E-Cigarette help?

Okay, I was flirting with the idea. SWMBO actually bought one for me today, a couple of days before I was about to do it myself.

I seem to have some mental problems making the transition. I sucked on the thing non-stop for about 20min this afternoon, but never quite felt like I was done with a cigarette. However, when I tried to "cheat" (have a pack of "real" ones stashed), I immediately had the nausea & headache associated with too much nicotine. To me, that means the e-cig is doing its job at delivering nik into my body just fine. My hypothesis is that there's some kind of psychosomatic "thing" going on here.

I'm craving like crazy, the e-cig doesn't do the trick, the real cigs make me sick. Any suggestions, anyone? Hopefully before I recreate some colossally stupid episode from my violent youth?

I don't really have anything to offer except I felt the same exact way on e-cigs. They don't solve the craving, going back to real cigs makes you woozy, which leads me to think that the e-cig isn't giving me the real dose.

curtis73 wrote: I don't really have anything to offer except I felt the *same exact way* on e-cigs. They don't solve the craving, going back to real cigs makes you woozy, which leads me to think that the e-cig isn't giving me the real dose.

Well, my first thought was about every tin-hat "conspiracy" thing I'd ever heard about there being "more than nicotine that you're addicted to!" in mass-market cigs. Strange thing, I hear more of that kind of stuff from the folks trying to sell me "Native American tobacco" cigarettes than I've ever heard from the anti-smoking folks.

I'm also wondering about dosage as well at the moment. I'm wondering if I'm just not toking on it properly. I've got an older friend in SCCA that has been smoking since he was a teen, swears that E-cigs are how he finally started getting the monkey off his back..on his 70th birthday.

Thanks for the input, though..every little bit of data helps!

Why do you want to smoke e-cigs?

Is there a belief that they are less addictive?

My company works for RJR making some of the components of e-cigs. All I can say is that there is NOTHING about a company like RJR that is in any way interested in offering a product that is any less addictive.

Former 5 pack-a-dayer...

Keep searching. I tried dozens of different methods that all looked stupid. Ultimately, I shamed myself into quitting.

Whatever works- it's worth the effort.

SVreX wrote: Ultimately, I shamed myself into quitting.

That's what did it for me, too. I didn't want to end up looking, smelling and sounding like the older couple I was walking behind, going into a store, one day.

Wanna quit? Just do it. Or have all your teeth and a part of your jaw surgically removed, thats what did it for me.

Keep at it, man. I can't tell you what will work for you. I can tell you I've seen a bunch of people try to quit by using the ecig...now they're addicted to the ecig.

Cutting back gradually is what worked for me. Eliminate the "low-hanging fruit;" maybe have one with your cup o coffee instead of two, or one every x amount of hours. I went from 30 a day to 3 a day doing this. By the time I got to three, it was either torture myself by trying to only have one or two, or just suck it up and quit.

If the ecig isn't working, ditch it and try something different, but COMMIT to trying something different till you find something that works. I don't know many folks who licked the addiction on their first try.

It's still hard. I still want one every day. But being able to say I'm a non-smoker makes it all worthwhile. Best of luck man. Lemme know if I can help.

I've been using a ecig on and off for about six months now. I like it went from thirty cigs a day to about five but you are correct I still crave a real one not the actual smoki g but I thinks it's more trying to find something to do with my hands.

ThePhranc wrote: Wanna quit? Just do it. Or have all your teeth and a part of your jaw surgically removed, thats what did it for me.

I used to have a really bad temper, so cold turkey wasn't an option for me. I tried it and just became a nightmare to be around. Then I heard of zyban that was/is an anti depressant that was also found to help curb the craving to smoke. I asked my Dr for a script, then started taking it while slowly cutting back from my 1-1.5 a pack per day habit. Once I got down to 5 cigarettes a day I was able to quit. Like others have said, once you get that low the wait is terrible, so might as well just quit. It was still extremely hard, but the pills helped a lot. That was close to 13 years ago.

Thanks, guys!

SVreX: I'm one of those folks who think that there are much worse things (re: damage to human tissue) than nicotine in tobacco smoke. I don't think e-Cigs are less addictive, but I do think they're not as "dirty". And congrats on ditching a 5-pack habit! Man, that sounds rough.

RMD: Yeah, I especially don't want to smell/sound like that in a job interview.

Phranc: Scared to death that that's my future, but like I said to SVreX, I think that's from the smoke, not the nic itself.

Poop: That happened to me with the %^&#%^&#%$^& gum. May turn out the same with the e-Cig. And thanks for the offer, bro.

grinch: Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about! (like Curtis & I were discussing earlier). It's like there's something wrong in my head (other than the addiction, of course.. ). I don't really have withdrawal symptoms on the e-Cig. No short temper, no impatience, no blurred eyesight..but I still don't feel "satisfied" like I do after burning a real one. Like I said in the OP, the only thing that comes close is going outside like I'd do to smoke a real one--which is kind of ironic, since one of SWMBO's selling points for trying it was, "now you can smoke inside!"

