# Electronic Cigarettes



## Burl Source (Dec 19, 2012)

I am curious if anyone has tried E-Cigarettes.

The first I ever heard of them was when I saw Johnny Depp in the movie "The Tourist".
Some time went by then a week ago one of the workers was puffing on something with a blue light at the end.
Looked like he was blowing smoke so I had to ask. It was an e-cigarette.

On my way home I stopped at the drug store and asked the pharmacist about them.
I told him that I have been smoking for a long time and thought they might help with quitting smoking.
He encouraged me to try using e-cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking.

They didn't sell them there but he told me a couple places in town that sells them.
All I found were the cheap versions but I thought I would give them a try.

Well.....it was not the same as a real cigarette. But it was better than I expected.
The taste is off a bit, and I drop it when I just hold it in my lips.
It does give me the nicotine like a cigarette and gets rid of the desire for a real one after a few puffs.

I haven't quit smoking the real ones yet.
But since I got the e-cigarette I am only smoking half as much as usual.

I am heading to San Diego next week and will see if I can find a better e-cigarette and get serious about quitting smoking for real.

I am curious to hear if anyone else has tried them.
What you thought and any suggestions.


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## apicius9 (Dec 19, 2012)

No personal experience, but I can tell you that the health professionals have conflicting views. My position? Whatever helps you to reduce or even stop smoking cigarettes is good. The nicotine is mostly what keeps you addicted, all the other stuff in the cigarette smoke is what kills you. So, switching to e-cigarettes and then eventually fading those also out eventually, seems to be a strategy that is promising. Not that many studies out there, yet, but it would make sense. 

On the other hand, be careful with those capsules. Nicotine is highly toxic, and in each one of these capsules is enough nicotine to kill you if ingested all at once. Someone told me once that his e-cigarette leaked a bit, so he kept licking it off - not a good idea... There are also no regulations of what can be in there and that gives the - predominantly Chinese - producers a lot of freedom to put all kinds of crap in there that may also not exactly be healthy for you. 

Stefan


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## Crothcipt (Dec 19, 2012)

My point of view it still stinks. But on the other hand if it does get you off the cancer stix then I'm all for it. Interesting point Stefan had about China being the manufactures.


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## jmforge (Dec 19, 2012)

Crothipt, the e-cigs have little or no smell and no residual smell. Three days into using them, I could not stand the smell of a heavy smoker close to me.


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## jmforge (Dec 19, 2012)

Mark, I posted my response on BF if you haven't seen it yet.


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## Crothcipt (Dec 19, 2012)

Don't get me wrong. I have never smoked and can smell when some one lights up, right away. I can smell these too. Being around everyone in my family that smoked, growing up I could even tell what flavors they were. I have been told I am very susceptible to the smoke.


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## The hekler (Dec 20, 2012)

I found no success with the regular e-cigs (the ones that look and "taste" like a cigerette) just made me wanna smoke more. A few months ago I ran into what people around here call a e-hookah though and it's made all the difference, this is a rechargeable unit that you just change the reservoir in and can be refilled. I found none of the cigerette flavors to be anything close to the real thing but with thee-hookah there are thousands of different flavors, my favorite is proprietary to the shop that I buy it but its basically a mentholated cinnamon flavor, it gives you the full mouth flavor like a cigerette but tastes delicious, smells great and the shop will add nicotine to it so you can work yourself off the addiction now I'm down to the equivilant of an ultra light and will soon switch to no nicotine. The unit I own is a LEO pro by Innokin and I love it would recommend it to anyone trying to quit.


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## slowtyper (Dec 20, 2012)

Hey, I am a huge advocate of e-cigs. Good ones...not the cheap ones you will find in a grocery store. However, there is so many different brands and "mods" and stuff in this world...I don't have the inclination to learn about everything. 

I highly suggest you check out http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ and make time to read through the newbie stuff and get something to get you started asap. 

I didn't have time to read all that stuff and just ended up buying a kit. Mine is called EGO-C or something...anyways, its good enough for me and as long as I don't read about all the cool stuff I'm missing out on, ignorance is bliss...

