Smoking tobacco is a filthy habit, and it’s one that can cause a range of serious, often lethal, health effects, including heart disease and lung cancer. But, of course, you know smoking is bad for you – and that’s why you want to quit.
Maybe it’s time you switched to vaping. Vaping may not be 100 percent safe, but it’s 95 percent safer than smoking, according to Public Health England. Vape juice doesn’t have the toxic chemicals, carcinogens, and tar found in tobacco smoke – you can get nicotine into your body quickly, and in a way that satisfies the psychological side of your cravings, too.
But switching from smoking to vaping may not be a perfectly smooth transition. Using a vape is a little different from lighting up a cigarette. The vapor might feel harsh at first, and you’re going to have to learn to vape properly. You might want to experiment a little with your nicotine strength, especially if you’re still craving cigarettes. You might even need to try different kinds of vapes to get something you’re comfortable with. Follow these tips to make the switch.
Try a Starter Kit
If you’re an absolute vape beginner, you may want to ask your local vape show for a starter kit. Starter kits include everything you need to get started vaping. There are several different kinds of vapes, however, even in starter kits. Some have pods that you refill with vape juice. Some use disposable pods that you discard after each use. Some have tanks that you fill with vape juice.
Refillable vapes are cheaper in the long run – you don’t have to buy pods or cartridges, just bottles of vape juice. They also offer more opportunities for customizing your vaping experience by adjusting settings on the vape. However, if you want something easy and straightforward, pod vapes are the way to go. Disposable vape bars are the easiest option. For convenient access to a variety of choices, shop for disposable vapes at your preferred vaping retailer. Experiment with different kinds – just like you prefer one brand of cigarette to another, you might find you prefer one brand of vape to another. Once you know where to buy Elf Bar or another favorite bar vape, you’ll be set.
Inhale Long and Slow
In order to get more nicotine out of a cigarette, you suck on it harder. That tactic doesn’t work with vapes. There is nothing burning in a vape. You have to wait for the heating element to vaporize the liquid, which can take a few seconds. Use a long, slow inhale. You might cough at first – the vapor can feel thicker in your throat, which can cause some sense of irritation when you’re not used to it. You can ease this sensation by adjusting settings on your vape, if that’s an option.
Start with Tobacco-Flavored Vape Juice
Vape juice is available in a smorgasbord of flavors, but if you’re trying to make the switch from smoking to vaping, you might want to try a tobacco-flavored vape juice to start. It will feel more familiar. Once you’re used to vaping, you can start branching out into other flavors.
Drink More Water
Vapor can dry out your nose and mouth, so you’ll want to drink more water when you’re vaping than when you’re smoking. Don’t worry, it’s normal, and it’ll become less noticeable as you become accustomed to vaping.
Try Different Vapes
While you might want to start out with the simplest vaping option, like a disposable bar vape, it makes sense to try different kinds of vapes until you find one you like. If you have tried to switch to vaping before and haven’t been successful, try, try again! Pick up a different style of vape or a different flavor of vape juice than you tried before. Maybe you’ll like it better if you can adjust the voltage of your vape pen, for example, or tweak the amount of vapor produced each time you puff. Some vapors love to blow huge clouds of vapor and even have competitions based around it.
Don’t Over-Vape
It’s possible to overdose on nicotine. A lethal dose for an adult is 50 to 60 milligrams. You only get about one milligram of nicotine from smoking a cigarette, so it would be hard to overdose lethally from smoking too many cigarettes, although you might indeed get sick. You’d almost certainly have a struggle to inhale a lethal dose of nicotine from vaping, but the vape juice is toxic and should be kept out of the reach of children and pets, especially because the brightly colored packaging and fruity flavors could make a kid think vape juice is candy.
While you may not be able to vape yourself all the way to death without considerable effort and commitment, it’s much easier to accidentally make yourself sick by vaping too much. Part of the problem is that there is no natural end to a vaping session like there is to a cigarette. You can just keep puffing. Another part is that the nicotine from vapor takes a little longer to hit, so new vapers can inadvertently vape too much as they wait for their cravings to subside. If you start having symptoms like dizziness, nausea, or a headache, stop vaping until these symptoms subside. If you’re getting these symptoms each time you vape, it’s likely your vape juice is too strong.
Experiment with Nicotine Strength
Vape juice comes in different strengths, and in general, you can tell what strength will work best for you based on how many cigarettes a day you smoke. If you smoke less than five cigarettes a day, try 0.6% (6 mg/ml) nicotine. If you smoke 5 to 15 a day, try 1.0% (10 mg/ml). If you smoke 15 to 20 cigarettes a day, try 1.4% (14 mg/ml). If you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day, try 1.8% (18 mg/ml).
These guidelines are by no means absolute. Sometimes lighter smokers may require stronger vape juice, or heavier smokers weaker vape juice. If you’re still fighting cravings to smoke while you’re vaping, you probably need to increase your nicotine strength.
Making the switch from smoking to vaping could be a great thing for your health and your finances. Put your health first and try vaping today.
