5 ms·

Key point from the article: "Any smoker considering e-cigarettes should switch completely without delay."

by dave7 8y ago

rincebrain 8y ago
Yeah, this really strikes me as the difference between "breathing car exhaust without a catalytic converter is toxic" and "breathing car exhaust can still be toxic" - yeah, both are bad, but one of them is orders of magnitude worse.
- gaius 8y ago
  yeah, both are bad So vaping should continue to be banned everywhere that smoking is banned. Most people do not consent to breathing other peoples second-hand drugs.
  - dionian 8y ago
    is it even possible to get a perceptible amount of nicotine through second hand smoke? isn't it mostly water vapor and annoying smells?
    - gaius 8y ago
      Lung damage too, according to this research. How does anyone even think it's OK to do that to other people?
      - firemancoder 8y ago
        You do a lot more lung damage by driving by them in car. I'm not a vaper, never have been never will but I'd rather deal with the faint smell of strawberry than cigarette smoke any day.
  - Obi_Juan_Kenobi 8y ago
    Did you read the article? > The review concluded there was "overwhelming evidence" they were far safer than smoking and "of negligible risk to bystanders" And isn't this just a strawman? Are people proposing indoor vaping laws?
    - firemancoder 8y ago
      Proposing? They're all over the place. Vaping was quite quickly lumped in with smoking in my area. None indoors or within 10 feet of the doors etc.
  - jotm 8y ago
    Yeah, ban anxious, depressed, hungry, loud and sick people while at it. They affect other people's mental health and can infect them with weird stuff like rhinoviruses and influenza. Shit, why stop there, why not round them up and put them in some temporary camps, there was an European guy who tried that and it worked pretty well.
    - ASalazarMX 8y ago
      Godwin's law in the wild. Nice.
      - firemancoder 8y ago
        Almost bot-like response.
        jotm 8y ago
        Lol, I wonder if it would've been received better if I didn't hint at Mr. Hilter. I'd rather have someone smoke on the street than someone with the flu coughing my way.
excalibur 8y ago
The strategy that worked for me: 1) Find a flavor of e-liquid that you like well enough to use regularly. 2) Start off at the nicotine concentration that most closely replicates your smoking habit (for me 18mg ~ 1.5 packs/day) 3) Continue vaping at each concentration for a minimum of 2-3 months to ensure you are fully acclimated to one level before proceeding to the next. 4) Slowly reduce the nicotine level over time by buying liquid with less nicotine in it. (I went 18, 12, 9, 6, 3, 0. I mixed a 50/50 concentration of 12 and 6 to make 9.) 5) The transition from 3mg to 0 will be difficult, as this is the step where you're really leaving the nicotine. It's ok if you're sucking on the vaporizer nearly constantly. 6) Once fully accustomed to 0mg, putting the vape down altogether will be the hardest part. I replaced it with sugarfree chewing gum. I was very angry for the first couple of weeks, but it got better. For me the ability to separate the nicotine from the smoking and conquer each addiction separately was the key to success.
- HEHENE 8y ago
  I'm currently stuck on 3mg, and have been for over a year. I followed almost the exact same steps as you, but found as soon as I switched to 0mg I hated it and quit vaping all together.... then went back to smoking a month later. I like the chewing gum idea. I'm not necessarily an anxious person, but I always need to be doing something. E.g. if I don't have my vape in my hand, I'm chewing my nails. Really sucks.
  - jotm 8y ago
    Yep, any less than 6mg and I'll buy a pack of cigarettes within the week. If I could take off 2-3 months, I'd go cold turkey, but the withdrawal effects are insane for me (anxiety, insomnia, massive depression, heavily impaired thinking, I can't do anything, literally.) I reckon it would take 2-3 weeks at most, but haven't had the time to try it.
    - evgen 8y ago
      Mixing various concentrations with 0 mg juice can help you move down even more gradually at the tail end. If the drop causes problems bump it back up for a few weeks and then try again. Even at 6 you are doing far less damage to yourself than that pack of smokes...
gojomo 8y ago
To be clear: switch to e-cigarettes from traditional smoking, because per the speaker of the above quote: Martin Dockrell, tobacco control lead at Public Health England, said: "E-cigarettes are not 100% risk-free but they are clearly much less harmful than smoking."
marenkay 8y ago
Or: You could just survive 24 hours without smoking, after which physical challenge is over. From there on it is just a fight against your brain, and also being aware of the root issue that made you pickup smoking. - ex-smoker
- larntz 8y ago
  Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Just reading this thread has brought up some nostalgia. I think ecigs and nicotine gum/lozenges should be encouraged if someone wants to quit. Many people have found them useful bridging the gap between smoking and cessation. Going even a few hours without anything is enough to cause some people give up. Having help might give them confidence to eventually follow through. Trading addiction to cigarettes for addiction to vapes or gum is a step in the right direction, but I agree eventually you have to pay the piper.
  - zackmorris 8y ago
    Same here. Nicotine is perhaps the very worst drug known to humankind in terms of addictiveness: * High lasts the shortest duration (a few seconds after the last inhale) * High has a high physical factor (relaxation) but a low psychotropic factor (mood-altering effect like alcohol or mj), which is the opposite of something like psychedelics (which can be useful in curing addiction) * High requires a physical adaptation (smoker's hack) to be felt most fully * That physical adaptation is challenging to undo and takes at least 1 month (in my case 2) before cravings are replaced by disinterest or dislike So the last 2 points were key for me. If anyone reading this is struggling, I highly recommend intermittent intense physical activity as a way to hack the physical adaptation process. For me, squats work best. Go to the gym and try to get 15-20 reps of a weight you can manage, for at least 2 power sets. Something like: 95x10, 135x20, 135x15. I find if I do those at night and come home, my body rejects the thought of smoking because I'm already high on life. It also rejects alcohol to some degree which is nice for weight loss. Once you've felt that lifter's high (not sure what to call it), you start feeling in control of your body's repair process. Then you notice it on the fun days too, like chest day. After 2-6 weeks, you'll likely find that cigarettes don't do much unless you smoke a couple in a row, but then they mostly make you sick, and you might find yourself going a day or two and forgetting to smoke. Hope this helps someone.