Anyways, its completely turned me off smoking real cigarettes (they call them analogs, but i find that stupid). After a couple days of using ecigs, I tried a normal cig and it was gross...disgusting! Now I hardly even use the ecig, I'm 100% positive I could just drop it all together. But I don't because...its nice! You get a nice nicotine hit, but without the coughing and breathlessness after a quick run. 

Really though, the forum has lots of info and the people there are super helpful. If I had more money, I would be buying this kit for everybody I know that smokes.


And there is absolutely no smell on these...well, sometimes you can smell something lingering, but it vanishes quick (its only water vapor being released) and is nowhere close to a "smoke" smell. its almost like a perfume that lingers for a minute.  One advice, don't get flavors that try to simulate a cigarette. They don't work. Just get flavors of things you like, there are hundreds of flavors. I'm partial to citrus-type flavors, especially one called lemon-lime.

You can even get into making your OWN nicotine juice, so you know exactly whats in it.


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## apicius9 (Dec 20, 2012)

From what I understand, several of the e-cigarette forums are openly or not openly organized by the producers of the things and I would try to take some infos there with a grain of salt. But, as I said above, from a health perspective, anything that can get you away from regular cigarettes is most likely a good thing. 

Stefan


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## Cipcich (Dec 20, 2012)

Alternatively, one could just stop smoking. There are harder things in life.


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## chinacats (Dec 20, 2012)

Good luck w/ quitting Mark, hope this helps. Been there and it sucks...:curse:


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## DeepCSweede (Dec 20, 2012)

I wish you luck Mark. I was one of the lucky ones. I quit about 15 years ago and was able to quit cold Turkey. Three weeks after quitting I tried one after a few cocktails and just about threw up because it just didn't taste good anymore. I haven't had one since. I still like an occasional cigar, but have cut way back on those too.


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## jmforge (Dec 20, 2012)

Cipcich said:


> Alternatively, one could just stop smoking. There are harder things in life.


Yes, we know how easy that is.


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 20, 2012)

Cipcich said:


> Alternatively, one could just stop smoking. There are harder things in life.



Yeah, I quit smoking every time I throw the end of a ciggy away. 

Ive been trying to quit for 3 weeks this time around. had a total of 3 smokes in two nights during that time until last night. Got drunk, and found myself halfway down a pack of Marb Reds by 4 in the morning. Boy, do I ever try to quit. All my friends smoke though, and every time I am quitting, the people in the tv are smoking and I cant stand to sit on the couch. 

E-cigs...for me, personally very dangerous. I have a highly addictive personality and seem to space out very often (adult a-d-d like) I remember when e-cigs first came out my buddies grandpa bought a truckload of them and started selling them at fairs and whatnot. So we ended up with a few of them, we would just sit around and slam those suckers all day long while bsing on local couches around town. Those refill cartridges didn't stand a chance. 

Nowadays, the ecigs have improved a ton Id say, I have tried a few here and there...I really like flavors like Gumby Blood and Unicorn Blood, and I really like the idea that I could take a quick puff in the middle of my shift in the bathroom and the vent would take the vapors that smell like watermelon and waft them away and Id still have a nic rush. 

So - as I type this and ponder, Im probably going to get myself another e-cig today because I really really want to quit smoking. BUT, I think that after all this blabber, what I wanted to say is that its really hard to tell how much nic you are taking in no matter what dose is in your refill because there is no way to track the "amount" of cigarettes youve had in a day.


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## Mike9 (Dec 20, 2012)

I quit 20 yrs ago and it was one of the hardest things I ever quit doing. It is however one of the best things you can do for yourself and I encourage you to kick the habit. Once you get your senses of smell and taste back you'll be glad you did.


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## Mr.Magnus (Dec 20, 2012)

lol i got my dad the eversmoke E-cigarette for xmas present. :happymug:


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## Cipcich (Dec 20, 2012)

Heh. I didn't say it was easy, just implied that there are other addictions that are much tougher to beat.

I used to smoke a couple packs of Camel straights a day until I realized that if the smoking didn't kill me outright, I would die of aggravation over having poisoned myself.


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## chinacats (Dec 20, 2012)

Cipcich said:


> Heh. I didn't say it was easy, just implied that there are other addictions that are much tougher to beat.
> 
> I used to smoke a couple packs of Camel straights a day until I realized that if the smoking didn't kill me outright, I would die of aggravation over having poisoned myself.



