This Belongs Here

[sgt.barney]

 

Vape Nation: Vaping Is Bad, Kids

The Surgeon General declared youth e-cigarette use to be an epidemic, but many vaping

communities online downplay the risks. What does the evidence show?

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/vape-nation-vaping-is-bad-kids/

 

 

EZPZ

[Martian5]

No doubt that Vaping is bad and the science is there to prove that fact.  What is also disturbing is the marketing behind it.  Cigarettes long ago were no longer allowed to be advertised, however that is not true for vaping since there are televised commercials.  This also should be addressed because it only reinforces the idea that vaping is a safe alternative (which is not true).  I am afraid so many others will be lost to nicotine at this point!!!

[Wayne045]

I noticed that a huge vape shop/lounge near me is gone.  It is now a tattoo and piercing studio.   Is the fad starting to fade?

[Ankush]

I think vaping is nonsense. I tried it for a very short while and then gave it up. Its no good. Just makes the insides of the ears so itchy. Besides, if one thinks about it, NRT as a whole is pointless. One is just substituting one Nicotine source for another. Nicotine is the addictive drug. Whats's the point of substituting one addictive source (cigarettes) for another (NRT)? It does not help beat the addiction for good, just changes the source while keeping the person still addicted. 

[jillar]

@Ankush while I agree that vaping is nonsense I do not agree with your stance on other NRT's. We've got lots of successful quitters who have quit using NRT. Yes, they had nicotine in their systems longer but they used them as recommended and quit smoking.  That's the goal right?!  

[Doreensfree]

As long as you stick to the programme ...NRT can be a useful tool ...we have had alot of successful quitters ..who quit using NRT....

[Ankush]

8 minutes ago, jillar said:

@Ankush while I agree that vaping is nonsense I do not agree with your stance on other NRT's. We've got lots of successful quitters who have quit using NRT. Yes, they had nicotine in their systems longer but they used them as recommended and quit smoking.  That's the goal right?!  

@jillar Yes, quitting smoking is the goal. I was just speaking from experience. I had tried Nicotine gum for a few days. It just made me want to smoke more. There are other forms of NRT as well, (medications such as Chantix and Zyben) but that will just shift the dependency from one source to another. Maybe such medication is helpful for people who take psychiatric medication, however, all medication comes with its own side effects which may not be disclosed by the doctor or insufficient information is available on the internet about such drugs. Again, its just about shifting dependency from one source to another source.

[Doreensfree]

You sound ready to jump on @Ankush.....go on ...I dare you !!!!...

[Ankush]

5 minutes ago, Ankush said:

@jillar Yes, quitting smoking is the goal. I was just speaking from experience. I had tried Nicotine gum for a few days. It just made me want to smoke more. There are other forms of NRT as well, (medications such as Chantix and Zyben) but that will just shift the dependency from one source to another. Maybe such medication is helpful for people who take psychiatric medication, however, all medication comes with its own side effects which may not be disclosed by the doctor or insufficient information is available on the internet about such drugs. Again, its just about shifting dependency from one source to another source.

@jillar I just wanted to add that one of the side effects of such medication is insomnia and for someone who is a chronic insomniac and on psychiatric medication, dependency on such drugs (like Chantix and Zyben) may be a bad idea. Btw, is there a thread on Quittrain for people who do take psychiatric medication and are trying to quit smoking? I searched a lot, but I could not find such a thread.

[JB 883]

On 3/29/2019 at 5:30 PM, Wayne045 said:

I noticed that a huge vape shop/lounge near me is gone.  It is now a tattoo and piercing studio.   Is the fad starting to fade?

I do not think there is a lot of connection between body modification and nicotine use. One might argue that both appeal to similar demographs.

I think some vape shops might be closing shop simply because there is so much competition right now. It is the next big thing and everyone is trying to get rich off it.

 

Not that this matters but the place i got my couple tattoos done, it almost looks like a doctor's office inside. I was hoping for a colonoscopy but I guess that is not part of the procedure. He put on those rubber gloves, I got excited over nothing.

 

17 hours ago, Ankush said:

I think vaping is nonsense. I tried it for a very short while and then gave it up. Its no good. Just makes the insides of the ears so itchy. Besides, if one thinks about it, NRT as a whole is pointless. One is just substituting one Nicotine source for another. Nicotine is the addictive drug. Whats's the point of substituting one addictive source (cigarettes) for another (NRT)? It does not help beat the addiction for good, just changes the source while keeping the person still addicted. 

