Stinky free...share your story

[Moey_Ismail]

Hi guys, I'm not entirely sure if a thread like this already exists, but I've created it for those who have quit, are still on the stinkies, in the process of, or even just desperate to quit, to share what worked for you to help you quit, tips, advice and just a great place to stay motivated towards your goal.

I've tried to quit for a very long time to no avail as I don't think I was actually ready for the change. Saying I'll cut down or I'll just have 1 in the morning didn't work for me, if I had cigarettes I had to smoke the cigarettes. The best it's gotten for me was cutting down from a pack to 3-4 per day.

At VapeCon I had a chat with @Alex, asked him what worked for him and how to keep at it, we had a great chat and he gave me lots of useful advice so thank you kind sir for that.

After VapeCon I had a massive variety of juice and believed that this was my chance, I planned to limit myself to 3 a day for the 1st week, then 2 a day for the next, until I'm smoke free. Funny thing is that plan changed for the better when my wife came home for Eid last week Friday. She hates smoking and encourages me all the time to give it up, tells me how it messes with her sinus or how she hates me smelling like an ashtray, this time she used a different tactic, when I was out of cigarettes and wanted to buy a pack she kept delaying me, so I turned to my vape till I actually forgot about going to the store, before I knew it a day had gone without me buying a pack. This was repeated till my vape setup became an extension to my hand.

Today marks exactly 1 week being cigarette free, and I'd like to share with you guys what worked for me till this point.

-Variety is key, despite smokers only smoking 1 brand usually, I found that more juices kept my taste buds and myself occupied trying to taste every profile, in turn giving me the nicotine I needed.
-I use my RDA on a mech when I'm home so I can switch through flavors easily, when I leave the house I use my RTA on a regulated mod for convenience and battery life.
-A higher nicotine level is too harsh on my throat so I stick to 3mg and vape more frequently until the craving subsides.
-I rewick everyday to keep my device performance up and the time spent wicking is that much more time occupied so I don't think about having a smoke.
-Extra batteries are a must, I have 3 pairs for my regulated mod and 4 batteries for my mech so I'm never left with a dead device.

The cravings are there but getting better with time and I truly feel great even though it's only been a week, I have noticed I've been coughing more but read that it's normal as my lungs are cleaning themselves again. Also my appetite has grown and I find myself constantly snacking to keep my mouth and hands occupied.

What works for me may not necessarily work for anyone else but the main aspect, in my opinion is mindset, you'll only quit if you truly want to. For me, I realized it was more a routine than anything else so I've replaced my pack of cigarettes and lighter with my vape setup in all the scenarios where my routine was to light a cigarette.

I truly hope that this thread is helpful to someone and that everyone's contribution to it makes it easier for smokers who stumble upon it.

Happy vaping

 

[RichJB]

I never had even the slightest temptation to smoke again. Although I went about things a bit differently. I went cold turkey (no nicotine in any form, not even gum) for about a month before starting vaping. It actually wasn't very difficult but what wore me down is that, for me, nicotine withdrawal didn't take the form of occasional cravings which pass quickly (which I could have dealt with easily) but rather a constant, gnawing "butterflies in the stomach" feeling that persisted through every waking hour. I bought a Twisp and just several puffs were enough to allay the withdrawal for hours. But I was dealing with a system that was already almost weaned off nic. I think that is a LOT easier than going straight from smoking into vaping.

Since starting vaping, I have become re-addicted to nicotine. Whereas I could go for six hours or more without nic when I first started vaping, I have now got back to the same point I was at with smoking: anything more than an hour or two and I start craving. I have cut my nic from 3mg to 2mg and hope that will help. I would also like to cut my juice consumption. The problem with vaping, and with DIY in particular, is that this is a disadvantage. If you vape 50ml a day, you can try many different juices. If you vape only 5ml a day, you mix less and therefore experiment less and therefore fall behind the curve relative to mixers whose consumption is much higher.

