For a while, I had no idea what I could write about on Steemit, but I think this is a good topic as it has a chance of helping some people--smokers and the people who love them ;)
You can probably already tell by the picture that I'm talking about vaping.
I'm not promising anything, but if this worked for me, I honestly think that there's a really good chance that it'll work for almost any heavy smoker, for a couple of reasons:
When I started vaping, the idea of quitting smoking wasn't even on my radar...I mostly bought a vape because I happened to see one in an ad (and also just for fun)
And with barely any effort on my part, I ended up quitting smoking within a month--that's how easy it was
Vaping covers all the addictive aspects of smoking--chemically, physically, emotionally(?)(depending on the situation)--while being even more convenient, because it doesn't burn or smell
It's actually kind of fun to get into on its own, especially if you're into customization; there're lots of really good flavors to choose or mix for the chemists, and tons of hardware options for the gearheads
The nicotine level is adjustable, and since the delivery system is the same, so you really don't need to make any major changes (I think nicotine is still carcinogenic though, so please keep that in mind)
I'm not kidding, I really quit smoking in a month without even really trying. For those of you who've smoked for more than a decade, this probably sounds like a salespitch or like I'm talking out of my ass. But I have absolutely no affiliation with any vaping-related businesses at all (keep that in mind when I post reviews in the future), and no reason to make this up. I understand though--like I said, I didn't really consider that vaping could possibly make an appreciable dent in my pack-a-day habit of fifteen years.
So my plan is to impart all my vaping knowledge and hopefully convince some people to at least give it a try, because it's an awesome feeling when you realize you don't need (or want) cigarettes anymore.
In this post, I'll just detail my smoking history (I'll discuss vaping in future posts).
I started smoking in high school, which I'm sure a lot of you heavy smokers did too. It started out as a strictly social thing (there's not much to do in the suburbs as a teenager), and the person who got me to try was my only friend that smoked. For the first few months, I never even bought a pack, that's how infrequently I smoked. After I started buying my own packs, the rate of consumption increased pretty quickly. I didn't really mind, since I could get a pack for a $2.50 (when I wasn't carded, since I only seventeen), and this was in California. I was fairly active then too, so I didn't really notice any changes to my health for a long time.
I don't remember exactly when, but it seems like I was smoking half-a-pack a day within just a few months (kind of scary to think about now), which quickly progressed to pack-a-day soon after. I really enjoyed smoking then, and so did all my buddies. It almost became a semi-sacred ritual between us...the after-meal-cigarettes, the coffee-cigarettes, the beer-cigarettes, the study-break-cigarettes, the after-a-bowl cigarettes, etc. etc. And I loved all of them.
After several years, I finally started noticing the downsides...or I guess they finally started getting to me. First off, my physical endurance went to shit, which was kind of depressing since I used to be a runner. Also, I hated having to hide it or feel guilty about it (I had really strict parents, and a really judgmental extended family) when I went home.
There were also mounting practical day-to-day concerns, as the laws in California were becoming increasingly draconian (especially in the Bay Area). I actually had to start worrying about whether or not I could smoke at a particular location without risking a ticket. And, the price had more than doubled since I first started buying cigarettes...not a deal-breaker, but still annoying as a broke college student.
But the absolute worst of it was noticing how dependent on smoking I had gotten. Like, I had to have my "after-(insert arbitrary activity)-cigarette", or I'd be in a completely shit mood. Or if my lighter went out at 11PM, and the nearest gas station was blocks several blocks away, and I was too high or drunk to drive...I won't even attempt to verbalize the ensuing emotions. It started to feel like cigarettes had become a toll I had to pay every time I transitioned from one activity to another, to a ridiculous degree. Like, "okay, I'm gonna have a cigarette on the way to the store...then another from the car to the entrance, and another from the exit back to my car, and then another on the way home". It wasn't so bad that I couldn't talk myself out of it a lot of the time, but it sucked that I actually had to exercise self-restraint, for what started to seem like all day, every day, with no end in sight.
I tried to curb or quit smoking a handful of times, and promptly failed each time within a week or so. So literally, for well over a decade, I never went longer than about ten days without a cigarette, even when I was sick or broke (I'm sure I chose cigarettes over food countless times in college). I even tried e-cigarettes when they first came out, with pretty high hopes...which were unfortunately destroyed by terrible technology and stupid product design.
