Kicking the smoking habit-opinions on E-cigs and vapor

I stopped smoking cigarettes four days ago...it sucks! It really, really sucks!

Today has been exceptionally difficult with my cravings and my mood.

So, I'm considering using an e-cig or vaporizer as a way to help me avoid smoking a cigarette.

I'm curious if any other member has used either of these devices to help them quit.

The e-cigs aren't really that expensive but from what I've read about the vaporizers, they can get pretty expensive.

Is using an e-cig or vapor pretty much the same concept as using a nicotine patch or gum?

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric

Is using an e-cig or vapor pretty much the same concept as using a nicotine patch or gum?

Pretty much. But you can lower the amount of nicotine over time, which many people find helpful. Some of us just enjoy it as a replacement to smoking. Kind of like drinking coffee instead of injecting it into your veins. One is rather benign and the other has some major drawbacks.

As far as price, the initial mod (vaporizer) may cost a bit if you get a high quality one. Then it's just juice and replacement coils. Which will probably be ~$30-50/month, and that's if you're a heavy smoker.

There is definitely a learning curve to find quality products and pricing.

reply to post by boncho


Good to know...thanks.

How often do you use it? Do you smoke it as often as a real cigarette?

I guess what I mean is....do you take as many puffs as you would from a real cigarette and just as often?

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


E-cigs are GREAT! Why do you think big tobacco is so eager to see them labeled as 'medical devices'? You really do have to drop a few $$ and get a nice one, the cheapies just don't do the trick.

In a way they are like patches, besides the fact that they will also alleviate the oral fixation associated with smoking.

I hope you kick the cigs in the butt (how cliche..)

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


The better e-cig setups definitely work.

Better than patches and gum.

You control the nicotine and can actually quit analogs (or cut down substantially) soon enough.

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric

Here's my experience, FWIW.

I smoked Marlboro reds for 25 years. When I quit, I was at almost 3 packs a day. I was cold-turkey for 8 years. Never went without wanting a cigarette from time-to-time, but the urge to go out and buy a pack diminished towards the end of about 5 or 6 years.

Enter the new boss. The guy was more frustrating than Obama. Soooo ... I smoked for a year or a year and a half, just to have 'an excuse' to not be in the office. When I found myself buying that second pack of smokes of the day, and my wife is constantly bitching me out about the smell, blah-blah, blah-blah, blah-blah ... I bought into the e-cig solution. That's been my crutch for about a year and a half now.

E-cigs are NOT a solution to nicotine addiction. If anything, I've found them to be more addictive. I'm probably at the 3 pack-a-day level again ... and I'm finding the consequences to be somewhat embarrassing (too much so to be open about it even anonymously -blushes-). I'll be going cold-turkey again with this knowledge ... the craving for nicotine subsides to a manageable level, but it takes a lot of time.

doompornjunkie
reply to post by MagesticEsoteric

 

E-cigs are GREAT! Why do you think big tobacco is so eager to see them labeled as 'medical devices'? You really do have to drop a few $$ and get a nice one, the cheapies just don't do the trick.

In a way they are like patches, besides the fact that they will also alleviate the oral fixation associated with smoking.

I hope you kick the cigs in the butt (how cliche..)

I had no idea that tobacco companies were trying to do that. I'm not surprised in the least but, had not heard that yet.

My husband bought a vapor and e-cigs to help us both kick the habit but, I haven't used them....although I think I should at least try it if it helps me quit smoking cigarettes.

I really am determined to kick the habit completely...I'm tired of being a slave to the cigarette.

reply to post by Snarl


Did you try going from 24mg to 18mg to 12mg and so on? Or did you just use it as a 'crutch'?

reply to post by doompornjunkie

Nothing but the 24mg crutch. I'm an addict. It's just that simple. My fault entirely.

reply to post by Snarl


Well instead of going back to the dirty smells cigs.. why not just use the ecig? All reliable data to date has shown that they ARE healthier than the real thing. Just my 2 cents.

reply to post by Snarl


I really appreciate your honesty.

It's awful to think about craving cigarettes for that long after quitting. But, it's one of the worst habits to have so, it's not that surprising to hear.

I wish you the best of luck.

doompornjunkie
reply to post by Snarl

 

Did you try going from 24mg to 18mg to 12mg and so on? Or did you just use it as a 'crutch'?

That's what I heard you should do...wean the mg's down over time.

Did it work for you?

xuenchen
reply to post by MagesticEsoteric

 

The better e-cig setups definitely work.

Better than patches and gum.

You control the nicotine and can actually quit analogs (or cut down substantially) soon enough.

Thanks....did it work for you?

reply to post by doompornjunkie

I wasn't being clear. I won't go back to cigarettes, that's for sure. My wife wouldn't let me either at this point ... but she wants me off nicotine completely. -grin-

What I meant about the three pack-a-day habit, is the volume of 'juice' I'm running through ... Which is about a bottle-a-week. Pretty much every Cigarette smoker in the building has switched over, and I'm basing my conclusion on comparison analysis.

reply to post by Snarl


How often do you hit the vaporizer?

Don't use them. They can make you sick unless used sparingly. Like pneumonia sick. Also, it's just a crutch, anything with nicotine is a crutch.

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


Geesh....I have no clue. I started a thread about smoking too. I quit for awhile....weeks actually. After this recent Earthquake, I started smoking again 😁

Stress is a Mo Fo!

ETA
I'm afraid of the e cigs, but I wish you the best of luck in quitting 👍

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


3 considerable drags per breath ... at least 3 breaths, sometimes a couple more ... it depends.

I found you've gotta hit the e-cig a bit harder than a cigarette to get the same 'feeling' if not the same effect.

The one guy in the shop that went back to cigarettes refused to hit his e-cig hard enough (IMVHO). YMMV

Psychonautics
Don't use them. They can make you sick unless used sparingly. Like pneumonia sick. Also, it's just a crutch, anything with nicotine is a crutch.

That's not good...I'm prone to pneumonia as it is and have been since I was a child.

Really stupid of me to be a smoker.....I know! just stupid!

MagesticEsoteric

Psychonautics
Don't use them. They can make you sick unless used sparingly. Like pneumonia sick. Also, it's just a crutch, anything with nicotine is a crutch.

That's not good...I'm prone to pneumonia as it is and have been since I was a child.

I'm not trying to play devils advocate either, I used the "Blu" E Cig for a while and it was rediculous how often I'd found myself puffing away at it.

My friend saw me doing it constantly during a car ride and mentioned how the constant moisture was bad for your lungs and a mutual friend of ours had actually gotten sick with pneumonia from smoking the hookah flavored ones too often.

I was coughing much more often too. Just my 2cent. You're strong enough to quit by choice alone!