Key point from the article: "Any smoker considering e-cigarettes should switch completely without delay."

by dave7 8y ago

Key point from the article: "Any smoker considering e-cigarettes should switch completely without delay."

Yeah, this really strikes me as the difference between "breathing car exhaust without a catalytic converter is toxic" and "breathing car exhaust can still be toxic" - yeah, both are bad, but one of them is orders of magnitude worse.

gaius 8y ago
yeah, both are bad So vaping should continue to be banned everywhere that smoking is banned. Most people do not consent to breathing other peoples second-hand drugs.
- dionian 8y ago
  is it even possible to get a perceptible amount of nicotine through second hand smoke? isn't it mostly water vapor and annoying smells?
  - gaius 8y ago
    Lung damage too, according to this research. How does anyone even think it's OK to do that to other people?
    - firemancoder 8y ago
      You do a lot more lung damage by driving by them in car. I'm not a vaper, never have been never will but I'd rather deal with the faint smell of strawberry than cigarette smoke any day.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 8y ago
  Did you read the article? > The review concluded there was "overwhelming evidence" they were far safer than smoking and "of negligible risk to bystanders" And isn't this just a strawman? Are people proposing indoor vaping laws?
  - firemancoder 8y ago
    Proposing? They're all over the place. Vaping was quite quickly lumped in with smoking in my area. None indoors or within 10 feet of the doors etc.
- jotm 8y ago
  Yeah, ban anxious, depressed, hungry, loud and sick people while at it. They affect other people's mental health and can infect them with weird stuff like rhinoviruses and influenza. Shit, why stop there, why not round them up and put them in some temporary camps, there was an European guy who tried that and it worked pretty well.
  - ASalazarMX 8y ago
    Godwin's law in the wild. Nice.
    - firemancoder 8y ago
      Almost bot-like response.
      - jotm 8y ago
        Lol, I wonder if it would've been received better if I didn't hint at Mr. Hilter. I'd rather have someone smoke on the street than someone with the flu coughing my way.