I've personally had quite a few addictions and must say that ciggies were for me the hardest of all to quit...


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## jmforge (Dec 20, 2012)

According to many who don't like tobacco, nicotine is one of THE hardest addictions to kick.


Cipcich said:


> Heh. I didn't say it was easy, just implied that there are other addictions that are much tougher to beat.
> 
> I used to smoke a couple packs of Camel straights a day until I realized that if the smoking didn't kill me outright, I would die of aggravation over having poisoned myself.


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## Cipcich (Dec 20, 2012)

Let's hear from all the dyed-in-the-wool junkies out there.
What hurts worse, 12 hours without a cigarette, or 12 hours without your opiate of choice?
Just wake me when it's over.


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## jmforge (Dec 20, 2012)

But you can kick an opiate habit while you sleep.......or are knocked the hell out with some other kind of powerful drug. LOL


Cipcich said:


> Let's hear from all the dyed-in-the-wool junkies out there.
> What hurts worse, 12 hours without a cigarette, or 12 hours without your opiate of choice?
> Just wake me when it's over.


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## tk59 (Dec 21, 2012)

I've spoken with a number of people who use them. They have all quit smoking but they actually go and get high on nicotine far more often than they used to. Some of them go around using their little vaporizers continuously nearly all day. I'm sure it's better for them and me but I'm not sure it's a great thing either.


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## Dardeau (Dec 21, 2012)

I used the cheap ones to quit smoking. I just set rules where I wouldn't use the e cigarette unless I would be able to smoke a real cigarette, so no hitting it in bed because I could, I still had to get up and go outside. After a month I weaned myself off. I'm seven months out after fifteen years of pack plus a day, and I don't know if I could have made it without the winding down period of the e cigarettes.


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## jmforge (Dec 21, 2012)

i was able to use it FAR less than cigarettes immediately.


tk59 said:


> I've spoken with a number of people who use them. They have all quit smoking but they actually go and get high on nicotine far more often than they used to. Some of them go around using their little vaporizers continuously nearly all day. I'm sure it's better for them and me but I'm not sure it's a great thing either.


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## Cipcich (Dec 22, 2012)

I know I should just leave this one alone, but I can't. I have, of course, heard the urban myth about cigarettes being more addicting than just about anything. What a bunch of crap.
Listening to people addicted to nicotine and playing with their electronic toys reminds me of the folks who use gizmos to sharpen their knives. It's the sign of a weak mind.
The reality of kicking an opiate habit for most folks is not just a matter of checking into the local spa and sleeping it off. And I'm not surprised that no other junkies weighed in here, but after they finished laughing about people whining about cigarettes, they probably had to find their next fix before their life turned to hell.
Anyone who would argue otherwise simply does not know what they're talking about.


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## jmforge (Dec 22, 2012)

Yeah, you should have left that one alone. Having see a fair number of addicts, etc. I would say that alcohol may be one of the toughest habits to kick for the person who is TRULY one of those "real" alcoholics that the treatment folks talk about and supposedly physically processes alcohol differently than regular folks. As for the weak mind comment, are you implying that it takes a STRONG mind to get hooked on smack? :eyebrow: That is one drug that always struck me as being fairly easy to avoid through the use of artificial boundaries like the old "I'll do this and that, but I will never stick a needle in my arm."[ Oh, and by the way, if you have been in treament, you know that you just did the "your'e not a REAL addict" thing which would have gotten uyoui slapped down HARD by any competent conselor.:lol2:QUOTE=Cipcich;166121]I know I should just leave this one alone, but I can't. I have, of course, heard the urban myth about cigarettes being more addicting than just about anything. What a bunch of crap.
Listening to people addicted to nicotine and playing with their electronic toys reminds me of the folks who use gizmos to sharpen their knives. It's the sign of a weak mind.
The reality of kicking an opiate habit for most folks is not just a matter of checking into the local spa and sleeping it off. And I'm not surprised that no other junkies weighed in here, but after they finished laughing about people whining about cigarettes, they probably had to find their next fix before their life turned to hell.
Anyone who would argue otherwise simply does not know what they're talking about.[/QUOTE]


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## The hekler (Dec 22, 2012)

So...... Back to e-cigerettes?


