Tips to help those struggling to kick the stinkies

[Jean claude Vaaldamme]

@Jean claude Vaaldamme I don't agree with that; in fact, I would think that the opposite is true. Who would go back to stinky stinkies after having vaped for a long time??

Just my theory. Most people that I know that vaped for a few years, are back on ciggies. Like I said if you keep n sucking stuff and nic in your lungs, you have not really stopped smoking, maybe healthier but you still get the nic and still the routine, action etc. So the longer you keep going the better chance to smoke ciggies again. Only way is to totally stop everything. I think vaping is great way to help you stop, but it must be promoted as such, and not as an alternative to do for the rest of your life.
And yes before we get all these personal stories. There is bikers that never have an accident their whole life, unfortunatly, many of them die or get severely injured.

 

[RichJB]

Vaping hasn't yet been able to emulate the physiological effectiveness of combustible tobacco as a nicotine delivery mechanism. Vaping also hasn't been able to replicate the ease of use that cigarettes have. Buying a pack and lighting up is just a whole lot cheaper and simpler than buying a mod, tank, batts and juice, charging the batts for several hours, installing and priming a coil, filling the tank with juice and then only being able to get your nic hit. And even then, going through the hassles of dry hits and leaking and burnt taste from cotton and whatnot. So I guess there will always be a temptation to return to the fastest and cheapest and most effective way to get a high.

But it's early days yet and vaping researchers are no doubt burning the midnight oil to come up with ways to make the vaping hit equally satisfying, as well as simplifying vaping and making it cheaper. This is why pods have taken off among US teens to such an extent. High nic, it requires only one simple and relatively cheap device which doesn't leak or spit or give dry hits, and it probably comes with the battery at least partially charged so it's as immediate as smoking.

This is just capitalism at work. If you have a product that doesn't match your rival's product in some aspect, you work to eliminate that shortfall and to eventually match or beat your competitors' products in all aspects. Smoking is fairly crude technology which hasn't changed significantly in a hundred years, it has to be in order to make it affordable. Vaping has many advantages, even besides the obvious health one. For starters, the ability to tailor your nic level to your liking is a massive advantage over cigarettes. So it's a market share conflict that vaping should win easily over time, especially among the wealthier smokers.

 

[hot.chillie35]

Thanks @Rafique[/USER
]
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.

There is no contender to the twisp. The twisp cue is the only contender and people don't want to admit it. Might be due to twisps bad reputation when they started out but they are improving and also making some changes that benefit the community and forum members and even other twisp users.

Yes sure you can use salts and high nic. Juices but the twisp juice even the 3mg dl juices actually takes the cravings and irritation of withdrawl away.

And yet....there are so many hardened smokers that never thought they could, but smoked less and some even quit with the twisp cue. This info is all over the forum and it's almost like stay there in the corner while we promote the other stuff.

So give them their due and give the other juice makers their due in giving us better flavours and more variety.

The only thing u can fault twisp on is there high prices but not on there juices.

You can fault other juice makers and retailers for their high prices for juices that don't work but according to me... I don't get paid to say this nor do I get free products from twisp but there juices works like the bomb!

 

[hot.chillie35]

Vaping hasn't yet been able to emulate the physiological effectiveness of combustible tobacco as a nicotine delivery mechanism. Vaping also hasn't been able to replicate the ease of use that cigarettes have. Buying a pack and lighting up is just a whole lot cheaper and simpler than buying a mod, tank, batts and juice, charging the batts for several hours, installing and priming a coil, filling the tank with juice and then only being able to get your nic hit. And even then, going through the hassles of dry hits and leaking and burnt taste from cotton and whatnot. So I guess there will always be a temptation to return to the fastest and cheapest and most effective way to get a high.

But it's early days yet and vaping researchers are no doubt burning the midnight oil to come up with ways to make the vaping hit equally satisfying, as well as simplifying vaping and making it cheaper. This is why pods have taken off among US teens to such an extent. High nic, it requires only one simple and relatively cheap device which doesn't leak or spit or give dry hits, and it probably comes with the battery at least partially charged so it's as immediate as smoking.

