Daily Vaping Habits?

Greetings, while looking through my photo archive I found images that help show my beginning steps in vaping. I need to point out that during the work day I use losenges that I get from Costco so only smoked in the mornings before work and the afternoons after work.

Here's the first one taken July 6th 2015:


In March/April of 2015 the other half started complaining about my cigarette smoke. She had a eye issue that she found was sensitive to the smoke when returning from visiting her daughter. (she would get used to it but would complain when he first got back)

Looking to solve the problem possibly with Vaping, I picked up a Blue kit and some extra cartridges from (of all places Costco). It was not all that expensive and the batteries (or cartridges) did not last very long or put out much vapor. They did have a "coffee" flavor I did like. I continued smoking.

Next time she left for a few days with her daughter I dropped by a local vape shop and for ~$75-100 (I forget) they set me up with a iTaste CLK!, Aspire K1 (and Maxi) and 15ml of 18mg Strawberry juice. While it took 3 days to get used to the charging/refilling/exc of the setup I quit smoking with this setup. The 1.5ml tank and mere 800mah battery were the main limitations as well as "glassomizers" really did not put out much vapor.

With in a few days I'd upgrade the tank to a Nautilus mini and shortly afterwards I'd get Full sized Nautilus tanks and the Blue tube mod shown in the center. While this mod was a good match to the Nautilus tank, I grew tired of swapping 18350's so bought the other two tube mods to the right. One could take ether 2x18350's stacked or a 18650 and the Vamo v10 on the right could take a stacked set of 18350's.

By July of that year I had given up on "drop in coil" tanks (the store bought juice I was using was killing them in as little as a few days) and had decided to take the plunge into RTA's and into temperature controlled vaping.


At the time the two leaders in TC vaping was DNA and Yihi. I bought a SXMini ($200) and three different popular (at the time) tanks: Atlantis, SubtankMini and Lemo2. Two of the three could be used with factory coils or a RBA head, the Lemo2 had the unique feature of top fill. (I still use a Lemo2 today!)

Back in those days if you wanted to TC, you were going to do it with Ni200 wire. I decided I liked the 28AWG. A few weeks later I had added two more mods:


By this point in my vaping journey I was developing a few habits: I was 'marrying' a flavor with a tank, a tank with a mod and all battery charging was being done via USB port. I just cycled complete setups on two USB charge cords I had. Others liked complaining about the SXMini's battery door but I had no issue with it as I'd only used it once.

Sometime that summer (or was it fall?) I got tired of paying the outlandish juice prices and decided to make my own. Granted for YEARS I simply made 7mg or 18mg unflavored 100% VG juice but the cost savings allowed me to get dozens of different tanks and mods to play with and try out.

By April 2016 I took this image:


TC vaping had evolved from from Ni200 wire to Ti to NiFe48 and SS. Early TC mods only supported Ni200 (and some Ti) and newer ones supported SS. Mods I've bought had to have a user programmable TCR value. I've been exclusively using NiFe48 for years.

Finally by about 2019 I decided to get into vaping flavors. Knowing that RDA's or Squankers give the best flavor, I outfitted myself (Bullcity flavors) with a bunch of squankers and now have the option of vaping flavors. (many of my squankers are in my profile image)

NOTE: only one mod in the images I've shown is dead and no longer able to be in service.

These days I have mods scattered all over the house but in/for 5 main areas: morning coffee, home office, watching tv, night stand and to take with me in the car/truck.

Thats my story and journey - happy vaping!


g.  

I was thinking the whole situation in many countries that vaping is straight up banned or illegal....and also countries like USA that is not that extreme but still many regulations going on and anyways we all know the big tobacco companies and what they try to do.

I am sure tho that vaping won't be stoped...u can't stop vaping and all the big tobacco do is to try buy some more time for them cause they know that cigarettes are in their end..

I don't know how long this will last but I am sure vaping will make cigarette smoking obselete and it will go very big...

Europe claims they have a plan to end tobacco use until 2032 or something like that for example....maybe that happens and it would be good cause it's for everyone's good.... but u can't just fight vaping and let smoking still exist...

Vaping will be back and for good....the people slowly start accept it and learn it cause honestly imagine how many smokers are out there and how many vapers...while vaping is much more enjoyable objectively...