excalibur 8y ago

The strategy that worked for me: 1) Find a flavor of e-liquid that you like well enough to use regularly. 2) Start off at the nicotine concentration that most closely replicates your smoking habit (for me 18mg ~ 1.5 packs/day) 3) Continue vaping at each concentration for a minimum of 2-3 months to ensure you are fully acclimated to one level before proceeding to the next. 4) Slowly reduce the nicotine level over time by buying liquid with less nicotine in it. (I went 18, 12, 9, 6, 3, 0. I mixed a 50/50 concentration of 12 and 6 to make 9.) 5) The transition from 3mg to 0 will be difficult, as this is the step where you're really leaving the nicotine. It's ok if you're sucking on the vaporizer nearly constantly. 6) Once fully accustomed to 0mg, putting the vape down altogether will be the hardest part. I replaced it with sugarfree chewing gum. I was very angry for the first couple of weeks, but it got better. For me the ability to separate the nicotine from the smoking and conquer each addiction separately was the key to success.

HEHENE 8y ago
I'm currently stuck on 3mg, and have been for over a year. I followed almost the exact same steps as you, but found as soon as I switched to 0mg I hated it and quit vaping all together.... then went back to smoking a month later. I like the chewing gum idea. I'm not necessarily an anxious person, but I always need to be doing something. E.g. if I don't have my vape in my hand, I'm chewing my nails. Really sucks.
- jotm 8y ago
  Yep, any less than 6mg and I'll buy a pack of cigarettes within the week. If I could take off 2-3 months, I'd go cold turkey, but the withdrawal effects are insane for me (anxiety, insomnia, massive depression, heavily impaired thinking, I can't do anything, literally.) I reckon it would take 2-3 weeks at most, but haven't had the time to try it.
  - evgen 8y ago
    Mixing various concentrations with 0 mg juice can help you move down even more gradually at the tail end. If the drop causes problems bump it back up for a few weeks and then try again. Even at 6 you are doing far less damage to yourself than that pack of smokes...

gojomo 8y ago

To be clear: switch to e-cigarettes from traditional smoking, because per the speaker of the above quote: Martin Dockrell, tobacco control lead at Public Health England, said: "E-cigarettes are not 100% risk-free but they are clearly much less harmful than smoking."

marenkay 8y ago

Or: You could just survive 24 hours without smoking, after which physical challenge is over. From there on it is just a fight against your brain, and also being aware of the root issue that made you pickup smoking. - ex-smoker

larntz 8y ago
Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Just reading this thread has brought up some nostalgia. I think ecigs and nicotine gum/lozenges should be encouraged if someone wants to quit. Many people have found them useful bridging the gap between smoking and cessation. Going even a few hours without anything is enough to cause some people give up. Having help might give them confidence to eventually follow through. Trading addiction to cigarettes for addiction to vapes or gum is a step in the right direction, but I agree eventually you have to pay the piper.
- zackmorris 8y ago
  Same here. Nicotine is perhaps the very worst drug known to humankind in terms of addictiveness: * High lasts the shortest duration (a few seconds after the last inhale) * High has a high physical factor (relaxation) but a low psychotropic factor (mood-altering effect like alcohol or mj), which is the opposite of something like psychedelics (which can be useful in curing addiction) * High requires a physical adaptation (smoker's hack) to be felt most fully * That physical adaptation is challenging to undo and takes at least 1 month (in my case 2) before cravings are replaced by disinterest or dislike So the last 2 points were key for me. If anyone reading this is struggling, I highly recommend intermittent intense physical activity as a way to hack the physical adaptation process. For me, squats work best. Go to the gym and try to get 15-20 reps of a weight you can manage, for at least 2 power sets. Something like: 95x10, 135x20, 135x15. I find if I do those at night and come home, my body rejects the thought of smoking because I'm already high on life. It also rejects alcohol to some degree which is nice for weight loss. Once you've felt that lifter's high (not sure what to call it), you start feeling in control of your body's repair process. Then you notice it on the fun days too, like chest day. After 2-6 weeks, you'll likely find that cigarettes don't do much unless you smoke a couple in a row, but then they mostly make you sick, and you might find yourself going a day or two and forgetting to smoke. Hope this helps someone.