This is just capitalism at work. If you have a product that doesn't match your rival's product in some aspect, you work to eliminate that shortfall and to eventually match or beat your competitors' products in all aspects. Smoking is fairly crude technology which hasn't changed significantly in a hundred years, it has to be in order to make it affordable. Vaping has many advantages, even besides the obvious health one. For starters, the ability to tailor your nic level to your liking is a massive advantage over cigarettes. So it's a market share conflict that vaping should win easily over time, especially among the wealthier smokers.

I agree and there's a BUT WHY
Why the high prices???
There's more money to make if its more affordable, don't you think?
If more people can switch to vaping everyone can still make money to live in their mansions and have cars with names they cannot pronounce and they will still be happy millionaires. Why is it always for wealthy or the wealthier!!! Doesn't poor people or the less fortunate fit in anywhere?
Their money holds the same value doesn't it?!

 

[Resistance]

Twisp cue for the win. Most can afford it. It has a massive success rate and you don't have to be wealthy to own one to quit or even feel bad that you didn't spend thousands like wealthy people do in order to stay away from stinkies.
@Mic Lazzari @HPBotha I'm not getting paid to mention this, but I want people to know your product or range of products work and you should keep up the good work and work a little more on you pricing.

 

[RichJB]

Well, there's a natural development curve. Remember how expensive CDs and CD players were when the technology was first introduced? Or digital cameras? Or iPods? Today, you get a higher definition digital camera in a R1000 cell phone than R10k would have bought you in the 1990s. Companies recoup their R&D spend as quickly as they can. Once the technology matures and the number of users grows, economies of scale kick in and prices drop.

We have seen this in vaping. When I started vaping in 2009, I got a Twisp starter kit for R1400. I can get a vastly superior starter kit today for less than R500. When I started open system vaping in 2016, you had to fork out at least a grand for a dual cell 200W mod. Now you can get them for R700-R800. Juice prices have plummeted, DIY prices are down to around 60% of where they were in 2016, battery prices have come down from around R200 to about R120-150, and so on. As more users join the market, prices will drop across the board.

 

[Resistance]

Well, there's a natural development curve. Remember how expensive CDs and CD players were when the technology was first introduced? Or digital cameras? Or iPods? Today, you get a higher definition digital camera in a R1000 cell phone than R10k would have bought you in the 1990s. Companies recoup their R&D spend as quickly as they can. Once the technology matures and the number of users grows, economies of scale kick in and prices drop.

We have seen this in vaping. When I started vaping in 2009, I got a Twisp starter kit for R1400. I can get a vastly superior starter kit today for less than R500. When I started open system vaping in 2016, you had to fork out at least a grand for a dual cell 200W mod. Now you can get them for R700-R800. Juice prices have plummeted, DIY prices are down to around 60% of where they were in 2016, battery prices have come down from around R200 to about R120-150, and so on. As more users join the market, prices will drop across the board.

I think it's due to healthy competition and clones entering the market (unhealthy competittion)that we have seen these changes otherwise we would still pay through the roof. That said if clones brought down the prices I would rate it fair competition so it can balance the scales

 

[Silver]

Hi guys

I do appreciate the commentary on pricing etc
But perhaps start another thread on that
Lets keep this thread on the topic of tips to help folk stop the stinkies

 

[Resistance]

My best advice is twisp liquids or the twisp cue to boot the stinkies.other juices helps but it's not as good for kicking the habit that's my opinion at least.sometimes even the twisp Iiquids still leave a void pending after vaping where the Cue always filled that void

 

[Christos]

Only thing I can recall that almost got me smoking again was a broken tank and a broken mod.

My only suggestion is to ALWAYS have a backup tank or mod in case the worst happens.

 

[PaulaMoz]

Hi all.
On the 4th I had my "4 month smoke-free birthday"
Firstly, I have to say a huge thank you to this firum and everyone here. Your support and encouragement is one of a kind and I've never read a thread where anyone was judged. You guys are awesome!
As a 2 pack a day and 25year smoker...it was quite a challenge - but I wanted to stop smoking. I started my journey over a two week period and swapped out each cig for a vape. After a week I had an "oh f#@$ it" moment and just totally dropped the smokes . Puffed like a chimney on my Twisp ALL the time. I found I thought about the actual physical cig during that time, not the actual smoking part. I've had the odd craving now and again but tell myself I am no lilonga smoker so why would I go back...and then I'm fine. It's all a mind game, and I suggest that u make sure your nic is high and you get a good throat hit. I read that whatever time it took for u to smoke a cig, double that time on the vape, exhale through your nose - that helped me. I now don't vape as much as in the beginning, leave my vape at home when I go out shopping and dont panic like I did with smoking.
Perseverance is key. But I owe my success to this forum.

