The nicotine level is an essential element to understand if one wants to try vaping to try to quit smoking.
From zero to 20 mg/ml, passing through the 3, the 6, the 10, the 11, the 12, the 16, the 18… For the neophyte who starts vaping, it is not easy to follow found in nicotine levels. Knowing that there is also PG (propylene glycol) and VG (vegetable glycerin) which are presented as a percentage, but that is another subject…
Definition: nicotine level
Rate, what does that mean? When you see on a vial of e-liquid 20 mg/ml, this indicates that there are 20 milligrams of nicotine for 1 millilitre of liquid. So in a 10ml vial, in absolute terms, you have 200 milligrams of nicotine.
To consume the same amount of nicotine with a 10mg/ml e-liquid (100 milligrams in a 10-millilitre vial), you will therefore need to vape twice as much liquid, i.e. 20 millilitres, i.e. two vials.
Your nicotine need
What is dangerous for health is not the need for nicotine, it is smoking to consume it. Addiction to cigarettes, therefore, underlies addiction to nicotine. With vaping, we can meet this need for nicotine, but without smoking.
Whatever the mode of consumption, we, therefore, have a “need for nicotine”. And this need is calculated in absolute value, not in nicotine level. Someone who vapes 3 vials per day of e-liquid in 10 mg/ml (i.e. 300 mg) consumes more nicotine than someone who consumes 1/2 vial of e-liquid in 20 mg/ml (i.e. 100 mg).
So when “people,” ask you the question with wide eyes “How much nicotine are you on?” “, your answer ultimately makes no sense if you don’t supplement with the amount of liquid vaped daily.
It is also very difficult to correlate the number of cigarettes smoked with the level of nicotine needed to equal the level of addiction. To be precise, not only must the number of cigarettes be taken into account, but also the way of smoking. Someone who draws heavily on his cigarettes (especially the “light”) will certainly have a stronger addiction to nicotine.
Summary. First, don’t be afraid of nicotine. Second, don’t be afraid of the nicotine level. If you go to a specialized store to try vaping, and the person advising you tells you about all this, you can trust him on the nicotine level he will advise you. And generally, when you start, the rate must be high.
A high nicotine level to start vaping well
When you light a cigarette, the “shot” of nicotine is almost instantaneous. It goes very fast. All smokers recognize the satisfaction that comes from the first cigarette of the day, the “shoot” from the first puffs. With vaping, it’s slower. And this is the main reason why specialists recommend starting with the highest level of nicotine when starting. This allows you to be satiated more quickly and therefore, better cut the craving for cigarettes, the desire for the “shoot”.
For those who might be “frightened”, as explained above, using a high nicotine level does not mean that we will consume more nicotine! Taking a high rate is just to seek a faster, and therefore more effective effect. The need for nicotine in absolute value is specific to each person, and it is the quantity of liquid vaped that will allow the number of milligrams that the body “claims” to be reached. Vaping with a high nicotine level also offers better comfort, especially for people who cannot vape at work or in certain situations.
Wanting a “low” nicotine level at all costs makes no sense. Your body will be looking for its “dose” anyway and you will find yourself just vaping more liquid. So still as much nicotine in absolute value, but more PG, more VG, more aromas…
Choosing the right material, the law of hits!
Beyond its sought-after psychoactive effect, nicotine in vaping is the main “hit” factor. The “hit” is the scratchiness in the throat that smokers are also looking for. The higher the nicotine level, the more pronounced this hit. And here too, everyone’s needs are different. Strong or light, it’s just a question of the desired sensation, there is no “good” or “bad”, some like to eat spicily, others don’t…
The higher the nicotine level, the stronger the hit. But that’s not the only factor in “setting” the hit. The material also counts, and in the first place: the resistance which is in the atomizer. Paradoxically, the higher the resistance, the less it heats up. As a result, with high resistance, you also need a “tight” draw (small air inlet) and a suitable liquid flow (not too much). In addition, these settings (tight draw / high resistance) make it possible to restore a feeling quite close to the draw on a cigarette. Added to the high nicotine level, these parameters are therefore particularly suitable for smokers who are new to vaping.
Don’t worry if all this seems very “technical”, today at specialist retailers, you will find a wide choice of equipment that combines all these parameters, and with very simple settings. Note that there are now e-liquids with nicotine salts which have the particularity of reducing the sensation of a hit despite a high dosage. One more possibility to adjust. Unlike cigarettes, the vape is not a standard product, it is tailor-made for everyone.
A regulation that is (stupidly) scary
20 mg/ml of nicotine is the maximum authorized by the regulations. 10 ml of nicotine e-liquid is also the maximum allowed. Subliminal message: beyond that is bad, it’s dangerous, it’s risky. Terrible and misleading side effect. These limitations are frightening when they have no meaning and above all no health basis. Above all, don’t be frightened by the “maximum limit”, in other countries there is no limit and there is no problem, on the contrary, it makes weaning easier.
So don’t be afraid of nicotine, or nicotine levels. Do not be frightened by a negative message provoked by a regulation which will undoubtedly be revised when public health takes precedence over the interests of the tobacco industry and the pharmaceutical industry whose lobbies have worked to influence the European Commission which imposed these rules.