Addicted to Nic, or just the Habit?

[uthinkofsomething]

I've been vaping about four years, all subohm for the last three. Every rare once in a while I'll hit a cigarette. I enjoy the first one but that's all I can do, and that makes me happy.
Something I hear ppl talk about so frequently is fighting the cravings with nicotine when quiting. I often felt that quiting smoking for me was an easy choice. Nicotine addiction only lasts so long and then your body is over it, but I enjoyed the physical act of smoking and seeing smoke, it's like meditating to me. I don't ever intend to stop vaping. I did not start with the intention of weening myself off cigs and then reducing nicotine until i was down to 0 then quit... I see so many ppl who get into vaping and treat it like a nicotine patch. I feel like we don't need the nicotine as much as the act of vaping, something to do instead of smoking.

 

[FranC]

I dropped my nic level but have no intention on quitting vaping. I enjoy it.

 

[Rossum]

People are different. I smoked for 36 years. I've been vaping for over four years now, strictly MTL, and zero cigs. I need my nicotine. If I have to spend more than an hour someplace I can't vape, I use nic gum.

FWIW, I think nic without smoke is close enough to harmless that such a need should be called a "dependence" rather than an "addiction".

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

People are different. I smoked for 36 years. I've been vaping for over four years now, strictly MTL, and zero cigs. I need my nicotine. If I have to spend more than an hour someplace I can't vape, I use nic gum.

FWIW, I think nic without smoke is close enough to harmless that such a need should be called a "dependence" rather than an "addiction".

I agree. Here's why.

A nicotine habit is not destructive. Your habit does not result in lost jobs, lost relationships and life threatening and chronic medical issues.

You do not (generally) develop a tolerance for nicotine like other substances. You do not need more and more and more... each time.

Withdrawal from a nicotine is very rarely a life threatening process. You don't detox from it in a hospital or under medical supervision.

There are some people with emotional and mental issues that lead them to become dependent on something, but that something isn't the cause of their problem.

 

[r77r7r]

I still don't understand how vaping replaced those 4000+ very addictive chemicals that they laced cigs with.

 

[stols001]

Couple things. Everyone reacts to nicotine differently, so some may need it more than others, for some the hand to mouth habit is enough. I can go FAR LONGER without vaping than I could when smoking, but I still "need" nicotine in the sense that I start craving it if it's been several hours.

In the DSM, (the big book of psychiatry) the diagnosis of "dependence" is actually far worse than "addiction." Addiction means some consequences have occurred, but the person hasn't run into HUGE problems yet. Dependence is defined by more use, use following negative social, health, or legal outcomes, and a higher "need" level. Kind of like I continued smoking for 18 months while having non-stop pneumonia. I was so "dependent" that I carried on for a LONG time despite negative consequences (including a laryngeal cancer scare).

Dependence is actually the word you want for when it's REALLY bad.

"Dependence" in a medical drug context is a bit different. One can be dependent on a medication, to treat something, but without ever increasing trajectories of "need". One can also have a medication "discontinuation syndrome" which can be unpleasant, even if the medication isn't addictive. (In the traditional sense).

I think for tobacco (which actually is listed as a substance of addiction/dependence) the "dependence" label is a little different.

There is a quick and easy way to find out if you need "nic" or not. Just vape unflavored and see how long it lasts/how well you do. I am not ready for that process as of yet.

Anna

 

[sonicbomb]

I consider myself to be now both a nicotine and a vaping addict.
I would like to be rid of both, but then what would I do with my hands?

 

[r77r7r]

I consider myself to be now both a nicotine and a vaping addict.
I would like to be rid of both, but then what would I do with my hands?

That's what is keeping kids off of cigs, texting.

 

[r77r7r]

Couple things. Everyone reacts to nicotine differently, so some may need it more than others, for some the hand to mouth habit is enough. I can go FAR LONGER without vaping than I could when smoking, but I still "need" nicotine in the sense that I start craving it if it's been several hours.