This is also the problem with quitting vaping v quitting smoking. If you quit smoking, you just don't buy any more packs. So nothing is 'wasted', at most you lose a lighter and whatever cigarettes were left in the pack. But quitting vaping, in my current state, would entail giving up five mods, 13 atomisers, 11 batteries and a charger, a bunch of wire, cotton and tools, and then hundreds of DIY concentrates, bases, bottles, scale. It's a big investment to have to ditch and thus a big disincentive to quitting nicotine altogether.

 

[craigb]

I never had even the slightest temptation to smoke again. Although I went about things a bit differently. I went cold turkey (no nicotine in any form, not even gum) for about a month before starting vaping. It actually wasn't very difficult but what wore me down is that, for me, nicotine withdrawal didn't take the form of occasional cravings which pass quickly (which I could have dealt with easily) but rather a constant, gnawing "butterflies in the stomach" feeling that persisted through every waking hour. I bought a Twisp and just several puffs were enough to allay the withdrawal for hours. But I was dealing with a system that was already almost weaned off nic. I think that is a LOT easier than going straight from smoking into vaping.

Since starting vaping, I have become re-addicted to nicotine. Whereas I could go for six hours or more without nic when I first started vaping, I have now got back to the same point I was at with smoking: anything more than an hour or two and I start craving. I have cut my nic from 3mg to 2mg and hope that will help. I would also like to cut my juice consumption. The problem with vaping, and with DIY in particular, is that this is a disadvantage. If you vape 50ml a day, you can try many different juices. If you vape only 5ml a day, you mix less and therefore experiment less and therefore fall behind the curve relative to mixers whose consumption is much higher.

This is also the problem with quitting vaping v quitting smoking. If you quit smoking, you just don't buy any more packs. So nothing is 'wasted', at most you lose a lighter and whatever cigarettes were left in the pack. But quitting vaping, in my current state, would entail giving up five mods, 13 atomisers, 11 batteries and a charger, a bunch of wire, cotton and tools, and then hundreds of DIY concentrates, bases, bottles, scale. It's a big investment to have to ditch and thus a big disincentive to quitting nicotine altogether.

I can see the pain just the thought of this is causing you @RichJB, so in the spirit of community, I would like to offer to rehome all your DIY goodies to support you should you wish to quit vaping.

 

[Jengz]

I've been vaping for about a year and but now, that being said I started vaping in 2014 but only truly became a 'vaper' last year as prior to that I smoked more often than a vaped and would go months without my mtl devices.

Up until vapecon I still had the 1 or 2 stinkies during the day which I felt was necessary and would convince myself that it was better than the original 15 a day routine. This however was what consistently kept me wanting a cigarette and not just calling it quits and turning to my vape for the satisfaction.

Just like @Moey_Ismail ... I could never and still cannot withstand any juice that had more than 3mg of nicotine...

Alas, at vapecon I purchased the nic salts pods by element eliquid and the aspire gusto and since then I have not even had the chance to even think about a stinky.

It truly has changed my vaping experience having 20mg nic but not being harsh on the throat.

So stink free since vapecon, and loving life to the fullest. I don't vape as often but I still use my other devices. I've noticed 4-7 pulls on the gusto and I'll be set for at least 2 hours or so. I do however enjoy different flavours so turn to my rta and rda at night for my night vaping.

 

[Rob Fisher]

Awesome to hear stories of stinky free since VapeCon! That's a Chicken Dinner!

I had to give up smoking or die... I was smoking up to 60 a day and battling to breath and a smokers cough of note. It's nearly 4 years now and have only had a craving once for some strange reason. I will never touch a ciggie again ever. Vaping literally saved my life!

 

[Ozeran]

Smoked for 14 years on and off. Would quiet with life was going well. Start up again when life was going down fast. Tried twisp twice and both times after a week I was violently sick. Gave both away. Always thought a vape was a cheaper twisp so never bought one. The thought was if twisp made me sick the cheaper one would make it worse until January this year when my best friend, his wife and step brother started vaping. First few drags nearly killed me. Coughed like I had inhaled a cigar. How ever liked the flavor. So next day bought myself an iJust S kit from Vape King (when I walked into vape king my eyes were opened. Couldn't believe there was so much more than twisp.) Kicked the stinkies that day and started the journey. Haven't touched a stinkie since even have quite the (medicinal) stinkies. The one thing that has changed is the cost. Vape is definitely heavier on the wallet than stinkies but from what I read soon as you start DIY it gets cheaper. Heres hoping.