Cotton: Same page on the temper, bro. Unlike you, I haven't grown out of it yet. Haven't tried Zyban, heard it clashes with alcohol. Thinking seriously about Chantix, that's supposed to reduce the appetite for alcohol as well as nicotine.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/05/09/anti-smoking-drug-also-reduces-alcohol-use-in-heavy-smokers/38403.html

I'd stay off the drugs if you can man. I'm not trying to be all holier-than-thou, but read some of the horror stories first. They were scary enough that between the stories and my wife begging me not to, I stayed away.

The ecigs haven't been approved by the epa. Sure, you're not breathing in "smoke" per se, but what the berkeley are you breathing in.

I know you don't think you can do it without a crutch, but I'd bet my life that you can.

I have nothing to offer other than support, keep trying 'till it sticks.

I know this is old but i started using e cigs a few months ago. I jumped in the deep end and got an evic and bought juice. Ive gone from a pack a day to maybe one or two a week. When you buy your juice you can see everything thays in it.

From what ive seen eith friends dont buy a super basic modle get one eith a few features. They can be had for around $25 online. 7

I might "smoke" a bit more because you dont get the same as a normal draw frome a real cigarette but its hellp

Helped so much. Like most of you i like to mess with stuff and you can build mods to your hearts desire.

Sorry for the two posts but my phone went crazy.

I was like SVreX .. 5 packs of Camel non-filter a day (my excuse ... they were shooting at us ....LOL ) but really man .. the only way to quit is to ... QUIT ...

whatever it takes, if cutting back works for you (it worked for Poop .. he's the first I've "know" that that worked) ... but what ever works ... for me it was one on one hypnotism ... or else I was just too cheap to throw away nearly $200 by lighting up ...

just find a way .... good luck

Quitting is easy, I've done it lots of times.

FGC, hopefully the non-smoking is going well at this point, as the original post is over a year old. For me, it doesn't really get any easier, and I still have dreams that I had a cig and wake up feeling all guilty. Every time I get a craving I have a big glass of water, or if I can I go for a walk. I never craved a cig when I was walking, so that helps me get past it. Just find what works for you and stick with it.

Two packs of cowboys a day...

I quit cold turkey. What worked for me was when I wanted one I thought about something else. Sounds simplistic, but that's been over ten years ago and I really haven't been tempted to pick up the habit.

If you're really motivated keep at it. You'll find something that will work for you.

$10/day saving is nice too!.

friedgreencorrado wrote: Phranc: Scared to death that that's my future, but like I said to SVreX, I think that's from the smoke, not the nic itself.

Tell that to all the chewing tobacco guys with mouth/jaw cancer.

While I agree that the smoke adds an extra element of damage, you're kidding yourself if you think that it's purely the smoke doing the damage beyond addiciton.

Good luck with the quitting, but don't delude yourself in the process.

wbjones wrote: I was like SVreX .. 5 packs of Camel non-filter a day

It is great you both quit - that is a lot of smokes.

I was talking to an ex-coworker smoker about rolling his own or buying off brands and he told me that he would rather get a part-time job to pay for his name brand cigarettes than buy cheaper or roll his. He felt that it was beneath him to go with generic or cheaper stuff.

I told him to stop and think about that statement.

Don't smoke and never have, but have met a few people that think they are getting a step closer to quiting by using the ecig. They just end up cutting back for a while and going back to run of the mill cigs. Then use the ecig when they can't smoke in a public building or something.

I have been hearing on the news that underage kids are using these things more and more too. They smoke the ecig when they can't get the real thing and end up using both. Use has doubled since last year or something.

It's an unregulated product that tobacco companies are really excited about making.

Doesn't that tell you something?

If it is part of a path that leads to quitting, I'm all for it, and will help coach anyone who's serious.

But I have some serious questions about trusting companies like Phillip Morris and RJR to be offering a product that leads to quitting cigarettes and/or health benefits. I am completely confident they will only offer the product if it leads to more smoking, more addictions, more kids smoking, and more profits.

Did you know until recently RJR employees were REQUIRED to smoke?

SVreX wrote: Did you know until recently RJR employees were REQUIRED to smoke?

So, did they all have to go outside to the smoke dock? Must have been a big smoke dock.

I'm working off a pack a day habit. Down to half a pack a day, but I still find myself smoking more at work as an excuse for a break. All of the "stop smoking" ads everywhere don't help, either, because it makes me crave one.

I invented those. My family said it was a stupid idea, berk them. berk me for listening to them.

Derick Freese wrote:

SVreX wrote: Did you know until recently RJR employees were REQUIRED to smoke?

So, did they all have to go outside to the smoke dock? Must have been a big smoke dock.

Lol- you're showing your age, Grasshopper.

There was a time when smoking at one's desk was normal, and smoke docks were non-existent

Smoking is an interesting addiction.

I'm a "once in a blue moon" smoker. Have a cigarette with a beer, smoke a cigar with my girlfriend's dad.

I guess that classifies me a smoker, but I'm sure mechanics who work with petrochemicals all day are worse off than me.