 

[Silver]

Thanks for the feedback and sharing your experiences @PaulaMoz
And a BIG congrats on the 4 months!
That is a GREAT achievement
Keep it up and wishing you well from here on

 

[G+3]

Well done @PaulaMoz 4 months is big. Like I said it's a change in your mind set and how you describe your 4 months smoke free is proof that yours is set well. Keep going day by day. Vape as much as you like and soon you will find stinkies don't even cross your mind. I was at a braai this weekend and I hardly Vaped, and did not even think about stinkies. Powerful thing the mind and it's a good thing to have on your side

 

[Hooked]

@PaulaMoz

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. It's interesting reading what you've gone and are going through. You Go, Girl!

 

[hot.chillie35]

Well done and congrats @PaulaMoz

 

[Carnival]

WELL DONE!!! @PaulaMoz

 

[Rob Fisher]

Awesome @PaulaMoz! You have an awesome journey of discovery ahead of you! And each day you feel better and better!

 

[Norman Anderson]

I can just add from my point of view as well. I'm now around 4 years vaping, my own liqoud most of the times with almost no nicotine, but when I buy I usually buy 3 mg nicotine. It is not that hard to stop smoking and go over to vaping. It is as easy as stop playing mind games with yourself. Either you want to or you don't. I wanted to because I was the only person in my house that was smoking, yes it made me smell worse than garbage, my car and everywhere that I smoked. I was introduced to vaping by a friend and within a week after I had a puff from his vape I bought my own first setup.

You cannot add a price to your life and that of your family and friends.

 

[Elmien]

Since I can remember, I wanted to smoke. Even at 4 years old. You could still get those cigarette sweets in those years and whenever my parents let us choose sweets, I went straight to them. I did not even like the taste really, but they were cigarettes, so I got them. I tried a few cigarettes in high school but only really started smoking when I was 21. I loved smoking. I smoked every chance I got. I tried quitting a few times over the years but I just enjoyed it so much that after a month or so I would light up again.

In September 2018, after smoking for 13 years, I decided to quit again. This time it was for health reasons. Since 2015 my health took a nose dive. I had to see the doctor at least every second month. I just did not get better. I would just finish a course of antibiotics and cortisone and then I would be sick again. I could not breathe. If I took a deep breath I would start coughing. And still, I smoked.

I wanted to quit cold turkey but after one day of hellish withdrawal and eventually lighting up I thought there had to be a better way. I decided to try vaping again. I have been without a cigarette for 5 months. I still think about cigarettes sometimes. Whenever I think about smoking just one, I sit back, take a deep breath and think about how good it feels to actually be able to breathe. I go to the gym and have a good workout and I focus on how good it feels to move and not having to quit after a minute because I am not getting oxygen. I can climb several flights of stairs without getting out of breath.

My main motivation for keeping of the stinkies is the most basic thing we all take for granted, a nice, deep breath of air.

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

Well done @Elmien . You have done it for 5 months. The hard part is over. There is no reason to go back.

Soon it will be six months, then a year and then two...three...four etc. For me, smoking is a distant bad memory. I still have several packs of cigarettes lying around the house. I can see one now as I am typing this. They serve as a reminder to me that I have beaten the habit.

I would much rather ride bareback on a porcupine than return to smoking.

 

[Silver]

Since I can remember, I wanted to smoke. Even at 4 years old. You could still get those cigarette sweets in those years and whenever my parents let us choose sweets, I went straight to them. I did not even like the taste really, but they were cigarettes, so I got them. I tried a few cigarettes in high school but only really started smoking when I was 21. I loved smoking. I smoked every chance I got. I tried quitting a few times over the years but I just enjoyed it so much that after a month or so I would light up again.

In September 2018, after smoking for 13 years, I decided to quit again. This time it was for health reasons. Since 2015 my health took a nose dive. I had to see the doctor at least every second month. I just did not get better. I would just finish a course of antibiotics and cortisone and then I would be sick again. I could not breathe. If I took a deep breath I would start coughing. And still, I smoked.

