So You Quit the Stinkers - But are you still hooked on Nicotine?

[CabinetGuyScott]

As I have learned reading this forum vaping can easily increase/lead to nicotine addiction.
I am trying to decrease my nicotine intake. My goal is to decrease it from 15 (today) to 3-5 and vape not more than 3-4 ml a day. It’s tough: I have too much time for chain vaping. I am vaping right now…

There are many who challenge this assertion that nicotine is, in and of itself addicting!

• Is Nicotine Addictive ?
• Responding to, “but they are still *addicted*!!!” | Anti-THR Lies and related topics
• Does ANYONE have a valid definition of “addiction”? | Anti-THR Lies and related topics

I personally am of the position that the word addiction is not at all appropriate. Having run this debate in a few threads, I'll not repeat it all here. But the links above are some of the resources I've tapped into that contribute to the basis of my opinion.

 

[readeuler]

You might be interested in reading the interview with Dr. Farsalinos, you can find it here http://vaping.com/news/exclusive-ecf-interview-dr-konstantinos-farsalinos. (ECF sometimes has trouble with links. If this doesn't work, go to Vaping.com and the article should be on the main page).

Some relevant quotes from the interview:

Although we used experienced vapers, the levels of absorption were around one third of that from tobacco – you’d need to vape for 35 minutes to get plasma nicotine levels similar to smoking one tobacco cigarette in five minutes. This shows that e-cigarettes are inefficient at providing nicotine at the same level, especially at the same speed, as tobacco cigarettes.

He recommends that the EU allow liquid whose nicotine concentration is greater than 20 mg/ml, and gives some additional information:

The latest studies show that nicotine needs some other chemicals present in tobacco to be really addictive. It’s not as addictive on its own as we thought. I’m not saying that it’s not addictive at all of course, but it seems that other alkaloids largely potentiate the addictive properties of nicotine. These are not present in e-cigarettes. I doubt that a non-smoker could be addicted to e-cigarettes. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I think it’s very difficult.

I hope it wasn't meant to be, but I personally found the question "Are you still hooked on nicotine?" to be inflammatory and a little condescending. I'm proud of being 1-month smoke free, and not at all ashamed that I've been using 24-30mg/ml liquid to do so. The GF and I haven't hit a single smoke since getting our ego kits in the mail, despite letting friends smoke in our apartment around us; I genuinely prefer vaping, even if I'm "still hooked" on nicotine.

 

[Alien Traveler]

There are many who challenge this assertion that nicotine is, in and of itself addicting!

• Is Nicotine Addictive ?
• Responding to, “but they are still *addicted*!!!” | Anti-THR Lies and related topics
• Does ANYONE have a valid definition of “addiction”? | Anti-THR Lies and related topics

I personally am of the position that the word addiction is not at all appropriate. Having run this debate in a few threads, I'll not repeat it all here. But the links above are some of the resources I've tapped into that contribute to the basis of my opinion.

I am sorry, but links you provided lead to complete bullmanure; their content is on the level of conspiracy theories. I do not want to discuss them.

Let’s take a look at some pro-e-cig publications, like paper from International Journal of Drug Policy.
Elsevier
In the conclusions we can read “They [e-cigs] also challenge the equation between addiction and harm, suggesting the potential for nicotine addiction without the harms of smoking and many of its pleasures.”

Another one
Commentary on Dawkins et al. (2013): The current legislation on nicotine causes millions of deaths—it has to change - Etter - 2013 - Addiction - Wiley Online Library
Again: "e-cigarettes are less addictive than tobacco cigarettes".

And so on.

Today to hear that there is no addiction (or dependence, if you will) to nicotine is rather funny, it’s like the Moon landing conspiracy theories.


Let’s not act like an ostrich hiding his head in the sand, let’s accept that most of us are addicted to (or dependant on) vaping with its nicotine.

How many of us can put aside our vaping devices for a week?

 

[Alien Traveler]

You might be interested in reading the interview with Dr. Farsalinos, you can find it here http://vaping.com/news/exclusive-ecf-interview-dr-konstantinos-farsalinos.

So, Dr. Farsalinos said "I’m not saying that it’s not addictive at all of course".
As we see even he (prophet of vaping) said that nicotine is addictive.
Why you do not want to see it?

 

[Maurice Pudlo]

If your interests are to avoid nicotine then by all means do so.

I would suggest a scheduled reduction in the nicotine content of your juices while remaining on a strict volume per day limit if you believe you will continue to vape after your nicotine is reduced to zero.

If you desire to quit vaping, stick to a gradual reduction in volume of e-liquid use per day till you are done.

I for one have gone a day without vaping, for no other reason than I left in a rush and forgot to grab my vape gear. It wasn't a big deal as it would have been if I had gone a day without smoking.