 

[ShamZ]

Hi guys, I'm ... this time she used a different tactic, when I was out of cigarettes and wanted to buy a pack she kept delaying me, so I turned to my vape till I actually forgot about going to the store, before I knew it a day had gone without me buying a pack. This was repeated till my vape setup became an extension to my hand.

Happy vapingView attachment 106617

Very good wife you have, and I can only imagine the type of distraction it would take to forget about a smoke while I was a smoker

 

[Silver]

Hi guys, I'm not entirely sure if a thread like this already exists, but I've created it for those who have quit, are still on the stinkies, in the process of, or even just desperate to quit, to share what worked for you to help you quit, tips, advice and just a great place to stay motivated towards your goal.

I've tried to quit for a very long time to no avail as I don't think I was actually ready for the change. Saying I'll cut down or I'll just have 1 in the morning didn't work for me, if I had cigarettes I had to smoke the cigarettes. The best it's gotten for me was cutting down from a pack to 3-4 per day.

At VapeCon I had a chat with @Alex, asked him what worked for him and how to keep at it, we had a great chat and he gave me lots of useful advice so thank you kind sir for that.

After VapeCon I had a massive variety of juice and believed that this was my chance, I planned to limit myself to 3 a day for the 1st week, then 2 a day for the next, until I'm smoke free. Funny thing is that plan changed for the better when my wife came home for Eid last week Friday. She hates smoking and encourages me all the time to give it up, tells me how it messes with her sinus or how she hates me smelling like an ashtray, this time she used a different tactic, when I was out of cigarettes and wanted to buy a pack she kept delaying me, so I turned to my vape till I actually forgot about going to the store, before I knew it a day had gone without me buying a pack. This was repeated till my vape setup became an extension to my hand.

Today marks exactly 1 week being cigarette free, and I'd like to share with you guys what worked for me till this point.

-Variety is key, despite smokers only smoking 1 brand usually, I found that more juices kept my taste buds and myself occupied trying to taste every profile, in turn giving me the nicotine I needed.
-I use my RDA on a mech when I'm home so I can switch through flavors easily, when I leave the house I use my RTA on a regulated mod for convenience and battery life.
-A higher nicotine level is too harsh on my throat so I stick to 3mg and vape more frequently until the craving subsides.
-I rewick everyday to keep my device performance up and the time spent wicking is that much more time occupied so I don't think about having a smoke.
-Extra batteries are a must, I have 3 pairs for my regulated mod and 4 batteries for my mech so I'm never left with a dead device.

The cravings are there but getting better with time and I truly feel great even though it's only been a week, I have noticed I've been coughing more but read that it's normal as my lungs are cleaning themselves again. Also my appetite has grown and I find myself constantly snacking to keep my mouth and hands occupied.

What works for me may not necessarily work for anyone else but the main aspect, in my opinion is mindset, you'll only quit if you truly want to. For me, I realized it was more a routine than anything else so I've replaced my pack of cigarettes and lighter with my vape setup in all the scenarios where my routine was to light a cigarette.

I truly hope that this thread is helpful to someone and that everyone's contribution to it makes it easier for smokers who stumble upon it.

Happy vapingView attachment 106617

Great post and thread @Moey_Ismail !
BIG congrats on the 1 week stinkie free
You are a champion and this is a great thing!
Quitting the stinkies is probably the best thing a smoker can do for his/her health
And despite that, I know how challenging it can be. Glad to hear @Alex had a good discussion with you at VapeCon. This type of community help does make a difference.

Wishing you all the best from here and will be checking to see how you doing after a month.

Bravo!