This disappointment was almost $100, including the portable charging pack, spare parts, and bottles of e-juice (I think we called it oil back then). I figured it was a small price to pay (about the same price as two cartons of cigarettes at the time), if it could really get me off of cigarettes.
At first, it actually worked really well...for a couple of days. The e-juice capacity was absurdly small, probably equivalent to a few good long draws. Past that, you risked burning the wick--which basically happened every single time--resulting in, at best, a terrible burning taste, and at worst, an unbearably harsh hit. This drawback was exacerbated by an awkward and messy refilling process, which needed to happen several times a day. And on top of all that, the e-juice was sold at approximately zero gas stations, liquor stores and/or smoke shops around me. Basically, it would've been more convenient to grow my own tobacco and roll my own cigarettes, so that was the tragic ending to this initially hopeful attempt.
I don't think I really made any serious attempts to quit or even cut-down for many years after that. I'd just naturally smoke slightly less if I felt bad, and otherwise not worry about it most of the time (at least not consciously). Anyway, about six or seven months ago, I was looking through a newsletter from an online Chinese retailer, when I saw a "modern" vape, and for just twenty bucks. After spending about half and hour reading up on the advances made in the past several years, I decided it was definitely worth a shot, especially at that price.
And WOW, I could not believe what a difference just a couple of years could have in terms of advancing the technology/hardware. Plus, the tobacco outlet in my area now had an section of their store dedicated to vaping and e-juices, and the guy there helped me get set up in a few minutes. Again, I know the rest of this is going to sound unreasonably favorable, but if any of you tried the first generation e-cigarettes, then you totally know how appropriate the praise is. If any of you actually DID unfortunately try the 1st-gens, please comment below so I know that someone appreciates where I'm coming from.
Anyway, the experience was basically near-perfect...almost as entirely satisfying as smoking a regular cigarette (not quite, but I'll get into that later...this is already getting way too long). That's also why I think that quitting was so painless, and effortless, even. So seriously, if you want to quit smoking, just try it. I'll get into more details in the following posts, but really, it's worth it even if you're not thinking about quitting...they're pretty fun (and tasty!) to have around even if you don't end up switching over.
Follow me for more info, coming soon. I also hope to do some reviews on mods and tanks, so that's a reason to follow even if you vape already.
Thanks for reading!
you can thank curie for that bump :)
thanks curie!
I quit smoking years ago because it is so expensive to keep up.
No regrets, glad I did it early.
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What got me the most was a book by Alen Carr! So simple yet effective!
lol oops didn't know that was an actual book XP
Allen Carr's easy way to quit smoking I loved it !
I have just joined steemit today and I already see a lot of future oriented people..I do believe that vaping is the future of smoking and it will slowly but certainly replace conventional smoking, just as blockchains will replace conventional currency/media systems :D
Burning organic matter does produce thousands of difficult to pronounce agents, many of which are carcinogenic while all you require is the aerosolized nicotine. Vaping liquids if standardized to contain minimal ingredients, can provide with a better control of what goes in your lung. Right now as per my knowledge its just nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine and flavours which don't sound half as bad as tar and cyanides in the conventional smoke.
Nicotine per se is not carcinogenic according to some studies and can be compared in safety to caffeine more or less. Isolating it is definitely a good idea.
Ultimately not smoking is the way to go but vaping is definitely better than inhaling burning paper with raw tobacco leaves, twigs and organic fillers.
Cheers!
I completely agree (I was actually going to go over some of this in my next post)!
Many people don't know that it's really easy to learn to mix your own e-juices--you can literally vape pure vegetable glycerin if you wanted. I think some people who get allergic reactions to PG actually have to.
And yea, I briefly looked into whether nicotine is carcinogenic after I finished posting, and couldn't find anything about that (I got the info from my cousin, and I just took his word for it because he's a chemist....oh well -_-). And either way, you can choose to add nicotine or not, or slowly taper off it, or whatever. Like you said, it's giving people much better control of what's going into their bodies.
I imagine there'll be a lot of resistance to the widespread adoption of vaping, initially--I think we're already starting to see this in the form of legislation that puts vaping in the same category as smoking. I'm not sure who's pushing this kind of legislation...some people think it's big tobacco (for obvious reasons) and others say it's actually in the states' interests because they don't want to the lose the revenue from the taxes.
