Ok, so I dove in head first and a lot of the credit goes to this wonderful thread. I've read through it since it was started and finally, finallly I get it.
If you really want to quit smoking I think it comes down to two key factors: finding the delivery system that best suits you and then finding the nicotine level you need to employ
I started with greensmoke, then had some other system, then V4L then more V4L and then I found the eGo-T at my buddy's shop. I also got the Artimes which delivers a serious. Until I went to my buddy's store I had no idea what this could be like though, the higher end systems are so worth it and I've found only in the morning do I still want a cig. In that case I overload with Artimes and I forget about it.
He explained a few things to me though. First of all a normal cigarette smoker takes bewteen 13 and 15 hits off of a cigarette while most of these higher end systems deliver the same nicotine in about 7-8 vapes. This was hard for me to regulate all along and now makes sense. He also wanted me to try the 24mg but I said I prefer 18 during the day and then 11mg at night because I like to vape throughout the day. Two puffs, three puffs, two puffs, four puffs... He said do what works for you, never break routine (still go to smoke deck at work, vape after you eat right away, have vape systems (charger, usb) in car to vape and always have a backup (v4L carts come in handy for me).
Then I got to know the liquids. Alot if not an overwhelming majority of liquids come from China. My friend mixes his own and they are great but I didn't love all the flavors in his store. So he gave me
some of these in strawberry and watermelon which are my favorite non tobacco flavors (besides cafe Mocha which he didn't have). So I got a banana flavor and a tobacco from him and began to mix my own. I found that with the extracts you can just use plan old tobacco flavors and you get both a fruit flavor and a tobacco-like hit. Now I am ordering my own flavors in coffee, cream, chocolate and assorted fruit flavors and will really start making my own batches. Awesome?
So only five days without cigarettes but I haven't gone five days without cigarettes since Air Force basic training some 20 years ago. I have been to places like Eastern Afghanistan where you can't smoke because it gives away your position, flew 15 hours a day sometimes and in tons of environments where smoking wasn't allowed. But I still found a way, always. So I am what they call a "serious smoker" and I never really tried to quit before (went 48 hours in grad school on patch and welbutrin and cut down for maybe three weeks). Didn't stick. Even when I made the effort I smoked two or three a day.
So here I am. I added external pressure too by telling all by best friends I was quitting and most importantly my Dad, who has wanted me to quit for years. I quit the day before Father's Day...so I am the type of person to keep my word when I go that far.
Tomorrow I think I'll go back through the thread and look at all the stuff that never made sense before that might now. Thanks for all the great info and support.