N
F
E
R
H
FEATURES
Diary
OF A VAPER
With Habib Rahman,
28, from London.
I started vaping maybe three to four years ago because I
wasn’t enjoying cigarettes anymore and didn’t see the
need to smoke, but I needed an alternative to take away
the craving. I’d already been vaping but only for the flavour;
I was using it with zero nic and wasn’t taking it seriously
as a smoking alternative. So, I started vaping with nicotine
and used my vape to satisfy my cravings instead of just for
leisure and a week down the line I realised it was working,
so I’ve carried on using it ever since.
In the beginning, I challenged myself to take it one day at
a time; so could I go one day without cigarettes? Could I
then go two days? Three days? Four days? That worked
for a week, then it was a month and then it had been three
months since I’d had a cigarette and I thought: “Wow, this
has actually worked!” That was in 2016.
I’d been smoking for around 10 years when I quit, I started
in my teens. Back then I’d not really thought anything of it;
I didn’t consider the addiction side of it at all, I knew it was
bad, but I just thought that I’d be able to quit at any time. It
was only when I was in my 20s that I realised I was smoking
a ridiculous amount and wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop.
The most dramatic change in my health was during the
first year of vaping, because I felt healthier, so I used that
momentum to make a conscious choice to be healthier in
general. Now, I can’t imagine myself smoking again and
where I’ve had the odd cigarette here or there it makes
me feel really sick and the next morning my chest will feel
heavy. I just can’t believe I used to smoke 30 to 40 of them
a day.
It was a sub-Ohm device that got me off the cigarettes and
then I got into my dual battery devices and slowly got into
rebuildables. Vaping became a hobby for me and I was all
about finding new devices, new flavours, new stores and
meeting new people in the stores. I’ve made a lot of friends
in stores and ended up getting a job in a store in London,
where I worked for a year.
I love attending The Vaper Expo UK because everyone
comes together and showcases everything, plus it’s a good
place to come and meet up in one spot. It is great to meet
like-minded people and share stories about vaping.
“ In the beginning, I challenged
myself to take it one day at a
time; so could I go one day
without cigarettes? Could I
then go two days? ”
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