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For anyone looking to quit smoking I can't recommend e-cigarettes enough. As a very passionate former smoker I got off the habit pretty much accidentally and wi

For anyone looking to quit smoking I can't recommend e-cigarettes enough. As a very passionate former smoker I got off the habit pretty much accidentally and without even trying in a timeframe of about half a year. And it actually started with the intend to find a cheaper alternative to expensive cigarettes without any desire to quit. The key is to steadily reduce the amount of nicotine in the liquid you're using. Once you aren't using nicotine any longer all that is left is the social ritual and habit of going out for a smoke, which isn't a very convincing reason after a while. Soon you'll forgot to take your e-cigarette with you one day - you'll use it less and less. Until it simply doesn't matter any longer.

stinos 10y ago
While I also highly recommend e-cigarettes, your story is of course the ideal picture of how it should go. But it might not go that easy for everyone: even with the use of it I'm having a hard time to quit the actual cigarretes completely and it's not due to the nicotine (in fact I do not know what exactly still makes me crave for those hand-rolled cigarettes). Also nicotine can be a pleasant drug to use. Which is likely why I know several people who've been vaping for years and have a hard time quitting, or even just don't want to quit. But they did quit smoking so that's a huge win already of course.
- jrockway 10y ago
  I'm not sure why the goal is quitting. Nicotine itself isn't the problem with cigarettes, it's just a stimulant and has the usual stimulant effects. If you have high blood pressure or trouble sleeping, probably not a great drug to use. But the same can be said of coffee, which is perfectly legal. https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine is interesting reading. Of course, e-cigarette liquid is not only nicotine, so who knows what the long term effect of that is. The chromium in the heating coils worries me personally. (Kanthal and stainless steel both contain chromium. Obviously stainless steel is designed to be relatively inert, so maybe it's OK. Titanium is another option, and is implanted in the body regularly. But things are different at high temperatures.)
  - josho 10y ago
    > Nicotine itself isn't the problem with cigarettes, it's just a stimulant and has the usual stimulant effects Agreed, it's tobacco that is the primary issue. I've been curious to adopt the e-cig for the stimulant aspect. I likely won't, but will admit to being curious if it would be a productivity boost. I'd bet the e-cig companies could gain a whole new market if they published some quasi-scientific material on the productivity benefits of nicotine.
    - NTripleOne 10y ago
      The problem is any potential productivity benefits are usually shut down at the employer level - I've never seen an employer (specifically office environment) that allows vaping in the workplace. My employer requires people to clock out for a smoke break and go outside anyway, so to get the next hit people have to go break momentum away from their desk for a while - and that'd probably be quite frequently too; from my somewhat brief stint(s) of trying to adopt vaping over combustion, I'd find myself puffing on it far more frequently than I'd go for a smoke (which at work is about 1 every 1-2 hours or so~)
      - nyir 10y ago
        Well for anecdotal evidence we've got two people with (multiple) vapers in our office and they totally use them at their desk. Only annoying bit is the permanent noise of using them. It seems less distracting overall to me than people running around for smoke breaks all the time.
        brokenmachine 10y ago
        I would personally be very concerned about the unknown secondhand vaping effects of someone doing it in close proximity to me at work.
    - rsync 10y ago
      Wouldn't the gum be easier and more discreet ?
- tomtoise 10y ago
  I found it harder to quit as a rollie-smoker myself. My theory is the ritual of rolling up a quick cigarette is just as compelling as the actual smoke. I'd find myself rolling at my desk when in a stressful situation a fair bit.
  - jonlucc 10y ago
    I wonder if another fidget would help. I just heard a recommendation in this week's MacBreak Weekly, but I don't remember the name of the company. Maybe it was called Fidgetopia?
  - NTripleOne 10y ago
    Yep, as someone else who also smokes rollies exclusively (straights are disgusting and so fucking expensive), I can attest to that. Vaping just didn't fill that void and I think that's part of the reason I gave up (the other being that I just couldn't find a flavour I actually liked, no matter how close the name of it is to 'golden virginia', it never tasted remotely as close)
- pessimizer 10y ago