Best of luck to you and whatever you wish to get out of vaping, for me, right now I'm reducing my nicotine intake because I'm not so sure I actively crave it anymore. No rush no worries.

Maurice

 

[Cullin Kin]

Over the past year and a half, I tapered from 18mg/mL to 0mg/mL. I've been at 0 for three weeks now. It's been so easy and I'm truly grateful!

 

[AndriaD]

So it's a slightly different question...

I was reading the thread about vaping helping people to quit smoking. That's great of course, but I want to know if you're all still hooked on Nicotine. How much? If not, how long did it take you to get off the nicotine completely?

I ask because vaping has helped me cut way down, but I still crave smokes... and it's probably because I'm using zero-nicotine juice. Reason? Because the cigarettes I smoke are SO light in nicotine, it's impossible to find juice with a low enough amount. I've actually considered buying two bottles of the same flavor, one with nicotine and one without, and mixing them myself to try to get lower nicotine.

I don't want to end up addicted to MORE nicotine.

So what's the deal folks... How much nicotine are you still sucking on?

I smoked ultra-lights, and I find 6mg to be not enough to hold back cravings, so I think you're denying yourself needlessly. The body doesn't absorb nicotine as readily from vapor as it does from smoke, so the 6mg won't hurt you. Currently I'm vaping anywhere between 10mg (daytime) and about 7 or 8 mg at night. No plans to stop vaping, or stop nicotine. Nicotine is no more harmful than caffeine, and in my own case, far less harmful. I'm also adding some WTA to my regular juice, to get over the 3wk and later the 3mo humps. It works wonderfully to prevent cravings.

Andria

 

[Chimney34]

If your goal is to scale back your nic overtime & eventually quit vaping altogether then I say good for you. The one issue I've seen too often here is people attempting to do this way too quickly & then end up smoking again.

Personally, I smoked Newports for over 15 years. When I started vaping I bought 18mg liquid but soon purchased some 24mg for the tough cravings. Today I still mainly vape 18mg. I do have a lil 12mg here & there but the18mg does it for me & until my body says I need to step down I'll continue to vape the same level. However, I have no intention or desire to quit vaping. I enjoy it too much. I have no concerns about nicotine. I know that it's not great for you but it's much better than the Newports were & I never planned to give those up either. So is it trading one habit for another, sure but I'm quite alright with that. I can also see a great improvement in my overall health & physical capability & my doctor sees it as well. So to each their own

My opinion is that if you plan to step down make sure you give yourself enough time to do so. Some people were able to make the switch to vaping in the blink of an eye but if it were that easy for you to quit altogether then you would've never needed vaping in the first place. Do what you need to do, if that's mixing your own liquid or buying 2 different levels of the same juice to get your desired nic level & make a plan for how you plan to step down. And if it turns out you're not ready to drop down don't beat yourself up about it. Bump back up for another week or 2 & give it another try.

Goodluck & best wishes to you

 

[james0712]

anyway, i have no ideaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[AndriaD]

How many of us can put aside our vaping devices for a week?

After 4 days of being unable to vape due to extreme nausea, cravings were beating me to death, and I smoked, and continued smoking for another month, trying all the while to re-institute vaping while decreasing smoking. It's still easier than with any other method, but does require some effort.

Andria

 

[Steve Brown]

Unfortunately I feel as though I am addicted to the act of vaping more than the nicotine itself, but yes I do still crave the nicotine after quitting stinkies.

 

[UntamedRose]

I quit Nic in 2012..... I DO vape nic, but it's weeks on 0mg next week some 6mg some 24mg.(I mostly DIY was so this is easy) Found I have little problem bouncing between. I'm not freaking out Needing a cig like feeling.
BUT I do like Nic when I am working on something I really need to focus on something.

 

[Racehorse]

I was reading the thread about vaping helping people to quit smoking. That's great of course, but I want to know if you're all still hooked on Nicotine. How much? If not, how long did it take you to get off the nicotine completely?

I ask because vaping has helped me cut way down, but I still crave smokes... and it's probably because I'm using zero-nicotine juice.

Not necessarily. People here are often told to up their nicotine when it is the *habit* they are addicted to, not nictotine.

Nictotine is actually not hard to kick.....I quit smoking cold turkey several times, each time for 5 years. Nicotine cravings were pretty much gone after 10 days. But the wanting the ritual/habit/hand-to-mouth/blowing smoke behavior is what I missed.

And what vaping supplies.

Rolygate and others have said many times that nic is not addictive and I do believe that is true. No more than coffee or sugar........also easy to get off in a short period of time although a tad uncomfortable at the outset because of dependence.

When I first started vaping I used 18mg because that was told to me in newbie forum, and I ended up jumpy and really rather ill for over a month, til somebody PMed me and told me it was too much nic for what my smoking habits were.

As SOON as I dropped to 12mg I was relaxed again.

