Vaping; Yes or No?

[Shade_Wilder]

 

My name is Shade_Wilder and I am an addict.

 

Okay, I thought that I would get that out of the way. I was a long-term smoker and quit just over four years ago (best thing I ever did in my life!), but I am one of those unfortunates who will be at risk of re-starting forever.

 

I quit 'cold turkey' and it worked for me, but I have always been interested in the addiction issue, and even more so in people who talk about vaping as an alternative. Please note; I say 'alternative' as my experience has been that people who switch to vaping don't always quit smoking, they just vape instead. I must confess; I don't get this idea. If you are going to quit smoking, I think that you should actually quit smoking and while vaping might be less bad, it still isn't good. However, some swear by it.

 

One thing that has been missing in the debate for me has been a lack of study/scientific information on vaping; while anecdotal information is perfectly valid, I also like data from formal studies and haven't seen any before now.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/19/health/e-cigarette-smoking-relapse-wellness/index.html

Using e-cigarettes to prevent smoking relapse doesn't work well, study finds - CNN A new study of American smokers looked at whether the use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco replacements kept ex-smokers from smoking again. edition.cnn.com



 

This is the first time that I have seen a scientific study on the issue, and it confirms what I always suspected; vaping might help some but never seemed to be 'The Answer'.

 

I have (literally!) never tried vaping and thus can't speak to it.

 

Do you vape?

 

Is vaping an end, or is it a means to quitting smoking for good? Anyone switch to vaping then actually quit?

 

I went 'Cold Turkey' and this seemed the 'right' way to go; anyone else?

 

Just curious about other members' experiences

 

Vaping; Yes or No?

 

 

 

[Faraday]

Been a fag smoker for an embarrassingly long time.

Last year I tried vaping & everything was going ok apart from the almost constant attention the device needed, cleaning refilling. 

Then the device broke & I went back to the fags.

*Fags are cigarettes in blighty*

[Marble-eye]

Since vaping fluid contains nicotine and other toxic chemicals what is the point of using this method to damage yourself as opposed to smoking cigarettes. 

So it's a big 'no' from me.

[palooka]

NO

Vaping doesn't fix anything, cold turkey does. Vaping stinks just the same as cigarettes and being chemical may have harmful substances, same as cigarettes, to the passive smoker.

I'm embarrassed to say I smoked for 17 years, disgusting habit.

[Shade_Wilder]

22 hours ago, Faraday said:

Been a fag smoker for an embarrassingly long time.

Last year I tried vaping & everything was going ok apart from the almost constant attention the device needed, cleaning refilling. 

Then the device broke & I went back to the fags.

*Fags are cigarettes in blighty*

What's a "Blighty"?

(just kidding)

If I may play the amateur psychologist, you say that you have been a smoker for an embarrassingly long time; that says to me that you know and understand that you should quit.

Why not set a date (Mondays are always good for this kind of thing), get mentally prepared, and give it another go? It is both difficult and easy to do; the difficult aspects you already know, but I found that if you make the serious decision to quit (not "oh yeah, I really should quit, some time, soon-ish, you know in the next while, etc.), then it is actually easier than you think.

That was my key 'lesson learned'; if you make a serious decision, quitting can be done. If you make a half-assed decision, then you have no chance.

Its up to you, but as someone who did it, let me say that it is worth it.

Really, really worth it.

Good luck!

[NorfolkandChance]

Who needs 2 lungs.

[palooka]

9 minutes ago, NorfolkandChance said:

Who needs 2 lungs.

Damn there goes my title of the dumbest person on this forum.

[mickkotlarski]

On 10/21/2021 at 8:50 AM, palooka said:

NO

Vaping doesn't fix anything, cold turkey does. Vaping stinks just the same as cigarettes and being chemical may have harmful substances, same as cigarettes, to the passive smoker.

I'm embarrassed to say I smoked for 17 years, disgusting habit.

You and me both.

[LoongFred]

36 minutes ago, Transam said:

There's a tool that comes to my watering hole, where we sit outside under a roof.

The tool get's his vape thing out and fills the area with clouds of awful smelling stuff.

The tool thinks he looks cool, and sadly, the owner says nothing. 

PS. I personally have no problem with ciggy smoke if it isn't in my face, probably because I used to smoke. 

What kind of tool is he. Must be either a boxed end/open end or a heavy duty socket.  I'd suspect you love your tools.

[LoongFred]

2 hours ago, Transam said:

I have a sneaky feeling you may know the answer to that....

