RAGGY - can you, or anyone, cast some light?

[lolli]

Hi Raggy I'm wondering how your wife's doing, or not, with her vaping?

I know you were both doing it together, and then she went back to ciggies. I could well have this all wrong of course?

I was wondering if she 'floated' back and forth, or had given up the notion of vaping altogether?

Basically, I'm really interested in her 'take' on it all.

I still fight every day not to smoke full time. I will NOT give up yet on the vaping, but still smoke a heck of a lot (certainly not the odd 1 or 2 or 10 or .........).

Just trying to work out what the triggers are ie: Why it works so well for so many, but not so well for others.

Thought it might be helpful to know how your wife viewed it all - might help those of us that are struggling to understand what's going wrong maybe. I know it's a long shot.

When I've been totally absorbed with work, I have even found myself with a ciggie in one hand, and my 510 going in the other This is not something I'm proud of, and it's not the norm!!

Whilst vaping, often, I'm just longing for a 'proper' ciggie. I am LONGING also though to be vaping only, and in the light of recent not-such-good news, the need has now become urgent for me.

I've tried the chilled approach, and I've tried the TRYING SO HARD approach, and I'm not going to get many more chances, I know.

I totally believe vaping IS the way forward for everyone addicted to nicotine, so am forever a firm supporter. I just want to be a success story too

I have dithered about posting this for days now, but figure if there's any straws to clutch, and help to be found it'll be here, amongst so many kind people, so have plucked up the nerve finally!

Sincere apologies to all
lolli xxx

[jimmybat]

There is never any reason to be sorry or to apologise for anything ......MY sister n law when starting vaping in February this year found it real hard and was climbing the walls so I decided to give her the highest possible nicotine content for the mornings and other trouble times and a less nic concentrate for other times and that seemed to work wonderfully well and now very rarely has the urge to smoke analogues ....I hope tis helps in some small way Lolli
James XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[deesigner]

Bless ya Lolli. I've never had any urge to give up smoking in the last 36 years that I've been doing it. I've often cursed the day I started, but never tried to cut down or stop.

I don't know if it's the fact that I've smoked rollies for the past six of so years or what, but I know that I have found the Riva the most natural thing in the world to progress to. I don't want or need a real cig.

I've not had any urge for a rollie, in fact I've cleared out most of my supplies now.

Maybe if the real stuff isn't around then you can stick to vaping, you just need to convince your brain that vaping tastes better and is giving you the same as you were getting before.

I'm now patiently awaiting electronic wine!

[jimmybat]

lol electronic wine shounds kinda SHOCKING lol
James

[Hanow]

Dee - are you sure we are not twins? That was my thought - electronic wine next!

Lolli - feel for you hunnie. This really was my last resort to try vaping. To be honest, I just didn't expect it to work - which doesn't help of course. Like the time I tried hypnosis - which was hopeless.

But the vaping has made me actually appreciate what I got from a cigarette - and it is the holding something, inhaling, sufficient throat hit, then the blowing out. The fact that it came with nicotine to stem the withdrawal factor was something I hadn't ever considered - until, of course, absence of smoking brought on the cravings - e.g. long flights etc. Thus vaping with a good gadget and juice with nicotine in has ticked all of my boxes.

My e-cig is doing all of that for me - albeit I have had to play around with juices, battery charge, filling cart correctly etc. But once achieved, I do feel that I am having a cig. It is such a pity that that isn't happening for you.

Being a newbie, I'm not in the position of assisting you much I am afraid. I am still experimenting myself. But - just a thought - have you tried vaping with different models of gizmos? The Riva - once working properly, has been very effective for Dee and I, and I am sure that Judy will be fine when she gets the juices/strengths to suit her. Could it be something as simple as that - the wrong gizmo? I shall get a second/back up kit, and would worry about choosing one in case it didn't work as well as the Riva. I know if I had not started out with an efficient gizmo, I would most probably have given up on it all immediately, and just considered that I had wasted more money in an effort to give up. Willpower of a nat!

I do so hope you can find the right combination - but at least well done you for persevering. xx

[Lilac]

Lolli....get a Riva, babe, as you know, we both got an SD1 and for whatever reason, it just isn't as good as it should be, as in doesn't give a reliable vape you can count on.....

Since i've had my Tornado, i've used it exclusively, altho i still have my wee 901 as a backup, should anything go wrong...

i'm now going to get a couple of Riva batteries for it, cos they're cheaper (can't quite afford to buy the 5 pack of Tornado batts to get them for a tenner apiece, lol)

If you have the money, you could even consider the GGTS....if i see one up for sale 2nd hand, i'd get one...

keep in touch about how you're doing with the vaping, we'll get you sorted and off the dreaded weed

[Lilac]

Meant to ask, what strength of juice are you using Lolli?

James's suggestion sounds like a good idea, as high a strength as you can tolerate for the times you need it, and normal strength for the rest of the time...

I have to say altho i mainly use 18mg juice, i do use higher strengths some of the time as well, in fact, for whatever reason, i've been using some of the 36mg RY4 that James gave me quite frequently over the last week or so, as i felt the lower ones just weren't hitting the spot

[jaki]

Hi Lolli

I'm glad you posted this as it could be so helpful for not just yourself but other members too. I would love to hear about how Raggy's wife is coping too

I have to agree with the others Lolli. Whatever you're vaping right now is clearly not 'doing it' for you, although it's not as if you are not trying! You probably need something to pack more of a punch.