In the DSM, (the big book of psychiatry) the diagnosis of "dependence" is actually far worse than "addiction." Addiction means some consequences have occurred, but the person hasn't run into HUGE problems yet. Dependence is defined by more use, use following negative social, health, or legal outcomes, and a higher "need" level. Kind of like I continued smoking for 18 months while having non-stop pneumonia. I was so "dependent" that I carried on for a LONG time despite negative consequences (including a laryngeal cancer scare).

Dependence is actually the word you want for when it's REALLY bad.

"Dependence" in a medical drug context is a bit different. One can be dependent on a medication, to treat something, but without ever increasing trajectories of "need". One can also have a medication "discontinuation syndrome" which can be unpleasant, even if the medication isn't addictive. (In the traditional sense).

I think for tobacco (which actually is listed as a substance of addiction/dependence) the "dependence" label is a little different.

There is a quick and easy way to find out if you need "nic" or not. Just vape unflavored and see how long it lasts/how well you do. I am not ready for that process as of yet.

Anna

Great info, but probably too late in the game to change how we the masses refer to this?

 

[untar]

If you have time to read, I recommend this letter from Prof Molimard to the French High Health Authority
(his credentials are mentioned in the letter)
The myth of nicotine addiction - Formindep
He's not the only cessation professional who thinks like that.

 

[Rossum]

There is a quick and easy way to find out if you need "nic" or not. Just vape unflavored and see how long it lasts/how well you do.

About 2/3 of my vaping is unflavored. I'm confident I would be fine if I had to vape unflavored all the time.

Did you mean zero-nic as opposed to unflavored? 'Cause I've tried that and found it utterly unsatisfying.

 

[r77r7r]

About 2/3 of my vaping is unflavored. I'm confident I would be fine if I had to vape unflavored all the time.

Did you mean zero-nic as opposed to unflavored? 'Cause I've tried that and found it utterly unsatisfying.

Yeah, I went zero nic once and something was definitely missing. Took it up to 3 and was happy.

 

[sonicbomb]

I tried 0 nic for a day, and found myself looking for something small and cute to injure.
I haven't tried since.

 

[stols001]

I meant 0 nic, thank you.

One of my favorite professors in social work school defined addiction as: "The right drug... meets the right brain."

It remains my favorite definition of all time. I think I was addicted to most things in cigarettes including nicotine (but I have ADHD) so it's not really the same for ANYONE. All of our brains are unique an individual.

I (joyously) have a brain that would be happy to addict itself to anything which is why I am glad "harm reduction" exists as a general concept, as well as "complete and total sobriety" when able.

I really (and I was a fairly hard core opiate addict) consider "tobacco" my true drug of choice. Opiate detox is certainly no fun, but when it came to sheer, hard core cravings (WITH WTA, with Nicsalts, WITH everything I could do to make vaping easier) tobacco wins, every time. I still get cigarette cravings (although not nearly as much) and I kind of expect to have them until the day I die. Vaping makes that TOLERABLE and ENDURABLE, and it is only the FACT that I know "just one cigarette" would never be enough that stops me from dual using. I dual used before. I just hope that my cravings continue to diminish.

I think I've almost stamped out "stress smoking" which is awesome. That was my hardest one to deal with, but I just vape through them... Now.

Anna

 

[WillyZee]

I vape with nicotine... however, I don't chain vape and could likely quit vaping without issue.

I drink beer with alcohol too

 

[Eskie]

I'm happy for anyone who doesn't need nicotine in their vape juice after decades of smoking. Sadly, I'm not one of them. Nicotine is relatively harmless at normal doses but it is not totally benign. There are folks with severe vascular problems who should avoid it if at all possible, even through NRT products. For the rest of us I think the continued use in vape juice is a personal choice, but I would speculate a good number of vapers who stopped the nic to 0 would end up returning to cigarettes at some point in time. Not all, as we're all different, but enough that I wouldn't be rushing anyone to get rid of the nic in their vape.

 

[r77r7r]

I think if people could stop vaping if they wanted to, they just would. Like using a pitchfork. Or a pen that doesn't feel right in your hand. Just put it down without a second thought.??

