How did you get to zero nicotine

[Sugarfoot]

Bumped this, but want to share what I'm doing: Started vaping last Sept at 26mg. As I upgraded my equipment I needed to drop my nic levels due to the sideeffects (cold extremities & overall tension). Got down to 12mg recently, then got a ride with the paramedics to the cardiac wing! During recovery I ordered some 6mg and 0mg and will be trying to lower nic to zip.
Weird, though, didn't feel any withdrawl for the 4 days in the hospital! So I think it will be easier than I imagine....
I'm also trying to follow the "0mg tobacco flavor" thread and will be moseying over to the "over 55" thread that started when I was hanging with the paramedics.

 

[northwestfarmtn]

so here I am, not a 0 nicr but getting there. started at 18mg(I think I probably could have started at 24 but im here now) after 1 month I dropped down to 12mg and now a week later I am at 12mg thinking I might cut the 12mg 50/50 with the 6mg for a couple weeks and then cut the 6mg with 0mg for a couple weeks before going full 0mg. at least thats the plan but I am at a week and a day since I switched to 12mg and already feel as if I could reduce again so it might go quicker than expected. I will let you know in a few weeks if I am nic free....

 

[Baldr]

Started at 24, and it wasn't quite enough to get me off the cigs. I learned that using 24 all day and dripping some 30 after meals when I would get cig cravings worked for me, and that got me off the cigs. Within a few weeks, I didn't need the 30mg anymore.

I vaped a couple of months at 24, and by then I was mostly just using Boba's Bounty. So I ordered a 100ml bottle of Boba's Bounty at 18mg. I mixed the last bit of 24mg with some of that new 18ml so that I could vape at around 21 for a few days before moving to the 18. That went very smooth, I didn't really notice.

The last time I ordered, I got 100ml of Boba's in 12mg, and did the same thing, mixing the last of my 18mg with the new 12mg. That's what I'm vaping now (for the past few days.) It's roughly 15mg. I have enough of that mix to last a week or so, and then I'll move on to the 12mg.

Assuming that works well, I plan to do the same thing when I start to get low on the 12. Order some 6mg, mix the last of my 12 with some of the 6 to ease the transition, and move on to the 6.

I don't know if I'll get there. It's kind of hard for me to imagine not getting any nicotine. But before I started vaping, I didn't think I could quit smoking, and not only did I quit, but it was fairly easy and I have zero interest in going back.

I'm find with vaping all my life if that's where I end up. Much better than smoking. But I would like to get rid of the nicotine addiction, and if I can do that, I'm going to take a shot at putting the PV aside and doing without.

 

[northwestfarmtn]

update: I am not a no nicr yet but I am down to 6mg and when i first switched to 6 I was 6ing hard but after a week-10 days I am finding myself waking up and not touching my pv for a few hrs. before i start to use it and the cravings are light so I think I might try to go 0 for the first half of the days

 

[northwestfarmtn]

here we are at about 2 months and I just mixed my 6mg 50\50 with 0mg. didn't start a new carto started topping off the one I been using with the 6mg. only been a short time so far but If it goes the same as switching to 6mg I expect to vape heavy for a week or 2 then start to notice myself getting sleepy when I vape too hard will have to see at that point if I will go nonic or what

 

[nansc]

I'm just starting now ,I used to alternate back and forth but the nic is making me cough now too so I am leaving out the nic.I have COPD so I have to be careful not to aggravate it.

 

[ardelleg]

Like a lot of things that happen to me it was a happy accident.... my taste buds went crazy and every juice I had was suddenly much too strong and I could hardly stand to vape them... to give me something to vape I got some Wilton's glycerine from the local hobby store and found that as long as I could create a cloud of vapor I was satisfied..... now I vape from 0 to 11 depending on what I pick for the flavor of the day... mostly 0 menthols....