Thanks for reading, and for your very insightful comments!
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Great job on breaking the habit!
Thanks, make sure to tell any smokers you know! :D
I'm a non-smoker, because my body cannot tolerate the smoke and the smell. I simply feel dizzy and nauseated at just taking one breath of second hand smoke. While I was taking German lessons, there were lots of smokers in my class who took regular smoke breaks. One of them was my good friend, and I could actually stand beside him and chat during a break because he vapes too.
I'm glad you found a way to quit and are spreading the word on it.
Guys, if @cyniclinic sounds like he's up-selling the item, he's probably not. It's worth a shot. It's cleaner, healthier, and will make your die-hard non-smoking friends more comfortable and happy :))
LOL When I was younger, I totally thought that people who made similar claims were either lying or exaggerating...but apparently it's way more common than people think. And yea, I saw a study earlier that compared second-hand smoke, second-hand vaping, and regular air--they found that unlike second-hand smoke, the second-hand vapor was basically comparable to air.
Also, thanks for vouching for me :) I'm well aware of how hard I'm cheerleading, but it's actually pretty hard to honestly express what a game-changer this is for smokers. I think it's hard for non-smokers to relate to the mindset of a resigned cigarette smoker, but since I am writing this in hopes of converting some smokers to vapers, I'll keep pushing it hard.
Thanks for reading and replying!
You're doing well! I like your drive. Keep going, and don't give up :)
Very thoughtful post!
thank u to your post..
Great post @cyniclinic! Your story is very familiar to my own. I was a heaver smoker for over 20 years (like 2+ packs a day heavy). Seem like I tried to quit at least a couple times a year. I finally did manage to quit using Chantix which really messed me up some.
I was smoke free for a little over a years time. I'll tell you, at least with me, the urge to smoke never went away. In fact, I would say it steadily and steadily got worse as time went by. Needless to say, I eventually began smoking again.
This was a year or two after I first heard of ecigs. I told my wife that I wanted to try and quit again, so I ordered a couple of the old, pre-filled cartridge, cigarette style pen vapes. At first, I smoked and used the vaporizer together. After about a month of that, I was smoke free again. The hardest part about it for me was finding an e-juice flavor I enjoyed. This was over 5 years ago.
I've tried all kinds of different vaporizer set ups. The one I've been using for the past 3 or 4 months, I think, is the best set up I've tried. It's an Eleaf mod with a 2 ml tank. Hits great and is totally adjustable.
Absolutely, there is no telling how bad these vapes are on the human body. Personally, I put nicotine in the same category as caffeine (but, that's just me). I will say that I feel great and breathe great. No hacking or coughing.
Looking forward to future posts!
hey man, i've heard about chantix. you should look into whether there are any class action lawsuits going on. i've heard really terrible things about it, so i hope you're alright. and yea, the worst part is, my friends tell me that they still wanted to smoke anyway! this is why i actually get angry over the fact that there are moneyed interests trying to prevent people from vaping to get off of cigarettes.
i actually really like eleaf :D i started using the eleaf istick s, and i'm using a pico mod right now, with an oumier white bone mini. perfect for me. just curious, what eleaf mod are you using? i've only tried the two i have.
yea, i'm not too worried about the nicotine because my intake is already pretty low (i aim for 6mg or less). and my plan is to slowly taper, but i haven't really been focusing on that :p
thanks for reading and congrats on quitting man!
Appreciate it. Yeah, I'm fine. What I've noticed most is increased anxiety. When I was taking it though, I was all kinds of jacked up emotionally. It was crazy.
Funny, the Eleaf mod I have been using is also the pico, hehe. I really like it. I also have an ijust s. I like it, but if you fill the tank more than half way, it leaks. They both use the same atomizer, which is nice.
woh weird, i also started with the ijust s, then got the pico 0_0
anyway, i'm very happy with the pico. the ijust had a problem where the tank/atomizer wouldn't make contact with the body after a while for some people, me included.
so you've been vaping for a while, did you ever try making your own wicks and coils for RDAs and RTAs? when i started using rdas and rtas, i noticed a big difference in quality. it's just more consistent, strangely...i almost suspect planned obsolescene is in play because the difference is so huge. i can literally go months without rewicking! i remember having to change the atomizer probably every 1-2 weeks? i dunno, maybe it has something to do with the way i vape too, because i take pretty long draws. as long as it's working and you're not smoking, that's good :)
No, I never ventured into making my own wicks or anything. RDA/RTA are foreign terms to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge supporter of vaping, but I have always just purchased commercially made products. I've never even tried to mix my own juice. I should look into that!
