The inconvenient truth about "The myth of nicotine"

[a2dcovert]

This will be the beginning of a new thread containing the facts and myths of NRT's. The purpose of this thread is to assist members who, like many others, have discovered that the nicotine delivered by the e-cigarette is not the full cure for tobacco addiction.

Hopefully this thread will cover mostly facts and testimony about the alternatives that when used with the e-cigarette offer help in keeping the users off of smoking tobacco. There has been a lot of effort by several people over the previous months in developing what works and what doesn't.

Here is a quote from DVap to help kick it off:

"The myth of nicotine". Simply, the misplaced belief that nicotine is the be-all, end-all of tobacco addiction/tobacco satisfaction.

We don't become addicted to nicotine, we become addicted to tobacco.

Tobacco can be both an addiction and a treatment.

E-liquid containing only nicotine is missing much of what is present in tobacco that calms and relaxes. The importance of the missing tobacco components varies by individual, some don't miss them, others miss them terribly.

Producing a less processed e-liquid containing more of the tobacco components is a prohibitively difficult and technical process for the average person.

Swedish snus appears to be the "magic bullet" for many. While not "safe" in absolute terms, it delivers the spectrum of components that e-liquid can't, while providing a not too difficult to argue harm-reduction versus cigarettes.

[Spiker]

I have always thought that one of the more relaxing aspects of smoking was the controlled breathing. It is a known relaxation technique, but smoking is the only time most people ever intentionally control their breath. I think that is one reason why patches and gums have failed so many people, and why vaping works so well (at least for me). Also, the familiarity of repetative action is comforting, the ritual of smoking is relaxing to me, and vaping also fills that need that patches and such do not. The last thing that vaping can address, and patches do not, is 'triggers', those cues that make you pull out a smoke, like the phone ringing, ordering a drink, finishing a meal, etc.

At least that has been my take on the deal!

[spivey]

I was under the impression the the missing component was the MOAI chemical reaction induced by tobacco. Just nicotine doesn't trigger it, but there's another chemical in there that when used in combination with the nicotine is what causes the "high".

[Brewster 59]

This will be the beginning of a new thread containing the facts and myths of NRT's. The purpose of this thread is to assist members who, like many others, have discovered that the nicotine delivered by the e-cigarette is not the full cure for tobacco addiction.

Hopefully this thread will cover mostly facts and testimony about the alternatives that when used with the e-cigarette offer help in keeping the users off of smoking tobacco. There has been a lot of effort by several people over the previous months in developing what works and what doesn't.

Here is a quote from DVap to help kick it off:

Ohhh my my, Ohhh hell yes, smoking addiction, snus can address!

I think this is going to be a great thread and possibly help those of us eni doesnt get it done for. Only prob how do you follow Dvap? Dvap pretty much explains the whole deal and is a hard act to follow.

[a2dcovert]

I have always thought that one of the more relaxing aspects of smoking was the controlled breathing. It is a known relaxation technique, but smoking is the only time most people ever intentionally control their breath. I think that is one reason why patches and gums have failed so many people, and why vaping works so well (at least for me). Also, the familiarity of repetative action is comforting, the ritual of smoking is relaxing to me, and vaping also fills that need that patches and such do not. The last thing that vaping can address, and patches do not, is 'triggers', those cues that make you pull out a smoke, like the phone ringing, ordering a drink, finishing a meal, etc.

At least that has been my take on the deal!

Triggers come from habit. Habits can be "re-trained" and forgotten. What a lot of us have discovered is just as DVap has said. The addiction of burning tobacco provides us more than just nicotine.

Those who have been 100% successful with quitting entirely due to the e-cig are very fortunate. This is not the case for me and many others. And thus, the purpose of this thread.

[TWISTED VICTOR]

I have always thought that one of the more relaxing aspects of smoking was the controlled breathing. It is a known relaxation technique, but smoking is the only time most people ever intentionally control their breath.

I respectfully disagree, Spiker. Controlled breathing does relax as the blood is oxygenated. With smoking, blood is not oxygenated, but filled with carbon monoxide. Also, while the habit of ritual is important to most of us and the continuation of that ritual has been key to many staying off smokes, the "inconvenient truth" is that for still many others, the nicotine and the ritual isn't enough. The psychoactive ingredients are still needed to keep some from clinical depression. This is one reason why some fail with NRT's, ecigs and become suicidal with Chantix.

[Spiker]

Please understand that I did not mean that those are the only answers to the problem, only parts of the puzzle that I have not seen mentioned much. I know nothing about the chemical and biological aspects, but had noticed that what I mentioned were what stuck out to me. I have no doubt that there is much more involved, only wanted to point out some of what I see as missing pieces.

[Brewster 59]

Please understand that I did not mean that those are the only answers to the problem, only parts of the puzzle that I have not seen mentioned much. I know nothing about the chemical and biological aspects, but had noticed that what I mentioned were what stuck out to me. I have no doubt that there is much more involved, only wanted to point out some of what I see as missing pieces.

Relaxation breathing and trigger stratagies work for many and were both taught in the smoking cess class I took. Unfortantley they didnt work for me but that doesn't mean they aren't valid techs for others.

[martha1014]

it did take some time to quit cigarettes. I think for a while you still crave them and at those times I would smoke one. Then as time went by I smoked less and less. Then it got to the point when I would smoke that cigarette it made be ill, coughing and nauseated. Anytime you get a negative response from an action you will associate that with the ill feeling and stop doing it. So now if I think about a cigarette I get this sickening feeling and will not smoke one.

[TWISTED VICTOR]

Please understand that I did not mean that those are the only answers to the problem, only parts of the puzzle that I have not seen mentioned much. I know nothing about the chemical and biological aspects, but had noticed that what I mentioned were what stuck out to me. I have no doubt that there is much more involved, only wanted to point out some of what I see as missing pieces.

Sorry if I made you feel your post was left field. It was a good post and I'm glad it was one of the first. I just wanted to take the opportunity to point out some facts that many aren't aware of. Sometimes I tend to be excitable .