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I like the e-cig, as an alternative to smoking. I don't intend to quit but there are some things I like about e-cig - no smell (if you're on way to important meeting, etc), you can have as much/little as you want (as opposed to smoking the whole cig cuz they cost so much - LOL) and don't need to have a window down in the car when driving for 'air'. There's just lots that I really like about them, not to mention the nice flavors, etc.
My employer just went 'smoke-free' and of course they don't like e-cigs either (because they are 'unregulated') - but it's much easier to 'sneak a drag' from an e-cig than the real thing in that setting. And, my sister just got a new car, so she doesn't allow smoking, but she does allow e-cigs. Anyway, the list goes on and on.
Once you decide you like it --- I've purchased several sets of the 'cig' looking ones, but they run dry shortly, and the original models were harder to fill, etc.
I know you can get 'carried away' with lots of 'huge' and various models now - but I just 'graduated' to the Vea, by Johnson Creek. Really like the 'canteen' version as it's easy to fill and it holds a lot more than a common cart (though they sell those too). The batteries last for 2 days, with my use. And you get 2 batteries in a kit. Anyway, really happy with the Vea after trying several types that look like a standard cig style.
I think they are definitely the way to go if you want to quit, as you can buy levels of nicotine content down to zero. I still like 'the real thing' at certain times of the day, but I REALLY like having this option, and if I was going to quit, I would use e-cig to do it. Good luck!!
kudos to all of you trying to quit, ive got many friends that have quit in the past few yrs, some with these e cigs
a couple of them quit because of fear of throat cancer- had odd pains and twinges in his neck-regular cigs will irritate these throat pains....
they were so fearful, they didnt even want to have tests done,,,for fear of being told they have cancer..
so, they went to e cigs,, and eventually quit, and the throat pains went away...
they still get tempted,,when drinking, or with others that smoke,,,but they resist -thinking "to what end" ?? meaning "just one" will lead to buying a pack again..
cigs are expensive, and stink.... many who smoke,,,need to attach a negative emotion with every puff,,,
many will remember younger times,, fun times,,and everyone was smoking,,,got to change this frame of reference..
E cigarettes never helped me to quit smoking, but they did make me feel a lot healthier in my lungs. The only way I quit smoking was going cold turkey and being miserable.
E-cigs still aren't great for your lungs but they're a lot better than cigarettes in practically every way (health, smell, cost, etc.). They're hard to quit themselves but much easier than cigarettes because you can control the nicotine level.
The first few days I still wanted to smoke regular cigarettes but if you keep puffing away and keep your system full of nicotine it's not too hard to stay away from the real thing. After a week or so I actually preferred the e-cig and had no desire to smoke a real cigarette.
I started at 24 mg and then went to 18, then to 12, then to 6, then to 3. I just took it really slowly and usually spent as much as a month or two at each level, making sure I fully adjusted to that level before I stepped it down. I probably puffed more as the nicotine level decreased but as you keep going down you eventually end up taking in a lot less nicotine no matter how much you puff. Once you're fully adjusted to a very low level like 3 mg the withdrawal from stopping is pretty mild. You can go with a 0 mg liquid at that point if you want, so you can completely break the nicotine addiction before you try to break the physical habit. You can even mix, say, a 3 mg liquid with a 0 mg liquid to make a 1.5 mg liquid if you want. Doing it this way it's fairly painless.
For me, patches never worked. They caused huge body aches wherever I put them on and they would never stay on when I sweated in hot weather or when working out. I still wanted to smoke when I wore them, and you can't leave them on when you sleep or you'll have really awful nightmares, so I would wake up every day completely fiending for a cigarette before I put a patch on. They're also very expensive, especially for the good kinds that will actually stay on, they do nothing for the hand/mouth habit, and the step down levels are too steep. E-cigs are massively better than patches IMO.
Even if you just replace the cigarettes with e-cigs and don't quit the e-cigs you're a lot better off that way. You're substituting one addiction for another, but the one you're substituting is a lot better.
Last edited by EugeneOnegin; 02-08-2014 at 08:12 AM..
Interesting, used to be a smoker and have COPD and on oxygen 24x7. Stopped over a year ago and my breathing hasn't gotten much better and my doctor still nags me to death over my cholesterol levels...
At least you quit. Hubby has COPD and won't quit. I am trying to get him to give them up for cigs but that is a hard sell. Propylene Glycol has disinfectant properties. I don't know if it would improve your health or not but hearing these stories sure does make me wonder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnVesey00
stop my smoking or stop slowly ?
Whichever way you want to do it OP. I gave up cigs the 1st day with my ecig. Others report the same success while others take weeks or months to give up the cigs. There are several disposable ecigs on the market now. I'd suggest you try them but remember that if they aren't enough to make you quit cigs there are other more powerful alternatives available. I never intended to quit smoking and as of right now I don't plan to give up my ecig either.
