Are you physically addicted to vaping?

[YKruss]

Yes and Yes.

[DaveP]

I used to get a craving at least once an hour for a cigarette when I was stuck in a computer room or office working on equipment. I had the liberty to go outside to the vehicle and smoke. Whether I needed a part or not, I'd go have a smoke and make a phone call or two.

With vaping, I don't feel that irresistible urge. If I have to, I can go for 2 or 3 hours and not get it. Nicotine is addictive, but it's far from the clutch we experienced from other substances in tobacco. MAOI components were one of the strong ingredients. Tobacco chemists learned early on what was addictive and how to create the components without actively adding discrete controlled substances to the mix.

This is your brain on nicotine

[tj99959]

Actually NO, it isn't vaping that I'm addicted to, it's the nicotine, same as before I started vaping that I'm addicted to.
It's simply that inhalation is a more efficient delivery system than a patch or gum.

[Bob92985]

Yes to both..i smoked for 17 years. As Bob92985 said..vaping gives me everything that i loved but without the bad things ...i have no intention to quit. I consider it as a hobby as well as an addiction.

There ya go. I think Hobby is the best way to describe my use too.

[mostapha]

-Are you physically addicted to vaping?

Yes. Well, to nicotine.

-Are you psychologically addicted to vaping?

Yes. Well, to the habit of playing with something in my hands.

-If you answered yes to both physiological and psychological addiction to vaping, how does it play out in comparison with your (previous) addiction to cigarettes? Any similarities? Not even close?

Possibly a bit more, but I'm a geek……and there are toys to tinker with. That aspect of it may be a bit greater with vaping, because instead of just holding something and drawing on it every now and then…I have buttons. And now a voltage knob. And atomizers/cartos to switch around. And dripping. And modifying my toots/habits/voltage to keep the atomizer at the right temperature. If anything, it's a more-fulfilling experience than smoking in that regard……much closer to pipe smoking than cigarettes, which was always fun but not worth the cost of a good pipe or the hassle of dealing with loose leaf tobacco that could kill my pets.

The tobacco from my Luckies got everywhere anyway. I kept my laptop bag and jeans on a high shelf that the cat couldn't get to because of it. Now, I just have to keep her away from liquid spills (since propylene glycol is toxic to cats) and my supplies…which is easy in a drawer.

Still can't vape inside at home, but I've made my peace with that. Plus, "having" to leave occasionally and walk around gives me time to reset my brain and take a break from whatever was going on……which was always one of the biggest draws of smoking and something that can be lost with vaping.

And, seriously, good high-end pipes make Provaris and Darwins look down-right affordable when you consider that you need at least 2 if you like aromatic and regular tobacco. Having a whole new bowl for every flavor (instead of just dedicated atomizers) gets expensive when you realize that good pipes are a couple hundred bucks.

-Is it possible that some of us are infatuated with vaping as opposed to being straight-up addicted?

Oh yeah. There's a definite infatuation. This stuff looks like an awesome drug-delivery system from a sci-fi movie, and I don't have to be as concerned about who sees me doing it……partially because I haven't found a single person IRL who even pretends to tout that BS about antifreeze or that it's–in some ways–more of an unknown than a poison that will kill you. And even if they did……there are perfectly valid responses that people can't argue with anyway.

Plus…watching the smokers squirm when I vape in a bar and they have to go out to the patio. Lots of fun.

And, again, these toys are awesome.

[Katatonik]

I know I'm not full on addicted. I lost my PV once for about a week, and although frustrated and had cravings, something about the fact that I just couldn't find it wasn't horribly heart breaking. When I found it (under my bed but in clean sight if you just looked at the bed from the right angle), I vaped and was glad.

I find the very mechanics of vaping fun. Inhaling and exhaling, seeing how much I can blow out, the taste, etc. is just plain fun.
For the most part, when I get a craving I just need to chain vape for about 10 seconds to nullify it. Of course, sometimes I chain vape for half an hour or more--long after my nicotine fix. I should really get some no nic juice and some super high nic juice and have two cartos at all time so that if I want nicotine I'll put one carto on and vape for 10 seconds, and then when I vape I can switch the carto and vape to my heart's content.

The only time I actually get the NEED need for vaping is when I'm stressed or pissed off or having a panic attack (I have anxiety issues). For the most part though, I only "need" nicotine maybe 3/4 occasions a day. I actually wasn't that heavy of a smoker--I smoked a pack a week. I don't know how you guys were 1+ PAD.

[sidetrack]

The two most surprising things for me about vapeing where, in order........
1. It worked
2. I was/am more addicted to the oral fixation/visual aspect of my old/new habit.

By month six I was at 0 mg., that was almost a year ago and I'm still vapeing (although not as much) and not in any big hurry to give it up.

[nansc]

Yes to both but with vaping I can go without for a long time whereas with cigs you just go crazy if you can't have one.I have a lot of fun with vaping too.Spending money etc.

[recidivus]

Nope, I am addicted to tobacco and the chemicals in it. Vaping is my solution to end that addiction. Vaping is my new hobby, and I've always had a tendency to get carried away if something really catches my fancy. Is it an addiction? As much as enjoying a walk in the park, or building chairs from driftwood, or playing with a model train set.

I also don't consider habits to be addictions, so once you hit nic- it's a habit, something you enjoy doing more than "IneedapufforI'llriptheirfaceoffsohelpme"

Just my point of view though, some folks will disagree with the habit/addiction separation.

As to how it's different?
I don't vape for 5-10 minutes straight every 45 minutes like I did with cigs. It's much more "causal" (I guess that's a good descriptor), less of an intense NEED for nicotine. When I finish a vape, I don't feel like crap after. Emotionally I mean, I hated myself after every smoke for the past 6 months, I knew it was killing me and I couldn't stop, and I just can't fool myself into believing it's a hobby. The physical feeling after a vape compared to a cig are also incomparable, I don't get lung pain or coughing fits anymore.

Man, it's amazing what we put up with just to keep smoking.

[Mr.Mann]

Yes to both but with vaping I can go without for a long time whereas with cigs you just go crazy if you can't have one.I have a lot of fun with vaping too.Spending money etc.

This is where I was trying to go with these questions. I remember going to crazy lengths to get a cigarette, and also getting quite nasty if I couldn't have one when I wanted one. I wonder how many of us vape out of habit, as opposed to real physical need? I went over ten hours yesterday without vaping (I usually vape 24mg WTA) and I never once even had the thought. When I got home I watched some TV before I decided, "Oh, I would like to taste that one juice." I know everyone is different, but I really wonder how much of a real hold vaping nicotine has on some of us as opposed to smoking it. Has anyone snapped because they couldn't vape? That almost sounds silly.