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## jmforge (Dec 22, 2012)

The hekler said:


> So...... Back to e-cigerettes?


 Precisely. Point being that they can work for you.


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## Burl Source (Dec 22, 2012)

My opinion is that any addiction can be ended if you want to end it.
I enjoy my cigarettes but am approaching slowing down and then stopping because it is my most detrimental vice.
The e-cigarettes have helped me to cut back quite about without becoming too much of a grump.


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## Cipcich (Dec 22, 2012)

Nah. When someone tells me to leave it alone, my natural instinct is to chew harder. So, with deference to the OP, upon whom I rely to support my wood habit, and therefore do not wish to offend, I just have to respond. It's the dog in me.

Of course I did not imply that " . . it takes a strong mind to get hooked on smack", as you well know. I am saying that if you believe quitting smoking means you deserve a merit badge then you're in the Twinkie troop. Just do it; you don't need a crutch.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for a challenge, I can suggest any number of alternatives . . .


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 23, 2012)

Went and bought a cool as heck ecig next door at Walgreens for $7.99. One time use one, gal at counter said it lasts longer than the Blu one time. Its a non flavored one, but for me it tastes like a cheap gas station mocha... you know the ones. I actually like it. Its made out of a soft material so you can bite down on it and it feels like a ciggy too. Im actually doing what I thought I would, and been puffing on it since I got home 10 minutes ago LOL. what the heck...next weeks tips will be going to the aforementioned Innokin pro or whatever that was, and hopefully Fuzionvapor will be accepting payments and Ill get some unicorn blood from them and something else with valerian root in it so maybe thatll help me sleep  Sounds like another addiction in the making to me.


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 26, 2012)

Bought an Njoy King from the 7-11 in Everett. Horrible little thing. Tastes like cheap Pyramid cigarettes and has a strong TH on it. Ordered a 1300mAh eGo Spinner, 10 double coil atomizers, a peach tobacco juice, and a watermelon juice from online sources(want to know more?) Looking forward to a new AD.


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## quantumcloud509 (Jan 12, 2013)

Just an update - I now have a collection of 20 20mg of e-juices, multiple cartomizers/ atomizers, and have found out that this stuff really does help stop the craving or need for cigarettes. Its odd, but within the past month of me starting this stuff, 4 of my friends (all heavy smokers) have started using ecigs as well, two of whom are done with cigarettes as well, and they were both 1pack+ a day. The price point vs smoking regular cigs is so much lower, its unbelievable! The juice I have now would last me a good year(but its fun to be generous with it and refill other peoples carts), and I havent even spent $100 on it. I only got 4 bottles of flavors with 24mg of nicotine, and the rest are all 16mg. By the end of this summer I am looking forward to dropping to 12mg nic, and by the end of the year to 0mg. After that I hope to continue vaping, purely because I love the hand to mouth, inhale, exhale past-time, and am no longer smoking drugs, herb, or cigarettes. I have ordered from two different online distributors, and my favorite one so far is electovape, but unfortunately the lady is having health issues and shutting the site down at the end of this month. If anyone wants, she has a code I got off the vaping forum im on, and everything on her site is 60% off which is ridiculous by any standards (code is: 60elec). Thanks for starting this thread here, Burl Source , without it I probably wouldnt have been on this bandwagon for a while, if ever and would be continuously promising my wife that Im about to quit and draining knife money on "analogs"


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## slowtyper (Jan 12, 2013)

Pretty amazing isn't it? If I was rich I would just give these out to smokers everywhere.


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## franzb69 (Jan 13, 2013)

with the sin tax just coming to effect in my country and my recent quitting of smoking, i might opt for e-cigs as well. it'll come out cheaper in the long run. not that i smoke a lot, i "stress-smoke" though when i'm pressured.


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## jazzybadger (Jan 13, 2013)

Hello, saw this thread and thought I'd chime in. I have been using e-cigs for about two years now, and think they're amazing. As has been stated in this thread, not all brands are created equal. Most of the ones you find in grocery stores, malls, and gas stations are pretty crappy. I went to the forum that's already been posted here, ecigarettesforum.com or whatever it is, and after some research I came up with Vapor4Life as my chosen brand. A bunch of my friends went with the E-Go or something, we all love our choices. It's all evolved a lot since I first started up, but it's all been for the better in my opinion. I use drip tips, tanks, titan batteries, pass thrus, I've got a car charger, a charging case, blah blah blah. They do work, and you can even remove all the nicotine and just smoke for the oral fixation/idle hands issue. Definitely give them a try if cold turkey hasn't worked for you.