Probably a 12in spanner then. 

[Raugh]

On 10/20/2021 at 7:56 PM, Shade_Wilder said:

My name is Shade_Wilder and I am an addict.

 

Vaping; Yes or No?

 

No. No, and no.

IF you were able to quit and have stayed w/o smoke for 4 years then try not to awaken the old itch by going half measures. Vaping would be like testing the water to see if you would like to start smoking again. You and I both know that is a slippery slope. One night you might be out having drinks and bum a cigarette from someone. Next thing you know you are smoking a pack a day!

 

My recommend is don't even try a little of anything.

The only thing I was never able to quit completely is coffee (at least for a while)

Nutrition is the key to leaving bad habits behind imho but that is another story.

 

Stay strong Shade

 

 

[oldschooler]

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-truths-you-need-to-know-about-vaping

I would confidently say NO to Vaping.

[Vince]

On 10/20/2021 at 4:56 PM, Shade_Wilder said:

My name is Shade_Wilder and I am an addict.

 

Okay, I thought that I would get that out of the way. I was a long-term smoker and quit just over four years ago (best thing I ever did in my life!), but I am one of those unfortunates who will be at risk of re-starting forever.

 

I quit 'cold turkey' and it worked for me, but I have always been interested in the addiction issue, and even more so in people who talk about vaping as an alternative. Please note; I say 'alternative' as my experience has been that people who switch to vaping don't always quit smoking, they just vape instead. I must confess; I don't get this idea. If you are going to quit smoking, I think that you should actually quit smoking and while vaping might be less bad, it still isn't good. However, some swear by it.

 

One thing that has been missing in the debate for me has been a lack of study/scientific information on vaping; while anecdotal information is perfectly valid, I also like data from formal studies and haven't seen any before now.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/19/health/e-cigarette-smoking-relapse-wellness/index.html

Using e-cigarettes to prevent smoking relapse doesn't work well, study finds - CNN A new study of American smokers looked at whether the use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco replacements kept ex-smokers from smoking again. edition.cnn.com



This is the first time that I have seen a scientific study on the issue, and it confirms what I always suspected; vaping might help some but never seemed to be 'The Answer'.

 

I have (literally!) never tried vaping and thus can't speak to it.

 

Do you vape?

 

Is vaping an end, or is it a means to quitting smoking for good? Anyone switch to vaping then actually quit?

 

I went 'Cold Turkey' and this seemed the 'right' way to go; anyone else?

 

Just curious about other members' experiences

 

Vaping; Yes or No?

 

You CAN use ecigs (vapes) to reduce the nicotine in your smoking habit. It has to be clearly labelled and standardized to do that. Homebrew vape mixes and poor labelling make that tricky. And you have to want to quit :-) 

You may get some increase in smoking as it's easier to vape without being discovered than smoking. Also, some people increase their nicotine dosage, making it more addictive. Your lungs may appreciate less smoke chemicals but not switching to artificial flavors that some people use. Flavoring in vape liquids may be worse or as bad as smoking. 

I found that buying the cheapest cigarettes possible - being incredibly harsh - encouraged me to quit as it was so horrible.

Tapering - with smokes or ecigs - and going cold turkey is the way. 

[dj230]

I smoked cigarettes for a bit, can't say I've ever felt addicted to them, once I stopped, stopped cold turkey

Vaping nicotine seems like a fad more than a 'cure'

There is however certain devices for cannabis use, that heat cannabis only to a certain temperature which doesn't cause combustion but causes the crystals to turn to vapour/steam, this in my opinon is a safer alternative to smoking cannabis.

I never researched vaping nicotine, however if there is combustion then most likely is just as bad. 

Edited April 18, 2022 by dj230

[Pinetree]

I have never been a smoker, but following the news reports, it may be that vaping is as bad for general health as light smoking, whatever that is. I find it as objectionable to be forced to endure vaping fumes as I do having to put up with cigarette smoke. So long as the same restrictions on where you can vape are the same as for smoking, then I see no harm in allowing it .

[NorskTiger]

   In general, once can say that half a pack of cigarettes a day is the thresold for most to avoid absinence symptoms. So if you smoke more than that a day, you have not experienced more than "pleasure absitnence". Therefore, I first work on making a client reduce his consumption to 10 cigarettes a day. From there, we device strategies to cut down or quit, amybe using medications or combining with exercises or mental adaptations, When it comes to vaping, there still is poor amount of good studies as it is a very complex thing to design studies free of bias and with inclusion/exclusion criteria that the various sponsors can agree upon (which in these days is difficult in ALL of medicine, but that is a different issue). 