  Rolling cigarettes feels good. E-cigarettes allow you to keep all of your addictive habits and mannerisms other than rolling, and it's all of those habits that are the addiction; you're physically off nicotene in a couple of weeks, and you're mentally off within a month or two. I was once able to roll a cigarette while riding a bike; now I have a skill that I'll never use again. I'm creeped out by whatever's in e-cigs. I'm don't know why everyone is so sure that constantly inhaling propylene glycol for years on end is safe, or that all that's in that mystery imported off-brand liquid is propylene glycol. I of course find it extremely likely that it's less unhealthy than smoking. I quit through using Swedish snus. I think it was crucial that snus isn't fun, and gives you nothing to do with your hands. To gradually wean off nicotene, just leave the portions in longer. Twenty-year smoker, two-year snuser, four years tobacco-free.
  - psyc 10y ago
    I hate to say it, but after puffing an e-cig for a couple years, it became extremely painful for my throat and lungs, to the point I couldn't even bear a single puff anymore without pain and a coughing fit. I actually went back to tobacco.
    - NTripleOne 10y ago
      That sounds like a PG or VG sensitivity issue to me.
      - psyc 10y ago
        Is it more likely I developed sensitivity after 2 years, or switched types without realizing it? I liked all the other benefits of vaping.
        NTripleOne 10y ago
        I really don't know to be honest, if you're not paying attention it's pretty easy to accidentally buy the wrong mix and then end up with something that'll fuck your throat up for weeks.
elorant 10y ago
As a former smoker I believe that the best way to quit smoking is cold turkey. Sure, the withdrawal phase is a hell but in my case that helped me realize just how addictive that shit was. Before I’d never imagine that quitting would cause me depression or sleeping problems. All that, and a lot more, helped me understand how much my body was reliant on cigarettes. From my experience most smokers don’t realize how addictive and dependent they are on their habit. If they were perhaps they’d think twice before lighting another one.
- tankenmate 10y ago
  And yet the numbers say that people who go through phased withdrawal using e-cigarettes are more likely to give up...
  - awinder 10y ago
    If I remember correctly, cold turkey has worse rates for initial quitting but the lowest rates of people returning to smoking for those who "made it"
    - gr3yh47 10y ago
      IIRC it has to do with the anguish of quitting - if you went through the difficulty and pain of quitting cold turkey you probably don't want that to be for nothing
      - infogulch 10y ago
        Sunk cost strikes again? This time for good.
        takingflac 10y ago
        I wouldn't say sunk cost so much as you now have a better understanding of what the price is now that you have paid it once.
    - 10y ago
bbarn 10y ago
Yep. 20 years of smoking, failing at every cessation method that I've heard of, was finally beaten with 3 months of e-cig tapering for me too. I was actually content just keep using it, but my machine broke on an out of town trip, and I realized after a few days I didn't miss it like I did when I'd try to quit smoking. These anti-vape ads infuriate me. I don't even use one anymore, haven't for over a year, and every time I see one of those ads I think there might go another person who had a real chance to quit smoking cigarettes.
- ythl 10y ago
  Do we have any statistics on percentage of vape users quitting analog smoking vs. recreational/teen experimental usage? If there are strong recreational vape trends in youth I can see why anti-vape ads might be a thing.
  - neotek 10y ago
    Teens already experiment with smoking actual cigarettes, all vaping does is provide them with an alternative to experiment with that is far safer and less addicting than tobacco.
    - ythl 10y ago
      That's not a good enough reason to not have anti-vape commercials. Just because it's "less bad" than analog cigarettes doesn't mean we shouldn't speak out about their negative effects.
      - neotek 10y ago
        Nor does it mean we should arbitrarily ban or restrict them to satisfy the whims of people who haven't looked at the evidence.
        acedinlowball 10y ago
        Nor should we assume that people who disagree with us "haven't looked at the evidence"
soylentcola 10y ago
Same here. It was a little bit of a challenge to switch over at first since the existing devices at the time (maybe 3-4 years ago) weren't very effective. Still, at one point while dealing with yet another lingering cough/cold due to smoking, I just said screw it, bought a better vaporizer, and stopped smoking. The nicotine delivery is less immediate and not as strong so for someone used to the immediate dose delivered by smoking, it sort of left me wanting more but at the same time, it was a much less intense "craving" than a smoker would feel when forced to abstain. A big part of it for me was adjusting to this. Smoking delivers a large, immediate dose of nicotine which then drops off in your bloodstream over the course of the next half hour or hour, when (predictably) you sort of want