It's a nice option, because you can do whatever you want. Mix (cigs and e-cigs) or go completely e-cig (once you find one you like), and then reduce nicotine level in e-cig fluid/juice, if you want to quit the nicotine.
For example, a friend/couple just re-did their house (paint, kitchen, bath) and decided they didn't want to smoke in the house now. So they set up 'smoke spots' in the garage and porch. They like not smoking in the house - and have cut down cigs a little too. And they are ok with that, but don't what to quit either.
But she found it inconvenient especially in AM to 'dash' out to garage while trying to get ready for work (cuz you're just standing there trying to finish your cig, can't be doing anything else until done with it).
Well, the e-cig has 'liberated' her to have an option not to 'dash' out to smoke so often, when she's trying to do something else under time constraints. And she can have e-cig while on computer, etc, in the house and still not 'smoke' in the house.
After trying several cig-style e-cigs, (I've been messing around with e-cigs off/on for a few years now - but didn't find one I liked so much that I used it regularly) until I got this one a few weeks ago.
The 'kit' is $59 and I like the 'canteen' (vs cart) as it is easier to fill (you can see the liquid level) and the batteries last a LONG TIME (2 days with my pretty regular use - but I still smoke a few reg cigs too), and it's a 'push button' version, so the drag is easy.
It also has wall socket and USB charger. The 'how to' videos are helpful. And on U-Tube there are reviews of this (Vea by Johnson Creek) and others of course. They also offer a PG-free juice.
I figured it was about the cost of a carton of cigs and we're not smoking as many real cigs, so 'saving money' pretty quickly. Both hubby and I really like this one. He'd like to quit cigs, and it was always a hassle when one wants to quit (or does) and the other doesn't! But this has really helped that circumstance as well!
E-cigs still aren't great for your lungs but they're a lot better than cigarettes in practically every way (health, smell, cost, etc.). They're hard to quit themselves but much easier than cigarettes because you can control the nicotine level.
The first few days I still wanted to smoke regular cigarettes but if you keep puffing away and keep your system full of nicotine it's not too hard to stay away from the real thing. After a week or so I actually preferred the e-cig and had no desire to smoke a real cigarette.
I started at 24 mg and then went to 18, then to 12, then to 6, then to 3. I just took it really slowly and usually spent as much as a month or two at each level, making sure I fully adjusted to that level before I stepped it down. I probably puffed more as the nicotine level decreased but as you keep going down you eventually end up taking in a lot less nicotine no matter how much you puff. Once you're fully adjusted to a very low level like 3 mg the withdrawal from stopping is pretty mild. You can go with a 0 mg liquid at that point if you want, so you can completely break the nicotine addiction before you try to break the physical habit. You can even mix, say, a 3 mg liquid with a 0 mg liquid to make a 1.5 mg liquid if you want. Doing it this way it's fairly painless.
For me, patches never worked. They caused huge body aches wherever I put them on and they would never stay on when I sweated in hot weather or when working out. I still wanted to smoke when I wore them, and you can't leave them on when you sleep or you'll have really awful nightmares, so I would wake up every day completely fiending for a cigarette before I put a patch on. They're also very expensive, especially for the good kinds that will actually stay on, they do nothing for the hand/mouth habit, and the step down levels are too steep. E-cigs are massively better than patches IMO.
Even if you just replace the cigarettes with e-cigs and don't quit the e-cigs you're a lot better off that way. You're substituting one addiction for another, but the one you're substituting is a lot better.
Patches can now be used in conjunction with smoking cigarettes. FDA just recently changed the dosing guidelines for quit aids like NRT.
I don't think it's replacing one addiction for another though! It is the same addiction to nicotine in either case. Unfortunately, cigs contain a lot more chemicals that are damaging to one's health and I believe some of those are also addictive. It's not the nicotine that makes you want another cigarette, it's all those other chemicals they add to the mix, especially those that trick you into thinking you want another cig.
Patches can now be used in conjunction with smoking cigarettes. FDA just recently changed the dosing guidelines for quit aids like NRT.
I don't think it's replacing one addiction for another though! It is the same addiction to nicotine in either case. Unfortunately, cigs contain a lot more chemicals that are damaging to one's health and I believe some of those are also addictive. It's not the nicotine that makes you want another cigarette, it's all those other chemicals they add to the mix, especially those that trick you into thinking you want another cig.
I respectfully disagree. Being a 'real' smoker, I specifically 'monitor' my desire before and after e-cig to see if it's 'doing the trick' - and it seems to be so, quelling desire, without those (sneaky) 'other reg-cig chemicals'.
I think it's an awesome option, but I can also see the other big entities (big tobacco, anti-smoking orgs - who benefit from tax revenues, etc) coming after e-cigs, unfortunately. Same time, I think it's really such a nice vehicle to quitting and option to smoking, that whatever they do, e-cigs will keep getting better and better and leave those efforts 'in the dust'. I hope anyway!!
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But this has really helped that circumstance as well!