 

[Brendan]

This might sound sound funny, but I finally gave up "by accident" after smoking for nearly 20 years.

In 2014 I decided I was going to try and give up smoking yet again and bought myself a Twisp clearo. It didn't work. I cut down from about 20-30 a day to 3 or 4 a day but couldn't stop completely. The clearo wasn't the best device and as the months went on I vaped less and smoked more until it got to the point where I was only vaping when I ran out of smokes or if I was broke and didn't have money for cigarettes. Eventually I lost the Clearo somewhere and just carried on smoking.

At the beginning of July this year I was smoking 40 a day and decided this was too much. I bought myself a Twisp Clearo 2 and thought I would cut down on the cigs and vape. Lo and behold, 3 weeks later I suddenly realised that I was only smoking 1 cigarette every 2nd day or so!!! I thought "this must be my chance" and stopped the cigs all together. This is when I bought myself a Pico Mega and it was surprisingly easy with the more powerful device!

I did crack twice after that and have a smoke, but I have been stinkie free since 16/8/2017 and the urge to have a smoke is gone...

I really don't know what was different this time around, but my intention was just to cut down, not stop and I stopped completely! Hence my giving up the stinkies "by accident". Lol.

I have also started experimenting with diy and my pocket is much happier now. I thought vaping was going to be cheaper... I suppose the bottom line is that you can't put a price on your health.

 

[mavric69]

Oh man, im gonna make a long story short.. Ive smoked cigs since STD 4.... (born in 1980) ... I always got annoyed with non smokers complaining about what i smell like after i had a cig... cus if u a smoker, u dont really smell how bad it actually is... then a few years ago, when ecigs came out, i was, like many, skeptical and asked, "what fake smoking is this, its electronic, it cant be good etc etc" , you know all the ignorant stuff people say.. i use to say that as well. Then @Achmat89 was vaping on a little pen mod (we worked together for a while) and i took a few puffs, and the more he upgraded the more i got use to vaping.. but still, i was anti vaping....until one day, 2+yrs ago, in the Ramadaan, i opened a fresh pack of smokes at sunset and by 21h30 i had 2 cigs left in the box... that scared me... and that's when I made the decision... my kids were a major factor at the time as well... but now... stinkie free, now i understand what all those annoying non smokers was complaining about... lol, sies it stinks.. omfg, its really bad lol..

1st mod - Twisp pen - this lasted 2 days and i wanted to smoke cigs again but then another buddy, Nazmie Adams, helped me and brought me a bigger mod with a cartomizer.... never looked back lol...

Current collection:

Hotcig R150 - avo24 all day errday
Thinkvape MKL 200 - Reload RTA
Smoant Charon Copper - Goon 24 copper
Ijoy CPT - Rabbis

 

[Moey_Ismail]

Wow, I'm loving the feedback on this thread, congratulations to all of you's. I hope I'm able to follow suit permanently too. Well done guys, let's keep the motivation flowing.

 

[craigb]

19th September is my 1 year vapeversary. In the weeks leading up to my start date, I started speaking more and more to the vapers at work, getting their suggestions and support. Walked into the vape store at about 4pm, picked up an eGo AIO, and immediately stopped being a smoker and started being a vaper.

Had maybe 10 or so cigarettes after that, due to not having enough funds for coils and juices.

When my phone died at the beginning of the year, I stopped keeping track of purchases, but I feel that, 1 year in, I have spent less on hardware, wire, juices, batteries and DIY than I would have if I had continued my 20 a day habit.

The last time a cigarette was in my mouth was December, when I lit a smoke for someone else. It was at that point I realized how far away from smoking I had gone, and asked myself why the hell did I do it in the first place.

 

[Hardtail1969]

Ja, you ain't the only one to bum/light a smoke from/off someone to only end up saying ugh, why?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Silver]

This might sound sound funny, but I finally gave up "by accident" after smoking for nearly 20 years.

