is vaping addictive?

[parapo]

i was a 40 analogs/day smoker for 25 years, until last November when i got my first 901.
i cut analogs from day one and vaped ever since but also gradually cut down the nicotine.

now i'm nic free for over a week,but the addiction is still there......
when i'm without vapor for too long, i have cravings .....
not for analogs or nicotine. just to put some vapor in my lungs and "feel" the hit.

what's that all about?

i thought nicotine is the addictive ingredient.....
maybe it's not and it is the process of vaping....
....or is it too soon?


don't get me wrong,i don't mind vaping.
it is just a thought.

[Elle]

when i first began smoking analogs, it took me a while to get hooked to the nicotine. the primary reason i smoked was the act of smoking; i thoroughly enjoy it.

i believe its possible to turn cigs/e-cigs into adult security blankets... i know many times this is the case for me.

[Sun Vaporer]

i was a 40 analogs/day smoker for 25 years, until last November when i got my first 901.
i cut analogs from day one and vaped ever since but also gradually cut down the nicotine.

now i'm nic free for over a week,but the addiction is still there......
when i'm without vapor for too long, i have cravings .....
not for analogs or nicotine. just to put some vapor in my lungs and "feel" the hit.

what's that all about?

i thought nicotine is the addictive ingredient.....
maybe it's not and it is the process of vaping....
....or is it too soon?

I have never been addicted to nicotine as I smoked Carton for many years and with the trace amount of nicotine that are in them, I never had an addiction according to the FDA---But try telling my mind and body that. I have been vaping for 5 months now with zero nicotine and the desire to vape is just as strong as it was was when I was smoking those ugly analogs. So vaping is a viable alternative for me. It is not just the nicotine!! Hope that helps--Sun

[smokingclam]

I just read an article that was posted somewhere on the forum here about nicotine. It basically said that it takes about 2 months of use to get addicted to nicotine and as much as 10 years after stopping to get rid of the cravings. Pretty powerful stuff it is.

[Frankie]

err... How many years to get rid of cravings if you smoked for 25 years? I am afraid it might be life for me

On the other hand my stepfather smoked much more than I did, also stronger stuff from the 50-ies, and he says he does not crave any more. He stopped 30 years ago

[TribbleTrouble]

There are more chemicals (4000+) that people withdraw from in analogs than just nicotine. I have been analog free for as long as you, Parapo. I still get cravings even with nic in my juice. I wonder sometimes if the withdrawl from those chemicals is more impactful than the Nicotine.

[Smo]

Nicotine is one of the fastest drugs to take effect, it only takes about 7 seconds for it to reach your brain and do his job. Nowadays, scientist tend to believe that it has a "normalizing" effect, i.e. it can either stimulate or relax the user according to the moment, and this, at least in my opinion, proves to be true. Many of us (i guess) have experienced the need for a cig while engaged in a stressful phone call (relaxing effect) and the same craving in a boring moment (stimulating one).

I don't believe that it takes 10 years to get rid of the chemically inducted cravings, i remember reading that it takes 3 weeks for your body to get rid of it, and that as soon as 20 minutes after having you fix the nicotine level in your blood drops to 50%. Sadly enough, psychological addiction to the cigarette can last forever, but hopefully we all do have a workaround now =)

Personally, i think i am still addicted to the nicotine itself. Vaping is totally different from smoking an analog to me, still, when i crave one, i seek help in my trusty evo to get my fix and quickly dismiss the idea of having a fag. But i agree with Tribble when he says that there are probably other chemicals binding me to the evil weed =/

[taz3cat]

I have read research that said analogs give us Harmine a anti-depression drug. I don't think the drug is on the market it''s just somehting in the analogs. I may have spelled Harmine wrong also for those of you htat like to look thinsgs up.I just remember I read about it on Wikipedia, then I looked it up on the National Libery of Medicine. So, there may be other things in analogs that we don't know about yet and neither do the scientist.

[Mungo]

There must be some 12 steppers on this forum could give you a different experience of addiction from each, as well as how in many ways we are all alike. Sounds complicated? Well it is. And it's also notoriously hard to treat from a professionals point of view.

However; many can and do beat their addictions.Support is vital, i know that much and you can get that here or from others in the same boat as yourself.

i do have one tip, which my wife who is very knowledgeable in this field was kind enough to remind me of. The compulsion to smoke that cigarette, drink that whisky or do what ever it is your addicted to doing is a very powerful thing. You can break out in a cold sweat just thinking about these things when the compulsion is upon you and giving into it can mean a late night walk across the city to get the money, find a shop open, or whatever. In actual fact, that strong compulsion will only last about 2 minutes. It may not seem that way, but trust me, it is. Nothing lasts forever, even if your head says i must have a cigarette and if i don't have one, i'll be stuck feeling like this, actually: you won't. About 2 minutes and it will pass.

Until the next time.

And that will pass too, and it will gradually happen less often.

2 minutes. If the addiction is killing you, 2 minutes. And support of your peers.

Just my 2 cents. 2 minutes.

Just a note: Some addictions can have withdrawals that can kill you. Those are rare, the most common being alcohol. So anybody reading this, don't ignore alcohol withdrawals, they require professional help.

[parapo]

some update.....

i found that the last month i vaped way less than usual.
and i didn't even try to, it just happened.

so i decided to quit completle since yesterday........
....thank you 801 and 901..... nothing easier than that.

many thanks to everyone, answering my and other questions,
that helped me in the process.