Ok checkmate, I'm going to throw a bunch of science at you; hopefully I will be able to convey the information well enough in layman's terms, and not be too textbook about it all. Then I'm going to ask you a few questions.
Sciencey stuff:
You are correct when you said you're feeling an addiction to something other than nicotine.
Nicotine itself does a wonderful job of increasing the production of chemical transmitters within our body; notable ones include:
acetylcholine (enhances concentration/memory/alertness, decreases pain receptors)
norepinephrine (increases arousal, enhances alertness)
epinephrine (also known as adrenaline, increases alertness, decrease reaction times)
dopamine (increases sensitivity of the brain reward system, basically its one of the neurotransmitters responsible for us knowing when to feel good)
beta-endorphin (reduces anxiety, decreases pain receptors)
serotonin (another reward system neurotransmitter, has a calming effect, one of the neurotransmitters that allow us to sleep)
Now our bodies have a very efficient way of breaking down and regulating all of these wonderful chemicals, a process called oxidation where an oxygen molecule is used to break them down into base molecules and flush them from our system. A group of enzymes call monoamine oxidases (MAO's) are responsible for catalyzing this reaction.
However, tobacco contains along with its wonderful nicotine a group of chemicals called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI's.) You may have heard them referred to in certain prescription drug commercials, commonly ones associated with anti-depressants. MAOI's inhibit the production of the enzymes responsible for breaking down all those wonderful chemicals that nicotine stirred up, essentially making the effects associated with them last longer.
Now we not only have the "feel good" chemicals being produced at an increasing rate by the nicotine, but we also have them hanging around longer than normal due to the MAOI's. It's a recipe for addiction that has kept BT in business for over a hundred years.
Now, since you aren't getting the MAOI's through vaping, you no longer have that extended duration of all those "feel good" chemicals, which is why it is common for us to vape more frequently than we smoked. This could also be the underlying cause of many of us experiencing detox and withdrawal symptoms even though we are still intaking nicotine.
Now for the question part:
You mentioned feeling sick when you vape. Is this a nauseousness kind of sick, or more of a lightheaded/kinda drunk and woozy sick?
What type of juice blend are you vaping? Do you feel these symptoms only when vaping or do you get them after you've smoked as well?
The reason I ask is because depending on the symptoms it could be either case of nic overdose (that's the woozy/lightheaded one) or it could be a reaction to the hygroscopic agents, the PG or VG, in the juice (that's the nauseous one.)
Hopefully this helps you better understand why you're still craving analogs and will help you make the switch easier.
Cheers and Happy Vaping,
Shadow
Sciencey stuff:
You are correct when you said you're feeling an addiction to something other than nicotine.
Nicotine itself does a wonderful job of increasing the production of chemical transmitters within our body; notable ones include:
acetylcholine (enhances concentration/memory/alertness, decreases pain receptors)
norepinephrine (increases arousal, enhances alertness)
epinephrine (also known as adrenaline, increases alertness, decrease reaction times)
dopamine (increases sensitivity of the brain reward system, basically its one of the neurotransmitters responsible for us knowing when to feel good)
beta-endorphin (reduces anxiety, decreases pain receptors)
serotonin (another reward system neurotransmitter, has a calming effect, one of the neurotransmitters that allow us to sleep)
Now our bodies have a very efficient way of breaking down and regulating all of these wonderful chemicals, a process called oxidation where an oxygen molecule is used to break them down into base molecules and flush them from our system. A group of enzymes call monoamine oxidases (MAO's) are responsible for catalyzing this reaction.
However, tobacco contains along with its wonderful nicotine a group of chemicals called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI's.) You may have heard them referred to in certain prescription drug commercials, commonly ones associated with anti-depressants. MAOI's inhibit the production of the enzymes responsible for breaking down all those wonderful chemicals that nicotine stirred up, essentially making the effects associated with them last longer.
Now we not only have the "feel good" chemicals being produced at an increasing rate by the nicotine, but we also have them hanging around longer than normal due to the MAOI's. It's a recipe for addiction that has kept BT in business for over a hundred years.
Now, since you aren't getting the MAOI's through vaping, you no longer have that extended duration of all those "feel good" chemicals, which is why it is common for us to vape more frequently than we smoked. This could also be the underlying cause of many of us experiencing detox and withdrawal symptoms even though we are still intaking nicotine.
Now for the question part:
You mentioned feeling sick when you vape. Is this a nauseousness kind of sick, or more of a lightheaded/kinda drunk and woozy sick?
What type of juice blend are you vaping? Do you feel these symptoms only when vaping or do you get them after you've smoked as well?
The reason I ask is because depending on the symptoms it could be either case of nic overdose (that's the woozy/lightheaded one) or it could be a reaction to the hygroscopic agents, the PG or VG, in the juice (that's the nauseous one.)
Hopefully this helps you better understand why you're still craving analogs and will help you make the switch easier.
Cheers and Happy Vaping,
Shadow
