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I got hooked on cigarettes in the summer after 6th grade, many moons ago when I learned how to inhale. I tried vaping, chewing, and nicorette but it didn't quit

I got hooked on cigarettes in the summer after 6th grade, many moons ago when I learned how to inhale. I tried vaping, chewing, and nicorette but it didn't quite cut it. I tried Juul a week or so ago and have only smoked a few cigarettes since and haven't for a few days. It's a godsend. Getting hooked on nicotine isn't a very good idea, but if you are going to do it, Juul or vapes is a relatively healthy way to do it, simply because it won't kill you like cigarettes might. I think all the hysteria from these people in the article is because these people can't disassociate vapes with cigarettes, particularly after the 2 decade long marketing campaign against cigarettes (with quite a bit of hyperbole as evidenced in the article). Long story longer, Juul might finally get me to quit (fingers crossed). Kids are doing it which is dumb, but that's what kids do. Kids my age did the same with cigarettes during my time, so it's going to happen. Thank goodness that today having a nicotine addiction isn't as unhealthy as it was 20+ years ago. One final thought; the only complaint I have with Juul is the disposable pods. They should have some sort of recycling program or something. I can go through a pod a day / day and a half.

soylentcola 9y ago
I smoked for around 15 years (from college through my mid 30s) and the only thing that got me to quit was the development of more functional nicotine vaporizers. The old cigarette-looking ones didn't do the trick but I've got a little battery thing that's about the size of two lighters stuck together and a small tank that sits on top. The only real hurdle was getting used to the change in how you use it versus smoking. With smoking, you have a cig, get a massive dose of nicotine, and then it tapers off in your bloodstream over the course of the next hour, leading to that craving for another dose. It's a stimulant so I'd feel a bit cranky and foggy until I had another smoke. With vaporizers it's more like a hookah where I just sort of puff on it throughout the day, getting a lower yet more steady dose. It took a bit of getting used to but it was entirely more effective than any other nicotine replacement I'd tried. More importantly, it was still enjoyable which is something the gums and patches and sprays miss. Since then, I've lowered the amount of nicotine to barely anything (maybe 2-3mg/ml) and read up on how to mix up the liquid so I'm not spending a fortune and I know exactly what goes into that mist I'm occasionally inhaling. I hear so many comedians and read articles where people make fun of "vaping" as super lame and uncool, but I never gave a shit about that to begin with. I just accepted that much like my morning coffee, I like the bit of mental stimulation provided by a bit of nicotine and am thankful that I don't need to inhale tars and carbon monoxide and particulates and all the nasty products of combustion in order to get it. The idea that this is a "cool" thing the way some insist that smoking is just makes me shake my head. RE: the disposable cartridges, I could never really get into that either. I don't like the waste or the cost and always gravitated to the things I could just fill up myself and maybe swap out the wick every week. I'll always spend that 5 minutes a week to avoid buying and tossing packs of plastic bits every couple of days.
- skate22 9y ago
  Im glad you were able to quit! My only comment is that most stuff ive read claims hookah is a lot worse than having a few cigs. (I dont think you were claiming it was healthy, i just wanted to clarify since you had compared the experience of puffing a vape to hookah) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/healtheducation/hookahbrochure.pdf https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https:/...
- dvtv75 9y ago
  > I hear so many comedians and read articles where people make fun of "vaping" as super lame and uncool This comes as a surprise to me, as the majority of people vaping are hipsters, where I am. I do know someone who tried to use it to quit smoking, but that lasted about a week.
  - jstarfish 9y ago
    I used to work with a smoker who tried vaping as a means to quit smoking. Vaping quickly became a way to get his fix in between his regularly scheduled cigarettes.
deleted 9y ago
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csomar 9y ago
Get a vaping kit (I'm using Vaporesso revenger x~ kit and it is good so far). With the vaping kit you only have to buy the liquid and change the every couple weeks or so (depends on your usage). The problem: What liquid to trust since you are inhaling the thing to your lungs. I don't have an answer for that and wish there was some kind of highly reputable brand to buy from. There is also the option to do it yourself (DIY is very popular in this community) but I have yet to try that. ~ I'm in no way associated with the company and only mentioned it because of the experience.
BugsJustFindMe 9y ago
In your comment you seem to strongly differentiate between the words "vape" and "Juul". I'm very curious about this. What do you think makes that difference to you where you say you tried vaping in the past but that it didn't help in the same way? Was the form very different then?
- fzzzy 9y ago
  Not the person you are replying to, but juul is very, very different from other vapes. The nicotine concentration is much higher and I think it is in a different liquid than any other vape. (I’m having a hard time finding the technical details, but it’s something about a nicotine salt)
laughfactory 9y ago
Oh I think it'll help you successfully quit smoking, but man, quitting vaping is another animal in itself. The problem being that vaping is cheap (especially DIY), and it doesn't smell. So there's less incentive to quit, and if you do try holy hell the irritability is horrible for 2-4 days (nicotine withdrawal).
- wahern 9y ago
  I just spent a mango fog filled weekend and let me tell you, vaping absolutely smells. I grew up around chain-smoking adults and am very supportive of vaping. Both my parents have traded smoking for vaping and we're all thankful. But for the amount of vapor pumped out by monstrous atomizers these days I wonder whether it might be cheaper to just bath in the juice directly, skipping the hassle and expensive of the e-cig.
- Clubber 9y ago
  Ya quitting nicotine isn't the objective. I've mostly given up on that; it's quitting the harmful delivery mechanism of cigarettes.

