I wish I knew this when I started vaping

[RichJB]

@Spongebob, for me it came down to wanting to quit. If you don't want to quit, you won't. I decided enough was enough, quit one day and went cold turkey for a month before the nic cravings wore me down and I started vaping. But I was already over the worst so it was very manageable. I've never even thought about lighting up again.

I would also suggest weaning yourself off nic. Cigarettes remain the most efficient form of nic delivery so there is always the risk that you will go back to the method that works best. I've cut my nic down to vaping around 10-12ml of 1.5mg nic per day now. That is vanishingly little nic. The less nic you accustom your body to getting, the less inclined you will be to turn back to the most efficient delivery method.

Once you have started vaping, the immediate imperative to quit nic entirely is mitigated. Because you're avoiding most of the bad stuff in smoke, you can now take your time to gradually wean your body and mind off nic. But use the opportunity while you can. If you start vaping on 18mg nic, and then go to pods with 60mg salts, you are not reducing your dependence on nic. You are increasing it. So it's only a matter of time before you start yearning for the most efficient delivery method again. Skiddlz suffered this. He hadn't smoked in years. Then he started on nic salts and, within weeks, he was back on smokes again. That was predictable. He re-acclimatised his body to an itch that only cigarettes could scratch.

Don't believe the propaganda that nic is harmless and it's fine to vape mega-huge doses because "it's not combustion". Nic is the true culprit and the reason we all screwed our health up by smoking. We didn't smoke for the tar, we smoked for the nic. That is why nic is demonised even if it's not the thing that kills you. As long as you maintain your dependence on nic, there will always be the risk of going back to smoking. There are no free lunches in life. If you want to beat smoking, you have to beat nic too. The two go hand in hand.

 

[Hooked]

Ok one and all...... Chuck me with ideas to quit stinkies tell me what worked for you and maybe i can apply some to me.....

Sent from my SM-A605F using Tapatalk

This is going to derail the thread which @Silver began. Why don't you start a new thread @Spongebob? There'll be no shortage of replies, I'm sure!

 

[Jean claude Vaaldamme]

Ok one and all...... Chuck me with ideas to quit stinkies tell me what worked for you and maybe i can apply some to me.....

Sent from my SM-A605F using Tapatalk

Only quit now two week and vaping. So this is my opinion so far. Everyone I ever met that vape, smoked again. Yes I know many have quit, specially pro vapers like on the forum, but I think the vast majority start smoking again sometime.
So here is what I think is the problem or must I say solution. Firtsly and most important you have to want to stop smoking. Then, if you start vaping you should see it as a short term goal, that should also be stopped within a year or two. So I personally will not go and buy ten different mods and tanks and this and that. Im not going to make vaping my new hobby and all my life is surrounded with. Its just a transition fase.
Same with all these juices. Why the strive for the perfect juice? It should actually taste bad and just give you your fix. All these fancy juices just make you vape more. Till you cant stand the craving anymore or cant get enough anymore and start smoking again.
These two week for me was alright. Only vaped 3 or 6mg juice. But everyday or two somewhere I suddenly had that urge for that headrush. So Im going to mix myself an basic tobacco mix that I dont care what it tastes like at 12mg nic. Going to keep that in seperate atty and if I get an urgent craving, will take two hits for the headrush and then continue with the normal juice. Dont know if it will work, just my theory.
But then again, maybe in another 2 week I have a different view/theory

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

Everyone I ever met that vape, smoked again

This is an interesting point. Maybe someone should start a survey and ask :

Did you ever return to smoking (how long) ?

If you only vape exclusively how long has it lasted ?

Do you intend to give up vaping as soon as you can ?

Maybe someone with better computer skills would like to start a survey. I was unfortunately born BC (before computers).

 

[Rob Fisher]

I smoked for 40+ years and 5 years ago I wanted to give up and took up vaping... I haven't touched a cigarette again! And never will!

 

[Adephi]

So I personally will not go and buy ten different mods and tanks and this and that. Im not going to make vaping my new hobby and all my life is surrounded with.

Was my thoughts as well when I started...

If only I knew then what I know now...

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

This is an interesting point. Maybe someone should start a survey and ask :

Did you ever return to smoking (how long) ?

If you only vape exclusively how long has it lasted ?

Do you intend to give up vaping as soon as you can ?

Maybe someone with better computer skills would like to start a survey. I was unfortunately born BC (before computers).

I could muster up this @Puff the Magic Dragon

https://www.ecigssa.co.za/your-personal-vaping-journey-survey.t55124/

 

[RichJB]

One shouldn't feel too bad about still smoking occasionally. The majority of vapers around the world are dual-users who both smoke and vape. For the first time ever this year, the UK recorded more people who only vape now than those who vape and smoke. But it was a very slight edge, something like 50.x% doing vaping only to 49.x% dual-using.

For me, the thing is to have goals that get increased in phases. If you just accept that you both vape and smoke, it's easy to lapse into full-on smoking again. It's a lot easier to light up a cig than to re-coil an atty or mix up some juice. But if you currently smoke 10 a day and vape 10ml, then having a goal of 7 cigs and 13ml juice daily by Christmas gives you something to aim at. Then 5 cigs and 15ml juice daily by March, and so on. You can't drift into quitting, you have to drive yourself into it.

My goal is to cut my DIY juices down to 1mg by New Year, then 0.5mg by June next year. And, of course, to continue not smoking ever. But that shouldn't be tough as I'm nearly three years in now. Once I get down to 0.5mg, I don't know. I can't see myself ever vaping 0mg, there is no point. So either I'll continue at 0.5mg or just quit everything.

 

[GSM500]

Ok one and all...... Chuck me with ideas to quit stinkies tell me what worked for you and maybe i can apply some to me.....