I vape 3mg now, and most days, zero nic. Now, I have to wean myself off the "habit"......holding something in hand, etc. all that jazz. Sometimes I acquire eliquid and just cut it down with my DIY supplies, I can up the flavor while cutting the nic.

And I do want to do that. Because that is the thing that vaping didn't solve for me. If anything, it has actually REINFORCED it.

Having vape in hand, puffing, hand to mouth action, inhaling and/or blowing vapor.....I am still addicted to these *habits* and since one of my goals is to not be tied down to habits

(mainly because it decreases my freedom in a sense, as well as depletes my bank account) my next step is to get rid of my vape gear little by little.

Everyone has a personal goal, mine doesn't involve being *tied* to this habit ....... regardless of whether it is safer, etc.

Hope that makes sense, I'm sure others feel that way and then many others do not. We are all different. I would just rather spend my money on other things after 30 years of smoking and now vaping. I guess I've kinda reached the end of the line for that train in general.

 

[HauntedMyst]

So You Quit the Stinkers - But are you still hooked on Nicotine?

Yes, and ok with it. I'm at 18mg and perfectly fine with it. Nicotine in and off itself isn't necessarily bad for you in small amounts.

 

[Racehorse]

I ask because vaping has helped me cut way down, but I still crave smokes..

There may be MANY reasons for that craving. We don't know you. A test you might try is to order 3mg eliquid. If your vendor doesn't have that, then buy some 0 nic juice and then the same juice in 6mg, and mix together in equal parts to get 3mg.

If your cravings don't go away, try 6mg. If you get nauseous or dizzy it's too much. For me I didn't get naseaous or dizzy, I was just jumpy all the time...restless. That is how MY body reacts to being over-nicotined.

I don't think nicotine is harmful at all, unless you have pretty serious peripheral artery problems......howerver, my philosophy in life is LESS IS MORE. I try not to own, eat, buy more of anything than I really need. I like to maintain balance (both financially and physically, ie. weight, $$$, credit card debt, etc.)

So why intake more nicotine than your body needs to quit smoking. Its not necessary.

It's like trying to pour an entire craffe of wine into a small wine goblet.

 

[Gerri]

I had smoked cigs for nearly 30 yrs. Im only 42. pack and a half a day. I'm a registered nurse and have seen first hand the damage smoking does. All the nasty .... I saw it was never enough to break the addiction I had to nico. I became relegated that I would probably die of a painful and protracted death from smoking cigs because I LOOOOOVVED smoking and I was ....en good at it. Then I discovered the e smoke. My path has been eerily similar to everyone elses...e cig, egoc...vv mod and tank. Now my gorgeous husband has decided to give them ago as well as my beautiful daughter. Can't speak the language strongly enough...vaping is the future and it has saved my life, and hopefully will save the lives of my man and my baby as well.......

 

[Gerri]

so to answer your question...yes Im still hooked on nicotine, but it's not going to kill me..or my husband....or my daughter..so WHO CARES???

 

[xyanide]

I quit being a large pack a day smoker of heavy cigs 2 years ago. I smoked that with almost no breaks for about 7 years, I found it very hard to quit cold turkey and I had tried things like gums. What I noticed immediately is the nicotine in e-cigs feels much less addictive than that in regular cigs.
I quit nicotine 2 months ago because I though, why not? I mostly like the throathit.
I was a bit impatient and easily agitated for a week or so, but it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be.

Bottom line is I was weaned off smoking instantly and started loving vaping for its customizability and flavors. It should be no surprise that your nicotine habits can change over the course of vaping. I don't think you have to constantly strive for less nic or think it's bad if you feel comfortable with a higher level of nicotine than you started out with. Every device delivers differently and everyone has different goals.

 

[Gerri]

nicely said....you are so eloquent.

 

[NymeriaSand]

I have worked in the field of addictions, drug and alcohol rehabilitation. There are different kinds of addictions, there is a functioning addiction were we can still do the things we need to do in life. A dysfunctional addiction would be like the classic alcoholic or drug addict but even these types of addictions can still be considered 'functional' depending on their impact.

I learned to accept that I have an addictive personality, be it nicotine, coffee, diet coke, chocolate wine or substances I experimented with in my youth. I can see it in my parents and expect my son to probably show the same risk taking addictive behaviour in some way or another when he is older as his dad is a recovering alcoholic.

I'm a hedonistic person that believes that life is too short and too tough to deny myself substances that make it a more pleasurable experience. Especially when they don't diminish my quality of life to any real extent. This is why I'm so glad I found vaping, it was starting to physically and financially effect my quality of life. Now I can enjoy the pleasurable effects of nicotine, replace the rituals that surround it but reduce the risks around it.

So yeh, i'm still addicted to nicotine and i'm totally fine with it! [emoji3]