Anyone here vape?

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Vape away, Irv. I don’t care. I’m not paying your health care.

Oh yes you are! We ALL share the cost of health care collectively. You and all of the other vape detractors should be applauding the fact that people like irv and myself have stopped smoking.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
As addictive as nicotine is, the mind can be stronger than nicotine and the physical body dependance. That is the key to stop smoking, or doing anything addictive that's bad for you. When someone is [censored] bent to really quit, then the mind will prevail.

Unless you yourself have been hooked on something as addictive as nicotine (and few substances are), you don't know what you are talking about. For years I WAS [censored] bent to really quit smoking. It isn't as easy as you think.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
As addictive as nicotine is, the mind can be stronger than nicotine and the physical body dependance. That is the key to stop smoking, or doing anything addictive that's bad for you. When someone is [censored] bent to really quit, then the mind will prevail.

Unless you yourself have been hooked on something as addictive as nicotine (and few substances are), you don't know what you are talking about. For years I WAS [censored] bent to really quit smoking. It isn't as easy as you think.


Well, I smoked for over 15 years and decided I'd quit ... and I did without crutches. Was it easy - no, but I did it basically cold turkey. Sure, not everyone can do it, but it still comes down to mind over body as the key factor to success.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My observation is that I think it's quite comedic seeing grown adults walking around sucking on them like it's their pacifier and clutching to them like a security blanket haha

I think most people carry them around to get attention.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Vape away, Irv. I don’t care. I’m not paying your health care.

Oh yes you are! We ALL share the cost of health care collectively. You and all of the other vape detractors should be applauding the fact that people like irv and myself have stopped smoking.


Perhaps it escaped your notice that Irv lives in Canada...

I am glad you've stopped smoking, sincerely glad, but crowing about vaping vs. smoking is like saying you've stopped beating your wife and just kick the dog now...

Better.

But still not good.

I would be delighted if you could kick your nicotine addiction. You may have missed it, but I admit that I like a cigar now and then. Have quite a few fine ones in my humidors. Big nicotine rush in those.

But I have a cigar about once or twice a year.

I'm not addicted.

Finding a safer way (vape) to feed your addiction isn't doing you any favors, unless you move on to a cure. The rationalization that vaping is good is an impediment to your progress.

And the myth that vaping is safe (it isn't safe, just less dangerous) encourages future addiction. I see lots of these poor souls puffing away...

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Vape away, Irv. I don’t care. I’m not paying your health care.

Oh yes you are! We ALL share the cost of health care collectively. You and all of the other vape detractors should be applauding the fact that people like irv and myself have stopped smoking.


Perhaps it escaped your notice that Irv lives in Canada...

I am glad you've stopped smoking, sincerely glad, but crowing about vaping vs. smoking is like saying you've stopped beating your wife and just kick the dog now...

Better.

But still not good.

I would be delighted if you could kick your nicotine addiction. You may have missed it, but I admit that I like a cigar now and then. Have quite a few fine ones in my humidors. Big nicotine rush in those.

But I have a cigar about once or twice a year.

I'm not addicted.

Finding a safer way (vape) to feed your addiction isn't doing you any favors, unless you move on to a cure. The rationalization that vaping is good is an impediment to your progress.

And the myth that vaping is safe (it isn't safe, just less dangerous) encourages future addiction. I see lots of these poor souls puffing away...

The problem with this rationale is that I am already addicted to nicotine and have been for over 40 years. But, my health is becoming more important to me as I age, and smoking cigarettes is extremely detrimental to one's long-term health. Vaping has allowed me to stop smoking while giving me a way to slowly wean myself off of nicotine, which is another one of vaping's advantages. Over the course of the last 3 1/2 years I have been able to move down from an initial 36mg nicotine dose to an 8mg dose, and I'm getting ready to move down to a 4mg dose soon. From there, I should be able to get completely off of nicotine, hopefully within the next year. In the mean time, I'm enjoying the benefits of not smoking, I feel a WHOLE lot better and I don't walk around smelling like a cigarette butt all the time. I might continue to vape without nicotine because I enjoy it, and it gives me something to do with my hands, which is something that everyone who quits smoking has a problem with.
I want to point out something to you Astro, even if you only smoke cigars occasionally, you may not be addicted to nicotine but you ARE a smoker! There is NO middle ground, you either smoke or you don't. Those occasional cigars CAN give you mouth and/or throat cancer even if you don't inhale (and all of the other diseases if you do), no ifs ands or buts about it! The bottom line is that I AM a nicotine addict but NOT a smoker, you are NOT a nicotine addict but ARE a smoker, and I'm actually standing on safer ground by vaping than you are by smoking an occasional cigar. You really should give-up smoking Astro

 

[Astro14]

I should probably also give up drinking, shooting, skiing, sailing, working on cars, woodworking (especially finishing), flying, driving, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I enjoy....