another cig. With the vaporized nicotine solution, I had to get used to just having a puff every so often throughout the day (more like hookah I guess) and maintaining a more constant but lower blood level. Anyway, maybe I'm overanalyzing it. The results were the same though. It was as much getting off the roller coaster of "dose, levels drop, crave, redose" and onto a more sustained but lower level. It made it much easier to go without and it made it easier to lower the nicotine in the liquid to the point where I keep some 3mg/ml stuff around for the occasional desire for a mild stimulant but otherwise, it was practically effortless to wean off. Aside from just lowering my nicotine intake and habituation to something more along the lines of how I really could go for a coffee some mornings, stopping the constant deposit of tars and particulates into my respiratory system has made a huge impact on my general health. No more lingering colds and honestly I haven't had a major cold or other respiratory infection in years now. I used to get them all the time thanks to the constant irritation and level of crap I was inhaling. And another cool thing is that I know exactly what's in the stuff I'm inhaling occasionally now. I can get MSDS sheets for the flavorings and the rest is just nicotine and a couple types of glycerine (like you'd use in a fog machine or asthma inhaler). The levels of anything potentially harmful are a miniscule fraction of what they'd be if I was smoking cigs still and I'm no longer getting the vast majority of harmful compounds or carbon monoxide at all. I really hate to come off as a "booster" and I try not to be the guy who just has to tell you about "his vape" but I think this sort of anecdotal experience is appropriate and on-topic in threads like this. I think it's a real shame that something with maybe 1-2% of the risk of smoking has been so demonized and lobbied against when it's a bigger improvement than methadone for heroin addicts or AA for alcoholics.
NTripleOne 10y ago
There is also another outcome from this - the one where you turn into an insufferable 'vaper'.
- FilterSweep 10y ago
  What's insufferable about it exactly - that you are constantly espousing its "benefits" or that the people around you find it insufferable?
  - NTripleOne 10y ago
    http://explosm.net/comics/4452/ http://explosm.net/comics/4452/
agumonkey 10y ago
I bought one for my mother because her health seemed lowering. She didn't like it and didn't want to spend time searching for the right device and/or liquid. She had an infarctus (not myocard it seems though) last month, obviously cardio told her no more cigarettes. She was worried about nicotine addiction, I mentioned e-cig, I got angry eyes, borderline saying it was worth than cigs. I understand their concerns about untested liquids turning into other kinds of carcinogens, but I'm still surprised about the reaction. I expected that some doctors would be able to either mention calmly "no vaporized liquids is free of dangerous particles" or redirect to well tested brand and suppliers. I guess it's just hurried scare tactics. In the mean time, it's nicotine gums diet.
- j10sanders 10y ago
  Disposable ecigs are much more convenient, and are a more natural way for people to switch. I also find refilling liquid to be a nuisance. The Njoy Daily has become my favorite.
  - agumonkey 10y ago
    I wish I tried this first with my mom. She would probably enjoyed the experience, which I assume is supposed to be hassle-free "drop-in replacement".
- bollockitis 10y ago
  Some doctors are more open minded than others. I use an ecig to deal a smoking relapse after being quit for 7 years (sadly, the addiction never really leaves you), and from my unscientific and informal poll of pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, and others in the medical field, they largely think of ecigs are harmless (especially when compared to cigarettes). Of course, they won't recommend them to patients because the science has yet to fully establish their safety, but what science HAS come in is promising and the anecdotal evidence from countless users is also promising. Even so, doctors want to promote quitting altogether, not crutches or replacements, as it simplies treatment plans and eliminates variables. Plus, many of them have never been smokers, so they just don't understand what it's like to be a smoker, depending upon both nicotine and the comforting ritual of smoking in a society flush with stress.
nemacol 10y ago
This is my experience as well. 10 years of smoking analogs lead me to ecigs. Used ecig for 3 years. Went from 18mg to 0 in the last 6 months of me using. Continued using 0 nic for 2 months. Now I am 8 months clean of all nicotine products and 6 months clean of ecigs in general. It was easy because of how gradual it was and that I was still able to satisfy the oral habit of smoking while kicking the chemical dependency. Smoking while driving was a huge hangup. As a side note - if you buy good hardware and good quality liquid, the whole experiene is better than smoking as well. Forget the vape "culture". IMO ecigs are more convenient, taste better, feel better, and so on.