 

When I first learned what vape was, some prissy woman was telling me, "It is harmless water vapor". I thought, "What the heck is the point of smoking water vapor, give me a REAL cigarette!" Maybe this is blasphemy but TBH, if I HAD to use nicotine, it would be a real smoke, not some silly vape or NRT. Screw that.

But I have not used any since...

On Oct 2nd 2017, I tried to quit, just quit smoking. It lasted four hours. So, I cut down to three cigarettes a day, puffs spread out over the day. I decided Oct 6th I would quit.

No pills, patches, vape, gums, nothing. I figured that crap would cost money AND drag out the addiction so I decided to go "Cold turkey". I have not smoked or used any nicotine since, but there is bad news...

 

That day i became addicted to cold turkey. The very next day, I was at the deli getting a cold turkey sandwich. On thanksgiving, I have to let the turkey get cold before I can eat it. Sometimes when I go to visit people, I have to excuse myself to go eat a piece of cold turkey. One time I was so desperate but broke, I went to the deli to get five pounds of cold turkey, and I ran out without paying! People complain that my clothes, car, and house smell like cold turkey. I will quit one day. I have tried to quit but after a couple days I say, "one slice won't hurt" but then the cycle starts all over.

 

What is the lesson here? Umm, I don't know.

[Ankush]

4 hours ago, Jet Black said:

I do not think there is a lot of connection between body modification and nicotine use. One might argue that both appeal to similar demographs.

I think some vape shops might be closing shop simply because there is so much competition right now. It is the next big thing and everyone is trying to get rich off it.

 

Not that this matters but the place i got my couple tattoos done, it almost looks like a doctor's office inside. I was hoping for a colonoscopy but I guess that is not part of the procedure. He put on those rubber gloves, I got excited over nothing.

 

 

When I first learned what vape was, some prissy woman was telling me, "It is harmless water vapor". I thought, "What the heck is the point of smoking water vapor, give me a REAL cigarette!" Maybe this is blasphemy but TBH, if I HAD to use nicotine, it would be a real smoke, not some silly vape or NRT. Screw that.

But I have not used any since...

On Oct 2nd 2017, I tried to quit, just quit smoking. It lasted four hours. So, I cut down to three cigarettes a day, puffs spread out over the day. I decided Oct 6th I would quit.

No pills, patches, vape, gums, nothing. I figured that crap would cost money AND drag out the addiction so I decided to go "Cold turkey". I have not smoked or used any nicotine since, but there is bad news...

 

That day i became addicted to cold turkey. The very next day, I was at the deli getting a cold turkey sandwich. On thanksgiving, I have to let the turkey get cold before I can eat it. Sometimes when I go to visit people, I have to excuse myself to go eat a piece of cold turkey. One time I was so desperate but broke, I went to the deli to get five pounds of cold turkey, and I ran out without paying! People complain that my clothes, car, and house smell like cold turkey. I will quit one day. I have tried to quit but after a couple days I say, "one slice won't hurt" but then the cycle starts all over.

 

What is the lesson here? Umm, I don't know.

@Jet Black Vaping cannot be harmless water vapor. It contains Nicotine and a chemical called Propylene Gloycol and the latter's effects on the human anatomy have not yet been fully understood. I find it hard to believe that a person can literally get addicted to cold turkey meat. In any case, the lesson for us all is never to start smoking in the first place.

[sgt.barney]

On 3/30/2019 at 8:52 AM, Ankush said:

I think vaping is nonsense. I tried it for a very short while and then gave it up. Its no good. Just makes the insides of the ears so itchy. Besides, if one thinks about it, NRT as a whole is pointless. One is just substituting one Nicotine source for another. Nicotine is the addictive drug. Whats's the point of substituting one addictive source (cigarettes) for another (NRT)? It does not help beat the addiction for good, just changes the source while keeping the person still addicted. 

Sarge always said : "Why quit twice ?"
First you have to quit cigarettes ... 
... then you have to quit NRT. 
What's the point?

Why. Quit. Twice.  ???

EZPZ

[JB 883]

On 4/1/2019 at 10:47 PM, sgt.barney said:

Why. Quit. Twice.  ???
 

 

That is nothing. Mark Twain made some kind of quote about it was easy to quit smoking, he has done it 1,000 times.