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## quantumcloud509 (Jan 13, 2013)

franzb69 said:


> with the sin tax just coming to effect in my country and my recent quitting of smoking, i might opt for e-cigs as well. it'll come out cheaper in the long run. not that i smoke a lot, i "stress-smoke" though when i'm pressured.



Sin tax?


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## Crothcipt (Jan 13, 2013)

"sin tax" a term used to tax the stuff that is considered, or leads to sinning. Some people justify it by saying that if it is taxed less people would do it.


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## jmforge (Jan 13, 2013)

Yes, the gummint SAYS that they tax you on such sinful things to encourage you to quit or cut back for your own good, yet they still include ALL of that tax revenue in their budget every year. :thumbsup:


Crothcipt said:


> "sin tax" a term used to tax the stuff that is considered, or leads to sinning. Some people justify it by saying that if it is taxed less people would do it.


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## franzb69 (Jan 13, 2013)

sin tax

wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_tax

my country's sin tax
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/01/01/892045/higher-sin-taxes-take-effect-today

sorry for the confusion


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## quantumcloud509 (Jan 14, 2013)

Oh no bro, its not your fault for the confusion, youre not the confusing one its the haters taxing you.


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## franzb69 (Jan 14, 2013)

lol thanks =D


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## quantumcloud509 (Jan 17, 2013)

Ok, so you know that you are going overboard when you start ordering GALLONS of VG and PG to make your own e-juices after a month of being into e-cigs. Holy crap man, I tried really hard not to push that "pay now" button, but it made so much sense to me in my head though


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## quantumcloud509 (Jan 18, 2013)

I posted the following on vapeatron.com, a smaller ecig forum I joined last month, and I just wanted to share with you guys a glimpse of what e-cigs DIY juice looks like to me right now; 

*Ok, so before I try to explain what Im doing, I have:*

1.Read Rocketmans tutorial 3 times when I wasnt drinking.
2.Read other peoples advice for the past month or so. 
3.Read about the dangers of high concentrate nicotine.
4.One gal of each VG and PG on the way already. 

*What I will be attempting to do is* to make 2+ gallons of 50/50 juice with 16mg-18mg of nic in it. This will be my base. I want to have it in one huge mason jar. 

*I plan on ordering* mucho flavors from WizLabs. I also plan on purchasing 10ml and 20ml plastic bottles (someone posted a great site for them on here just the other day and now I cant find it). 

*I hope* to have the 2gal of 18mg juice, and when I or my friends want a particular flavor, I can fill the 10ml bottle with the appropriate mixture of juice vs. flavor and bada bing bada bang! No wait for shipping and no scalpeling for prices from local brick and mortars, and a year or more worth of juice for our ultimate enjoyment for less than $100. 

*Reason for this approach:* I enjoy being generous and the idea of PIF. Most of my friends are broke, ghetto, scared of trying new stuff or all three of the aforementioned. I am not rich myself, but love making things and watching people enjoy what I make. (Im a cook for a living.) 

*Please respond with your thoughts*, i.e.: you're never gonna make it you newb, re-read Rockets post you newb, you're gonna poison yourself with nicotine you newb, itll never work you newb, etc. 

*Thanks guys!* I have met some really awesome people here and am really enjoying my stay, I really want to be able to contribute not only to the forum but to the bigger vaping community someday. I have a lot of drive and motivation, but sometimes I get too excited and don't think straight, and thats where community comes into play.


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## chinacats (Jan 18, 2013)

I'm not so sure I understand...I thought vaping involved that substance you folks just legalized in Washington? :scratchhead:


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## quantumcloud509 (Jan 18, 2013)

No dude, to clarify: anything that can be smoked *CAN* be vaped, but we are talking about nicotine here, one of the 4000 substances in a cigarette. The one chemical that PhillipMorris/Pobama and associates are now trying to privatize in all forms, so that they can get their grimy terrorist hands on to knuckle down our freedom so we cant chose what we wanna do. 