- oxide 10y ago
  Personally, I didn't want to give up nicotine. I just wanted to give up cigarettes. So that's what I did. I took my carton money for the month and invested in a proper setup after doing my research. I spent time trying different juices until I found one I could use all day, every day. That was 2 years ago. Everyone around me still smokes, but I've never even been tempted to go back. I smoked for 10 years as well.
  - nemacol 10y ago
    That is wonderful. Glad you were able to kick the habit. Same with me- my intention was never to stop smoking... it just kind of happened. :D
- cptskippy 10y ago
  Can you recommend any resources for this? I'd love to encourage some family members in this direction.
  - eof 10y ago
    the ecigaratte subreddits are extremely helpful... they seem to have changed since i was using it (similar story to others.. smoked analogs for a decade, after about 2 years on ecigs I am not vaping or taking any nicotine).. this seems to be the best place: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vaping/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Vaping/ you can get a good setup for ~$50 then the heaviest users will spend like $30/month on juice (most users will spend a fraction of that)
squeaky-clean 10y ago
I have a friend who quit this way. Steadily reduced the nicotine until he was either using a very low amount or none, depending on the flavor. Then one day he lost the vape and didn't feel the urge to buy a new one.
satysin 10y ago
Yup my Kanger Subox Mini starter kit was a great purchase. I cut it down to 0mg nicotine over a few months with ease. I still vape a bit now and then but I never feel the need to do it like I did cigarettes. Plus I don't stink and food tastes so fucking good now!
badsock 10y ago
This, IMO, is a good reason to legalize and regulate all drugs, including hard drugs like heroin and meth. The user having the tools to regulate the potency and amount of the drug in order to use this taper-down strategy is not available via the black market.
- kbenson 10y ago
  Not to mention the drastic increase in accurate market information. The amount of misinformation and lies (reefer madness) about drugs coming from well meaning (that might be generous) people and organizations about illegal drugs is staggering. Some people trust this and never try drugs, other people try drugs and realize they've been lied to, which leads to a lack of trust in the information presented about drugs. This is a bad thing because some drugs truly do have very bad downsides. Sometimes I wish kids were forced to truly grok some of the basics of economic theory before getting to high school. I wonder how different the world would be if even a few percent more people didn't take some of the actions they do that are clearly counterproductive.
- CoryG89 10y ago
  I think along the same lines as you, but I'm not so sure about users being able to successfully self-taper with legalization. Lots of people with oxycodone or similar perscriptions find it almost impossible to meaningfully self taper. Not to say that there aren't some people with that level of self control, but not all. I don't think it would be much different with heroin or meth.
  - abecedarius 10y ago
    I get the impression it varies with different drugs: with cigarettes the addiction is powerfully reinforced by associating taste/smell with the nicotine kick, and vaping can particularly help by letting you remove that factor. (Couldn't say from my own experience, though, unless you count my addiction to chocolate.)
    - CoryG89 10y ago
vanadium 10y ago
17 years of smoking here, and decided to quit when my first child was born almost 5 years ago. The electronic cigarette industry was comparatively ancient at the time, and the devices were...not the best. Anyhow, I kept at it, and within 4 months, had transitioned completely without realizing it. Can't even remember a ceremonial "last cigarette", although I'll still have a cigarette once a year as a harsh reminder. In any case, I followed much the same road once I switched; I stepped down from 18mg (headaches!) to 12mg, and now I'm at 6mg or 3mg depending on the liquid I have. I can't describe just how much my health has improved over that span as a result. Also, devices and liquids have _vastly_ improved in the past 4 years, to the point where when I give recommendations to others looking to transition, I don't get cold stares back from failed attempts and cheap devices that kept them from ditching cigarettes.
deadmik3 10y ago
Smoked until I got an ecig (not one of the huge monsters, just a cheap $20 refillable) then smoked that until it broke then I didn't really want to smoke anymore
acedinlowball 10y ago
I quit smoking without using e-cigarettes. It's actually really easy to quit to if you actually want to. e-cigarettes are a crutch that no one actually needs. I acknowledge that not everyone will agree with me, but this is my opinion on the matter.

