Despite the fact I’ll soon run out of terrible puns, I figured it might be worth a quick update on my vaping exploits after the first week. Since sharing on social media that I’d swapped from cigarettes, an ever-increasing number of friends have revealed they’ve been vaping for a while. And the advice and encouragement doesn’t hurt when it comes to switching from tobacco, and then reducing the nicotine levels.
Vaping Week One:
The first result has been financial. My starter including liquids cost me £70 (you can get a cheaper deal online, but I wanted to ask questions etc in person). At 15 cigarettes per day on average, and a packet of 20 costing £10.00, the vaping kit will have paid for itself in 9.3 days.
Since then I’ve bought some more liquid flavours, at with 3 bottles of 10ml liquid costing £12. So far, a bottle is lasting me approximately 4 days or so. So that’s 12 more days of vaping for the same cost as under 2 days of smoking. I haven’t needed to replace a coil yet, but estimates are roughly 1 every two weeks, and there’s a spare in the starter kit. So by the time I need more, at around £2 each, I’ll have saved way more than the cost of getting started, and might even invest in a spare tank to be able to swap flavours around more regularly.
The reason for that is that I’m finding various flavours I enjoy, but after 2-3 days of the same flavour, I start craving a change.
Second up is my cigarette addiction. Having smoked my last ‘analogue’ cigarette last Saturday, I can honestly say I haven’t been tempted. Even when a co-worker was stood next to me puffing away. When I crave nicotine, my mind does immediately think of cigarettes – but as soon as I grab my vape, that’s replaced by the idea of vaping instead. And slowly the lack of nicotine triggers a desire to vape rather than smoke. That’s definitely a good thing, as despite various debates around the exact health benefit, vaping is certainly better than smoking. And the plan is that once I’ve been using the same liquid for a while, I’ll start reducing the nicotine content.
At the moment, I’m on a 12mg concentation per 10ml of liquid. The plan is to reduce to 6mg or even 3mg at some point.
And in terms of health? It’s still early days, but I’m certainly starting to breath a little better and more clearly. Obviously there’s 20 years of cigarettes to clear over time, but it feels a little easier than when I’ve previously quit using patches or lozenges (once successfully for a long time, and a couple of attempts lasting days). Compared to patches, I’m not missing the psychological benefits of going outside and breathing deeply. And lozenges did tend to have a negative effect on my gums (not too surprising).
I already feel like I’m starting to sleep more effectively, which was one of the main problems I had due to smoking. Aside from coughing, I’d wake up randomly during the night, which I think was probably sleep apnea. That seems to have almost stopped already, along with any smoke-related snoring.
Downsides? I had a slight cough and sore throat before switching, which hasn’t gone yet. So if it’s still a problem in few days, it might be time for a trip to the doctor to get it checked… And that’s it.
But that’s it. So far, so good. And in addition to better finances and better health, my family and friends have noticed the difference (no passive smoking, no smell of smoke). And I spend slightly less time on a vape break than a smoking break, so I’m even getting some of my day back!