Sent from my SM-A605F using Tapatalk

High Nic, Low wattage, Mouth to Lung - Use and expensive mod and tank too, the guilt of spending so much money on it will keep you using it

For my first three days of vaping, I smoked 1 cigarette just before bed each night. The third night was the last smoke I ever had. My biggest challenge was getting over the first morning smoke when my body wanted that rush, but a few extra puffs of my twisp got the better of that craving.

I did not tell my wife (She didn't smoke at the time) that I was vaping to make sure there was no level of expectancy from her. After about a week she asked if she should buy me smokes from the shop and she couldn't believe it when I said I hadn't had a stinky in almost a week.

 

[Quintusson]

or just quit everything

NooOoooOooooo... you can't do that! Who's going to give us flavour reviews etc?

Back on point to the topic, another lesson I wish I had known as I started my vaping journey was that RTA's (or any rebuildable tank for that matter) are not as scary as they seem and will provide much better flavour than any fixed coil tank.

 

[Hooked]

"Vaping 101: Everything you need to know about vaping before you start"

Very helpful @MartinDC - but irrelevant to this retrospective thread.

 

[Hooked]

Posted by MartinDC, 19/2/18. in ECIGSSA - Discussion in 'Reaver's VapE-Liquids'
Reaver' Vape Blog #6 - "Top 15 Things to Avoid When Vaping"

Very helpful @MartinDC - but irrelevant to this retrospective thread.

 

[jm10]

Very helpful @MartinDC - but irrelevant to this retrospective thread.

Oh give it a break, i found that article perfectly suited to this thread and i wish i knew most of what was in it when i started.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hooked]

Oh give it a break, i found that article perfectly suited to this thread and i wish i knew most of what was in it when i started.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Silver]

Another thing I wish I knew when I started vaping is just how subjective taste is and how different our taste buds are.

When it comes to juice, what some of us really dont like, others absolutely LOVE.

And following on from that, the importance of finding a few juices that you really LOVE - early on. It makes the vaping journey a whole lot easier and more enjoyable. But it can be challenging to find those juices

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

I agree about subjective juice tasting. I personally believe this extends, to a greater or lesser degree to cotton and coils.

Some swear by certain cotton wick and others can taste no difference.

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

I wish that I had known in the beginning that I would end up mostly squonking.

Waste tons of time and money on clearomisers, RTAs andRDTAs. Perhaps not really wasted as it gave experience in coil building and wicking.

 

[Gimli]

I wish I knew then how easy it was to "nic up" a juice thats not strong enough.
I just wasnt aware and quite a bit of juice got pushed aside because it was too weak

Could you please explain how to accurately nic up some juice, I have a 3mg juice that I want to add nicotine. I have 100mg/ml pg and a 36mg/l pg nics, how much do I add per ml to go up say 3mg?

 

[Silver]

Hi @Gimli

Am going to post a picture here and explain it below...

 

[Silver]

Hi @Gimli

Referring to the above picture - apologies for the handwriting - hope you can see it.

Let's say you have 10ml of 3mg juice and you want to "nic it up" to 6mg

Firstly, I suggest using the 36mg nic additive for smaller volumes because a mistake won't be too bad. Maybe use the 100mg nic if you can measure accurately or have a scale.

So, in the equation above, you are solving for "x" which is the volume to add of the 36mg nic.
It turns out that its 1ml.
I.e. adding 1ml of 36mg nic will turn the 10ml juice into 11ml at 6mg nic.

Just to check - 10/11 at 3mg translates to 2.73mg of nic. And 1/11 at 36mg translates to 3.27mg of nic.
So adding the two you get your 6mg

You can change the equation based on your quantities and what you want the final strength to be.

Hope it helps and makes sense

 

[Gimli]

Hi @Gimli

Referring to the above picture - apologies for the handwriting - hope you can see it.

Let's say you have 10ml of 3mg juice and you want to "nic it up" to 6mg

Firstly, I suggest using the 36mg nic additive for smaller volumes because a mistake won't be too bad. Maybe use the 100mg nic if you can measure accurately or have a scale.

So, in the equation above, you are solving for "x" which is the volume to add of the 36mg nic.
It turns out that its 1ml.
I.e. adding 1ml of 36mg nic will turn the 10ml juice into 11ml at 6mg nic.

Just to check - 10/11 at 3mg translates to 2.73mg of nic. And 1/11 at 36mg translates to 3.27mg of nic.
So adding the two you get your 6mg

You can change the equation based on your quantities and what you want the final strength to be.

Hope it helps and makes sense

Thanks, should manage that

 

[Silver]

Here's a more generic formula to solve directly for 'x'

You can test it out on the above example. It works. But it's nice to know how one gets there.

 

[MartinDC]

Another thing I wish I knew when I started vaping is just how subjective taste is and how different our taste buds are.

When it comes to juice, what some of us really dont like, others absolutely LOVE.

And following on from that, the importance of finding a few juices that you really LOVE - early on. It makes the vaping journey a whole lot easier and more enjoyable. But it can be challenging to find those juices

Morning @Silver,
Appreciate your valued input...
Definitely strange but true....
"Taste is definitely King." and is even affected by changes in demographic,different places or even associated stores.

"How boring would the Vaping experience be without being spoilt for choice to meet the variation in each Vapers specific taste?...."

 

[lesvaches]

i wish i knew how much RY4 would change my life.

 

[Silver]

I wish I knew the importance of having different juices in different devices

To cater for one's different tastes

Something hardcore (tobacco) when you need a strong throat hit
Something mellow to vape more often
And something icy and refreshing in between to reset and cleanse the palate.

Having different juices on tap when you need them - in devices that are ready to pick up and vape - has helped me hugely - and I only discovered this and started appreciating it more quite a long way into my vaping.