Hey everyone, it's been a while since I posted here...
So yesterday, I started on my new batch of mint-tobacco (I DIY my own juice), only instead of my normal 18mg nicotine, I've reduced it to 12mg. When I get thru this batch of 12mg base, I will go to 6 or 8mg, and eventually to zero.
Ultimately I will quit vaping. Why? Because I have to.
I didn't feel so bad about quitting analogs, I understood the societal pressures, it's bad for me. It's bad for others who unwantingly are exposed to my second-hand smoke, and I wasn't delusional enough to convince myself that secondhand was truly avoidable.. I get secondhand now myself when walking near anyone smoking, it is unavoidable. So yeah, I get it.
I've been very happy vaping. I used to be somewhat excited about it, and when I started DIY'ing, I had a lot of fun playing with exotic flavors and mixes. I saw a world without traditional cigarettes, and where vaping became a much more prolific option, and with so many more flavor choices and whatnot. I found a community that actually did a decent job policing itself, something relatively unheard of in american business.
Then I found the naysayers. The FDA is chomping at the bit to ban it, the big pharma companies are against it because they lose their market share on patches and gum and chantix (got help anyone who ingests that nightmare)... Big tobacco can't compete, and doesn't want to get on board.. ok whatever.
But the worst is the insurance companies. They got on board alright. Changed "smoking" medical terms to "nicotine use".
I've been trying to buy a life insurance policy, but that one word haunts me. What should be a $30/month policy for a decent policy becomes $125, and slightly out of my budget (I actually downgraded the policy significantly to get it to that price). My health insurance is more too, a LOT more. The new ACA rules will actually cause a spike in my premiums on my next open enrollment if I show nicotine in my system. It's a damn sham, a shakedown. Like charging teens more for car insurance when statistics clearly show they aren't half as bad drivers as people in their 40's (it's true!).
So then factor in the people who don't smoke and never did. Co-workers, family, friends, who mention it every time you try to vape- they still call it "Smoking" with a nasty and sarcastic slant. There are the ones who question me on it's safety, asking me how do I REALLY KNOW? Do I have a degree in science and chemistry? I didn't think so. Arguing with people about it is futile, as everyone now argues with that "fox news" logic where rationality leaves the room the moment the discussion started.
So yeah, I'm not thrilled, and writing this is simply me venting about being forced (again) to quit something, not because *I* want to, but because society is pushing me to.
So yesterday, I started on my new batch of mint-tobacco (I DIY my own juice), only instead of my normal 18mg nicotine, I've reduced it to 12mg. When I get thru this batch of 12mg base, I will go to 6 or 8mg, and eventually to zero.
Ultimately I will quit vaping. Why? Because I have to.
I didn't feel so bad about quitting analogs, I understood the societal pressures, it's bad for me. It's bad for others who unwantingly are exposed to my second-hand smoke, and I wasn't delusional enough to convince myself that secondhand was truly avoidable.. I get secondhand now myself when walking near anyone smoking, it is unavoidable. So yeah, I get it.
I've been very happy vaping. I used to be somewhat excited about it, and when I started DIY'ing, I had a lot of fun playing with exotic flavors and mixes. I saw a world without traditional cigarettes, and where vaping became a much more prolific option, and with so many more flavor choices and whatnot. I found a community that actually did a decent job policing itself, something relatively unheard of in american business.
Then I found the naysayers. The FDA is chomping at the bit to ban it, the big pharma companies are against it because they lose their market share on patches and gum and chantix (got help anyone who ingests that nightmare)... Big tobacco can't compete, and doesn't want to get on board.. ok whatever.
But the worst is the insurance companies. They got on board alright. Changed "smoking" medical terms to "nicotine use".
I've been trying to buy a life insurance policy, but that one word haunts me. What should be a $30/month policy for a decent policy becomes $125, and slightly out of my budget (I actually downgraded the policy significantly to get it to that price). My health insurance is more too, a LOT more. The new ACA rules will actually cause a spike in my premiums on my next open enrollment if I show nicotine in my system. It's a damn sham, a shakedown. Like charging teens more for car insurance when statistics clearly show they aren't half as bad drivers as people in their 40's (it's true!).
So then factor in the people who don't smoke and never did. Co-workers, family, friends, who mention it every time you try to vape- they still call it "Smoking" with a nasty and sarcastic slant. There are the ones who question me on it's safety, asking me how do I REALLY KNOW? Do I have a degree in science and chemistry? I didn't think so. Arguing with people about it is futile, as everyone now argues with that "fox news" logic where rationality leaves the room the moment the discussion started.
So yeah, I'm not thrilled, and writing this is simply me venting about being forced (again) to quit something, not because *I* want to, but because society is pushing me to.