stinos 10y ago

While I also highly recommend e-cigarettes, your story is of course the ideal picture of how it should go. But it might not go that easy for everyone: even with the use of it I'm having a hard time to quit the actual cigarretes completely and it's not due to the nicotine (in fact I do not know what exactly still makes me crave for those hand-rolled cigarettes). Also nicotine can be a pleasant drug to use. Which is likely why I know several people who've been vaping for years and have a hard time quitting, or even just don't want to quit. But they did quit smoking so that's a huge win already of course.

jrockway 10y ago
I'm not sure why the goal is quitting. Nicotine itself isn't the problem with cigarettes, it's just a stimulant and has the usual stimulant effects. If you have high blood pressure or trouble sleeping, probably not a great drug to use. But the same can be said of coffee, which is perfectly legal. https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine is interesting reading. Of course, e-cigarette liquid is not only nicotine, so who knows what the long term effect of that is. The chromium in the heating coils worries me personally. (Kanthal and stainless steel both contain chromium. Obviously stainless steel is designed to be relatively inert, so maybe it's OK. Titanium is another option, and is implanted in the body regularly. But things are different at high temperatures.)
- josho 10y ago
  > Nicotine itself isn't the problem with cigarettes, it's just a stimulant and has the usual stimulant effects Agreed, it's tobacco that is the primary issue. I've been curious to adopt the e-cig for the stimulant aspect. I likely won't, but will admit to being curious if it would be a productivity boost. I'd bet the e-cig companies could gain a whole new market if they published some quasi-scientific material on the productivity benefits of nicotine.
  - NTripleOne 10y ago
    The problem is any potential productivity benefits are usually shut down at the employer level - I've never seen an employer (specifically office environment) that allows vaping in the workplace. My employer requires people to clock out for a smoke break and go outside anyway, so to get the next hit people have to go break momentum away from their desk for a while - and that'd probably be quite frequently too; from my somewhat brief stint(s) of trying to adopt vaping over combustion, I'd find myself puffing on it far more frequently than I'd go for a smoke (which at work is about 1 every 1-2 hours or so~)
    - nyir 10y ago
      Well for anecdotal evidence we've got two people with (multiple) vapers in our office and they totally use them at their desk. Only annoying bit is the permanent noise of using them. It seems less distracting overall to me than people running around for smoke breaks all the time.
      - brokenmachine 10y ago
        I would personally be very concerned about the unknown secondhand vaping effects of someone doing it in close proximity to me at work.
  - rsync 10y ago
    Wouldn't the gum be easier and more discreet ?
tomtoise 10y ago
I found it harder to quit as a rollie-smoker myself. My theory is the ritual of rolling up a quick cigarette is just as compelling as the actual smoke. I'd find myself rolling at my desk when in a stressful situation a fair bit.
- jonlucc 10y ago
  I wonder if another fidget would help. I just heard a recommendation in this week's MacBreak Weekly, but I don't remember the name of the company. Maybe it was called Fidgetopia?
- NTripleOne 10y ago
  Yep, as someone else who also smokes rollies exclusively (straights are disgusting and so fucking expensive), I can attest to that. Vaping just didn't fill that void and I think that's part of the reason I gave up (the other being that I just couldn't find a flavour I actually liked, no matter how close the name of it is to 'golden virginia', it never tasted remotely as close)
pessimizer 10y ago
Rolling cigarettes feels good. E-cigarettes allow you to keep all of your addictive habits and mannerisms other than rolling, and it's all of those habits that are the addiction; you're physically off nicotene in a couple of weeks, and you're mentally off within a month or two. I was once able to roll a cigarette while riding a bike; now I have a skill that I'll never use again. I'm creeped out by whatever's in e-cigs. I'm don't know why everyone is so sure that constantly inhaling propylene glycol for years on end is safe, or that all that's in that mystery imported off-brand liquid is propylene glycol. I of course find it extremely likely that it's less unhealthy than smoking. I quit through using Swedish snus. I think it was crucial that snus isn't fun, and gives you nothing to do with your hands. To gradually wean off nicotene, just leave the portions in longer. Twenty-year smoker, two-year snuser, four years tobacco-free.
- psyc 10y ago
  I hate to say it, but after puffing an e-cig for a couple years, it became extremely painful for my throat and lungs, to the point I couldn't even bear a single puff anymore without pain and a coughing fit. I actually went back to tobacco.
  - NTripleOne 10y ago
    That sounds like a PG or VG sensitivity issue to me.
    - psyc 10y ago
      Is it more likely I developed sensitivity after 2 years, or switched types without realizing it? I liked all the other benefits of vaping.
      - NTripleOne 10y ago
        I really don't know to be honest, if you're not paying attention it's pretty easy to accidentally buy the wrong mix and then end up with something that'll fuck your throat up for weeks.

