For many people, their start in vaping came from a desire to move away from harmful, traditional cigarettes while enjoying the smoking experience in a better-for-you form. It is fairly common knowledge that tobacco cigarettes are extremely addictive, due to their nicotine content. E-cigs, however, allow the user to manage this nicotine content according to their preference. But before you can utilize vaping as an effective nicotine control method, it is important to understand what exactly nicotine is and how much is in a traditional tobacco cigarette. This knowledge will allow you to use your favorite vape e-juices and mod to tailor the amount of nicotine you prefer.
What is nicotine?
Nicotine is a stimulant chemical, much like the caffeine in your morning coffee or the soda you drink with your lunch. And much like caffeine, it is addictive. The two chemical compounds (nicotine and caffeine) are essentially chemical cousins.
Is nicotine dangerous?
On its own, nicotine is not harmful for you in moderate amounts. The main reason that nicotine has earned such a negative reputation is that it is most commonly used in conjunction with a long list of other chemicals in tobacco cigarettes, chemicals that are actually very dangerous. Contrary to what many people believe, nicotine is not connected to the cancer-causing properties of tobacco cigarettes.
Although nicotine itself is not inherently harmful, many people decide they would prefer to wean themselves from the chemical. They may not enjoy their reliance on nicotine, or may choose to do it for medical reasons (for example, those dealing with severe high blood pressure). However, stopping nicotine “cold turkey” can be challenging, much like it would be to completely give up caffeine if you were a regular coffee drinker. Instead, many people choose to slowly taper off their nicotine intake through vaping, or simply utilize e-cigs to slightly lower their daily intake to a more preferred level.
How much nicotine is in one cigarette?
In order to lower your personal nicotine intake when making the switch from tobacco cigarettes to e-cigs, you must first know how much nicotine is in a typical cigarette. This will give you a benchmark for your daily nicotine intake.
Generally, a standard cigarette contains anywhere between 8 and 20 milligrams of nicotine, with a full pack containing up to 400 milligrams. The human body only absorbs about 1 milligram of that per cigarette.
In order to estimate your daily intake, you can simply multiple the number of cigarettes you smoke per day by 1 milligram. For example, a person that smokes 10 cigarettes a day can multiple 10 by 14 milligrams, which would be about 140 milligrams of nicotine absorbed per day. Although the person in this example may only actually absorb about 10 milligrams nicotine from that total, they can use the total of 140 milligrams to customize their nicotine levels when vaping.
How to Step Down Nicotine Amounts While Vaping
There are a few different factors that affect the way nicotine intake translates between tobacco cigarettes and e-cigs. For example, e-cig vapor contains less nicotine than cigarette smoke, and your body absorbs it slightly differently.
Regardless, there are a few tips to know when you are planning to use vaping as a method for lowering your nicotine intake and avoiding side effects:
·Start with something that is comparable to the amount/strength of tobacco cigarettes you are accustomed to. For example, 18 milligrams or 1.8% (a very common choice for average smokers) is ideal for anyone who smokes up to a pack of regular cigarettes per day. The levels can go up to 36 milligrams (3.6%) or even higher, and you should simply choose one based off of your current smoking habits.
·Move through the weaning process at your own pace. You are more likely to be successful if you slowly taper down your nicotine levels, rather than attempting to rush the process. There is nothing wrong with taking your time, and e-cigs offer you the customization options to do just that.
·Accept that the process can have a certain level of trial and error. Give yourself the flexibility to find the ideal level of nicotine that best suits you, and know that you may have to do a bit of adjusting along the way.
·Choose quality vaping products to ensure your satisfaction. Investing in the best vape juices and the best vape mods will ensure that you have an excellent vaping experience, making it more likely that you will stick with it over traditional smoking.
Making the switch to vaping to control your nicotine intake and to avoid the other ingredients in a cigarette is an excellent decision.