We the people didn't support vaping enough...
ok maybe we the vapers did but I mean the majority out there don't......people are scared and they don't like to change their habits easy....even if it's for their own good.

I know politics are corrupted and all that....but some of us live in democracies maybe not perfect but still....if all people wanted to stop smoking and switch into vaping to make their life better then they couldn't stop us...
Worst case they would do it to get votes like they usually do with everything they do... not that they care for us...

So yeah vaping will go very big the next year's..
 

I want to thank ECF for making it fun, Joe for making it his life`s mission, and all the great down to earth people that make ECF the best place for a vapor outside of FT, :?)

Just for fun, here`s my first post on ECF:
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Just saying High, LOL.

Been vaping for almost 4 months now. Was smoking for about 35 years with the last ten of them smoking some strong .... cigars (Pepin, Padron, Rocky P, you know). I was never able to look at vaping as a legitimate alternative until I tried to quite the last time. I had "quite" many times in the past, but after I got into my thirties success never lasted more then a few days. Than this last time I quit (Im 48 now), I quit cold turkey for 7 days. Thought the world was going to end but "I was quitting smokes!", ha, ha. Had all those self doubts the hardcore smoker goes through. Was really fighting the lack of sanity and then somehow I got me a ecig (My wife`s ecig (that she hardly used!!) I actually snuck it, ha, ha.
And Hot damn, if that thing did`nt work. Cravings were gone, Sanity felt so much better. It tasted like the waft of a dog turd, but I did`nt like smoking either 35 years ago either, its an acquired taste you know. Quickly found out that if you are`nt committed, and if you are`nt capable of problem solving, smoking will look so much easier. But I`m not one that gives up very easily, so I figured out what was wrong (Kanger quality control pretty much sucks, LOL), tried some more juices, got a bigger tank, tried some more juices.

Its been 4 months of real fun. This is FUN! I control the Nic intake, not the smoke. I can vape a little, I can Vape ALLOT! I really like 36MG but my stomach is very attuned to being able to tell me when to put it down. Me and My better half have been able to stay stinky free for just about 4 months and since that first week, I have`nt really even thought about a smoke. I mean I`ll say it again, THIS IS FUN!! I CAN APPLY CONTROL to the mix of getting my fix. I like Nic and this is the absolutely perfect delivery system for a control freak like me, LOL.

Now I have a Vamo, a KFL, a Panzer with a hypertank. Oh, I got a brass thingy with a brass Stilare on top chucking .4 ohms. A Kcig (Kamry bomb I call it). Getting rid of the plastic clearomisers as they are just too finicky and a pita at this stage. As soon as I can I`m getting a Fooger cause I know that is going to be the ONE. But hey, my first months was spent on a twister and a PT2, so I know it will work if you really, really want to quit.

And if this government gets too high and mighty and regulates that crap out of my Nic, then I`m going to get a box of decent cigars, and a couple gallons of PG, and they can stick their regulation right up the kyster!! This government needs a enema, and I hope they get it this November. Those misguided idiots that try to stuff "Not a smoking cessation program" down the mouth of the general public really piss me off, I mean I get hot and see red when these self righteous know it all`s start spewing their self righteous know NOTHING crap!

Have I said enough? LOL.

My handle means Vapehappy Randall B. Cause that`s the first thing I think of when I think about vaping, its makes me Vapehappy. But of course it makes lots of folks Vapehappy and so we`re all vapehappy and I`ll have to settle for that amalgamation of a handle, but its all good.

Glad to be here.
Randall
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Its a new addiction, :?)  

I "successfully" quit vaping for 2 month. It actually wasn't that bad, I was able to fill the void with music/gum/walks. Right now I have 0 physical temptation to vape.

But there has been many stressful situations and I feel without the vape it made everything harder. To me, it's not that I had to have it, but it was something enjoyed. And taking it away made life a little less fun. It's like saying you can never eat candy or drink coffee again.

The only reason I quit was for the health benefits. I heard vaping can cause COPD but then I also hear it's a lot less harmful than smoking. But here's the thing that really demotivates one from quitting vaping:

We are not sure how harmful is it (if at all)

There are many other things bad for us in life, like air pollution, asbestos, etc. Is it worth giving up something that you enjoy for a marginal health benefit? I vape at a low wattage so I don't think I'm getting lots of formaldehydes.
I'm really thinking about going back to vaping. I think I'll vape a few more years and if news comes out by then that vaping is truly really bad, then I'll quit...

