Vaping 101

There is a lot, LOT of information out there on the interweb about vaping and for someone just starting it can be very overwhelming.

You will find, as in anything, a ton of different opinions and it can be very daunting.

I'm going to compile a guide of things that I have found to be useful so far.

First and foremost, get over to the E-cigarette Forum and sign up. It's free and it is INVALUABLE to anyone who vapes or is considering it. You have to make 5 posts on the New Member Forum but that will take just a few minutes to do. You will not find better group of kind, knowledgeable and helpful people. No question is too small. Go.

Ok, I think for me one of the first confusing things was all the acronyms. You'd think after working for big companies for so long I'd be used to it but I found myself Goggling a LOT of them. Here are some of the more common ones:

E-liquid or e-juice - the liquid used in vaping that provides the vapor and flavor and delivers nicotine. Contains a varying mixture of PG/VG (you will see these listed as percentages such as 50/50 or 80/20 etc), nicotine and flavoring.

Ml or milliliter - The measurement you will most often see e-liquid measured in. Bottles come in 5ml which is a very small sample size and on up in 10ml, 15ml, 30ml etc.

PG - Propylene Glycol - this is a clear liquid that is often used to provide moisture to food. In e-liquid it helps carry flavor and provides "throat hit" - that little sting in the back of your throat that also happens when you smoke a cigarette. It is also a humectant and it's what can cause your mouth to get dry when you vape. Some people have been known to have a slight allergy to PG and get around this by vaping e-liquid that is lower in PG or completely free of it. I never had a problem with it and I like the throat hit.

VG - Vegetable Glycerin - also clear, this is the component that produces the vapor. It is thicker than PG and slightly sweet. People who like a lot of vaper or "clouds" many times prefer e-liquids with 100% VG. Many online e-liquid vendors will allow you to specify what mix of PG/VG you want. I usually go with 50/50 to get a balance of throat hit and vapor. I think it's a good place to start and you can adjust it on future e-liquids you use based on your experience with it.

Nic or Nicotine - The eeeevil substance that got you here in the first place, right? I'll talk more about this later and how a great many of us have been ignorant and/or misled about this ingredient. For not, you will see this listed in various mg's. Typically the nicotine content in e-liquid will range from a high of 36mg doen to 0mg. Different vendors offer different available levels but typically you will see 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, 6, 3 and 0. This number refers to how many mg per ml the e-liquid contains. 36mg is realllly strong - think filter-less Camels. A good number of people start with 18mg and move up or down from there depending on their experience with it. If you find yourself still craving a cigarette while using 18mg you may want to try 24mg for a while. By the same token, if you find 18mg is making you shaky or have headaches, you may want to try moving down to 12mg. I think it's better to start high because it seems to help initially with the cravings and the goal here is to not smoke cigarettes. Nicotine in e-liquid also helps produce throat hit so as long as you don't have a PG allergy (most people don't) you can up the PG percentage if you reduce the nicotine level and it will allow you to keep a good throat hit.

Analog - term for a regular cigarette

TH - Throat hit

DIY - Do It Yourself - basically when you buy the components of e-liquid separately and mix them yourself as opposed to buying bottles of premade e-liquid

BT and BP - Big Tobacco and Big Pharmacy. Two entities that have a really big interest in trying to make sure vaping is either banned or completely under their control. If you stop smoking and reap the health benefits of doing so, you are cutting into their profits. They want you addicted to cigarettes and sick - it writes their checks.

CASAA - Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association - This is a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to defend our rights as vapors. If you are not a member, you should SERIOUSLY stop reading this now and go sign up. It's free to join and it is important. If you can donate, even better.

NRT - Nicotine replacement therapy - these are things like gum and patches and pills. Some people have success with them, most people don't. The FDA seems to like them and big pharmacy likes them because they make them. Think about that.

I'll add more to this soon.

Numero Uno

Hello and welcome!

I'm starting this blog for a variety of reasons...for one to serve as a control-central for what I hope to develop as a community here in San Antonio, Alamo Vapes.

I also want to provide helpful links and information to people who are currently smoking and wanting to try vaping as well as those already vaping. I'm very new myself but I've already learned so much.

Long story short, vaping has changed my life and I'm very passionate about it.