I havent had a cigarette or craved for one for almost a month now man. Im talking about going from full blown smokin Marb reds to not in a matter on no time without the crazy thoughts like when I quit the times before. Im talking about controlling the amount of nicotine you ingest, which you cannot do when you smoke ciggys. Im talking about not having someone else think for you. Its a little piece of freedom, and its about to get yanked starting Feb 13th because it bothers the big guys when they lose customers and people start figurin things out for themselves. 

Yes there are herb vaporizers, but those run at much much higher temps (190 degrees) and the tanks which hold the herby stuff are completely different than the ones in eciggys. 

Another thing about herby herb is that its not legal man, the media funks with the truth. The feds are about to gangbang on Washington state again and take everything away from people AGAIN. This is the second time something like this has happened. Americans told they can do something by the government, and then the OTHER government comes in and jacks em. 

FYI I been clean off anything from the streets or the garden 4 years now man. Im not for it, but I am for the people. 

Hope this clarifies things for you. If not, shoot away with questions.


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## Burl Source (Jun 2, 2014)

About a week ago one of my customers who makes e-cig mods (probably not correct name) sent me a Reo e-cig vaporizer, a few different types of e-cig juice and some other e-cig things. The same pack of cigarettes I had then are still sitting on the porch at home. This set up is making it easy to quit cigarettes. I had been smoking Marlboros for 30+ years. A few times I have lit a cigarette and taken a couple drags followed by a few hits off the Reo. The cigarette just doesn't taste as good so they get tossed aside.


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## Erilyn75 (Jun 3, 2014)

June 9 will be 2 months without a real cig for me. There are times where I really have to fight the urge for one. If I didn't have my ecig I don't think I could do this. I started off on high nicotine, now I'm on low. Next step is no nicotine then hopefully I can break the routine entirely. 

I'll have to google reo, I've never heard of it before


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## Paco.McGraw (Jun 3, 2014)

I'm a vaper too! 

Been vaping since middle of February and have dropped from 3 packs a day to about 1. 

-Sam


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## dfurry (Jun 3, 2014)

I was a heavy smoker for 45 years and had tried most aides including group therapy such as smokenders and still could not quit, literally everything but skoal bandits between my toes and no joy. I tried a Blu e-cig and it just didn't have what I needed, it was not satisfying at all. Then I tried a provari higher end variable voltage e-cig and a few different flavors until I found one that was not too bad and wallah ... no analog's since Sept 26th of 2013, digital only. It took the right flavor, the right nicotine level, the right throat hit (variable voltage), good batteries and a good charger but once everything came together it was like I didn't quit analogs at all. Take it from someone that just couldn't kick the habit even with medical assistance that these things really do work. I've steadily reduced the nicotine level since last year and I'm currently using the lowest level, next purchase will be nicotine free. The last piece will be to lose the throat hit and hand to mouth habit and I will be done. It should be noted that everything had to be lined up properly for this to work for me but it did indeed work and the best thing about it is my cig budget is now my knife budget.


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## apicius9 (Jun 4, 2014)

dfurry said:


> I was a heavy smoker for 45 years and had tried most aides including group therapy such as smokenders and still could not quit, literally everything but skoal bandits between my toes and no joy. I tried a Blu e-cig and it just didn't have what I needed, it was not satisfying at all. Then I tried a provari higher end variable voltage e-cig and a few different flavors until I found one that was not too bad and wallah ... no analog's since Sept 26th of 2013, digital only. It took the right flavor, the right nicotine level, the right throat hit (variable voltage), good batteries and a good charger but once everything came together it was like I didn't quit analogs at all. Take it from someone that just couldn't kick the habit even with medical assistance that these things really do work. I've steadily reduced the nicotine level since last year and I'm currently using the lowest level, next purchase will be nicotine free. The last piece will be to lose the throat hit and hand to mouth habit and I will be done. It should be noted that everything had to be lined up properly for this to work for me but it did indeed work and the best thing about it is my cig budget is now my knife budget.