I don't know... it's not like we are going to live forever even if we don't vape/smoke/do anything unhealthy...  

I just found out my 17 year old cousin started vaping a few months back and he was afraid to tell me, and his mother! To be honest, part of me is relieved!

a little background: I come from an entire family of smokers, aunts, uncles, cousins, all of us smoke with the exception of maybe 5 (out of 50+ people). Most of us starting at around the age of 13-15, it just seems like the thing to do in our clan I guess. Secretly I worry about my younger cousins picking up on our bad habits, just as I did. Seeing your entire family smoke and being around it all the time, its kind of hard to imagine NOT ending up a smoker yourself.


any who, when he told he was vaping, and that he things cigarette smoke is disgusting... I smiled inside soo much. there is hope for us yet!  

Well, over the time all changes, even the beloved habits and hobbies, so is vaping, I do remember when I did started, a bit confused, a bit scared and with some doubts, then enjoyed a lot RDA’s, rolls, making coils and all those new things that changed out the habit… for example to switch the cigarettes pack and light on your pocket for a vape mod and maybe a juice bottle too,

so at the beginning I did used some sub-ohm tanks, then moved to RBA’s…. oh boy, the RDA’s, the coiling art and wicking, what a times on some stores, talking, vaping having great times!
Then, the need of more liquid, the hassle of dripping and there were no squonks available… so, decided to try RTA’s, oh what a wonderful land, tank capacity and dripper alike sensation, draw, flavor and vapor production..

Then… maybe a bit late, started using more mtl rta and pods, the vaping sensation changed a lot, I was maybe using 120ml per week on RTA’s and seldom a RDA, the liquid consumption reduced that much that I maybe use 10ml per day, 25max on a hard stressful day, the salt nic consumption raised when started using salts on TC mode with a RTA mtl and single battery mod,


How have your vaping habits and hobby changed, has It been affected by new devices and new trends?



Regards,  

For a start, I wasn't a heavy smoker. The farthest I've gotten is seven sticks a day.

Started vaping once with some eGo CE4/5's, it's not a good clearo so it went back to lighting up again.

Gotten some Vivi Novas, chain vaping for say, a month? Alternating between analogues, around a stick or two a day, then the battery got fried.

Went back to analogues again, picked up some mechmods, survive on alternating smoking/vaping for a bit.

Been busy for a bit and vaping just for nic fix, got into DIY to cut cost.

Found out it's habits, and gotten used getting nic fix by vaping.

Now resensitized to tobacco like before I even smoked, felt like vomitting like the first time.

Dependence on nicottine is dropping.  

I've been thinking on why vaping with flavored eliquid is so effective at tobacco smoking cessation.

Smoking cigarettes was more than just a physical dependence for me, it also consisted of breaking the bad habits. I wanted to stop using tobacco, but there was more to quitting, and staying quit, than I first thought.

I tried nicotine gum, patches, chantix, etc. Nothing worked until I took up vaping. Here are my thoughts on why I think it worked, when nothing else did.

Physical needs

Tobacco contains several alkaloids and chemicals, in addition to nicotine, that change the effect nicotine has on our body and brain. Some of these alkaloids and chemicals likely have effects on their own. When changing from tobacco use to ecigarettes, I know that I initially experienced cravings that nicotine did not curb. If it was only nicotine I craved, vaping would have eliminated my cravings. This wouldn't happen for me until a little later on in vaping.

Behavior, eg. Habit

Repeating an action long enough creates a habit. Some habits can reinforce an addiction, or be a part of that addiction. Breaking those habits, in my experience, is more than half the battle when quitting.

One of the hardest habits for me to break was the ritual of smoking. It went something like this; Walk into the convenience store, buy a pack of smokes, pack them on my palm, open the cellophane, remove the top of the liner, smell that fresh pack of smokes. Take a cigarette out, light it up, smoke it, put it out. Repeat part two until your almost out, then go to the store and buy another pack.

In the beginning I had to avoid going in the store and just pay with a card at the pump. Over time this impulse has disappeared.

The act of smoking itself was the other major habit I had to change. I did this by replacement.