But at that point, I'm not certain what, exactly, I would be living for...

 

[PR1955]

I was addicted to nicotine, for almost 20 years. So yes, I DO know what I am talking about.
When I quit, it was "cold turkey"..no patches, pills, gum, vaping.......nothing. Yes it was VERY difficult. It took a lot of will power and determination..and suffering cravings and withdrawal symptoms. But in the end, it CAN be overcome, especially with the cessation aids available now.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: PR1955
I was addicted to nicotine, for almost 20 years. So yes, I DO know what I am talking about.
When I quit, it was "cold turkey"..no patches, pills, gum, vaping.......nothing. Yes it was VERY difficult. It took a lot of will power and determination..and suffering cravings and withdrawal symptoms. But in the end, it CAN be overcome, especially with the cessation aids available now.

I REALLY wanted to quit smoking cigarettes and over the course of 10 years I tried EVERYTHING... cold turkey, hypnosis, acupuncture, patches, gum, chantix, and finally vaping. The big difference with vaping is having something to do with your hands and inhaling something, in other words, dealing with the HABIT. For anyone who has smoked cigarettes for as long as I have, the habit is just as hard to break as the addiction, maybe harder. As of now, I still haven't broken either the habit or the nicotine addiction, but I'm happy not to be smoking. I'm working on breaking the addiction, after that I will work on breaking the habit.
I need to point out a mitigating circumstance that applies to my specific situation. My wife was, and still is, a cigarette smoker. That is the primary reason why I kept failing when I tried to quit. I have begged and pleaded with her to quit, but she is about the most stubborn woman I have ever known. It is my personal observation that women have a harder time quitting than men do. I have seen this with my mom and dad, my sister (who still smokes) and her husband, my sister-in-law and my brother, and many other friends and relatives.

 

[Schmoe]

Nicotine is not a carcinogen, it is addictive, like so many other things. You easily breath in more carcinogens just standing at a crosswalk from all the break dust in the air, and yes, asbestos is still being used in larger heavier equipment. It has got me off of cigarettes after almost 40 years, about 6 years ago. For those that must badger us that vape, I'm sure you are much healthier than we are.....

 

[Pew]

I hope everybody that complains about cig smoke being harmful uses a car made out of organic, vegan, GMO free products and is completely up to date on EPA standards. Now let me go start my coal roller and car made before the EPA was ever introduced.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
I should probably also give up drinking, shooting, skiing, sailing, working on cars, woodworking (especially finishing), flying, driving, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I enjoy....

But at that point, I'm not certain what, exactly, I would be living for...

So, I see that you DO get my point.

 

[PR1955]

I feel for you, my wife also smoked when I quit, it made it that much more difficult. And I agree, the habit can be just as hard to break. I still have a bad habit of putting pens, paperclips, toothpicks, etc in my mouth 30 years after I quit !
Stick with it, I am sure you will eventually quit the vaping too. Like others have said, it is still not good...but it is a step better than smoking. Best of luck to you.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Astro14
I should probably also give up drinking, shooting, skiing, sailing, working on cars, woodworking (especially finishing), flying, driving, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I enjoy....

But at that point, I'm not certain what, exactly, I would be living for...

So, I see that you DO get my point.


Not certain what your point is.

My life is about managing risk.

Your life is about overcoming addiction.

You’re not really managing risk by vaping, you’re trying to overcome that addiction.

I haven’t had a cigar since 2015, so it’s not accurate to say that I’m addicted, or even a smoker, really. Walking the Champs Elysees entails risk, including the diesel soot from the buses and cars on the street. But I manage that risk for the experience of the Louvre.

I’m also pretty certain that a cigar is a whole lot better for me than walking in Beijing on a winter day, breathing the coal smog...but I saw the Forbidden City, so I went out...