I wanted to quit cold turkey but after one day of hellish withdrawal and eventually lighting up I thought there had to be a better way. I decided to try vaping again. I have been without a cigarette for 5 months. I still think about cigarettes sometimes. Whenever I think about smoking just one, I sit back, take a deep breath and think about how good it feels to actually be able to breathe. I go to the gym and have a good workout and I focus on how good it feels to move and not having to quit after a minute because I am not getting oxygen. I can climb several flights of stairs without getting out of breath.

My main motivation for keeping of the stinkies is the most basic thing we all take for granted, a nice, deep breath of air.

Congrats @Elmien and thank you for the wonderful post you wrote!
You are right - we take it for granted that we can breathe in a full breath of air and I know what it felt like to feel that last part of the deep breath being a big tight and not so easy.

Great to hear and wishing you all the best from here! Vaping for the win

 

[KrayFish404]

I read one of Alan Carr books, I can't remember exactly which one it was. Page one simply stated, "do not quit smoking whilst reading this book". I hated the book. But with my hate came the hate for the cigarette in my hand. The awareness of the harm is doing to me. At first, the book seemed badly written. It hammered the same info, page by page, into my head: broken drum. Till the second last page, where he stated, "if you turn this page you have to quit, do not turn this page if you have any doubts." Well I never turned that page. But the info stuck, tattooed into my cranium. And I never enjoyed any cigarette after that.

Move forward perhaps 2 years, saw a friend vaping, decided let's do it, got my first combo, smoked my last cigarette that evening and never touched one thereafter. Never had a need, will never have one, even if I am on an island made of cigarettes and no vape, I won't bother. I'd rather eat a pack than smoke it.

More than 4 years of no smoking. How...

Well firstly forget the date you quit. You're not going to get your one year drug free coin. Allan Carr's book quickly tells you that smoking is not an addiction, it's a habit. (*You may disagree with that statement, see down below). So treat it as a habit. A very bad one. And break it. My crutch was drinking, just couldn't think of having a drink with no smoke in the other hand. Quit drinking? Never!

Notice where your cigarette is. Now simply put it elsewhere. Smoke other brands. Smoke different tar/nicotine. Smoke a cigar. I moved my time around, don't smoke before work, or swap with no smoking in lunch. Skip an evening. Be aware of what it does to your body. If a mate calls you to help him push his car, can you? The embarrassments, the time will soon arrive where you will decline invites to go to the beach as the walk is too far.

Realise that the need (addiction) to nicotine passes very quickly. It's a few days at most. After that, it's just your mind wanting you to not break the habit. It's like that knuckle you have to crack. It's not stiff, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't feel better when you do. But your mind wants you to. Crack your mind rather. Keep busy, get a hobby.

Why do so many people start smoking again? I don't think they realised the above. They were never ready to quit. My mind was set even before I was thinking of vaping.

Is vaping the best way to quit smoking? Of course. But you also need to be in the right mind space. You have to want to quit.

And a few steps up I mentioned "keep busy" - perfect time to start DIY, building coils. At times I find myself not even vaping the whole of the night because of this.

Then forget about clouds bro, vape life, perfect flavours, bulletproof glass tanks, batteries that last forever, never getting vaper's tongue, and never getting the "vaping gives you water on the lungs" speech. Shlt happens, life ain't perfect. These are all tiny obstacles. IN no way can any of them be large enough to making you start again. I am sure even Tiger Woods has more than one ball in his bag, just in case. When Jan took the Drommedaris for a spin a bit of sunburn didn't stop him from going a bit further. I am not calling him a hero, but there's a lot worse than these little things that can go wrong. Cancer, emphysema, certain death, quite a few pops up.


*Now as above "smoking is not an addiction, it's a habit" - that might be an unpopular opinion by some people's standards. I do not agree, or disagree, and frankly, I do not care. Fact is the book brought me where I am today. I hated smoking before I quit smoking.