 

[stols001]

I am so glad I didn't put "quitting vaping" at the top of my list of things to worry about, ever, as I was transitioning to vaping, because I think if I had tried to stack that up, I would have met with pure failure. The only way I could see vaping working for me was to make it as pleasant, satisfying, and easy to do as smoking cigarettes was, and that included learning everything about it I could so that if I could vape, I could continue vaping.

The longer I vape, the more I appreciate it for what it is. It's not perfectly harmless, but my body's respiratory system was making it quite clear to me that combustion and tar was what was killing me, not everything else. I look at: "Well, my body tolerated MUCH more nicotine along with more harmful things," at 3 ppd for a LONG time before it finally began putting up some distress signals.

I have faith that I am tough as dirt, (physically) and I also CHOOSE to have faith that vaped nicotine isn't going to harm me all that much. I CHOOSE to have that faith (although I do believe it is backed up by studies, as well) because frankly, what one believes (mentally) can have a much larger effect on health outcomes than what is really studied.

I have lived through many events I should not have lived through. My body's taken FAR worse abuse than "merely" vaping. I have full faith that my health will continue to improve, up until I have a heart attack (it's pretty deep on both sides of my family) but I don't expect it to come for a LONG time, if ever. And it's my opinion that believing in my body and its regenerative properties gets them going FASTER. The placebo effect is REAL and USEFUL (even WITH double blinding, the placebo effect is real). I choose to harness it when I can. Because the "placebo effect" is often believed to be a "bad" thing, but if one is able to believe something with enough intensity, it can actually be harnessed to good use. I think anyone in a study who got good results with the placebo effect should NOT be told they were the control group, and sent home with a lifetime supply of sugar pills.

This is also why homeopathy can "work" in the sense that people "get" results from water. Probably PURER water than their tap water, actually, and their brain and body happily go about repairing what was messed up. Placebo is awesome, and has zero side effects! I also have Alzheimer's in my family and ADHD and believe nicotine is better for me than no nicotine.

If I have to quit vaping, it will be after my (first if survivable) heart attack. Until then, I plan to vape nicotine because I also have EVERY faith that I would return to smoking... Some day. I really can't afford to lose more lung function. My heart (based on every measurable test I have had done) seems to be doing Just Fine.

So, that's my take on it for now, of course everyone should do what they feel is best. But I didn't spend all this time, energy and money on vaping to just up and quit 6 months down the line. I consider myself set to VAPE... for a lengthy period. I may lower my nic at some point, but not until one year.

Anna

 

[Snicks]

I smoked for 10 years. 1 to 2 packs a day, (3 packs a day on Fridays and Saturdays). I quit smoking when I turned 25 years old. Quit cold turkey and never smoked another cig again.

I always enjoyed smoking and I love to this day the smell of fresh tobacco. I quit because I didn't want to get cancer or have poor health plus I was getting tired of spending the money.

Fast forward 13 years and I had heard about e-cigs. I thought to myself, hmmm....I could vape and get nicotine without smoking, killing myself and smelling foul. I tossed around the idea a bit and did a lot of reading up on it. I decided I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not and pretty much forgot about vaping. Another 2 years went by (so 15 years after quitting smoking) and I read some great articles on e-cigarettes and finally decided to try it out. I was 40 at the time (I'm 45 now) and I have been vaping ever since. So smoke free for over 20 years and vaping for just about 5 years now.

I started at 24mg and vaped that for about a year then switched to 18mg because finding juice at 24mg was getting tuff. Since last Nov I lowered it further to 6mg and I have been happy there.

I have it in my head to lower it again to 3mg eventually and maybe just 0mg ultimately. That isn't something I think I need to do but I enjoy vaping the flavors more than I care about the nicotine. But nicotine is faaantastic.

Most people assume I quit smoking by starting to vape. lol I'm maybe in the minority but I started vaping because I just wanted some nicotine.

 

[sonicbomb]

^ That is a pretty unusual journey