elorant 10y ago

As a former smoker I believe that the best way to quit smoking is cold turkey. Sure, the withdrawal phase is a hell but in my case that helped me realize just how addictive that shit was. Before I’d never imagine that quitting would cause me depression or sleeping problems. All that, and a lot more, helped me understand how much my body was reliant on cigarettes. From my experience most smokers don’t realize how addictive and dependent they are on their habit. If they were perhaps they’d think twice before lighting another one.

tankenmate 10y ago
And yet the numbers say that people who go through phased withdrawal using e-cigarettes are more likely to give up...
- awinder 10y ago
  If I remember correctly, cold turkey has worse rates for initial quitting but the lowest rates of people returning to smoking for those who "made it"
  - gr3yh47 10y ago
    IIRC it has to do with the anguish of quitting - if you went through the difficulty and pain of quitting cold turkey you probably don't want that to be for nothing
    - infogulch 10y ago
      Sunk cost strikes again? This time for good.
      - takingflac 10y ago
        I wouldn't say sunk cost so much as you now have a better understanding of what the price is now that you have paid it once.
  - 10y ago

bbarn 10y ago

Yep. 20 years of smoking, failing at every cessation method that I've heard of, was finally beaten with 3 months of e-cig tapering for me too. I was actually content just keep using it, but my machine broke on an out of town trip, and I realized after a few days I didn't miss it like I did when I'd try to quit smoking. These anti-vape ads infuriate me. I don't even use one anymore, haven't for over a year, and every time I see one of those ads I think there might go another person who had a real chance to quit smoking cigarettes.

ythl 10y ago
Do we have any statistics on percentage of vape users quitting analog smoking vs. recreational/teen experimental usage? If there are strong recreational vape trends in youth I can see why anti-vape ads might be a thing.
- neotek 10y ago
  Teens already experiment with smoking actual cigarettes, all vaping does is provide them with an alternative to experiment with that is far safer and less addicting than tobacco.
  - ythl 10y ago
    That's not a good enough reason to not have anti-vape commercials. Just because it's "less bad" than analog cigarettes doesn't mean we shouldn't speak out about their negative effects.
    - neotek 10y ago
      Nor does it mean we should arbitrarily ban or restrict them to satisfy the whims of people who haven't looked at the evidence.
      - acedinlowball 10y ago
        Nor should we assume that people who disagree with us "haven't looked at the evidence"