My skiing, swimming in the ocean, drinking scotch, working on cars or flying fighters all had risk involved.

But I chose those activities and managed the risk inherent in them.

I wasn’t a slave to them. I wasn’t addicted. Still not addicted.

I sincerely hope you do kick your addiction.

I would think being honest with yourself about the risks, unknowns, and detrimental effects of chemical ingestion would be a good place to start. Not saying “never do xxxx”. Just saying be honest about it.

 

[Mr Nice]

Vape = popcorn lung.

Avoid this very bad habit and waste of $$$.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Vape = popcorn lung.

This myth has been debunked.
A chemical called diacetyl is an artificial flavor with a buttery taste. In 2000, this chemical made the news as the probable cause of a rare lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans (or popcorn lung) diagnosed in eight microwave popcorn factory workers. Some e liquid flavor additives contain a small amount of diacetyl. Diacetyl exposure from cigarette smoking is significantly higher than exposure from vaping, perhaps as much as 750 times higher. Even cigarette smoking, with its significantly higher risk of diacetyl exposure, hasn’t yet been positively associated with popcorn lung. This doesn’t make vaping safe, but it supports the argument that vaping is safer than smoking traditional cigarettes. In fact, the only known case of popcorn lung from diacetyl exposure outside of microwave popcorn factories affected a Colorado man who ate two bags a day of diacetyl-containing microwave popcorn over a period of ten years.
There is no established link between popcorn lung and vaping.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Not certain what your point is.

My life is about managing risk.

Your life is about overcoming addiction.

You’re not really managing risk by vaping, you’re trying to overcome that addiction.

But I AM managing risk by vaping. That is my point. I thought that you got that.
When comparing the health risks associated with vaping verses smoking cigarettes, vaping carries a FAR lower health risk than smoking, this is an undisputed fact. I do agree that vaping is not a risk-free activity, but few things in life are, as you pointed out.
My life is NOT about overcoming addiction, I'm STILL addicted.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: wag123
I am already addicted to nicotine and have been for over 40 years. But, my health is becoming more important to me as I age, and smoking cigarettes is extremely detrimental to one's long-term health. Vaping has allowed me to stop smoking while giving me a way to slowly wean myself off of nicotine, which is another one of vaping's advantages. Over the course of the last 3 1/2 years I have been able to move down from an initial 36mg nicotine dose to an 8mg dose, and I'm getting ready to move down to a 4mg dose soon. From there, I should be able to get completely off of nicotine, hopefully within the next year.


You're definitely heading in the right direction, but at some point you will have to stop and never look back - and that alone will be biggest challenge. Just have to take control of your mind and squash the cravings until you stop thinking about smoking. If you are truly concerned about you're health you should realize the sooner you stop the better off you'll be in the future. One thing I've seen in almost every long time smoker who's finally quit is they will look back and say it was the dumbest thing they ever did and wish they'd never started smoking. Good luck in kicking the habit - when you do you'll look back and say the same thing I'll bet.

Smoking is one of the largest causes of health problems, and so additive that people have no control over it which makes it hard for smokers to realize how bad it is for them until they themselves start having heath issues. I had a neighbor woman who use to stand out on her front porch and smoke and literally sounded like she was coughing up a lung - yet, she still had to smoke. And I've heard of smokers who are on oxygen because their lungs are so fried from smoking, yet they will take off the oxygen and light up a cigarette. Crazy stuff.

 

[Kestas]

Last May I had dinner with the guy (Mr. Gilbert) who invented vaping back in 1963, Patent 3,200,819. He takes great pride in the fact that he saved many lives by offering vaping as an alternative to people who smoke cigarettes.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Not certain what your point is.

My life is about managing risk.

Your life is about overcoming addiction.

You’re not really managing risk by vaping, you’re trying to overcome that addiction.

But I AM managing risk by vaping. That is my point. I thought that you got that.
When comparing the health risks associated with vaping verses smoking cigarettes, vaping carries a FAR lower health risk than smoking, this is an undisputed fact. I do agree that vaping is not a risk-free activity, but few things in life are, as you pointed out.
My life is NOT about overcoming addiction, I'm STILL addicted.


OK. fair enough. I agree with everything you've said there.

And if I'm lucky enough to meet you in person - I'll buy you a drink.