Anyone Use E-cigs?

[Chava]

I think I might be less likely to chain smoke an E-cig. I know I should quit for health reasons, but that's not a motivation right now (would be a reward though). I'm spending about $200 a month on cigs and can't afford it. I buy a pack and it seems like no big deal but it adds up and I just don't have any money for serious things like new tires.

I've tried other things but am curious if the E-cigs have worked for others or if they are horrible. I assume the nicotine dosing is similar, but the cheap-o one I bought says it has like 300 puffs. I'm not going to count them. So I might try to count just 10 puffs and see if I can put it away for a few hours vs overdose myself. ???

 

[discalced_diapason]

I used to use E-cigs, but I didn't find them helpful at all as far as reducing the amount of nicotine I was using. With cigarettes, there is an obvious end to one, and I can usually wait an hour or two before smoking another one, but with an E-cig, especially with my tendency to dissociate, it's nothing for me to puff on one for 30-45 minutes at a time. I don't know if I ended up spending more or not, but I was getting nauseated so much from the nicotine overload that I switched back to regular cigarettes.

It doesn't hurt to try one; maybe it'll help with reducing your cost.

 

[Kintsugi]

They came highly recommended to me by some hardcore smokers.

I've tried the disposable ones while my partner was trying to reduce his smoking. I didn't want to quit then, but I did find that they reduced how much I smoked if I wanted to convince myself to cut down (or just slow down), and I half-jokingly tell people they're great for long movies where all the characters smoke and you just want a cigarette (think The Godfather).

However, the ones that are popular where I live now are different. They're refillable and much more refined in design, supposedly, in terms of being able to get one that really suits your typical nicotine habits. Someone told me I needed to go to one of the specialty smoke shops around here and tell them what I smoke and how much. Crazily, even B's doctor recommended these for quitting over a nicotine patch, gum, or something like Chantax.

I haven't gotten one yet. I plan to try it out. They're sort of expensive (I usually hear $80), but some multiple-pack-a-day smokers did say it worked, so I think it's worth a shot.

 

[Fadeaway]

I love them! I started off with cartridge kind that looked like cigarettes, but I was spending quite a bit of money on those. I now use the kind that you mix your own liquid and have had immense success.

I didn't even notice any withdrawal symptoms when I went down to 0mg nicotine because I had been tapering off so slowly. I bought one jar of the 12mg and one of the 0mg and slowly added more and more of the 0mg and less of the 12mg, until the 0mg's was all that was left.

The best part is I only spend about $10 a month now for juice. The actual set up cost about $25 to get started. You do have to replace the atomizer ($2) every few weeks. Also do not get the long wick kind. You will go through way more juice via waste. It really doesn't matter what brand you buy because all the parts for each brand are interchangeable. Just get the cheapest to start out with.

I use mine to ground me.

 

[Chava]

@Fadeaway ...what are you inhaling at 0 nicotine? Just vapors? I have a friend hooked on just inhaling vapors. Gum doesn't work well for me. Sickly, I want to inhale something into my lungs. Smoking regulates my breathing! I'll try the cheap-o this weekend and research a little...there are some better options I think at my local gas station. And I wouldn't have to drive down some back road at lunch for a couple ciggies...I could smoke in the bathroom!! ;)

 

[Recovery4Me]

E-cigs are great when flying. You don't have to go back out through the security gates or sit for hours going through withdrawals and wanting to pound on anyone who looks at you crossed eyed.:clown: You just slip into the bathroom and wa-la. But blow the vapor back into your purse so it doesn't set off the alarm.

Blu is a nice brand. Start up cost a little bit, then right cheap when you buy the liquid in bulk. However, it is not regulated so the nicotine can be higher than they say or lower (with any brand). Also the liquid can be adsorbed during refill through the skin so be careful when refilling. As well, if there are children in the house, it is important to make sure it is locked up somewhere as some children have ended up in the hospital from skin contact.

A crux for anyone is the delivery system (check into the method and chemicals used), the amount of vapor desired and the unknown determinants insofar as long term usage. Some countries have banded them due to those factors.

Also, some people's teeth and gum can get sore from the delivery system so you may need to try a few brands first to find one good for you. I could not use E-cigs longer than a few days as it made my teeth too sensitive. However many of my friends have had great success with transferring dependency to E-cigs. Quitting is best done through smoking cessation programs...I'm starting one soon this month. Wish me luck!

 

[Deleted member 28403]

My father started using those and lowered cigarette usage for a few months, but due to stress gave up.

 

[Fadeaway]

@Chava, Yes, it just the liquid with out nicotine added. So it is the same vapor as the kind with nicotine, only without the nicotine.

