Making the Switch from Cigarettes to E-cigarettes: 4 Tips for Success
E-cigarettes have surged in popularity, as they provide a viable means of obtaining the look and sensation of smoking without the harmful byproducts of combustion.
There is a learning curve associated with e-cigarettes, however, and a rocky start could colour your experience in a negative way.
Set yourself up for success with these 4 tips when switching to e-cigarettes.
1. Find a Comfortable E Cigarette
The market is saturated with e-cigarette models ranging from small “cigalike” devices to large, heavy devices known as “mods,” which are generally used by advanced vapers. When choosing your first e-cigarette, there are a few things to consider.
The device you choose must be something that you’re comfortable using and handling.
Many new vapers start with small, two-piece devices that look and feel like cigarettes. Aside from a small, glowing LED on the end, these e-cigs do not draw attention to themselves, which makes some new vapers more confident using them in public.
If you are a very heavy smoker, however, the relatively low capacity of these small batteries may be inadequate. You might want to start with a larger battery with a capacity of 650 mAh or higher, which lasts much longer between charges.
Both types of devices are available as starter kits, which include one or two batteries, empty or pre-filled cartridges and an appropriate charger for the batteries.
2. Choose The Right Nicotine Level
The nicotine content of e-liquids and prefilled cartridges is expressed in milligrams per millilitre (mg/ml). Therefore, an 10-millilitre bottle of 18-mg liquid contains 180 milligrams of nicotine.
The most common nicotine levels for e-liquids are 36 mg, 24 mg, 18 mg, 12 mg, 6 mg, and 0 mg.
Liquids that contain more nicotine not only do a better job of reducing cravings for cigarettes, but they also deliver a more substantial throat hit, which is the sensation you experience when smoke (or, in this case, vapour) hits the back of your throat.
When choosing your first e-liquids or cartridges, consider how much you smoke in a day.
If you smoke very heavily — more than 40 cigarettes per day — a liquid with 24 or even 36 milligrams of nicotine per millilitre will give you the most satisfying experience.
If you smoke around 20 cigarettes a day, 18- or 24-mg liquids provide a good starting point.
If you smoke 10 to 20 cigarettes a day, a 12- or 18-mg liquid is appropriate, and if you smoke fewer than 10 daily, you can start with a 6- or 12-mg liquid.
You might find it helpful to choose liquids of two different strengths as you figure out how which best satisfies your cravings.
Some new vapers also find it helpful to use a lower-nicotine e-liquid in the hours before bedtime, because it’s less stimulating.
3. Adjust Your Inhalation Technique
When you switch from cigarettes to a vapouriser, you may be tempted to take sharp, hard drags on the e-cig, pulling the vapour directly into your lungs as if it was tobacco smoke.
Depending on the device, this method of inhalation may not allow the e-liquid to make adequate contact with the heating coil. You may experience a burnt taste or a straw-like effect in which liquid moves through the mouthpiece and into your mouth.
To avoid these problems, adjust to a two-stage mouth-to-lung inhale.
Place the tip of the e-cig in your mouth, sealing your mouth around the tip to create a vacuum, and take a long, slow drag, pulling the vapour into your mouth before inhaling it into your lungs — if you want to inhale at all.
Because nicotine is absorbed through the mucosal linings of your mouth, inhalation isn’t actually necessary.
4. Reduce the Temptation to Smoke
To increase your chance of successfully switching to vaping, don’t keep cigarettes around once you’ve procured your device and e-liquid.
If you have chosen liquids with the appropriate nicotine level, you should be able to satisfy your cravings for nicotine with 3-5 puffs on your vapouriser.
You will likely find that you use your vapouriser more frequently than you smoked, but for shorter durations; this normal, and it maintains a more consistent level of nicotine in your body.
If you find that your e-cigarette is not adequately satisfying your cravings, try a different e-liquid — not a cigarette!
You may need to use a liquid with a higher nicotine concentration, or you may find another flavour more satisfying.
For example, some new vapers find that tobacco-flavoured liquids only increase their cravings for the “real thing,” while others find the opposite to be true.
Experimenting with a variety of flavours — especially as your sense of taste returns — gives you the best chance of finding satisfaction.
Switch To E Cigarettes : Final Thought
As the evolution of vaping has shown, a good device, the right amount of nicotine and a few adjustments to your technique give you all the tools you need to give up expensive, smelly cigarettes for good.
Once you make the switch, you have many paths to choose, whether you want to taper your nicotine consumption to zero or use the money you’ve saved to explore the wide range of advanced vapourisers.