Really glad to read stories like yours, Dave, congratulations! And knowing your knife budget, you must have been one hell of a heavy smoker  The Public Health community is still undecided about e-cigarettes, a few studies show that they make it easier for some to get into smoking tobacco products - and many are alarmed by the tobacco companies buying up all the e-cigarette companies now, that's never a good sign. But there seem to be many who successfully use them as reduction or cessation devices. For many, stopping smoking is extremely tough, and everything that helps is welcome. In fact, I had a former drug addict talk to my class a few weeks ago, and he said that coming off heroin and crystal meth was easier than quitting smoking for him. 

Stefan


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## rami_m (Jun 4, 2014)

apicius9 said:


> Really glad to read stories like yours, Dave, congratulations! And knowing your knife budget, you must have been one hell of a heavy smoker  The Public Health community is still undecided about e-cigarettes, a few studies show that they make it easier for some to get into smoking tobacco products - and many are alarmed by the tobacco companies buying up all the e-cigarette companies now, that's never a good sign. But there seem to be many who successfully use them as reduction or cessation devices. For many, stopping smoking is extremely tough, and everything that helps is welcome. In fact, I had a former drug addict talk to my class a few weeks ago, and he said that coming off heroin and crystal meth was easier than quitting smoking for him.
> 
> Stefan



sorry for Hijacking the thread, but you are a teacher? what do you teach?


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## apicius9 (Jun 4, 2014)

rami_m said:


> sorry for Hijacking the thread, but you are a teacher? what do you teach?



I work at the health department as a researcher and teach courses at a local university on the side. My background is in health psychology and public health. This last course was on the 'psychology of substance abuse'. 

Stefan


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## Sambal (Jun 4, 2014)

Do androids dream of smoking electronic cigarettes?


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## knyfeknerd (Jun 4, 2014)

"Do you smoke after sex?"
"I don't know....................
..................I never looked."


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## dfurry (Jun 4, 2014)

apicius9 said:


> Really glad to read stories like yours, Dave, congratulations! And knowing your knife budget, you must have been one hell of a heavy smoker  The Public Health community is still undecided about e-cigarettes, a few studies show that they make it easier for some to get into smoking tobacco products - and many are alarmed by the tobacco companies buying up all the e-cigarette companies now, that's never a good sign.
> 
> But there seem to be many who successfully use them as reduction or cessation devices. For many, stopping smoking is extremely tough, and everything that helps is welcome. In fact, I had a former drug addict talk to my class a few weeks ago, and he said that coming off heroin and crystal meth was easier than quitting smoking for him.
> 
> Stefan



I've actually had two Dr's call me wanting to know what e-cig I used to quit with for several reasons 1> They know how addicted I truly was 2> They know how hard I tried to quit 3> They know how little Chantix, Welbutrine and other drug therapies helped me 4> They have patients that are literally dying. 

I too am alarmed by the capitalistic nature of tobacco companies. I once worked on a large computer transaction with one of those companies. I flew down South and sat in front of the CFO several times in an effort to close the deal and this occurred in 2001. I was astonished when he pointed me to an ash tray and told me I could smoke if I wanted to. Hanging on the wall behind me was a news paper article that had a picture of the CFO and he was testifying before congress. This company will remain nameless but I can say they were fined huge amts of money for their involvements in smoking and here he was telling me I could smoke. 

The 'cool' factor is bringing several 'cool' seekers to e-cigs .. heck we got drip tips made out of M3 for crying out loud! Consider this -> if a knife is used to commit a violent act is it the knife's fault or the users fault and then apply that logic to e-cigs. 

It's all opinion I guess but I think they are valuable tools when used appropriately and like knives and guns they can cause problems when used inappropriately.


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## Burl Source (Jun 17, 2014)

Still no cigarettes. You could say I am still smoking. Just now I am doing it in a healthier way.
I like smoking but I am liking vaping much more. 
This is what I am using. Some of my terminology might be wrong because I am new at this.
The orange and silver thingy is a Reo brand, bottom feeding mod. The bottle contains unflavored e-liquid (glycerine with nicotine) The tip on top is like the tip on a pipe.






Inside the unit is a battery and a juice bottle that holds the e-liquid. 





I removed the tip so you can see the wick and coil. When you squeeze be bottle it feeds e-liquid upward to saturate the wick.





Then when you push the button the coil heats up and vaporizes the e-liquid.