I think we spend a lot more time stressing about whether we are doing this right than we ever did thinking about smoking... I don't really think there is as much of a right or wrong on any of it... just what works....

 

[Mossi]

I am on my way to vaping 0 nic. I started vaping over two years ago at 24mg, and over time, I've begun to notice health issues. One thing is I found I vaped WAY more than I ever smoked. The PV is almost always in my hand, or right next to me. I don't like being so addicted to something. I've just switched down to 12mg in the past week or so, and in a day or two, I'm going to go down to 6mg. The problem is that I love vaping!

The health issues I've encountered may not be related, but they might be, and even though it's way safer than smoking, I'm still getting nicotine into my system, and it's still a poison. I get too much anxiety and digestive issues, and I do think they're related. I also find that vaping a lot makes me have to clear my throat constantly, and sometimes it gets really bad. So heading for 0mg juice. I'll probably still always keep the PV around though, even if it's just to take with me out to bars so I have something to do when the urge to smoke strikes me.

 

[enchantedwonder]

Great thread. When I first started vaping at the beginning of March I was on Greensmoke. I quickly found ECF and ordered a KGO. Worried I would poison myself with too much nicotine, I also ordered 18mg. I also was still smoking under five analogs a day... Last week I finally kicked the last "Good Morning, I'm awake" analog. I also bumped up my nic level to 24mg, the 18 wasn't enough. I do vape some 18 from time to time, and plan on reducing to zero in time. Great tips! Thank you!!!!!

 

[bebowebb]

I've used various tobacco products for nearly 20 years - pretty sad considering my age.

I basically quit smoking seven years ago and have stuck strictly to snuff, with the exception of social situations to curb the desires to smoke.

I too was beginning to experience some unwanted health issues so I purchased my first PV about six weeks ago and now have been tobacco free for over 30 days.

I'm currently using 18 mg, but am already contemplating a lower dose. I can't imagine a nic free life, but I'm beginning to think it's a realistic goal now.

Great thread! I think it will help a lot of people, myself included!

 

[Mossi]

After a week at around 6mg (with the occasional drop of 24mg in the cart), I've just filled it up with 0mg. It's going to be difficult though, because I'm still addicted to the nicotine. I'm actually considering maybe putting on a low dose nicotine patch just to help me out. The PV is always right next to me, but maybe without the nicotine, the actual urge to use it will be lesser. I do love vaping, but I find it to be still an annoying addiction. I want to be completely free of nicotine!

 

[Gingerzeronic]

After a week at around 6mg (with the occasional drop of 24mg in the cart), I've just filled it up with 0mg. It's going to be difficult though, because I'm still addicted to the nicotine. I'm actually considering maybe putting on a low dose nicotine patch just to help me out. The PV is always right next to me, but maybe without the nicotine, the actual urge to use it will be lesser. I do love vaping, but I find it to be still an annoying addiction. I want to be completely free of nicotine!

Good for you! I found the habit to be much worse than the nic addiction. That only lasts a couple of days. You might try Lobelia tincture for a few days to smooth things out.

 

[arcturus]

I started at 24mg but found it too harsh. I tried 18 mg and found it a lot better. I then wondered if I could go lower and tried 12mg. It was quite good. I then tried 6mg, which I am beginning to use. I find the throat hit a bit too soft, but want to become used to it. I may or may not continue on to 0mg. I'll keep an open mind, I think. I started vaping 4 months ago and have had no cravings whatsoever. Also, as with other vapers-ex-smokers, the oral fixation and hand to mouth ritualization is key to replacing smoking with vaping.

