to feel positively evangelical about electronic cigarettes?

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

I was reading the AIBU thread about the husband vaping in the house with a newborn. I was struck by the passionate testimonials from former smokers, saying they couldn't have done it without e-cigs. I had tried a puff one of those things that look like a cigarette and was underwhelmed. But I didn't know about the more advanced set ups where you can fill them up with your flavour of choice. Anyway, I was intrigued. I smoked a pack a day for 25 years, and never quit more than a few months at a time, no matter which methods I tried.

nb84 encouraged me to give it a try and told me what to buy to get started.

I ordered a starter kit that night. It arrived the next day and I fell in love. I have three of them, now (one always charging, one near to hand, and one in my purse ready to go) and eight different flavours of the juice.

I don't want to smoke cigarettes any more. I like this better. It tastes really good. It feels good. And it doesn't stink. My hands, clothing, and breath don't reek anymore. I don't have to keep going outside. I don't have to feel like a smelly pariah. My husband can't smell it even when I'm sitting right next to him.

And I don't have to try and not think about the fact that my mother died of cancer after spending her last decade debilitated by emphysema.

And instead of paying £8 a day for fags, I can buy a week's worth of juice for £10. The hardware was less than £20 to get started and will require only £10 a month going forward. Of course, I can spend more. Many people geek out on it as a hobby because the gadgets are fun and constantly improving.

I'm not worried about putting on weight like people usually do when giving up the cancer sticks. In fact, I snack less. I no longer crave sweets. I would normally nibble all day, especially Haribo sweets. I don't want them anymore because I am tasting a bunch of sweet flavours all day long.

I'm so happy that I want to tell everyone - every smoker and everyone who loves a smoker - about it.

To all the people who have replaced cigarettes with vaping, what have you noticed the biggest differences are?

I have given up smoking a number of times, and always gone back onto them, but whilst I wasn't smoking, I noticed my teeth were distinctly whiter. Shallow maybe, but is it the nicotine that causes teeth to get discoloured, or is it the other rubbish in cigarettes? (Same goes for the ageing of the skin, discoloured fingers, gum disease etc.)

Also, how many cigarettes did you smoke before vaping, and what strength juice did you find you needed at first?

Im curious about vaping, having read thru this thread. Im on e-cigs so I guess this is something different? Anyway littlemiss...

My teeth are whiter
So are the windows in my house, I didnt realise nicotine made them filthy!
I think its the combination of the chemicals in cigaretters that discolour the teeth.

Id say with buying the e-cig top up cartridges Im spending £20 weekly. Thats still far less than I spent on cigarettes tho..with buying a pack of 20 a day sometimes extra pack at weekend, it was double that amount. but, does vaping work out cheaper?

Thanks Mistress. Your post is really helpful. Is there a difference between vaping and e-cigs then?

I'm also interested at how cheaply vaping works out to be.

This part of the OP:

a week's worth of juice for £10. The hardware was less than £20 to get started and will require only £10 a month going forward

Im sure she's given advice on where to get juice etc on thread, but I cant find it now. If I could just spend £10 a week tho, Id be very happy with that...! Although I suppose it depends how heavy a smoker you were/are. I do like my e-cigs..I have 3 batteries (batteries cost £10 each but I wanted spares for when Im on a long night out which is why I bought extra). I charge up battery via USB which is very easy. I couldnt get away with 1 pack of cartridges a week tho (thats £10) I go through 2. But as said, still much cheaper than smoking and without the smell and increased health risks

Whether you use an ecig that looks like this (top end personal vaporiser) or this (entry level pv) or one like this (known as a 'cigalike') you are vaping rather than smoking.

The experience you get from a cigalike is enough for some to give up smoking but you will get a far better experience from a personal vaporiser (pv) like the first 2. It will also work out far cheaper.

About the cheapest pv you can buy is this one at £7. You will then need to buy ejuice (or liquid with nicotine in) These cost around £5 to £10 for 30ml. Most vapers will use around 3ml a day. Nicotine strength wise, if you smoke more than a pack a day you should start on 24mg, 15-20 a day 18mg and less than that 12mg. The part that you put the liquid in is called a clearomiser and will last from 2-6 weeks. Basic ones cost around £4.

So as you can see far cheaper than buying disposable ecigs like Nicolites or Elites and their expensive cartridges.

Thanks nbee84.

I usually buy 120 cigarettes a week, so that works out at about 18 cigs a day. Am undecided whether to get 18mg or 24mg.

Think I will try both 18mg and 24mg and see which I get on with better.

15 to 20 cigs a day I'd go for 18mg. Always buy small bottles of liquid to start with until you know the flavours you like to vape - it's worth buying a fruity flavour and a menthol (lots that hated menthol cigs quite enjoy a menthol vape) A popular tobacco flavour is RY4 - a sweet caramel tobacco.

If you get the 18mg and find yourself craving a cigarette then try the 24mg strength.

Some find that they need the 24mg at the start of the day when the craving is strongest - or during the day if they only have a quick break at work and the chance to vape - and then use 18mg the rest of the time.

I was a 10 a day smoker on a week day and a 20 a day smoker on a weekend and was fine on 18mg - no craving for a fag at all.

nbee You are a very useful person to have around! I read some of your posts on the other thread that Katy mentioned.

I have ordered 18mg juices. I smoke rollies- between 15-20 a day. I have ordered the RY4 on your recommendation; a lemon menthol and applegranite. I am VERY excited.

I have also discovered a vape shop in my town. I've already ordered my starter kit etc online, but will see how I go with that and then go along to the shop to have a look and a try of some of the more sophisticated pvs.

