Vaping is not a complete substitute for tobacco smoking

[a2dcovert]

Thanks for your help.

Kevin

[a2dcovert]

I had a good visit with my GP today. We made a lot of progress discussing my nicotine issues. I'm going to switch to the generic version of Zegerid. He agrees that I should keep trying to reach the optimum dosage of nic juice. He suggested that I might try to supplement my nicotine with a patch or gum to see if this would help me determine the proper dosage. It's nice to have a doctor who is open to trying alternatives methods to quit smoking.

Kevin

[End_User-X]

This is a very fascinating thread. Not to get too OT about the MAOIs and such, but I posted this link on another thread that I found, about freebase Nicotine:

Freebase Nicotine – The Cigarette Drug | Revellian

It's also being discussed on the pH values/harshness thread. Might be something to also consider.

[pistolpete]

Well I haven't smoked in over A week, and I don't miss it at all, now that I'm vaping.

[vapomike]

So far for me it has been completely sufficient means of replacing tobacco cigs. The first two days when I had my regular cigarette rituals carved into me, I would instinctively think "Oh, I need a cigarette, then I quickly trained into the grab the vaporizer and toke away." Like on my drive to and from work. I vape as soon as I get in the car, stop toking on it where I would usually flick the butt. Hold it until I got to the next "checkpoint" to get lit up and start vaping until I arrive at my destination. I had read how people were complaining about cigarettes were nasty after just a few days off of them. So I got my GF to let me take a drag off of hers and it was freaking nasty. I really don't want to taste that again. I thought it was all fluff about it being nasty after just a short period, and figured it would be like a touch from heaven but alas it was nasty. Not to mention the winter is coming and I can vape INSIDE. Then I also like all the flavor options. Vaping is like 100x better than analogs by a mile.

[Vaporista]

Somehow without cigarettes a chemical imbalance happens.

I'd agree Kevin that is the crux of the issue. I'm also inclined to believe as TB has mentioned, that the common denominator here or the missing link ifyou will, may be found in carbon monoxide. Which in combination with nicotine make the tobacco cigarette one potent device.
In fact the more I investigate this, the more convinced I am. If you think about it, the buzz one experiences on tobacco cigarettes, the lightheadedness, if you will, (especially noticable after the first tobacco cigarette of the day) doesn't have as much to do with nicotine as it does with nicotine in combination with carbon monoxide which causes oxygen starvation while delivering concentrated nicotine in a rapid space of time (milliseconds) Something significant happens on a cellular level to the brains pleasure receptors. The same effect is just not achievable by the very nature of the e-cig due to non combustion properties. However as a nicotine delivery device it excels.
But this is not enough because it doesn't tickle the pleasure receptors which we as lifelong smokers got used to, which over time no matter how many e-cigs or snus one uses, I submit that cellular memory triggers cravings in many former users for the tobacco cigarette/pipe/cigar.
Read the following article and subsitute Tobacco Cigarette Nicotine for ....... and you get the picture.

[a2dcovert]

Vaporista,

That was an eye opening article. It fits right in with our discussion. I wonder if a lot of us are going to fail in our attempt to quit long term. I am well aware that I am addicted to cigarettes and like drug and alcocol addiction it is a life long addiction. It would be nice if they could develop a magic pill we could take to end this problem.

Kevin

[Wellner]

I've heard nicotine is the only chemical to latch to the brain. Have not done research myself to verify, nor plan to do so in the near future. If someone else wants to, I would suggest it. Taking cigarettes out of the picture, every other craving I've had were due to recent dosage. Such as fast food, pills, alcohol, weed, chocolate, etc. Hell, sex even. After a few weeks, if I go without them, I could care less about the next time I get the next fix. Cigarettes on the other hand...the most I've gone is a year and half, and still craved it. For me, it's the physical act...and probably the nicotine alone. Old habits die hard, I still the back door to let my dogs out in the morning even though I haven't owned a dog in over a year.

[helki12]

E-cigarette are beneficial for those only who smokes because of habits only. It is a psychological treatment.