soylentcola 10y ago

Same here. It was a little bit of a challenge to switch over at first since the existing devices at the time (maybe 3-4 years ago) weren't very effective. Still, at one point while dealing with yet another lingering cough/cold due to smoking, I just said screw it, bought a better vaporizer, and stopped smoking. The nicotine delivery is less immediate and not as strong so for someone used to the immediate dose delivered by smoking, it sort of left me wanting more but at the same time, it was a much less intense "craving" than a smoker would feel when forced to abstain. A big part of it for me was adjusting to this. Smoking delivers a large, immediate dose of nicotine which then drops off in your bloodstream over the course of the next half hour or hour, when (predictably) you sort of want another cig. With the vaporized nicotine solution, I had to get used to just having a puff every so often throughout the day (more like hookah I guess) and maintaining a more constant but lower blood level. Anyway, maybe I'm overanalyzing it. The results were the same though. It was as much getting off the roller coaster of "dose, levels drop, crave, redose" and onto a more sustained but lower level. It made it much easier to go without and it made it easier to lower the nicotine in the liquid to the point where I keep some 3mg/ml stuff around for the occasional desire for a mild stimulant but otherwise, it was practically effortless to wean off. Aside from just lowering my nicotine intake and habituation to something more along the lines of how I really could go for a coffee some mornings, stopping the constant deposit of tars and particulates into my respiratory system has made a huge impact on my general health. No more lingering colds and honestly I haven't had a major cold or other respiratory infection in years now. I used to get them all the time thanks to the constant irritation and level of crap I was inhaling. And another cool thing is that I know exactly what's in the stuff I'm inhaling occasionally now. I can get MSDS sheets for the flavorings and the rest is just nicotine and a couple types of glycerine (like you'd use in a fog machine or asthma inhaler). The levels of anything potentially harmful are a miniscule fraction of what they'd be if I was smoking cigs still and I'm no longer getting the vast majority of harmful compounds or carbon monoxide at all. I really hate to come off as a "booster" and I try not to be the guy who just has to tell you about "his vape" but I think this sort of anecdotal experience is appropriate and on-topic in threads like this. I think it's a real shame that something with maybe 1-2% of the risk of smoking has been so demonized and lobbied against when it's a bigger improvement than methadone for heroin addicts or AA for alcoholics.

NTripleOne 10y ago

There is also another outcome from this - the one where you turn into an insufferable 'vaper'.

FilterSweep 10y ago
What's insufferable about it exactly - that you are constantly espousing its "benefits" or that the people around you find it insufferable?
- NTripleOne 10y ago
  http://explosm.net/comics/4452/ http://explosm.net/comics/4452/

agumonkey 10y ago

I bought one for my mother because her health seemed lowering. She didn't like it and didn't want to spend time searching for the right device and/or liquid. She had an infarctus (not myocard it seems though) last month, obviously cardio told her no more cigarettes. She was worried about nicotine addiction, I mentioned e-cig, I got angry eyes, borderline saying it was worth than cigs. I understand their concerns about untested liquids turning into other kinds of carcinogens, but I'm still surprised about the reaction. I expected that some doctors would be able to either mention calmly "no vaporized liquids is free of dangerous particles" or redirect to well tested brand and suppliers. I guess it's just hurried scare tactics. In the mean time, it's nicotine gums diet.

j10sanders 10y ago
Disposable ecigs are much more convenient, and are a more natural way for people to switch. I also find refilling liquid to be a nuisance. The Njoy Daily has become my favorite.
- agumonkey 10y ago
  I wish I tried this first with my mom. She would probably enjoyed the experience, which I assume is supposed to be hassle-free "drop-in replacement".
bollockitis 10y ago
Some doctors are more open minded than others. I use an ecig to deal a smoking relapse after being quit for 7 years (sadly, the addiction never really leaves you), and from my unscientific and informal poll of pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, and others in the medical field, they largely think of ecigs are harmless (especially when compared to cigarettes). Of course, they won't recommend them to patients because the science has yet to fully establish their safety, but what science HAS come in is promising and the anecdotal evidence from countless users is also promising. Even so, doctors want to promote quitting altogether, not crutches or replacements, as it simplies treatment plans and eliminates variables. Plus, many of them have never been smokers, so they just don't understand what it's like to be a smoker, depending upon both nicotine and the comforting ritual of smoking in a society flush with stress.

nemacol 10y ago

This is my experience as well. 10 years of smoking analogs lead me to ecigs. Used ecig for 3 years. Went from 18mg to 0 in the last 6 months of me using. Continued using 0 nic for 2 months. Now I am 8 months clean of all nicotine products and 6 months clean of ecigs in general. It was easy because of how gradual it was and that I was still able to satisfy the oral habit of smoking while kicking the chemical dependency. Smoking while driving was a huge hangup. As a side note - if you buy good hardware and good quality liquid, the whole experiene is better than smoking as well. Forget the vape "culture". IMO ecigs are more convenient, taste better, feel better, and so on.