soylentcola 9y ago

I smoked for around 15 years (from college through my mid 30s) and the only thing that got me to quit was the development of more functional nicotine vaporizers. The old cigarette-looking ones didn't do the trick but I've got a little battery thing that's about the size of two lighters stuck together and a small tank that sits on top. The only real hurdle was getting used to the change in how you use it versus smoking. With smoking, you have a cig, get a massive dose of nicotine, and then it tapers off in your bloodstream over the course of the next hour, leading to that craving for another dose. It's a stimulant so I'd feel a bit cranky and foggy until I had another smoke. With vaporizers it's more like a hookah where I just sort of puff on it throughout the day, getting a lower yet more steady dose. It took a bit of getting used to but it was entirely more effective than any other nicotine replacement I'd tried. More importantly, it was still enjoyable which is something the gums and patches and sprays miss. Since then, I've lowered the amount of nicotine to barely anything (maybe 2-3mg/ml) and read up on how to mix up the liquid so I'm not spending a fortune and I know exactly what goes into that mist I'm occasionally inhaling. I hear so many comedians and read articles where people make fun of "vaping" as super lame and uncool, but I never gave a shit about that to begin with. I just accepted that much like my morning coffee, I like the bit of mental stimulation provided by a bit of nicotine and am thankful that I don't need to inhale tars and carbon monoxide and particulates and all the nasty products of combustion in order to get it. The idea that this is a "cool" thing the way some insist that smoking is just makes me shake my head. RE: the disposable cartridges, I could never really get into that either. I don't like the waste or the cost and always gravitated to the things I could just fill up myself and maybe swap out the wick every week. I'll always spend that 5 minutes a week to avoid buying and tossing packs of plastic bits every couple of days.

skate22 9y ago
Im glad you were able to quit! My only comment is that most stuff ive read claims hookah is a lot worse than having a few cigs. (I dont think you were claiming it was healthy, i just wanted to clarify since you had compared the experience of puffing a vape to hookah) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/healtheducation/hookahbrochure.pdf https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https:/...
dvtv75 9y ago
> I hear so many comedians and read articles where people make fun of "vaping" as super lame and uncool This comes as a surprise to me, as the majority of people vaping are hipsters, where I am. I do know someone who tried to use it to quit smoking, but that lasted about a week.
- jstarfish 9y ago
  I used to work with a smoker who tried vaping as a means to quit smoking. Vaping quickly became a way to get his fix in between his regularly scheduled cigarettes.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

csomar 9y ago

Get a vaping kit (I'm using Vaporesso revenger x~ kit and it is good so far). With the vaping kit you only have to buy the liquid and change the every couple weeks or so (depends on your usage). The problem: What liquid to trust since you are inhaling the thing to your lungs. I don't have an answer for that and wish there was some kind of highly reputable brand to buy from. There is also the option to do it yourself (DIY is very popular in this community) but I have yet to try that. ~ I'm in no way associated with the company and only mentioned it because of the experience.

BugsJustFindMe 9y ago

In your comment you seem to strongly differentiate between the words "vape" and "Juul". I'm very curious about this. What do you think makes that difference to you where you say you tried vaping in the past but that it didn't help in the same way? Was the form very different then?

fzzzy 9y ago
Not the person you are replying to, but juul is very, very different from other vapes. The nicotine concentration is much higher and I think it is in a different liquid than any other vape. (I’m having a hard time finding the technical details, but it’s something about a nicotine salt)

laughfactory 9y ago

Oh I think it'll help you successfully quit smoking, but man, quitting vaping is another animal in itself. The problem being that vaping is cheap (especially DIY), and it doesn't smell. So there's less incentive to quit, and if you do try holy hell the irritability is horrible for 2-4 days (nicotine withdrawal).

wahern 9y ago
I just spent a mango fog filled weekend and let me tell you, vaping absolutely smells. I grew up around chain-smoking adults and am very supportive of vaping. Both my parents have traded smoking for vaping and we're all thankful. But for the amount of vapor pumped out by monstrous atomizers these days I wonder whether it might be cheaper to just bath in the juice directly, skipping the hassle and expensive of the e-cig.
Clubber 9y ago
Ya quitting nicotine isn't the objective. I've mostly given up on that; it's quitting the harmful delivery mechanism of cigarettes.