When I quit I found that mimicking the act of inhaling smoke, by inhaling vapor instead, helped me to satisfy the hand-to-mouth habit part of smoking. Raising my pv to my lips, taking a drag, then lowering it to my side is very similar to the way I used to smoke a cigarette. The feeling of drawing warm vapor into my mouth, then lungs, substituted for taking puffs on a cigarette.

So why are flavors so important then?

Even with the habit side of smoking more or less dealt with, I still felt I was missing something. The gnawing pull of a cigarette was still there. It only abated when I was actually vaping (and shortly after), even though I knew I had enough nic in my system.

What's going on then?

Flavors

I believe that adding flavors has a twofold benefit in successfully switching from tobacco to vaping.

When I enjoy a flavor, and I mean really enjoy it, my tastebuds and scent receptors light up in a flavorgasm. The thought of cigarettes gets pushed to the back of my mind, if only temporarily, as I focus on the sensations I'm experiencing with this vapor. That moment, and for a short time afterwards, I experience true relief from my cravings. When vaping a flavor I dislike, I don't feel as satisfied and vape more trying to fill that craving.

The two main processes that I believe are occuring to provide that relief are a shifting of focus (distraction), and pleasure.

Distraction & pleasure

Replacing an unpleasant stimulus with a pleasant one is a widely accepted method of behavior modification. Pleasure releases endorphins, sex & drugs release alot of endorphins for example. Taste & smell do this as well in smaller amounts.

I stated earlier that repeating an action long enough creates a habit. After vaping for a period of time, the association that vaping=pleasure became hardwired into my brain, and the longer that I vaped, the stronger the association grew. On the flip side the longer I avoided tobacco, the greater dissociation with the pleasure response became.

Today I don't even want to smoke, it's nasty.

Sometime later on my vape journey, heavily flavored vapor became unpleasant. I think that was after my tastebuds grew back more. I found that I used less and less flavor as time went by. Oversaturation of my tastebuds is unpleasant now.

I still enjoy flavors, but the percentages I use have been cut drastically. I regularly used 15-20% when I started, now I use from 1-5% on average. Also I started on 18-24 mg per mL of nicotine, and now use 6 mg.

I know that this stuff is common knowledge to most of y'all, same as me, but I haven't seen it presented this way in the same place before. Hopefully someone can get some good use out of this somehow.  

Hello, I have been vaping for years, at 1.8 nic strength. I have some questions.

First of all I think I've made a problem by vaping on (all kangertech devices and coils), at .5 ohms, but I only vape at 20-24 watts. Is this wrong? Anything higher is way too hot, and I just don't enjoy it. I've bought a smok mag and other devices that wont fire under anything 50 watts and it was way too strong so I never use it.

Also, over the past 6 months I've developed some mouth sores I'm pretty sure it is
Tobacco Stomatitis
I know this is from vaping or smoking, the heat I guess is causing this. I've told my dr. about this he never really looked (I was in for something different than this), he replied try to vape point it downwards towards my tongue and I have been doing this for months, but to no avail with the mouth sores going away.

I can't quick vaping. I tried for a few days and I smoked more cigarettes than I ever did. It was actually hotter I noticed. I still smoke cigarettes when I drive, just a weird habit and at work on breaks. I vape all day at work when my boss isn't around.

I'm going to stick to just the unflavored e juice from now on. I'm also cutting the strength back. I also tried cutting it before with 0% percent e juice and to no avail my mouth sores are still there.

Sorry for the diatribe but I just have a few questions.



Does smoking at 22 watts and sometimes below with sub ohm coils, is this bad? I've been doing it for years now. The problem is I bought a ton and I find it hard to find coils now over 1 ohm. It seems all they sell not days is .5 coils. And I've tried nickel and and they just burn in a day, even with the settings they are supposed to be at, so I'm really at a loss as to what to do.

Also has anyone else experienced the tobacco stomatitis as I have?  

So I'm a 19 year old guy, started smoking when I was 14 and finally quit cigarettes 3 months ago. My parents like that I quit smoking but they think vaping some sort of gateway drug that will make me want to, and I quote, "smoke {OTHER STUFF}". What I don't understand is that both of my parents both smoke a pack a day. I even tried to convince them to switch to vaping but they said they don't want to smoke that "{OTHER STUFF} device". Even when I vape in my room, they come in and get pissed off because they're tired of smelling my "fruity {MODERATED}". How can I convince them to get a better understanding of vaping and potentially start them on it too?