juices, said they were too sweet - and went no further, even though I suggested others which I had given her which I knew were not sweet (including one tobacco). She has simply given up - after two feeble attempts.

3. And finally, what helped me enormously to give up smoking, was what I said to others - and to myself.
I never said, "I'm going to try to give up smoking" or "I'm trying to give up smoking."
Try / trying imply that it may not be successful - it's just an attempt, not an end action.

I used to say, if I were offered a cigarette, "No thanks, I don't smoke.", - to the astonishment of my friends who just the previous day had seen me puffing away like a steam train.

I used to tell myself, over and over again, "I'm not a smoker" and thereby I changed my identity within myself and to others. And how could I possibly want a cigarette if I'm not a smoker? ;)




 
Addicts always blame other people or other things, for their addiction and why they cant stop. So no one can help you, but yourself. So just decide to do it or keep coming with excuses. And yes I know, been coming up with excuses for the last 20years why I cant stop now.
 
My advice, based on the comments on mods, juice and nic strength above, is:

1. Don't throw in the towel just because you don't like the mod or the juice.
2. Persevere! It's not going to be easy, so don't expect it to be.
About two weeks ago an acquaintance of mine told me most firmly that, "This is it. I'm not going to smoke anymore so please help me with vaping."

She bought a mod from, the Innokin Endura T20 and I gave her 7 different flavours of juice to try, since she couldn't tell me what she thought she would like. I also gave her some in 3mg and some in 6mg.

She tried two of the juices, said they were too sweet - and went no further, even though I suggested others which I had given her which I knew were not sweet (including one tobacco). She has simply given up - after two feeble attempts.

3. And finally, what helped me enormously to give up smoking, was what I said to others - and to myself.
I never said, "I'm going to try to give up smoking" or "I'm trying to give up smoking."
Try / trying imply that it may not be successful - it's just an attempt, not an end action.

I used to say, if I were offered a cigarette, "No thanks, I don't smoke.", - to the astonishment of my friends who just the previous day had seen me puffing away like a steam train.

I used to tell myself, over and over again, "I'm not a smoker" and thereby I changed my identity within myself and to others. And how could I possibly want a cigarette if I'm not a smoker? ;)


Thanks for sharing that @Hooked
That part about your friend's two feeble attempts with juices she didnt like (that were too sweet) is a very important one. Firstly one has to persevere as we have all said. But secondly, the importance of finding juices that you really like. And you need to understand that it can take a while to find them. Some are luckier than others and find great juices quickly.

Don't give up hope after trying just a few juices. I have said this before on the forum and will say it again. If you really like 1 out of 10 juices you try you are doing very well. So you need to try lots.

There is such a wide variety of flavour profiles and within each profile there are many juices. Some sweeter than others, some with menthol, some without - and some with complex mixes of flavours that you may just love. Taste is so subjective that it's challenging to advise a new vaper what he/she will like. Obviously the popular best sellers probably appeal to a wide range of palates, but each person is different.
 
Thanks for sharing that @Hooked
That part about your friend's two feeble attempts with juices she didnt like that were too sweet is a very important one. Firstly one has to persevere as we have all said. But secondly, the importance of finding juices that you really like. And you need to understand that it can take a while to find them.

Don't give up hope after trying just a few juices. I have said this before on the forum and will say it again. If you really like 1 out of 10 juices you try you are doing very well. So you need to try lots. There is such a wide variety of juice profiles and within each profile there are lots of them. Some sweeter than others, some with menthol, some without - and some with complex mixes of flavours that you may just love. Taste is so subjective that its hard to advise a new vaper what he/she will like. Obviously the popular best sellers probably appeal to a wide range of palates, but each person is different.

Yes @Silver, and it's even more difficult when you ask someone what kind of flavours they like (in real life, just to get an idea) and they reply, "You just choose the juice - anything is OK." - and tell you after the fact that even in reality they don't like sweet things!!

I don't think that reality always helps because, as you said, sometimes there's a blend of flavours which surprises us when we like it, but definitely for a new vaper it's quite important to establish their strong likes or dislikes in reality. e.g. in reality I can't stand menthol anything - and in vaping it's the same!
 
Addicts always blame other people or other things, for their addiction and why they cant stop. So no one can help you, but yourself. So just decide to do it or keep coming with excuses. And yes I know, been coming up with excuses for the last 20years why I cant stop now.

@Jean claude Vaaldamme you're on the right path though, because at least you admit to yourself that you're coming up with excuses. I'm sure that most people don't. They deceive themselves, but they don't deceive others!
 
The following stats is not real, just for example.
If you ride a motorcycle on our roads you will have a 0.05% chance of dying on your first trip. If you drive for 1year you will have a 2% chance of dying. If you drive for 10years, you will have a 20% chance of dying.
So the longer you keep vaping(sucking nic and smoke into your lungs) the bigger the chance will be that you will return to cigarettes.
People dont get this nic band aids or bubblegum to use for years, they get its for a few months or a year to get of the ciggs. Vaping should use the same priciple. If vaping is marketed as a lifestyle, then it will go the same route with regulations as the tobacco industry. And will get the same stigma.
Just my opinion
 
Back
Top