Well...I'm teetering on the brink at the moment and was wondering if anyone could offer some help and advice. Has anyone else ever felt the same or has anyone got some experience that they can call upon? Please try not to castigate me too much for my reasons even if they do come accross as slightly insular.
I've been vaping for a little over 6 weeks now and must admit I did enjoy it in the begining. I don't know whether it was a sense of something 'new' or 'exciting' but for the last week or so, I really have not been enjoying it at all - if anything, it has been affecting my overall mood and happiness (without trying to sound too dramatic).
If I am being honest with myself, I never started e-cigs to give up smoking. I love smoking for a start. I love the taste, the smell, the feeling, everything. Even the health issues and never-ending restrictions and tax increases weren't putting me off that much. It was my escape from the chores of everyday life, something that broke my work day up, something that I would use as a reward for myself, but most importantly, something that
I enjoyed.
You may ask why I started vaping then? Well, in all honestly, and it may well sound daft, but it was to have the option of being able to smoke (vape) indoors. The freedom of being able to have a beer, to have a smoke/vape and to watch the footy on the TV all at the same time. Sounds silly I know, but there was nothing I used to love more than to sit down after a hard days work and watch the footy with a beer in one hand and a ciggy in the other. Ultimately, and for one reason or another, I could no longer do that and vaping appeared to be my perfect way 'around that'.
I started as most do. I bought a cigalike and quite liked it. Researched the internet for something better, found the RIVA kit and E-Liquids and quite liked it. I became obsessed with vaping and began spending more money than (you know) you should be doing, but quite liked it nevertheless.......then, for me anyway, I began getting a little fed up with it all. I started going from no cigs/rollies a day for 4 weeks to having the odd rollie a day (usually in the morning). It really helped my mood and made me feel better and it was so nice to have something where I really enjoyed the taste and, at the same time, was a hell of a lot less hassle than vaping! Anyway, the last week has been really difficult and I have been thinking about it a lot and have begun asking myself whether I am actually enjoying vaping at all (or whether I ever did?).
I thought I would put down a few of my reasons why I feel like this towards vaping at present and hopefully it might help me in some way.
E-Liquid/Juice Flavours - I have tried loads and don't like any of them that much....seriously none of them! Sweet flavours don't appeal to me and the Tobacco ones, well, don't taste of Tobacco and are mostly sweet and sickly. If anything, the only flavours I can get along with are Menthol and I don't want to be vaping that all the time. This is the main one for me and I cannot go on spending money willy-nilly just so i can keep 'testing' them out.
Cost - It is expensive. It may not be for others but for me I am spending a small fortune on liquids alone, not to mention all the kit you need as well, plus the worry about whether it is actually going to work! As a 20 a day rollie smoker I would spend no more than £10 a week. At present I am spending at least £20 a week, and even if it did begin to 'settle' down, I am sure I would be spending more than £10 a week on e-liquids.
Time and Effort - What a pain in the ass vaping is (and this from a rollie smoker). At first it was fun....playing with the batteries, cartos, liquids etc...it even looked quite cool. However, when you begin getting to actually using the thing to vape...what a faff it all is! First, the constant refilling, burning taste, refilling again circle. Second, the soaking of flavours overnight ( I found this is the best and only way to do it if you want to avoid filling up after every few drags). Then there is the constant recharging of the batteries and waiting for the time when you inevitavbly know that battery will die. All I seem to be doing these days is faffing with my vaping gear and 'prepping' everything for my next vape.
Convenience - I am glad I don't have to travel around too much because what a pain that must be. It's not exactly like a pack of fags that you can shove in your pocket or a pack of baccy, it is (usually) a large metallic object that you have to carry around. Then you have to carry a spare just in case it runs out of battery, then there is the extra juice, cartos, charger you have got take with you - not exactly easy if you are going for a night on the town or a quick pint down the pub.
Suppliers/Vendors - All, in my experience, are very good, reliable, friendly and fast. But....you have no idea what you are getting and where it has come from. For all you know, the juice you are now vaping could have been concocted in someones bath tub (hysterical I know) but you know what I mean. Are these vendors real businesses or are they just people sending stuff out from home? All very weird to me.
Availability - Vaping gear and liquids isn't something you can get by just popping down your local supermarket or newsagent. 90% of the stuff needs to be bought online. So, inevitably you have to pay a p&p fee (added expense unless your happy to pay £40+ a time for free delivery). Then there is the obvious 1-2 day wait for it to arrive. Then, there is the worry of will it actually turn up plus all the problems you encounter anyway with buying stuff online - will it fit through my letterbox, will I need to be home to take delivery, will it need to be signed for, will it actually turn up etc etc! Also, you are forever having to plan ahead. Will you have enough Juice to last you the weekend, how much do I need to take away with me, how many liquids should I take....etc etc
Complications & Compatabilities - with so much of it on the market, where the hell do you start? Different names for everything, different models, different juices, it goes on and on and is way too complicated. Then there is different nicotine levels, PG/VG mixes, throat hits etc..Esentially, all you are doing is heating a liquid to make a vapour that you inhale - why so complicated? Then there is the compatability issues, will this work with that etc...it is tiring thinking about it. To think i thought having to buy a pack of rizlas, filters and tobacco from the newsagents down the road was annoying.
Satisfaction - This is a hard one for me. At first, it was really easy to switch from analogues to e-cigs. Don't know if it was the nicotine or the novelty factor but it worked initially. I was vaping a lot in the first couple of weeks and I don't think my RIVA ever left my hand....I could vape anywhere and at anytime....awesome right? Well, no, it came to a point I thought to myself, all I ever am doing is vaping and I never feel properly satisfied enough to put it down. I could almost keep vaping 24 hours 7 days a week if I had to. The problem for me is, i never know when enough is enough. At least with cigs/rollies they would burn out and signal to me that was the end. I also would feel (most of the time anyway) completely satisfied after my cig/rollie and wouldn't ever contimplate sparking another one up for the sake of it! Yet, with vaping, you can just vape through it never feeling like you have got your 'hit' - and half the time in my case, not really enjoying it either!
Anyway, there you go. I've tried to cover a few of my main gripes (there are more unfortunately) and I apologise for writing so much. I never intended to write so much but really needed to get a few things off my chest.
I hope I don't come across as someone trying to teach you to 'suck eggs' and I know that some of the things that I have written may cause controversy and will, most certainly, not be agreed with, but it is honestly the way I feel at the moment. I am also hoping that it changes because there are certainly a few things I prefer about vaping e.g. not stinking all the time, no (less) bad breadth, no yellow fingers, healthier skin (I think) but ultimately, I am not sure whether vaping is for me....not yet anyway.
Thanks again for reading and any advice anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