 

[sarqb]

i will never goto zero nicotine. nicotine is good for you! look it up on wikipedia
it helps with many things and is not horribly bad for you (similar to caffine but nicotine is possibly less addictive)
so i will never goto zero and i will benefit from it .
but that is my opinion. like i always say.....
opinions are like butholes : everybody has one but most of them stink

 

[VidaOptimista]

I would like to get to 0 nic in the next few months. I'm currently just starting out with vaping and I'm at 18mg. They say that a habit forms in about 66 days (or 28, depending on who you ask), so my plan is to step the level down about every month to two months. For me, I'm fairly certain that my analog addiction was mainly due to the hand-to-mouth factor, so I don't feel that cutting out the nicotine will have that big of an impact. The only thing I'm concerned about is the lack of throat hit. That's one very important thing for me, but that also could be just because I'm new to this and replicating the action of smoking is important during my transition.

So for those of you who are down to 0 nic, how have you dealt with the lack of throat hit?

Heather

 

[Gingerzeronic]

I would like to get to 0 nic in the next few months. I'm currently just starting out with vaping and I'm at 18mg. They say that a habit forms in about 66 days (or 28, depending on who you ask), so my plan is to step the level down about every month to two months. For me, I'm fairly certain that my analog addiction was mainly due to the hand-to-mouth factor, so I don't feel that cutting out the nicotine will have that big of an impact. The only thing I'm concerned about is the lack of throat hit. That's one very important thing for me, but that also could be just because I'm new to this and replicating the action of smoking is important during my transition.

So for those of you who are down to 0 nic, how have you dealt with the lack of throat hit?

Heather

I think it helps a lot to simply consider ecigs as a different habit. They look different, they smell different, they work different, etc. If you want to get to zero nic, you will have to give up the expectation for a completely identical smoking experience. There are things you can add to zero nic juice to mimic a throat hit but it isn't the same.

I really wanted to give up nicotine (and all the expense, smell, fuss, and health problems of analogs). I thought I would vape zero nic forever but as I quickly stepped down, I found myself to impatient with the new replacement fiddling.

Now I'm a "social vaper". I use (or more often now, just carry) my zero nic ecig in situations where I'm with smokers. It's comforting to have in my hand but I really don't use it much.

Everybody finds their own comfort level with this. I can say from experience that if you want to drop your nic levels fast, you can not only do it easily - you'll be shocked at how easy it is. You've already kicked the burning paper/leaves thing so you only have the nicotine to quit. The burning paper/leaves thing is the real ..... kitty. The nicotine is actually easier to quit (see Carr's book on the subject).

You might hang on to your zero nic vaping forever, if it pleases you, or you might find that you do it less and less. Either way is fine.

 

[misterGREG]

Everyone's posts here are incredibly encouraging. I'm rather young, but when I hit a pack a day last week, I knew I needed to change something. I ordered a kit and started vaping 16mg (didn't want to start too high, figured I'd just get used to this level) and it took me about a week to realize I was done with analogs and I threw my pack away on Saturday.

I'm looking forward to building up some confidence of vaping with no desire for an actual cigarette and starting to lower my nic levels.

Your stories are an inspiration. Thank you all!

 

[Gingerzeronic]

It's so much easier than you think or than some people think. We don't judge around here but if you want to go to zero nic and then give it up, we'll be here for you.

 

[Cherryblossom]

Great stories, thanks all! DH and I started vaping at 18mg and found it harsh, so we quickly went down to 12mg. Stayed there for no time maybe a week or two. DH orders all the juices, and the next time he put in an order for juice he did all 6mg...I was shocked, a wee bit spastic about the thought of almost no nic. The juice came in, I vaped it. Kind of one of those no choice type things since the DH would have fits if I ever lit up again. When you have the option of vaping 6mg or nothing, 6mg suddenly becomes a wonderful option. At some point I forgot it was 6mg and no longer cared. We've been vaping just under 3 months now, and at least 2 of those have been at 6mg. I know DH plans on us going to 0mg...so I'm guessing one day I'll look at my new juices only to discover they ARE 0mg.

 

[Algernon]

My only reason for at least trying to get to 0nic is because if the FDA regulates anything, it will more than likely be the nicotine and I don't want to be dead in the water for whenever that occurs.