Vaping For Beginners - Part 1: How To Get A Great Experience

On a daily basis, people come to me and ask about vaping,.  Many of these people have never tried vaping and heard that it could help them quit smoking while some are just curious because they are starting to see new vape shops pop up all over the place.  Over the next few weeks, I will focus these blog posts towards the beginning vaper - someone who has either tried to quit smoking unsuccessfully or someone who wants to get the best experience in their journey of getting off the smokes and into vaping.

Today, I wanted to start with How To Get A Great Experience - the first time and every time.

STEP 1 - DO YOUR HOMEWORK: The first thing any new vaper must do is educate themselves.  This could be spending hours in front of YouTube, or talking to people who already vape.  The hardest part about this self-discovery is making sure you are getting the best (and correct) information.  There are too many people online who really don't know what they are talking about - and sometimes they can be the loudest voices.  Likewise, you may have a friend who is a cloud-chaser and could possibly steer you into getting something that may not be the right device for you.  What'e even worse is going into a less-than-respectable "vape shop" to get wrong information, bad products, or getting generally overcharged for what they claim to be authentic devices.

STEP 2 - READ REVIEWS:  If you're relying on a shop to steer you into your first vape, get on Yelp or Facebook and see what others say about them.  Not all shops are created equally.  There are shops that focus on cloud-chasing or the "hangout" aspect of the vaping community.  There are dedicated vape shops that only focus on e-liquids and there are even shops that muddy the waters by being a tobacco shop or head shop that also carry a small selection of vape products.  Your best chance at success is to find a reputable business that focuses only on vaping and is run by people you can trust.  Remember, if you walk in and you're not comfortable with the environment or the people, don't spend your money there.  It's worth your time and money to support businesses that care about you and take time to explain things thoroughly.

STEP 3 - GIVE VAPE A CHANCE: I wrote about this in a previous post, but because your changing your behaviors from smoking to vaping, you have to give it a chance to work.  Commit to yourself and avoid cigarettes for at least 3-5 days.  This will allow your body to start to work with you.  Whenever you would smoke, pick up a vape instead.  Remember that the chemicals in cigarettes are what's causing you to be addicted, but the nicotine level in your vape can help get you past some of the withdrawals.

STEP 4 - EXPERIMENT WITH FLAVORS: Many people chase tobacco flavor when they are trying to quit smoking and start vaping, but remember, cigarettes taste BAD.  There are so many other flavors you can get in a vape that taste better, and may help you be more successful in the long run.  Try flavors.  Try many flavors.  Try different brands.  Visit different shops.  If they don't offer you a sample or taster of the flavor in zero nicotine, go somewhere else.  Don't buy a flavor without trying it regardless of whether a friend said it was good or not.  Every palette is different and what one person may like, another may not.

STEP 5 - GET A DEVICE THAT WORKS FOR YOU: There are thousands of devices for vaping, from the starter pen to the advanced box mods.  There are also thousands of atomizers from tanks to drippers.  Finding what works right for you based on your goals is the most important thing you can do.  Don't let a shop talk you into more than what you need.  Many of us are now hobbyists and collectors, but you don't need 5 or 20 devices to be successful in vaping.

I'll discuss hardware options in my next blog.