With the tip in your mouth and you take a hit it feels and tastes a lot like smoking a cigarette. And I get my nicotine. Tastes cleaner, no smell and don't get the tar and other stuff like a normal cigarette. I can notice a lot of differences in how I feel as well as how things smell and taste.
Using one of these made it easy to give up the cigarettes.


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## JDA_NC (Jun 17, 2014)

32 mg?! Woah. I was smoking half a pack to a pack a day and 24mg was too much for me. I'm also surprised to see you like the unflavored type. One of the biggest things that got me off cigs was switching to fruity liquids... I started to crave that instead of an actual cig. I do agree that you can tell a difference in how you feel, smell, and taste just by switching over.

I tried patches, gum, and cold-turkey and nothing has helped me stay away from cigs like e-cigs. That's why it makes me sad to see all the drama and misinformation in the news about them. I don't recommend anyone who doesn't smoke to start using one, but if you are a smoker - it is one of the most effective forms of actually getting off cigarettes. It's more cost effective (which is part of why I hate to see big tobacco pushing all the regulations and propaganda - they just want their piece of the pie) and much, much cleaner. 

I had successfully dropped down to 6mg and then quit altogether for two months and it was the easiest quit I had ever done. I wasn't irritable and didn't have the headaches etc. I exercised a bunch and hardly craved at all. It's just frustrating how easy it is to relapse though. I went through a difficult period, bought a pack, and a week later had smoked through six of 'em. Like I had never stopped. I'm back on the e-cigs though and hope to taper down again and quit this BS for good.


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## Burl Source (Jun 17, 2014)

JDA_NC said:


> 32 mg?! Woah. I was smoking half a pack to a pack a day and 24mg was too much for me. I'm also surprised to see you like the unflavored type. One of the biggest things that got me off cigs was switching to fruity liquids... I started to crave that instead of an actual cig. I do agree that you can tell a difference in how you feel, smell, and taste just by switching over.


I am cutting that in half with vegetable glycerine so it is working out to about 16mg. I smoked Marlboro Mediums before. So I am guessing I am getting about the same amount of nicotine. When I tried it full strength it was too strong.
So far I haven't been too fond of the flavored stuff but found a few drops in the bottle with the unflavored gives a real subtle taste that I am liking.
I will gradually be reducing the amount of nicotine until I just set everything aside.
I don't like being dependent on anything. But I really do enjoy good food and good coffee.
Especially food! Fortunately my metabolism keeps me from going more than 10 or 15 pounds over what I weighed last century.


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## JDA_NC (Jun 17, 2014)

As good ol' Otis sang it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyMg-EhZ1Es&

I loved, loved coffee. I had to give it up. It's just way too much of a trigger for me when it comes to smoking. I switched over to green tea in the morning and honestly feel better for it, but I imagine it's easier in a hotter climate (and one that's less of a hotbed for good beans).

Alcohol is another but I can have a beer or two (or glass of wine) and do alright. I can't drink any sort of hard liquor without immediately craving nicotine though.

I found eating a lot of peanuts really helped. It keeps your hands busy. I either boil a whole bunch at home or go through packs of the spicy Cajun style ones.


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## dfurry (Jun 19, 2014)

There are two primary bases used in e-juices, vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), and a decent article on the difference between the two can be found here -> http://vaperanks.com/propylene-glycol-vs-vegetable-glycerin-e-liquid-whats-the-difference/

The point of VG being thicker than PG and producing phlegm has definitely proven true in my case but I much prefer the VG flavor and throat hit to PG so I mix the two types. 

As far as nicotine levels I was smoking 4 packs of cigarettes per day and I started vaping with 24mg/ml and I noted no nicotine withdrawal symptoms. I've since reduced the nicotine level to 6 mg/ml and I just purchased some e-juice with no nicotine.

I'm trying to identify the primary triggers that prompt me to vape such as coffee, after dinner activity, going to bed, getting out of bed, etc because my last step will be to replace vaping with other hand to mouth habits like eating peanuts, sipping water, toothpicks, suckers, etc. 

I'm not going to this level because vaping is bad I just want to use more socially acceptable habits, reduce dependency on more costly products while increasing dependency on readily available things like toothpicks, etc.


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