Any fellow vapers out there?

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picitup

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
Hi all.

Nothing to do with diabetes, I was just interested if anyone else vaped.

I tried packing in smoking for years. I tried patches, gum, hypnotherapy, Zyban and Champix from the doc.

I chewed the gum so intensely it made my tongue swell, then I bit it and drew blood. A bit later I bit it again in the same place. I nearly cried.
I tried the 24 hour patches and they gave me *crazy* dreams

The Champix made me depressed. Not just down, I was gutted. I spoke to the doc and she told me to come off it immediately.

Then my sister suggested I tried vaping. I started and never smoked again. The 10ml bottles of vape juice were about £3.50 from the local shop, still a lot cheaper than smoking.

Then my sister found the shop onepoundeliquid which as the name suggests, sell 10ml bottles for £1.00 + postage - even cheaper!

Now I make my own juice. I buy 60/40 PG/VG mix from ebay in a 5 litre container, Ice mint flavouring concentrate and nicotine concentrate, mix them all together in the right proportions, give a shake for a few days and it's done!

The site Steam Engine has a vape calculator and you just fill in all the details and it tells you how much of each.

I worked out a 10ml bottle now costs me 20p. Bargain!

I certainly don't miss the smoker's cough I got from time to time and my sister has reversed her COPD by vaping instead of smoking.

I witter on......

Cheers

Steve
 
Hello Steve,

I quit smoking about 4 months ago using vaping, I had tried previously using the same method but the options have improved a lot since then so this time worked.

I switch between some of the *hush don't tell* 10k puff disposables mostly US/EU imports, and kits. I'm on the geekvape aegis 2 mini works pretty well!
 
Yep I'm a vaper now (was smoking 40ish roll ups a day)just use a basic jomo 40s, and get my liquids from poundland £1 per 10ml bottle use about 4/5 bottles a week mix menthol with tabbaco flavour roughly 25% menthol.
Saving myself a lot of cash and the doc/nurse seems happy enough that the fags have gone.
 
Worked really well for me. Started vaping, instantly went from being a vey heavy smoker to no ciggies at all. Really improved walking ability with my PAD.

But even though vaping is a lot better than smoking, nicotine by itself still isn't good for arteries, which is something I care about a lot. So I also stopped vaping a while back, which was way way easier than going cold turkey on cigarettes, maybe because I had been progressively cutting down on the amount of nicotine in my vaping.

(At the same time, Oz was really cracking down on availability of nicotine. Now it's illegal to buy it from anywhere without a doctor's prescription ...)
 
ex smoker current vaper here too
coughing almost instantly chilled out, felt so much better with more energy.
been ciggy free for almost 3 or 4 years now 🙂
I rock the smok rmp40 (multiple devices and just switch the pod) and the smok nord 2
liquid i vape is blue raspberry shortfiills with what would be a 3mg nic (one nicshot) once mixed
I would love to scale the nic back again but I keep forgetting to mix in less.
 
I'm trying to cut down on the cigs, so have a vape tend to use the vape more in work.
 
This is a good thread. I’ve been ashamed to say that I’ve smoked on and off for decades. Stopped with each pregnancy and usually started again when something seriously stressed me out (that happens alot) ridiculously I started again in January 21’ when I was having investigations for cancer and shortly after diabetes diagnosis. I felt so ashamed of myself, but I felt like there was nothing else I could enjoy. (Although menthol cigarettes were outlawed by this time which were my go to ) I never really smoke a lot maybe 4 or 5 a day but people would really nag me. I feel like having diabetes means that you shouldn’t have any vices and be 100 % committed to your health at all times and anything less and your not taking your condition seriously enough. Well anyhow I quit April 16th I have tried vapes but haven’t found one I really get on with, but if I think of caving again I will defo turn to vapes first. Thanks guys for normalising weaknesses
 
gll said:
I would love to scale the nic back again but I keep forgetting to mix in less.
Click to expand...
To have 3mg final strength you are using an 18mg nic shot, if you get the option of a nic shot strength go for the 9mg which will give the liquid a final strength of 1.5mg, that way at least your not short changing yourself of the final amount of liquid xx
 
Hi @EmmaL76

Well, let's not forget, packing in smoking is really hard. I tried for years with all the above methods including cold turkey which only ever lasted a week. And you hit the nail on the head. When smokers feel stressed, the first thing they want is a cigarette.
If you didn't find vapes satisfying, did you have a high enough nicotine content? I make 6mg juice which is Ok for me, but my sister smoked more than me and has 18mg.
A guy on the helpline told me that for some people, trying to stop smoking is as bad as coming off hard drugs. tbh, some times I've gone cold turkey, if I felt that way and wasn't packing in smoking, I'd be down the docs I felt so poorly.

I'm a firm believer that it has to be the right time to pack in.

I tried Zyban from the doc and it was amazing. You were allowed to carry on smoking while taking it so I did. After a couple of weeks, I couldn't smoke a whole cigarette. You know when you go out and smoke too much in the evening? The next morning you light up and can't smoke it. It's too much. That's how Zyban worked. I did pack in for a while, but got stressed........

I wish you luck with it, but be kind to yourself. It's probably one of the hardest things you'll acheive.

I've been packed in for 3 years now and no longer miss a cigarette.

Well done for packing in!!! 🙂
 
picitup said:
Hi @EmmaL76

Well, let's not forget, packing in smoking is really hard. I tried for years with all the above methods including cold turkey which only ever lasted a week. And you hit the nail on the head. When smokers feel stressed, the first thing they want is a cigarette.
If you didn't find vapes satisfying, did you have a high enough nicotine content? I make 6mg juice which is Ok for me, but my sister smoked more than me and has 18mg.
A guy on the helpline told me that for some people, trying to stop smoking is as bad as coming off hard drugs. tbh, some times I've gone cold turkey, if I felt that way and wasn't packing in smoking, I'd be down the docs I felt so poorly.

