We all know smoking is a nasty habit that is hard to kick. Even with cigarette prices through the roof, we still venture out and pay on average of 12.00 for a pack of cigarettes. Not only does smoking break the bank, it is also terrible for your health and making the switch to (in our opinion) a healthier alternative is a choice many canadians should be making.
Aside from the cost savings of switching from smoking tobacco cigarettes to vaping, the benefits dont just end there. For more information check out the advantages of vaping vs smoking to see all the benefits that make the switch a no brainer.
Switching from smoking to vaping is quite an easy process. You pick your kit and pay anywhere from around $35.00 – $80.00 initially which is around 1/2 to 3/4 the price of a carton of cigarettes. Next you pick your choice of E-juice (some call it vape juice or e-liquid). There are so many flavour combinations available nowadays on the market ranging from tobacco flavours (canadian tobacco, american tobacco and european tobacco) to fruit flavours, candy inspired flavours, menthol and many many more. After the initial cost of about $50.00 – $100.00, you can expect to pay approx $50.00 – $100.00 a month compared to tobacco smoking where you could see spending in the $300.00 – $400.00 range for that same time period.
Once you have your kit and juice, you are ready to start vaping. We recommend starting with a Cigalike vape kit as it truly resembles a tobacco cigarette and just feels right in the hand. The end of the battery will even glow with each puff you take and the vapor production is quite impressive for such a small device. Once you have used the cigalike kit for quite some time, you can freely move to a pen style ecigarette kit or a pod system as this will provide much more power between charges and they are able to store more liquid so you dont have to refill as often. It is important to start with a cigalike kit though because you want to have that feeling of holding a cigarette so you get that familiarity to make the transition more comfortable.
The good thing about transitioning to vaping is that you can dial down the nicotine level as you need without making huge jumps with nicotine patches. the more gradual you lower the nicotine level, the easier it is for your body to adapt without any negative side effects (irritability, anxiety, depression etc). Any nicotine strength you want can be chosen by combining a 0mg liquid with any other strength to give you that target nicotine strength you are looking for. Need a 2mg liquid? Simply take a bottle of 4mg and mix half and half with a bottle of 0mg and you have a 2mg strength liquid.
Its important to start at 12mg if you are a 1/2 pack to full pack a day smoker. If you smoker more than 1 pack a day, it is best to start at 18mg or higher and work your way down from there. If 12mg or 18mg or higher are too strong, then move down to 8mg or 12mg respectively and see if that satisfies your cravings without any negative side effects.
The only negative side effects to expect with vaping liquid would be an increased heart rate, sweaty palms, anxiety which are all related to your body receiving too much nicotine. If this happens, its an indication that you should either move down a level in nicotine strength, or take fewer puffs. Remember 10 puffs is equivalent to 1 tobacco cigarette, so its important to regulate your puffs per hour so you dont receive too much nicotine. If you smoke say 1 pack of cigarettes per day and your day consists of say 15hrs, you should be taking around 10-15 puffs per hour to receive the equivalent amount of nicotine you would have received from tobacco cigarettes. Now with vaping, you will find you are puffing alot more frequently as vaping is alot more smoother and less harsh in the long run. To combat this, we suggest to move to a lower nicotine strength of liquid so your dont receive too much nicotine because of the excessive puffing.
We say vaping is alot less harsh in the long run, because initially vaping can seem a bit harsh at the beginning and this is just because your body (lungs) are not accustomed to inhaling the ingredients in vape juice. Dont be discouraged by this as your body will adapt and vaping will be alot smoother in time. This is another reason we suggest starting with a Cigalike kit as it provides the least amount of vapour which will be the least harsh at the beginning and is a perfect starting point for people making the transition from smoking to vaping.