 

Vaping may indeed be useful to assist in smoking cessation. 

      So you can keep track of how often you use a cartridge and scale down accordingly. The same can of course be (and IS) done  with cigarettes, but is tricker for the following reason:

     When you smoke a cigarette, you can certainly light it on/off piecementally, but in practicality I have found it to be more unsatisfactory for addicts. The same does not apply to vaping. So let us say you use one cartridge a day (with a certain strength) and you can portion it out according to your needs much easier and convenenient.  

     Another thing is the ease of keeping a vapedevice around your neck versus the somewhat more burdensome thing of keeping a pack of cigarettes and lighter. With addiction much is about habits and routines and if you can dissect this and minimalize routines, that part of addiction is a little bit easier to break. 

     Nicotine addiction is a very demanding routine to break for many people. I tend to work on this as the FIRST thing to break even for heavier addicts, because if you can cut out smoking, it gives you better ability to control cravings of other things and a powerful satisfaction of having already handled one difficult choice. 

       A final interesting thing here is Cannabis addiction and nicotine. In Norway, for example, there are few "pure" Cannabis users. Most are used to mixing Hashish and tobacco to make a cigarette. This, because Marijuana itself tends to be very unavailable in Norway outside larger citites. So if you are using Cannabis, you are very often also a smoker. Personally, I do not see much problems with use of Cannabis on a general basis and see it more as a habit that can be less good for some and have neglible adverse effects for others. As a matter of fact, many kids in Norway start smoking toabbco AFTER they have been exposed to Hashish. I see this as another unitended consequence of the government zero-tolerance policy to use of Cannabinoids, thereby making accessibility of Marijuana poor. 

     

           

 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by NorskTiger

[Rookiescot]

32 minutes ago, NorskTiger said:

   In general, once can say that half a pack of cigarettes a day is the thresold for most to avoid absinence symptoms. So if you smoke more than that a day, you have not experienced more than "pleasure absitnence". Therefore, I first work on making a client reduce his consumption to 10 cigarettes a day. From there, we device strategies to cut down or quit, amybe using medications or combining with exercises or mental adaptations, When it comes to vaping, there still is poor amount of good studies as it is a very complex thing to design studies free of bias and with inclusion/exclusion criteria that the various sponsors can agree upon (which in these days is difficult in ALL of medicine, but that is a different issue). 

Vaping may indeed be useful to assist in smoking cessation. 

      So you can keep track of how often you use a cartridge and scale down accordingly. The same can of course be (and IS) done  with cigarettes, but is tricker for the following reason:

     When you smoke a cigarette, you can certainly light it on/off piecementally, but in practicality I have found it to be more unsatisfactory for addicts. The same does not apply to vaping. So let us say you use one cartridge a day (with a certain strength) and you can portion it out according to your needs much easier and convenenient.  

     Another thing is the ease of keeping a vapedevice around your neck versus the somewhat more burdensome thing of keeping a pack of cigarettes and lighter. With addiction much is about habits and routines and if you can dissect this and minimalize routines, that part of addiction is a little bit easier to break. 

     Nicotine addiction is a very demanding routine to break for many people. I tend to work on this as the FIRST thing to break even for heavier addicts, because if you can cut out smoking, it gives you better ability to control cravings of other things and a powerful satisfaction of having already handled one difficult choice. 

       A final interesting thing here is Cannabis addiction and nicotine. In Norway, for example, there are few "pure" Cannabis users. Most are used to mixing Hashish and tobacco to make a cigarette. This, because Marijuana itself tends to be very unavailable in Norway outside larger citites. So if you are using Cannabis, you are very often also a smoker. Personally, I do not see much problems with use of Cannabis on a general basis and see it more as a habit that can be less good for some and have neglible adverse effects for others. As a matter of fact, many kids in Norway start smoking toabbco AFTER they have been exposed to Hashish. I see this as another unitended consequence of the government zero-tolerance policy to use of Cannabinoids, thereby making accessibility of Marijuana poor. 

Absolute mince. Using a vape to quit smoking (and vaping) is very simple. You simply reduce the strength of the oil you use over time.

Your crackpot alternative medicines give people false hope and do not work.

What vape liquid should I get? | Vaping Facts 

[Pinetree]

No