Quitting smoking is never easy and, while there are many people who have managed to quit smoking thanks to vaping, starting to vape can be difficult. Luckily, we're here today to guide you through starting to vape.
Know What You Want From Vaping
When moving from smoking to vaping, you can do it in one of two ways. You can completely quit smoking and go straight to vaping, or alternatively you can vape and still smoke. Either way, you are still taking a healthier decision, since vaping and smoking means you will smoke less. If you vape and smoke, you may find yourself smoking less and less until you stop smoking altogether.
What You'll Need To Start Vaping
A Vape Device
A vape device is essential to be able to vape. Most new vapers would look for a cigalike, a vape pen or something similar to the cigarette they used to smoke. There are many other designs you can get, like pod kits and box mods, with the former being quite easy to use.
For Information on Vape Kits, check out: How To Choose A Vape Kit
An E-Liquid
E-Liquids are also essential to give you something to vape. Luckily, e-liquids come in thousands of flavours so there's something for everyone. Ex-smokers would often start with tobacco flavours, since they are similar to the cigarettes, but fruity e-liquids are also a popular choice.
Nicotine is often important in an e-liquid, since ex-smokers generally use vaping as a healthier way of getting nicotine. You need the right strength so you are satisfied with your vape. The best thing to do is start with a low nicotine strength and go up.
It's best to have multiple e-liquids in your house, so you can fill up when it runs out without having to go to the shops again to get it.
For Information on e-liquids, check out: How to Choose an E-Liquid
Coils
When buying a full vape kit, your tank will most likely come with preinstalled coils, and the kit may also come with replacement coils. It is still best to have some extra coils with you just in case those burn out or something goes wrong.
Batteries
Batteries sometimes come installed in the kit, or separately in the box, but sometimes the battery isn't included. When you order a kit, it usually would say the battery required for the kit, so you can either buy it with the kit or buy it elsewhere.
Dealing With Cravings
While vaping is helpful in reducing cravings, they can still occur, but there are ways of dealing with the cravings. Try vaping when you get a craving. If the vaping doesn't work, it's possible a higher nicotine strength is required.
Alternatively, there are other things you can do to help with the cravings:
- Do Something Active - Doing something active, like jogging or walking or just doing some housework, can take your mind off the cravings so you can get through them easily.
- Remember Why You Want to Quit Smoking - Remembering your initial motives to quit can give you enough motivation to get through a craving. You can write these as a list, or just recall them from memory.
- Break Any Associations to Stop Triggers - Things relating to smoking can cause triggers and may cause a relapse. For starters, you might have always smoked after a meal and may find it particularly hard to stop having the cigarettes. To sever the link of smoking, choose another thing to do in this period. You could just vape in these times, but you could do anything: read, go for a run, chew gum, have a mug of hot cocoa, or whatever you like so long as it's not smoking.
Remember that, while dealing with cravings isn't easy, they only last about 5 to 10 minutes. Every craving you get through can be a victory for you. After a short time, the cravings will stop, so you won't have to deal with them for long.
Know Where You Can Vape
While vaping is legal in the UK, you need to be aware of where you can vape, because you can't vape everywhere. Public transport, hospitals and some stadiums don't allow vaping inside, but some buildings have vaping areas outside. Do not vape unless you are sure you can, otherwise it can make your first vape less enjoyable.
The main place you can vape is in your house, but you should still be mindful. While secondhand vaping isn't proven to be harmful, people around you may not like you vaping in their face, so be careful not to vape at people.
Keep Informed
You'll start becoming much more confident about your choice after a couple of days of vaping and not smoking, but that doesn't mean that everybody you know will be happy with the decision you took. While major companies are becoming more accepting of vaping, the media and many people still believe it is harmful or ineffective in helping smokers quit, along with a range of other myths. Check out our blog on the myths of vaping to find out the truths behind the myths.
Getting Support
When quitting someting like smoking, you may need support to help you transition, even when transitioning to vaping. Luckily, there are many people who can help you.
Firstly, your family and friends are always there to help. This is true for a lot of things and not just vaping. They can help you with cravings or distract you when you're finding it difficult. Some family members may even vape, so they may be able to give you vaping tips and advice.
Vaping forums are an excellent source of help, with many experts teaching you about certain parts of vaping and advising you on the best products to use. Also, most people on the forums have gone through the same struggles as you have, and may be able to give you tips on how to overcome challenges when switching to vaping.
There are many vape-friendly stop smoking services to help you make the transition, with even the NHS available to help. They can give you advice on the issues that may come up when vaping and help you find a solution.
Here at Moreish Puff, we're willing to help you make the transition, offering vape information and advice in our blogs. If you're having any issues vaping, be sure to contact us and one of our knowledgeable team will help.
