Research Suggests That Cigarettes' Power May Not Be In Nicotine Itself

[cyberdude]

I really miss the first cigarette of the day the most. I puff away on the vape with a coffee and it doesn't wake me up the same way that a real ciggy and a coffee used to. But the first real cig would sometimes make me feel sick, and I don't get that with e-cig. I gave always relied on fags and coffee in the morning to give me the kick I need to wake up, so it's quite a hard habit to break I find. Don't fancy going back to the dirty delivery system just for that though.

[Kimmiegrif]

Carbon dioxide...look it up and how it affects the brain. I think that is what is missing.

[TropicalBob]

Carbon dioxide is a minor component in cigarettes. I think you mean carbon monoxide. That's what's missing in e-smoking. Not having lots of CO in your bloodstream is a good thing for your heart, but the decrease in oxygen it caused while smoking tobacco is what produced that nice "buzz" so many e-smokers miss.

[Kimmiegrif]

oppps Thanks for correcting that. I went online once and read about CO. Its more than lack of oxygen...something about the brain and areas of the brain it affects.

[CaptainKauai]

I agree. I am enjoying my e-cig, but feel tempted to going back to my hand rolled cigs. I used "all-natural" tobacco, w/o all the additives. I would often get a good buzz off my hand rolled cigs that is missing from my e-cigs. There are a lot of benefits. I get my nicotine intake, and friends and passerby's are interested. I've struck up some interesting conversations about my e-cig.

[Kit]

I haven't tried amyl nitrate (poppers) but I guess that might be a similar yet more intense feeling.

beleive me... its nothing like it !

[dc2k08]

I agree. I am enjoying my e-cig, but feel tempted to going back to my hand rolled cigs. I used "all-natural" tobacco, w/o all the additives. I would often get a good buzz off my hand rolled cigs that is missing from my e-cigs. There are a lot of benefits. I get my nicotine intake, and friends and passerby's are interested. I've struck up some interesting conversations about my e-cig.

you talking about american spirits? man, i miss those smokes. nothing like them this side of the world either. smokes done right!

[satake]

"People may not be smoking to obtain a pleasurable drug state. They may be smoking in order to regulate their mood ... "

That rings true for me, I don't miss nicotine when I don't have it except that I get fed up. I use a low, steady dose as self medication to stop depression. Physically I can take it or leave it, no problem.

I never thought about that. I've been e-smoking for about 2 1/2 weeks no regular cigs. But I've noticed that I've been depressed lately, I was thinking it was the holidays and the lack of sunlight here in Montana, but maybe it's a change in nicotine consumption

[ZambucaLu]

Even though it's sort of old, this is an interesting thread.

You will hear A LOT of people go back to smoking when under undue stress (or what they feel is undo stress anyway). People will say "I didn't smoke for 6 months then my wife went into labor and I picked up"....or "I lost my job and started having financial problems so I picked up a cig and it all started back up again." Etc.

True, this is not about the nicotine...in a direct way anyway.

And what was said about the CO....and God knows what other things in there alter some part of our psyche or physical makeup that we aren't even aware of.

But....some people do quit...and stay quit...so this whole issue is just too complicated to figure out (for me anyway!).

Glad I saw this.

Lu

[Bellinghamster]

Seems there are also a lot who (like me) tend to mix-n-match. I've gone weeks with just vapor, then a couple of days of analog, then tried doing analogs in the morning, and e-cig in the afternoon... sometimes both in the span of an hour...

What's important for me is not to put undue pressure on the "quitting" aspect. It's not like giving up booze, where one slip can set you back years [I'm told]... It's more like choosing to eat a hamburger instead of a salad sometimes. It's not as good for you, but sometimes it just feels right - and can be enjoyed in moderation