Which device are you using? Is it just the regular 510? If so, it possibly isn't 'man enough' for you. I know I get frustrated even with my Riva and LR atties. I seem to recall you have a screwdriver too. Have you tried a LR attie on that? I bought some LR 901 atties and it transformed my SD. I've used the 901 atties but I do have some new 510 LR atties if that's the correct fitting - I could send you one to try if you like?

Do you find the passthrough to be more satisfying? In theory that is 5volt, so the LR atty would be pretty much replicating that.

Are you using the strongest nicotine? I know a member who sold all his vaping gear because it wasn't working for him - it turned out he was trying to replace a 60 a day habit with low nic!

Perhaps you could try combining the e-cig with another method of giving up. Alan Carr is supposed to be good, or what about the NHS counselling route? I'm not overly convinced either are all that successful, but may be worth a try.

Or, just as Dee suggests, get really tough and dump/hide your cigs so that you take temptation out of the way. That way you can't have both and you just have to ignore the longing, but make sure you are a strong device and high nic. A mate of mine put hers in the loft so they were a real pain in the patootie to get down.

[ragjoy]

lolli,
my wifes gone back on the fags full time.
we go on holiday next sunday for 2 weeks so when we get back she might (i dont think so) go back vaping, putting on weight i believe was her main issue i think, along with all her coffee mates all still smoking.
i do think roll up smokers cope easier though, i think its because theres a bit of messing around to be done ie: juice, blowing out, wiping cart etc etc.
whereas ciggie smokers just pull one out and light it,but rollie smokers have to get it right, not to loose or tight, pull a bit of baccy of the ends, keep relighting etc.
i do believe that people that struggle should have the strongest available and it should be tobacco flavour for at least a month,i think lets say coffee flavour (for me) it just dont replace a fag, so therefore doesnt trick the brain into thinking its a fag, for me the more the after taste is faggy the better it works, that said i dont like sweet anything.
i think its a case of get the flavour right just like you would with a brand of fags.
this is of course just an opinion and how it works for me.
just keep plugging away lolli thats all i can say really.
good luck girl.
ragjoy........
ps i started this reply hours ago and didnt realise there were other replies, which seem have similar answers.

[knawes]

Lolli,

Having just tried vaping for the first time ever a week ago, I am amazed at how well I took to it. I believe, as the othrs have said, that you really, really need to get a higher strength juice. I looked at the chart on the board, and figured I'd need high - 36mg. I also ordered some 26mg which arrived while I was away.

I was a 50 a day smoker of either Richmond kingsize or John Player Black kingsize. I used the 36mg juice and it really is just like smoking for me. I was one of the ones convinced it wouldn't work, mainly because I have never, ever convinced myself I wanted to stop, because I didn't want to!

I have the Riva kit. It's taken a bit of messing about to get it just right, and I've been smoking as well, but less than half what I used to each day. Tonight, I've not had a proper ciggie for about 4 hours as I am love the taste of what I am using and get more of a hit than I do with my cigs! I am using James' B&H which he sent as a sample, I've just ordered more from him on the offer he has currently, so that I don't run out. I originally ordered L&B which I don't like as much, but my other half does, so he's using that.

I tried the 26mg stuff, but it's not strong enough for me, so maybe save that for a few months down the line, or sell/swap on here?

Keep at it...but don't feel a failure for still smoking normal cigs as well. I am sure I will.

Kath

[knawes]

Damn, the post didn't go the first time, and t'internet glitched, now it's posted twice. Chrissie or Scylla, you can remove one if you like. Thanks.

[nana]

Hmmm,
I reckon Raggy may well have hit a nail on the head.
I, too, was a smoker of roll-ups and have managed to quit smoking with the help of the ecig.
I wonder if it's because hand rolling tobacco maybe doesn't have so many additives?
(Don't know that it doesn't, just thinking out loud).

I do know that once I started rolling my own, I stopped smoking while walking in the street, waiting for a bus, whilst driving, etc., so this in itself cut me down a little.
Rolling a ciggie makes it just a tiny bit less easy to light up just anywhere (in the days when you could, that is).

Lolli,
perhaps that's the way to go - chuck out the ready-mades and buy some baccy and papers and start rolling your own.....

Then give the ecig another try in a couple of months' time.......

(P.S. I gave up smoking Embassy and took up rolling my own in 1984 so's I could pay for the double glazing..... )

[Hanow]

Knawes - so glad that happened to you - the double posting. It is usually me who is the pooter numpty! Hugs Hunnie. x

[Scylla]

Lots of helpful suggestions here, Lolli I asked you yesterday morning to remind me what you are vaping (but I think we got sidetracked by other upsetting news) because I agree with others here - increase the strength of the hardware and the juice, it could make a big difference. It's been amazingly wonderful how smokers like (I'm not going to mention names cos I'm bound to miss out some stars) have taken to vaping so easily this past week or two.

scylla

[jaki]

Another thought lolli - are you vaping tobacco flavours? I've just started a new tobacco flavour (Silver Vanacco) and it reminds me of smoking - it doesn't quite taste like a cigarette, but the taste left in my mouth reminds me of smoking more than the other flavours.

So, I am wondering if you are vaping juice that tastes even a bit like tobacco, perhaps that is what is making you want a real cig? If you go to a flavour that is completely removed from tobacco taste then you may lose the association, vaping will not remind you of smoking and your desire for a real cig could be lessened.

I've just realised that is the complete opposite view to that of Ragjoy's!