In 2014 I decided I was going to try and give up smoking yet again and bought myself a Twisp clearo. It didn't work. I cut down from about 20-30 a day to 3 or 4 a day but couldn't stop completely. The clearo wasn't the best device and as the months went on I vaped less and smoked more until it got to the point where I was only vaping when I ran out of smokes or if I was broke and didn't have money for cigarettes. Eventually I lost the Clearo somewhere and just carried on smoking.

At the beginning of July this year I was smoking 40 a day and decided this was too much. I bought myself a Twisp Clearo 2 and thought I would cut down on the cigs and vape. Lo and behold, 3 weeks later I suddenly realised that I was only smoking 1 cigarette every 2nd day or so!!! I thought "this must be my chance" and stopped the cigs all together. This is when I bought myself a Pico Mega and it was surprisingly easy with the more powerful device!

I did crack twice after that and have a smoke, but I have been stinkie free since 16/8/2017 and the urge to have a smoke is gone...

I really don't know what was different this time around, but my intention was just to cut down, not stop and I stopped completely! Hence my giving up the stinkies "by accident". Lol.

I have also started experimenting with diy and my pocket is much happier now. I thought vaping was going to be cheaper... I suppose the bottom line is that you can't put a price on your health.

Ah man @Brendan
Love your story and congrats on kicking the stinkies!
I can identify with your comment of "by accident" - i also just wanted fo cut down and could not believe it when one night I hadnt had a smoke all day. That was my chance.

Congrats and wishing you well from here

 

[Silver]

Oh man, im gonna make a long story short.. Ive smoked cigs since STD 4.... (born in 1980) ... I always got annoyed with non smokers complaining about what i smell like after i had a cig... cus if u a smoker, u dont really smell how bad it actually is... then a few years ago, when ecigs came out, i was, like many, skeptical and asked, "what fake smoking is this, its electronic, it cant be good etc etc" , you know all the ignorant stuff people say.. i use to say that as well. Then @Achmat89 was vaping on a little pen mod (we worked together for a while) and i took a few puffs, and the more he upgraded the more i got use to vaping.. but still, i was anti vaping....until one day, 2+yrs ago, in the Ramadaan, i opened a fresh pack of smokes at sunset and by 21h30 i had 2 cigs left in the box... that scared me... and that's when I made the decision... my kids were a major factor at the time as well... but now... stinkie free, now i understand what all those annoying non smokers was complaining about... lol, sies it stinks.. omfg, its really bad lol..

1st mod - Twisp pen - this lasted 2 days and i wanted to smoke cigs again but then another buddy, Nazmie Adams, helped me and brought me a bigger mod with a cartomizer.... never looked back lol...

Current collection:

Hotcig R150 - avo24 all day errday
Thinkvape MKL 200 - Reload RTA
Smoant Charon Copper - Goon 24 copper
Ijoy CPT - Rabbis

Congrats @mavric69 !
Way to go

 

[Silver]

19th September is my 1 year vapeversary. In the weeks leading up to my start date, I started speaking more and more to the vapers at work, getting their suggestions and support. Walked into the vape store at about 4pm, picked up an eGo AIO, and immediately stopped being a smoker and started being a vaper.

Had maybe 10 or so cigarettes after that, due to not having enough funds for coils and juices.

When my phone died at the beginning of the year, I stopped keeping track of purchases, but I feel that, 1 year in, I have spent less on hardware, wire, juices, batteries and DIY than I would have if I had continued my 20 a day habit.

The last time a cigarette was in my mouth was December, when I lit a smoke for someone else. It was at that point I realized how far away from smoking I had gone, and asked myself why the hell did I do it in the first place.

Looking forward to 19 Sep for you @craigb
Big comgrats

 

[Silver]

Wow, I'm loving the feedback on this thread, congratulations to all of you's. I hope I'm able to follow suit permanently too. Well done guys, let's keep the motivation flowing.

@Moey_Ismail , how's it going on your side since the original post?
I hope you still smoke free?

 

[Moey_Ismail]

@Moey_Ismail , how's it going on your side since the original post?
I hope you still smoke free?

Still smoke free and it's getting easier by the day @Silver