 

Just think of the willpower and strength it takes to quit 1,000 times.

 

I wonder if he posted an SOS to whatever quit forum on the web that was around back then?

[sgt.barney]

1 hour ago, Jet Black said:

 

That is nothing. Mark Twain made some kind of quote about it was easy to quit smoking, he has done it 1,000 times.

 

Just think of the willpower and strength it takes to quit 1,000 times.

 

I wonder if he posted an SOS to whatever quit forum on the web that was around back then?

Sarge quite once, and only once in 27+ years.

1,000 times?

Sarge says again, but corrects himself: Why quit more than once?


EZPZ

 

 

P.S. - Sarge believes SOS to be quite a waste of time.
If one is  gonna smoke ... nothing anyone says will stop you (hundreds here  prove it  each and every year- they post an SOS and smoke anyway)
... and if you're NOT gonna smoke, you don't need some silly internet post to stop you . You weren't gonna smoke anyway.  
Sarge has never participated in the SOS thread here intentionally. 

[jillar]

14 hours ago, sgt.barney said:

Sarge believes SOS to be quite a waste of time.
If one is  gonna smoke ... nothing anyone says will stop you (hundreds here  prove it  each and every year- they post an SOS and smoke anyway)

Hundreds have also proved that posting an SOS helped them save their quit
... and if you're NOT gonna smoke, you don't need some silly internet post to stop you . You weren't gonna smoke anyway.  
Sarge has never participated in the SOS thread here intentionally. 

Sometimes that silly internet post is just the extra support you needed even if you knew you weren't going to smoke. Nothing wrong with reaching out. EZPZ

 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by jillar

[Lilly]

On 3/30/2019 at 12:52 PM, Ankush said:

I think vaping is nonsense. I tried it for a very short while and then gave it up. Its no good. Just makes the insides of the ears so itchy. Besides, if one thinks about it, NRT as a whole is pointless. One is just substituting one Nicotine source for another. Nicotine is the addictive drug. Whats's the point of substituting one addictive source (cigarettes) for another (NRT)? It does not help beat the addiction for good, just changes the source while keeping the person still addicted. 

 

For me it's about smoking and not about nicotine. I don't crave nicotine I crave cigarettes. If quitting was just about getting off nicotine I would have 3 days of discomfort and get on with my life. It's the actual act of smoking I crave. 

 

I believe that's why NRT doesn't work for everyone and they go back to smoking. If all they had given up was nicotine their fix should be enough. 

 

Yes I want to be nicotine free but that's the least of my problems. Too much focus is put on the nicotine and not enough on the habit. 

[Ankush]

54 minutes ago, Lilly said:

 

For me it's about smoking and not about nicotine. I don't crave nicotine I crave cigarettes. If quitting was just about getting off nicotine I would have 3 days of discomfort and get on with my life. It's the actual act of smoking I crave. 

 

I believe that's why NRT doesn't work for everyone and they go back to smoking. If all they had given up was nicotine their fix should be enough. 

 

Yes I want to be nicotine free but that's the least of my problems. Too much focus is put on the nicotine and not enough on the habit. 

@Lilly I suppose this is one way of looking at it. Nicotine is an addiction, but the act of smoking can be an addiction too (since that is the way Nicotine is administered into our bodies)? We all have been so used to smoking cigarettes, that the very act of not smoking cigarettes can be a brain drain at the beginning of a quit. As per my experience, when I did try NRT, it literally left a weird taste in my mouth that made me want to smoke more (with the gum), and made my ears itchy and just didn't give me the satisfaction of smoking a real cigarette (with the e-cig). That's why I gave up on NRT. I realized its just a waste of time and money for two reasons - first, it costs much more than regular cigarettes (where I come from), second it just makes me want to go back to smoking regular cigarettes and also because I realized its just a different way of administering Nicotine in the body. If its the act of smoking that bothers you, then may be you could do what Jillar did - use a straw and call it Jillar's air cigarette. I never tried it (didn't need to), but may be it will work for you.

[Doreensfree]

You have a great attitude A...keep yourself grounded and youv,e got this ...I just had a punching pillow ..worked for me .!!!

