E-Cigarettes for Beginners: How Much Nicotine?
In Switzerland, nicotine-containing e-liquids cannot legally be sold, but you can import 150 ml from abroad per postal shipment (see the information sheet from the Swiss Federal Customs Administration). Since, contrary to what some lobbyists and politicians claim, e-cigarettes really aren't a gateway to smoking, let's assume you've been through a fairly typical smoking history.
By the way, a survey by the German Interest Group for Electronic Vaping (IG-ED) makes it very clear that vapers are mainly smokers or former smokers. Non-smokers don't even account for 1 percent; to be precise, only 0.7 percent of the vapers who took part in the survey had never smoked.
So that brings us right to it – the amount of nicotine you need when you switch depends on three factors:
- A: Which brand did you smoke? There is a world of difference between someone who smoked Gauloises and someone who smoked Select Light.
- B: How much did you smoke per day?
I always smoked menthol cigarettes – very light ones with 0.5 mg nicotine – but I vape 18 to 24 mg nicotine. Why? Because I used to smoke up to three packs a day! And I did that for decades – a 5 mg nicotine e-liquid simply won't satisfy me!
The question isn't just which brand you smoked, but how much you smoked too!
- C: Do you want to vape sub-ohm? If so, you can use slightly lower-strength e-liquids than for standard wattage vaping! But I wouldn't recommend sub-ohm as a first setup for someone just starting out. There is quite a bit to consider, and in the beginning it can be a distraction.
Long story short – the standard recommendation is to pick up some 18 mg e-liquids, and maybe some 12 mg ones as well! Only go for lower nicotine if you smoked very mild cigarettes, and only 5 to 10 a day.
But there are other opinions too: some say beginners with sub-ohm setups are happy on 3 mg, and that the standard recommendation should be 6 to 10 mg! My take: try it. If it's too little nicotine, you'll notice quickly, because you simply won't be able to stay off cigarettes.
Racing heart or a queasy feeling in your stomach?
These are typical signs that you've either been puffing on your vape too much, or that the nicotine strength in your e-liquid is too high for you. The solution is simple: vape less, or switch to a lower-strength e-liquid. If you're unsure, though, see your doctor.
And don't forget: especially at the start of your vaping journey, drink plenty of water to keep your mouth and throat from drying out. Next week, we'll look at other typical signs that can come with switching from cigarettes to vaping.