oxide 10y ago
Personally, I didn't want to give up nicotine. I just wanted to give up cigarettes. So that's what I did. I took my carton money for the month and invested in a proper setup after doing my research. I spent time trying different juices until I found one I could use all day, every day. That was 2 years ago. Everyone around me still smokes, but I've never even been tempted to go back. I smoked for 10 years as well.
- nemacol 10y ago
  That is wonderful. Glad you were able to kick the habit. Same with me- my intention was never to stop smoking... it just kind of happened. :D
cptskippy 10y ago
Can you recommend any resources for this? I'd love to encourage some family members in this direction.
- eof 10y ago
  the ecigaratte subreddits are extremely helpful... they seem to have changed since i was using it (similar story to others.. smoked analogs for a decade, after about 2 years on ecigs I am not vaping or taking any nicotine).. this seems to be the best place: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vaping/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Vaping/ you can get a good setup for ~$50 then the heaviest users will spend like $30/month on juice (most users will spend a fraction of that)

squeaky-clean 10y ago

I have a friend who quit this way. Steadily reduced the nicotine until he was either using a very low amount or none, depending on the flavor. Then one day he lost the vape and didn't feel the urge to buy a new one.

satysin 10y ago

Yup my Kanger Subox Mini starter kit was a great purchase. I cut it down to 0mg nicotine over a few months with ease. I still vape a bit now and then but I never feel the need to do it like I did cigarettes. Plus I don't stink and food tastes so fucking good now!

badsock 10y ago

This, IMO, is a good reason to legalize and regulate all drugs, including hard drugs like heroin and meth. The user having the tools to regulate the potency and amount of the drug in order to use this taper-down strategy is not available via the black market.

kbenson 10y ago
Not to mention the drastic increase in accurate market information. The amount of misinformation and lies (reefer madness) about drugs coming from well meaning (that might be generous) people and organizations about illegal drugs is staggering. Some people trust this and never try drugs, other people try drugs and realize they've been lied to, which leads to a lack of trust in the information presented about drugs. This is a bad thing because some drugs truly do have very bad downsides. Sometimes I wish kids were forced to truly grok some of the basics of economic theory before getting to high school. I wonder how different the world would be if even a few percent more people didn't take some of the actions they do that are clearly counterproductive.
CoryG89 10y ago
I think along the same lines as you, but I'm not so sure about users being able to successfully self-taper with legalization. Lots of people with oxycodone or similar perscriptions find it almost impossible to meaningfully self taper. Not to say that there aren't some people with that level of self control, but not all. I don't think it would be much different with heroin or meth.
- abecedarius 10y ago
  I get the impression it varies with different drugs: with cigarettes the addiction is powerfully reinforced by associating taste/smell with the nicotine kick, and vaping can particularly help by letting you remove that factor. (Couldn't say from my own experience, though, unless you count my addiction to chocolate.)
  - CoryG89 10y ago

vanadium 10y ago

17 years of smoking here, and decided to quit when my first child was born almost 5 years ago. The electronic cigarette industry was comparatively ancient at the time, and the devices were...not the best. Anyhow, I kept at it, and within 4 months, had transitioned completely without realizing it. Can't even remember a ceremonial "last cigarette", although I'll still have a cigarette once a year as a harsh reminder. In any case, I followed much the same road once I switched; I stepped down from 18mg (headaches!) to 12mg, and now I'm at 6mg or 3mg depending on the liquid I have. I can't describe just how much my health has improved over that span as a result. Also, devices and liquids have _vastly_ improved in the past 4 years, to the point where when I give recommendations to others looking to transition, I don't get cold stares back from failed attempts and cheap devices that kept them from ditching cigarettes.

deadmik3 10y ago

Smoked until I got an ecig (not one of the huge monsters, just a cheap $20 refillable) then smoked that until it broke then I didn't really want to smoke anymore

acedinlowball 10y ago

I quit smoking without using e-cigarettes. It's actually really easy to quit to if you actually want to. e-cigarettes are a crutch that no one actually needs. I acknowledge that not everyone will agree with me, but this is my opinion on the matter.