Hey guys, I found this place from the MSE thread last week. Thought I should stop lurking, register and say hi.
My story probably isn't the most original but I'll share anyway:
I'm 27, and I've been smoking for about 11 years. Only 10-15 a day but that's 10-15 too many. I started as a moronic teenager with a new girlfriend - who smoked. One day she said she fancied quitting, and I had an idea. For every cigarette she smoked I'd smoke one too - because if she loved me she'd surely stop, right? Ridiculous logic, but it must have made sense at the time, and like I said I was a moron. She never stopped and I started smoking that day.
I switched to rolling my own a few months ago, and the logic was to save cash. In university I'd make "prison rollies" with more rizla than tobacco. I went back to cigs when I found out the newsagents around the corner were selling under-the-counter L&M's (we called them Lambert & Munter) for £4 a 20 deck. But back then I could make a pouch last a fortnight. these days If I was honest I was probably going through one every three days.
I'm the person out of everyone who shouldn't smoke! I'm overweight, my dad quit 20 odd years ago but he's got heart disease and on his second bypass. We all know the reasons to quit - and even smokers will tell you how much they hate the cost, the stink, the social exclusion...But what nobody ever says is actually smoking is enjoyable. It's a ritual, and there's nothing better than a sweet, strong, black coffee and a cigarette in hand.
I've tried quitting a few times but without any joy. I quit over one summer when I was at uni, but the day I came back my flatmates told me about THAT shop and I was back on them 20 minutes later. Another time I tried the gum but that stuffs lethal. the only benefit is it makes you realise how poisonous smoking can be, as your throat closes up and your mouth burns...so I lit up again. The last time I quit was for 3 months with a champix prescription....which I never bothered to renew and then decided to start watching Mad Men - all they do is drink and chainsmoke, and by episode 3 I'd bought my trusty menthol Richmond Superkings (stop laughing) and a bottle of bourbon.
...But then a month ago by partner told me we're going to have a baby. Of course, my first instinct was "I need a cigarette!"
Standing in the back garden with a rollup in hand I had 2 thoughts. The first was half serious and it was sizing up the garden wall and if I could get over it! The second was that now I've got the motivation I need to quit. I don't want to be the dad who can't play with his kid without keeling over. Even worse I don't want to be the dad who's not there to watch them grow up. So I finished that pouch of tobacco. and then I bought another one and that was my last. Well, the one after that was. But that one actually was my last.
I quit on a Tuesday afternoon and I was motivated to actually do it this time. Then I went into work on the Wednesday and got my contract terminated! Gutted, angry, panic about having to sign on with a baby on the way all I wanted to do was go buy a 10 pack of richmonds to calm me down. But I didn't, because I need to quit. Instead I went into Home Bargains and picked up one of those disposable ecigs they've started selling, and it did the trick.
That last time I quit on champix I also borrowed a friends E-lites kit and it helped a bit. The battery lasted about 3 hours and you'd only get a decent vape every 5 tries, but it was the actual hand-to-mouth routine I was getting out of it most - Might of well have chewed on a pen! The home Bargains ones aren't much better. They're meant to be the equivalent of 40 cigs but after a day or 2 of light use they run out or the battery goes. At £3 each I went through 12 of them before I realised the cost wasn't justified. So I looked about online until I found myself here.
I was completely overwhelmed by talk of atomizers, cartomisers, clearomisers, wicks, battery MhAs......All I wanted was someone to say what to buy, how much to spend and where to get it. The only things I did take on board though was to make sure I got a spare battery, and that buying an e-cig because it looks like a real one is a bad idea - my experience with the E-lites backed that up.
SoI found an e-cig shop in liverpool, bit the bullet and went into town with the intent on asking what starter kit to buy and accept I would probably get ripped off for the sake of an easy life. The shop showed me two kits - one was £20, only had one battery, came in a blister pack and I forget the name of it. The other was the
Smokers Angel Halo Ultra Tank kit. After about 20 minutes of asking every stupid question imaginable I went for the latter, handed over £40 and picked my two free e-liquids. the guy in the shop filled up a clearomizer for me and showed me how (which I didn't pay attention to and wasted half a bottle pouring it directly into the centre hole and all over my hands).
I've had it four days now and I must say I'm absolutely in love with it! Its exactly what I wanted. To be fair, it's a new toy and I'm caning it a bit (he says, with mouthpiece firmly between teeth) and so the idea of weaning myself off nicotine with an e-cig isn't really happening - infact I'm getting headaches from it. I don't really know what I'm vaping but I asked for medium strength and I've got a bottle of
ecigwizard wizmix 1.8% 3&5 tobacco and
the same in menthol.
So that's how I started vaping! Sorry for the essay, I like writing - especially about stuff I'm excited about, but I hope its interesting.
What I'd really like to know is what people think of what I bought - pros and cons. Also if you've got any advice on where to buy liquids, replacement parts, what's compatible, and what I can upgrade down the road. This is my new obsession!
Thanks for reading, here's hoping I stick with the vaping and don't regret throwing out all my lighters!
