When someone wants to quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes, one of their first concerns is how much nicotine dose their e-liquids needs. Why does it matter how much nicotine you receive?

  • To avoid suffering from nicotine cravings,
  • To help you successfully quit smoking,
  •  To avoid the temptation of smoking cigarettes again once you have started vaping.
  • To be able to dose your e-liquids and other nicotine alternatives accurately.

How do you know what amount of nicotine you need?

When choosing the nicotine concentration of your e-liquid, one mistake you should avoid is using overly straightforward calculations, such as I smoke this many cigarettes per day, hence I need an e-liquid with this much nicotine.

As the professor states, this is not the best practice for several reasons:

  • Cigarettes have varying nicotine content. The range is from 6 to 17 mg, but smokers absorb an average of only 1 to 2 mg when they smoke.
  • The tobacco contents on the pack are based on machines, not humans. They’re generally underestimated and tend to be higher than the number printed on your pack.
  • The link between nicotine absorption and cigarettes smoked per day is not linear; it resembles an inverted U-shaped curve.

More accurate calculations are necessary to determine how much nicotine a vaper needs. J.F. Etter has created an easy-to-use questionnaire that will help provide a perfect nicotine dose to suit any user’s needs. Just grab a pen and paper to write your responses and points, then add them to determine your ideal nicotine dosage.

Questionnaire

Question No. 1

What number of cigarettes do you smoke each day?

  • Zero cigarette= 0 points
  • 1 to 5 cigarettes = 1 point
  • 6 to 10 cigarettes = 2 points
  • 11 to 15 cigarettes = 3 points
  • 16 to 20 cigarettes = 4 points
  • 21 or more cigarettes = 5 points

Question No. 2

How long does it take you to smoke your first cigarette of the day after waking up?

  • After 0 to 5 minutes = 5 points
  • After 6 to 15 minutes = 4 points
  • After 16 to 30 minutes = 3 points
  • After 30 minutes to 1 hour = 2 points
  • After 1 hour afterwards = 1 point

Question No. 3

Rate your smoking intensity on a scale of 1 to 100.

  • 0 = 0 points
  • From 1 to 20 = 1 point
  • From 21 to 40 = 2 points
  • From 41 to 60 = 3 points
  • From 61 to 80 = 4 points
  • From 81 to 100 = 5 points

Question No. 4

Specify the total amount of smoke you inhale each day.

  • 0 = 0 points
  • 1 or 2 = 1 point
  • 3 or 4 = 2 points
  • 5 or 6 = 3 points
  • 7 or 8 = 4 points
  • 9 or 10 = 5 points

This question’s answer is based on a variety of factors. The number of cigarettes smoked daily, the puff length, and the total number of puffs.

Question No. 5

Note the quantity of nicotine contained in your cigarettes written on their pack.

  • From 0.1 to 0.5 mg = 1 point
  • From 0.6 to 0.7 mg = 2 points
  • 0.8 mg = 3 points
  • 0.9 mg = 4 points
  • 1 to 1.3 mg = 5 points

Results

Add up the points you scored for each question now. 0 as the minimum and 25 as the maximum.

  • 0 and 4 points: you absorb between 0 and 7 mg of nicotine a day (an average of 2.4 mg per day).
  • 5 and 9 points: you absorb between 7 and 14 mg of nicotine a day (an average of 10 mg per day).
  • 10 and 14 points: you absorb between 14 and 21 mg of nicotine a day (an average of 17 mg per day).
  • 15 and 19 points: you absorb between 21 and 28 mg of nicotine a day (an average of 24 mg per day).
  • 20 and 25 points: you absorb over 30 mg of nicotine a day.

Quitting smoking

To give yourself the best chance of avoiding nicotine cravings, the Professor suggests sticking to the nicotine content determined using this questionnaire for at least three months.

Then, to determine the dose of nicotine you need, it is essential to look at the results of another study that sought to determine the nicotine dosages contained in the e-liquids consumed by smokers who successfully give up smoking using e-cigarettes. The dosages that you must adhere to are listed below.

J.F. Etter has created a summary for this reason:

  • From 0 to 4 points: vape e-liquids with 10 mg/mL a dose.
  • From 5 to 9 points: vape e-liquids with 10-12 mg/mL a dose.
  • From 10 to 14 points: vape e-liquids with 12 mg/mL a dose.
  • From 15 to 19 points: vape e-liquids with 16 mg/mL a dose.
  • From 20 to 25 points: vape e-liquids with 18 mg/mL a dose.

Now, you must watch your intake to ensure you take in the right amount of nicotine.

If you no longer crave cigarettes, don’t have any mood or concentration problems, or have gained any weight, then your e-liquid is likely the perfect one for you.