Been 2 weeks and not a damn thing wrong

Okie dokie! I am officially 2 weeks and one day without an actual cigarette! Yeay! Go me! My cigarette of choice was Camel Wide Menthol Light. It's still a little weird for me to not have to buy cigarettes. This is probably the best choice I have made for my health in a long time, though.

So, I bought this kit to start with:

http://www.totallywicked-eliquid.com/products/electronic-cigarette-starter-kits/tornado/wicked-tornado-e-nic-or-electronic-2-2-product.html

If I was an awesome blogger like my friend Lindy, http://onecraftyme.blogspot.com/, I would have taken pictures of everything, but I'm not- so deal with it. LOL

A big thanks to my friend Tom because he's the one who got this first. It worked for him, so I decided to buy it as well. Without that I would have been fumbling through the gobs of products out there without a clue as to what was actually a good product. So a big thanks to Tom!!!!!!

So there are a lot of great things about this product:

1- My family loves it! My husband says he loves that I don't stink any more and my daughter says she's so happy that I decided to get one.

2-The kit was awesome! Plenty of product to get you started and keep you going! It's pretty high quality, too. It's nice to try something and be happy with it!

3- It comes with 2 batteries. Great! I don't have to sit here and jones out while the battery is charging.

4-I can smoke it anywhere! In the bar! In my home! In my BED!

5- I can smell EVERYTHING! I smoked cigarettes for 15 years and never really realized all the smells I was missing out on! I like that I put on perfume in the morning and can still smell it in the afternoon!

6- I no longer stink, and I notice how bad cigarettes really do smell!* My car no longer stinks too! Yeay!

7- The liquid comes in different flavors! Originally I bought the regular Tobacco and Menthol. I recently purchase Apple and have tried Strawberry. The flavors remind me of Swisher Sweet Cigarillos but without the good taste left on the lips. Still, a pretty nice option!

8- When I eventually reach my goal of no nicotine liquid and finally quit I have the option of keeping the e-cigarette for when I am drinking. I know that I cannot drink without smoking. They just go together for me. So which the no nicotine liquid I can still feel like I am smoking, but without continuing the filthy, disgusting, dirty, stinking habit I have loved for years.

*I always thought I would be the kind of non-smoker (if ever) that would still love the smell of cigarette smoke. I always have loved it, even when I was a kid. I think quitting makes a change in you and the smell never the same.

There are a couple of things that I have been thinking about though. They might be downfalls of the product, or my personality, but i haven't fully decided to call them that.

1- I can't tell if I intake more nicotine than I would if I was still smoking. I'm sure I could if I had a mathematic mind, but I don't. The level of Nicotine in the bottle is 18MG, and there is 10 ML of liquid in the bottles that I buy. I got this from Wikipedia*- an average cigarette yields about 1 mg of absorbed nicotine

So, my issue is.... is there more nicotine in the liquid I have than in a cigarette? Is the 18MG the total amount in the bottle, or the total amount in each drop? I have to believe that it's the strength of the whole bottle. If not, then wouldn't I have nicotine poisoning by now?

*And hey! I found this little gem while I was looking that up: According to the American Heart Association, nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break, while the pharmacological and behavioral characteristics that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Sweet huh?

2- I can't tell if I smoke this damn thing more often than I did cigarettes. I used to smoke about a pack every day and a half. Usually (when not at work, and not drinking) I would smoke one cigarette and wait about 45 minutes to a hour and a half before having another cigarette. With that I had the benefit of smoking the cigarette down to the filter and that's how I knew I was done. With this there is no actual smoking of a cigarette. I find that I most often take one drag and put the e-cigarette down for awhile. That's not always the case, and I can't really keep track of how long I put it down for, especially when I am drinking. I can't tell if the reason I feel like I am constantly smoking is because I am or if it's because I can't really tell how long I am smoking it compared to a regular cigarette. I have been told it seems like I am smoking it more than I would a normal cigarette. I think a lot of this has to do with me being able to smoke ANYWHERE and the fact that it's new. So I have been trying to pay attention to how long I am using the e-cigarette for and how long I go between putting it down and picking it back up. It's a hard thing to pay attention to!

3- It's high maintenance. I don't mind it at all but it's definitely not as easy as taking a cigarette out of the pack and lighting it. I have to make sure the tip (filter) has the liquid in it because if it doesn't it starts to taste funny. Also, if it gets dry it doesn't last as long as it should.

4- I have to find a new way to relax. I have always, ever since I can remember, used smoking to relax. Not only when I was stressed out either. I used to go and sit in the backyard, light up a cigarette and pick up my book and read. I have books that I am trying to read now, and It's hard for me to find a new place to read and an excuse to do so. It sounds weird, I know, but reading and smoking were what I used to do! So reading has been a new experience for me. I could probably do it the same way since I have the e-cigarette, but it just doesn't feel right. It feels like I should make a new habit for reading .

All in all I have had success with the e-cigarette. I know that I can stick with it for now. I am wary of what will happen when I change the amount of nicotine in the liquid down to the next lower level though. My hubby suggested that I get a mixed dose; One bottle of 18 MG and one bottle of the next level down and remove the labels. That way I don't know what i am getting and I can't freak myself out that way. I think this idea has potential, but what good does it do if I end up mixing the 18MG and the lower level? Am I just prolonging the quitting process? Only time will tell I suppose.

Fear not though! I will be sure to update my ups and downs with this fantastic new invention!

Thanks for all of your support!