I'm a firm believer that it has to be the right time to pack in.

I tried Zyban from the doc and it was amazing. You were allowed to carry on smoking while taking it so I did. After a couple of weeks, I couldn't smoke a whole cigarette. You know when you go out and smoke too much in the evening? The next morning you light up and can't smoke it. It's too much. That's how Zyban worked. I did pack in for a while, but got stressed........

I wish you luck with it, but be kind to yourself. It's probably one of the hardest things you'll acheive.

I've been packed in for 3 years now and no longer miss a cigarette.

Well done for packing in!!! 🙂
Click to expand...
Ahh thanks for that. It’s a strange one with me, I can be packed up for several years and I really don’t crave them at all, but something happens and I get really stressed and it’s the first thing I think of. Each time I think I will just have one or two, but you have this packet of 20 then before you know it, it’s got you! When I was a kid the guy in the chip shop used to sell single fags to kids who couldn’t afford whole packets…maybe I should see if he’s still trading !
With the vaping, I suffer with reflux and I’ve found them a little harsh at times and for some reason they give me hiccups. It’s official, my body hates me :rofl:
 
Vaper here too. Only fallen off the wagon once in 2019 in Germany because french tobacco was so cheap there. I use the cheapest pre made liquid 88vape.. Evidently this is the favoured brand in HMPs.
 
Mixed my own for years but gave up at the beginning of the pandemic as my hands couldn't take it, I mixed a wide variety though and never used just a single flavour, also mixed for others, at the moment have a friend mixing for me xx
 
Kaylz said:
To have 3mg final strength you are using an 18mg nic shot, if you get the option of a nic shot strength go for the 9mg which will give the liquid a final strength of 1.5mg, that way at least your not short changing yourself of the final amount of liquid xx
Click to expand...
yeah they only do a 18mg shot where i order it from (and its "free"). I guess i could mix it all when I get the order in as I tend to get 6-8 at a time and use a syringe to measure it. Just not that organised :rofl:

picitup said:
I'm a firm believer that it has to be the right time to pack in.
Click to expand...
100% this.
I never hound anyone to quit but just tell them if they are ready and want to try vape to help quit to shout.
 
Hi, fellow Vapor here. I stopped smoking 2013 due to having major surgery,thought it was ideal time. Never had a cigarette since and must admit I cannot stand the smell of smoke now.
I use e-cigarettes and buy the liquids £1 from b and m.
 
khskel said:
Vaper here too. Only fallen off the wagon once in 2019 in Germany because french tobacco was so cheap there. I use the cheapest pre made liquid 88vape.. Evidently this is the favoured brand in HMPs.
Click to expand...
Can't say on prisons but thats the one I use from poundland and now my local morrisons sell it as well, £1a bottle. Sure mixing your own is cheaper over all but convenience and a weak grip (arthritis) dictate my choice.
 
EmmaL76 said:
This is a good thread. I’ve been ashamed to say that I’ve smoked on and off for decades. Stopped with each pregnancy and usually started again when something seriously stressed me out (that happens alot) ridiculously I started again in January 21’ when I was having investigations for cancer and shortly after diabetes diagnosis. I felt so ashamed of myself, but I felt like there was nothing else I could enjoy. (Although menthol cigarettes were outlawed by this time which were my go to ) I never really smoke a lot maybe 4 or 5 a day but people would really nag me. I feel like having diabetes means that you shouldn’t have any vices and be 100 % committed to your health at all times and anything less and your not taking your condition seriously enough. Well anyhow I quit April 16th I have tried vapes but haven’t found one I really get on with, but if I think of caving again I will defo turn to vapes first. Thanks guys for normalising weaknesses
Click to expand...
Nothing to be ashamed about, I've 'quit' multiple times and have gone back. I think this is the longest I have lasted.

Smoking, after all, is an addiction and health care providers often forget that. Unless you smoke yourself, long term you can't really appreciate just how addictive it is.

For me personally, I think there's just a right time - unless you hit it you can't really quit long term. For me, the biggest motivation was money rather than health. I find vaping around half the cost, and that's mostly because I favour the more expensive liquids, kits, and disposables when I use them. So I think it can be drastically cheaper than that! But everyone has their own motivations. I don't think health would work for me - I'm not that self-motivated!

Vaping does make it easier, but that is really about finding the right product for you both in quality, strength, and what you like.

Good job on what you've done so far - killing it!
 
Quite right - I agree with everything you said!

I had a Smok Prince which died. I contacted Smok support and they sent me a new IPX80. I like to have 2 vapes at a time in case 1 breaks when I'm away.

Like you I must have saved £££££s vaping and it feels good!

Cheers

Steve
 
Hello Steve,

Quit smoking about eight years ago after over forty years of twenty a day. Took up vaping to help kick the smoking habit but did not like the liquids being used although I loved the abundance of vapour but not the sweet taste. After experimenting with the many vapes on offer, I settled with one called Mighty by some German company. Must admit that it has been invaluable more as a medicinal aid as I suffer quite frequently with mouth ulcers and this has been heaven sent.
 
It also helps greatly with the infrequent urges to smoke. A good alternative
 
Hi @Swilko Well done for packing in! I know from experience how hard it is. I think you hit the nail on the head with vapes. You have to try different liquids to find one that suits you. I started with menthol, but found it gave me a bit of a cough. Now I vape Ice Mint which is fine.

I guess vaping isn't for everyone, but I can't sing its praises high enough. The only thing that got me to pack in smoking after trying many other aids.

So was it the smoking that caused the mouth ulcers and vaping doesn't?

Cheers Steve
 
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