 

[notsmokinjo]

NRT worked for me purely because my issue was more about the habit and psychological addiction than it was the physical...once I broke the back of the habit, of the psychological compulsion is stoped the gum. The nicotine side of it was much easier for me. Do I feel that NRT prolonged the angsty, early stages of my quit?...yep, if for some stupid reason I had the time over would I use the NRT again?...yep, why??? Because it worked for me... it's doesn't work for everyone, many don't need it.. but I did.

SOS helps just as many as it doesn't. If you don't bother to post an SOS you'll never know if it works for you. 

[Lilly]

53 minutes ago, Ankush said:

@Lilly I suppose this is one way of looking at it. Nicotine is an addiction, but the act of smoking can be an addiction too (since that is the way Nicotine is administered into our bodies)? We all have been so used to smoking cigarettes, that the very act of not smoking cigarettes can be a brain drain at the beginning of a quit. As per my experience, when I did try NRT, it literally left a weird taste in my mouth that made me want to smoke more (with the gum), and made my ears itchy and just didn't give me the satisfaction of smoking a real cigarette (with the e-cig). That's why I gave up on NRT. I realized its just a waste of time and money for two reasons - first, it costs much more than regular cigarettes (where I come from), second it just makes me want to go back to smoking regular cigarettes and also because I realized its just a different way of administering Nicotine in the body. If its the act of smoking that bothers you, then may be you could do what Jillar did - use a straw and call it Jillar's air cigarette. I never tried it (didn't need to), but may be it will work for you.

 

It's not the act of smoking it's everything that goes with a cigarette. It's hard to explain but for me it's not the nicotine - it's probably the 6000 other chemicals they put in them. 

 

Either way we are beating this addiction and that's all that really matters. 

35 minutes ago, notsmokinjo said:

If you don't bother to post an SOS you'll never know if it works for you. 

 

So true Jo x

[Ankush]

19 hours ago, notsmokinjo said:

NRT worked for me purely because my issue was more about the habit and psychological addiction than it was the physical...once I broke the back of the habit, of the psychological compulsion is stoped the gum. The nicotine side of it was much easier for me. Do I feel that NRT prolonged the angsty, early stages of my quit?...yep, if for some stupid reason I had the time over would I use the NRT again?...yep, why??? Because it worked for me... it's doesn't work for everyone, many don't need it.. but I did.

SOS helps just as many as it doesn't. If you don't bother to post an SOS you'll never know if it works for you. 

@notsmokinjo I think its just best to do what works best for a given individual. Some may need NRT, some may not. I guess it doesn't matter in the end, as long as we don't smoke. @Lilly Yes, beating the addiction is what matters eventually. 

[Doreensfree]

Stay Focused on the prize @Ankush.....your doing great.....you are beating that Nico Monster...

[abbynormal]

On 4/5/2019 at 10:32 AM, Lilly said:

 

It's not the act of smoking it's everything that goes with a cigarette. It's hard to explain but for me it's not the nicotine - it's probably the 6000 other chemicals they put in them.

 

I know what you mean, Lilly. My husband used to ask why I didn't try vaping instead of smoking cigarettes. (He can't stand the smell of cigarettes.) I told him that no other form of nicotine had the same effect. I tried vaping. I didn't see the appeal.

 

Cigarette smoking is a complex addiction. Of course there is the addictive substance, nicotine, to deal with. But then there is the act of smoking--by that I mean the physical act--that is appealing to smokers. There is the habit of smoking--all of the places, events, etc. that trigger the desire for a smoke. And there are the cigarettes themselves--the taste, the brand, the buzz.

 

It's all evil, I tell you!

[abbynormal]

On 3/29/2019 at 11:41 AM, Martian5 said:

No doubt that Vaping is bad and the science is there to prove that fact.  What is also disturbing is the marketing behind it.  Cigarettes long ago were no longer allowed to be advertised, however that is not true for vaping since there are televised commercials.  This also should be addressed because it only reinforces the idea that vaping is a safe alternative (which is not true).  I am afraid so many others will be lost to nicotine at this point!!!

 

YES! ^^This!^^

 

I was watching tv the other night, and I swear I saw at least 5 Juul commercials in the space of 2 hours. Why is it ok to advertise these but not cigarettes? Seems hypocritical to me. NOT that I want to see cigarettes advertised. I just don't see one as better than the other. Merely my opinion, of course.

[Doreensfree]

These are not advertised in the UK...

I have just lost another friend ..who used a E Cig....I am convinced this was the cause ...on both accounts...