Sickly, I want to inhale something into my lungs. Smoking regulates my breathing!

I get this all too well, hence the reason I still have mine around 2 years since I quit smoking. Also, see if you can find an actual tobacco shop versus a gas station. The ones at the gas station are generally more expensive. The specific one I use is linked below, and I got it slightly cheaper than the price listed here. I love it.
Link Removed

 

[Namenotdiagnosis]

They work me fantastically , best thing I ever did. Went from smoking 20 a day to vapouring. On no nicotine but tobacco flavour, only prob is it's constantly in my hand or in my mouth I'm sure I'm vapouring far more than I smoked!!! I do it my office too where as with smoking I had to go outside. My dr really pleased too, I don't smell of smoke anymore and my teeth and gums are far better.
In the past I've tried everything. I even paid £300 for hypnosis came out and had a cigarette !!' None of my family and friends would ever believe that I'd stop the cigarettes so a massive achievement for me , give it a go , and good luck , I save £300 a month! The liquid costs me £5 a week!!!!

 

[Blue Survivor]

I use both e-cigs and regular ones. When I bought the e-cig, it was not my intention to quit smoking. I was actually trying to make it easier to 'smoke' since I live in NY and pretty much everywhere is a tobacco-free zone. No smoking in bars, restaurants, hotels, even some shopping mall parking lots and outdoor amusement parks are smoke-free. Some places provide roped-in areas for smokers, which to me is ridiculous since it is outside anyhow. I understand that non-smokers do not want to be exposed to cigarette smoke, and I don't blame them. And now CVS will stop selling tobacco products and they are claiming it is because they are a pharmacy and in the health business and just shouldn't sell those kinds of things. Oh but they still sell processed junk food, soda, and alcohol! Sorry, this is turning into a rant lol.

I find that while in smoke-free zones the e-cig does just fine. I still smoke regular cigarettes when I can. I heard that a regular cigarette has 25 mg of nicotine, which may or may not be true. Most 'juices' for e-cigs come in varying levels of nicotine, so I started at 24 mg and you can go down in increments of 2 until you're at zero nicotine, if you'd like. Since I'm not ready to quit, I'm around 18 mg because it's enough to take the edge off when I want a cigarette but cannot have one due to my surroundings being smoke-free.

My advice is to buy a lower end one to start, with juice that is similar to whatever you smoke now (menthol, etc). I would stay away from the fruity and candy type flavors until later, as when I started the e-cig and got tutti-frutti juice it did nothing for me when all I wanted was a menthol. When I got my e-cig, I rarely put it down. I would just hold it & hold it and puff, puff, puff! So I timed myself smoking a real cigarette (5 minutes) and then tried to use the e-cig for the same amount of time before putting it elsewhere. I'd suggest starting at the higher nicotine percentage too, because no one told me this and I started out at 11% and wondered why I was flying through a tiny bottle (aka a 'carton') over a matter of days.

I did use my e-cig successfully for about 4 days, and then I had a real cigarette because they were there. What a difference! The e-cig tastes cleaner and doesn't make me feel like crap - which is what the real cigarette did to me after 4 days of not having one.

 

[Lucycat]

I bought an e-cig back in January this year. I used it for one day and decided I really did not like the taste. I smoked menthol cigarettes, but the e-cig menthol version was just not the same. So I quit. That day. I have not had another cigarette or e-cig since 17th January 2014. I don't miss them at all, and love having money in my purse.

I find that while in smoke-free zones the e-cig does just fine.

Here in Scotland if you are not allowed to smoke you are not allowed to use an e-cig either. So that means it cannot be used in pubs, restaurants, airports etc.

 

[Chava]

Thanks everyone for lots of feedback and info! Starting cheap and then looking for my own "juice" sounds interesting...would love to inhale 0 mg of nicotine at some point.

I tried my e-cig after work. Fun! I'm a dork and love the whole smoking experience, so I love that it lights up at the end, and that I can roll down the car window and blow the "smoke" out. All of it. But it's a heavy sucker...I can't chain smoke something with a battery in it! I'll get hand cramps. So...we'll see. I just want to be more mindful. I'm all-or-nothing with regular cigs...chain smoking without even realizing it. I did okay on lozenges for a while and gum, though I lost lots of the breathing stuff I craved. So I seem to be able to moderate substitutes a bit. Mainly, I need to spend less than $200 a month and also improve my circulation a bit. I'm freezing all the time.

@Lucycat ...I did get a pretty strong menthol...weird I started coughing from it. I spend $200 a month on cigs. Not sure e-cigs will cost me less, but hoping I'm more "mindful"...the thing I got is too heavy to smoke for long!!