Nicotine isn't carcinogenic but it is highly toxic, one jar of candy flavoured e-juice is enough to kill a child or for that matter an adult. Another thing to worry about is those fruity flavours, look up POCORN LUNG!
Yup, thanks for reminding me, I actually need to cover all this.
Popcorn lung is a condition caused by diacetyl(?), a chemical that flavors stuff like microwave popcorn. It's okay to eat, but apparently very bad to inhale...Personally, I try to avoid the buttery flavors (found in a lot of the creamy desert flavors).
And yea, if you're mixing your own e-juice, the nicotine MUST ALWAYS BE child/pet proof and secured!
When I read about popcorn lung they warned about fruity flavours I think berry not sure though.
the popcorn lung is from diacetyl, but personally, i would be wary of anything i was unfamiliar with or didn't trust. it's nice to have a choice though :) you can vape 100% VG and ramp up the risk from there as much as you're comfortable with XD
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I'll make sure my husband reads this. Hoping... 😏 Thanks for sharing and for following me. 👍
I'll keep posting on vaping, and will be focusing on getting beginners setup for vaping.
I'm sure you can convince your husband to at least try it :) Keep in mind, you can get a decent vape online for $20-30 dollars, which is like 3-5 packs of cigarettes depending on where you live. Anyway, if this post doesn't work, get him to follow me ;)
Thanks for reading!
Awesome advice. Thanks for caring and following. 😊
Vaping is better than smoking, normally. Good job.
Yea, I think the exceptions to that are probably very rare. Thanks :)
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I did the same after 15 years myself. The vape made it really easy.
yeup, just trying to spread the word :)
I give up smoking 5 years ago, but now i love to Vape.
Wife the amount of flavours out there, will take a lifetime to try.
my cousin has the same mod, that's a really nice one.
i'm guessing you already know since you've been vaping so long, but just in case, be careful with the buttery/creamy flavors unless it's from a reputable brand or you're making it yourself. some of the low quality brands might still be using diacetyl for the buttery taste.
and if you haven't already, try a fruit loops flavor--it's INCREDIBLE :D
Hello my friend.
Yes I am aware of these issues, 99.9% of the time I buy the big brands.
I have tried Fruit Loops and yes it is good.
Have a great day.
Lev.
Wow, kudos to you for quitting! I am trying to switch back to a vape from these horrible cancer sticks in an attempt to step down, myself.
Also, I think I tried the 1st or 2nd gen when they first came out. Bought one at a flea market with the little O-ring dispensing method. Nothing like sucking back a mouth full of fluid and choking! MMM-MMM, good!
Do you have a favorite fluid mix?
hey, thanks :) good to hear that you're thinking about quitting. as long as you stick with vaping, don't feel guilty when you do have cigarettes because you ARE quitting.
ugh yea, thank god someone understands how terrible those early ecigs were. i'm going to try to make a distinction between ecigs and vapes from now on, because i realized that ecigs are still being sold even though vapes are infinitely better.
i mix my own fluid now because it's way cheaper (i'll be more specific in my next post). honestly, i've been kinda been busy so i haven't been able to play around with the flavors much recently, but the last one i really liked was pineapple menthol. so it's just pineapple, and then i get actual menthol crystals from my cousin, and let them dissolve in the mix. it takes longer, but at least i know exactly where the minty flavor's coming from.
before that, i REALLY liked this fruit loop flavor and wanted to get it in bulk, but i read that something about the cereal flavors makes them lose potency over time. so i'll work on that problem eventually and get back to fruit loops :)
i'm gonna keep going on about vaping and helping people get little details about their setup right, because that was my biggest annoyance after a while. everything's fine until some little part goes bad or whatever. so i hope you stick around and get your vaping experience perfect :) thanks for reading!