Like Katy, I'm quite evangelical as being a 30 year smoker that's tried quite a few times to give up cold turkey and with various nrt's, vaping really has worked for me - and I knew it had worked within days. When I've given up smoking before I have managed between 7 days and 18 months! But what each of those attempts had in common was the fact that I craved a cigarette every day that I was a non smoker (and the fact that I went back to the fags every time!) There are lots that argue against it, but I tend to ignore as I am happy quite happy with my 'risk reduction' and know that without it I would still be smoking cigarettes.

I'll offer advice to anyone that wants to know more. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but have read a fair bit - both before deciding to try vaping myself and since I started vaping 7 months ago.

Well done nbee, so pleased the vaping has worked so well for you. I am hopeful it could work for me. I've smoked for 20 years...actually about 22 now I think about it. I have lost count of the number of times I've stopped or tried to stop. I stopped for a year each time I was pregnant and then started again (both times, the usual 'just one' on a night out). I have tried cold turkey, various types of NRT, hypnotherapy, Allen Carr, Champix... I have recently come to the conclusion that I just can't do it and the thought of smoking forever has been horribly depressing.

I do have another question...when you started vaping, did you stop smoking cigarettes straight away, or did you continue to smoke while you made the transition?

And good luck waterlego - let me know how you get on. I love to hear the success stories My Mum smoked for over 50 years - was quite a hardened smoker and didn't want to give up, but after listening to me and asking lots of questions I bought her one of the basic kits and told her to have a go. I expected her to say "tried it, not for me" but within 2 weeks of starting she cut out the cigs completely and hasn't smoked for 5 months now. My Auntie, nearly 50 years of smoking started a couple of weeks later and hasn't smoked since.

Another piece of advice - not everyone goes straight from smoking to vaping. A lot will cut out some of their cigarettes by vaping and over a few weeks find they prefer their vaping to smoking and then cut out the cigarettes. I bought my kit with that intention but actually found that vaping was for me from the first go and 17 B&H are still in the box in my cupbaord, not once have I wanted to smoke one of them! Remember... count the cigarettes you don't smoke, not the ones you do.

Cross posts, but answered your question

Fantastic advice and encouragement, thank you.

I am going to start it with the intention of gradually replacing cigarettes with vaping, but who knows, maybe I will instantly prefer it, as you did. Will let you know how I get on :)

I should have bought the kit recommended by nbee84 but didn't quite trust the website! Now I know it's considered good and that very item has lots of glowing reviews.

I ended up with a very reputable vendor that has fair prices and a good website that explains things like "replacement clearomizers are linked below." If anyone wants to have a browse, it's vapeescape.co.uk.

£10 a week on juice is a rough guess. I buy from a shop that sells 3x10ml bottles for £10. I can't tell you how much I'm using because I've bought over a dozen flavours now and I keep switching between them. I read somewhere that a head will last about 20ml-30ml. I've also heard 2-4 weeks. The math is obviously imprecise because people use more or less.

I bought my first kit from vape escape too Katy Kevin is the vendor and he and his team will answer any questions if you email them.

By the way, I took the tram into Manchester today and vaped everywhere. Nobody noticed. Not even the woman sitting next to me on then tram. It's possible to stealth vape insituations like on a bus or train. You cover any LED lights on the device with your hand and hold your breath about five seconds before exhalling...no vapour.

Vape Escape is local to me! Just as soon as I can drive again, I intend to pop over for a look at their shop.

Oooh, I've got another question (I'm on a roll)... katy when you say you switch between your flavours, do you mean you can do that from one vape to the next? I had the impression that you had to fill the chamber thingy with juice and then get through that juice before filling it up with something else. Is that not the case?

You just buy lots of the clearomisers (chamber thingys) When I first started I liked to change flavours quite a lot - I had loads! But now, though I have quite a few clearos filled with various flavours, I tend to just vape on 2 main ones (that I make myself - that's another thread when you're a bit more experienced, lol!)

Oh wow, so much to learn! Thank you very much. :)

Oooh, I did try vaping a few months back and went back to the fags, but my DP stuck at it and then came down with tonsillitis meaning he couldn't vape because it hurt his throat so has managed to give up completely since getting better, I think it's been about 3 weeks now and while he still sometimes fancies a fag he doesn't have one so I think he will be fine, me on the other hand am useless!
Think I'm going to start on the vape again tomorrow as it seems a waste of money not to use it, but it hurts my throat, like it sticks iyswim!

I smoked around 15-18 a day and have not had a ciggie for 30 days.

I had inspiration from one of these threads, had a look at different sites then took the plunge and bought a starter kit. It took me about 3 days to get used to vaping (finished the box of ciggies). I found for the first 10 days they took the edge off the craving and I know I am definitely not vaping anywhere near as much as I was smoking. For example I do not have a vape until at least 10:30am, I used to have a ciggie first thing in the morning as I let the dog out, another after a shower and one more on the drive to work and then another around 9:30am.

I still go outside if I fancy a go both at home and at work. I am looking to use the vapestick as an aide to quit all together and it has helped but if it takes another 12 months or longer to be completely without nicotine then so be it. I feel really proud that I have made the first step to quitting and without the vapestick to aide me then I still would be smoking cigarettes.

My teeth are definitely whiter, my clothes do not smell, I feel healthier and I am saving loads of money. DH is looking at them now and he has smoked for over 30 years.

TheFutureMrsB - you could try 2 things for your throat, a lower nicotine strength or a liquid that is more VG than PG, some people find PG can irritate their throats. Also. make sure you are drinking plenty of water.