 

[Adephi]

I read one of Alan Carr books, I can't remember exactly which one it was. Page one simply stated, "do not quit smoking whilst reading this book". I hated the book. But with my hate came the hate for the cigarette in my hand. The awareness of the harm is doing to me. At first, the book seemed badly written. It hammered the same info, page by page, into my head: broken drum. Till the second last page, where he stated, "if you turn this page you have to quit, do not turn this page if you have any doubts." Well I never turned that page. But the info stuck, tattooed into my cranium. And I never enjoyed any cigarette after that.

Move forward perhaps 2 years, saw a friend vaping, decided let's do it, got my first combo, smoked my last cigarette that evening and never touched one thereafter. Never had a need, will never have one, even if I am on an island made of cigarettes and no vape, I won't bother. I'd rather eat a pack than smoke it.

More than 4 years of no smoking. How...

Well firstly forget the date you quit. You're not going to get your one year drug free coin. Allan Carr's book quickly tells you that smoking is not an addiction, it's a habit. (*You may disagree with that statement, see down below). So treat it as a habit. A very bad one. And break it. My crutch was drinking, just couldn't think of having a drink with no smoke in the other hand. Quit drinking? Never!

Notice where your cigarette is. Now simply put it elsewhere. Smoke other brands. Smoke different tar/nicotine. Smoke a cigar. I moved my time around, don't smoke before work, or swap with no smoking in lunch. Skip an evening. Be aware of what it does to your body. If a mate calls you to help him push his car, can you? The embarrassments, the time will soon arrive where you will decline invites to go to the beach as the walk is too far.

Realise that the need (addiction) to nicotine passes very quickly. It's a few days at most. After that, it's just your mind wanting you to not break the habit. It's like that knuckle you have to crack. It's not stiff, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't feel better when you do. But your mind wants you to. Crack your mind rather. Keep busy, get a hobby.

Why do so many people start smoking again? I don't think they realised the above. They were never ready to quit. My mind was set even before I was thinking of vaping.

Is vaping the best way to quit smoking? Of course. But you also need to be in the right mind space. You have to want to quit.

And a few steps up I mentioned "keep busy" - perfect time to start DIY, building coils. At times I find myself not even vaping the whole of the night because of this.

Then forget about clouds bro, vape life, perfect flavours, bulletproof glass tanks, batteries that last forever, never getting vaper's tongue, and never getting the "vaping gives you water on the lungs" speech. Shlt happens, life ain't perfect. These are all tiny obstacles. IN no way can any of them be large enough to making you start again. I am sure even Tiger Woods has more than one ball in his bag, just in case. When Jan took the Drommedaris for a spin a bit of sunburn didn't stop him from going a bit further. I am not calling him a hero, but there's a lot worse than these little things that can go wrong. Cancer, emphysema, certain death, quite a few pops up.


*Now as above "smoking is not an addiction, it's a habit" - that might be an unpopular opinion by some people's standards. I do not agree, or disagree, and frankly, I do not care. Fact is the book brought me where I am today. I hated smoking before I quit smoking.

Many truths in here. I downloaded one of his books and thats how far I got.

My personal path from smoking was completely unorthodox.

I bought a vape for those heavy smoking days, at a braai or out with friends, to help with the smokers babelas. The next day I went from 40 cigs to just 5. I always kept my smokes near me. My plan was not to punish myself. If I want a smoke I will have one. But 5 became 4 became 3, until I got to the Cafe to get a packet and decided to just get 2 loosies and just see how far I can push it. Had the last one of those loosies on New Years eve 2017. And didn't look back.

My main motivation was seeing the health in my kids. Both went from chronic asthma to not a single incident in over a year. Over December we chucked all the asthma meds in the house. Everything expired. That after we had to spend R1000+ on meds every month on meds for them.

 

[CMMACKEM]

In a higher wattage(50w upwards) set up you need to start with 6mg ejuice. Vape and smoke for the first 2-3 months.

After that, quit smoking but carry on vaping 6mg ejuice.

After another 2-3 months reduce nicotine to 3mg.

Enjoy



This worked for me and I probably have less willpower than any of you.

 

[polla]

Congrats in the 10 weeks @G+3 !
Id be interested to know what has helped you when it gets very challenging?

i am 4 weeks stinkie free. vaped for 2 years but still smoked the stinkies. tried twisp clearo that girlfriend had lying around with 18mg nic. and that only gave me the satisfaction