Tell Your Story: How Vaping Helped You Quit Smoking

[Old Goat]

We all have our own journey when it comes to quitting cigarettes, and vaping has played a big role for many of us.

This thread is a place to share your personal story:

How long did you smoke before switching?

What finally made you decide to quit?

How did vaping make the difference?

Any advice you’d give to someone trying to make the switch?

Whether your journey was smooth or full of bumps along the way, your story could inspire someone else who’s still struggling.

I’ll kick things off with mine:

I started smoking back in high school, around 14 or 15. At first it was just 2 or 3 smokes a day, but after school it quickly turned into a pack a day habit. I tried to quit a few times — my longest stretch was about 6 months — but the pull of the cigarette always seemed to win.

At one point I switched to roll-your-own and that’s where I discovered flavored tobaccos. Before long I was mixing different blends, trying to create my own concoctions. Then Covid hit. Smoking was banned here in South Africa and things got… creative. I ended up finding a tobacco farmer and buying raw leaf. I had to wash it, dry it, toast it, cut it, blend it — the whole works. Results? Mixed at best. But I wasn’t done. I started experimenting with adding flavors like rum, whiskey, apple, and vanilla to make it more interesting.

It was around this time that I got my hands on a disposable Mango vape. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. But when the ban lifted, I tried a few more disposables and noticed they helped me smoke less. That was the spark.

My first real mod was a Vaporesso Swag PX80. I dabbled with fruity juices at first, but soon discovered dessert flavors. Hooked instantly. Then I got my first RDA and dual-battery mod, stumbled across a DIY community, and realized I could make my own juice. That’s when Old Goat was born.

The funny part? I don’t even know the exact day I quit smoking. It must have been at least a week after my last cigarette when it hit me: I didn’t need a smoke anymore. And I never looked back.

 

[Old Goat]

I want to share my story from Japan. Here the smoking culture is still strong. Salaryman with cigarette break is still very normal. When I start working, all my senpai smoke, and of course I also. Cigarette was everywhere, and cheap compared to many other country.

But in Japan, vape culture is very different. Nicotine e-liquid is not sold in shop. Law says no sale, only import for personal use. Many people just use zero-nic shortfill, or “heat-not-burn” like IQOS, because Philip Morris market is very strong here. For me, IQOS still feel like smoking, so it did not help.

I start to import small bottle of nicotine base from overseas, and I mix with DIY flavor. At first it was strange – no “Marlboro Man” feeling – but slowly I notice I don’t crave cigarette after meal. Vaping became like ritual, like making tea. I even think like Japanese tea ceremony, but with mod instead of chawan.

I was big anime fan since high school. I remember in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Misato always smoke in messy apartment. For me that was “cool” image when young. Now I think if she live in 2025, maybe she would vape matcha custard instead of chain-smoking Seven Stars.

For me, vaping gave escape. I still enjoy flavor, I enjoy clouds, but my health is better. No smell in my room, no yellow fingers, no cough in morning. It make me more free. And DIY is creative, like cooking ramen with different topping, or trying to make the perfect wagashi.

So even in Japan, where it is not so easy and not mainstream, vaping helped me quit smoking.

ありがとう for reading my story.