Are you smoking inside?

[ki77en]

@ sailorman : I agree with your posts as far as the fight for public perception goes whole-heartedly; however a cigarette and and e-cigarette are indeed two different things; sort of like a cat and catfish or cattail. My first PV was a disposable Blu which helped greatly to be able to put down my cigarettes and smoke that like a real cigarette. Then my Ego came in the mail which was fun and gave me the nicotine rush I needed. Then I felt that urge to have that feel of the cigarette back which a manual ego did not give me. So, I ordered an automatic 510 and rushed out to buy another disposable, while I waited for the automatic to ship, to keep myself from buying analogs to have that feeling. So, should I deny myself the automatic 510 with cartomizer, just because someone might associate that with a cigarette and possibly cave in to buying analogs? I know you said YOU wouldn't smoke ("e-cigarettes"/auto 510's), but what do you think about the people that depend on them? I personally think even those should be called auto 510 "cigarette like" devices should also be called personal vaporizers and be done with it. Like another poster said, what do you think of the name of this very forum?

This is a very good point b/c it raises concerns that most of us have dealt w/ personally and publicly.
While it DOES seem to give vaping an certain image when you use pv's that LOOK like an analog, it's also s/thing that seems to be the easiest to adjust to when you want to switch from smoking to vaping. That was the case w/ me, and I didn't have nearly the extent of information I have now and was even worried about ordering what I currently use the most - a kGo - b/c it just looks 'odd' (i.e. - not like a thing that produces 'smoke') unless it was for illegal purposes. Getting s/thing that felt and looked like an actual cigarette was s/thing I thought would make it work, for me..... and for some, it does.

Those that it works for, I am happy as hell for but it really seems that there are less success stories for those. Anyone willing to roam outside that comfort zone - while a bit more likely to succeed - also has to deal w/ a wide variety of experimenting to find "comfort zones" in their vaping experiences and while it's usually not as hard to find for some, it certainly is for others. (Some may grab a Provari just b/c everyone promotes it and have such a hard time understanding the amperage/volts/ohms/resistance/etc just b/c they're SO p.o.'d at smoking that they actually give up b/c everything is too overwhelming to understand and initially, is rather expensive.)

Quitting smoking/analogs is hard on many levels and finding the right vape is key, no doubt; But finding inadequate advice is every bit as bad as finding an overload of information that causes you to go WEEKS w/out ordering s/thing to try. This is why being an impulsive buyer can s/times save you b/c after reading a few reviews on my device of choice (kgo), I bought it and stopped the analogs when it was ready to be used and haven't gone back. Since then, I've simply been experimenting which I think most tend to do when they can stick w/ their first kit or come to the knowledge that the vape/th/experience they're receiving is less than purrrfect.

 

[Ladypixel]

To the original poster:

I just refer to it as my nicotine inhaler. It's an inhaler-type device which has a warmed vapor rather than a non-warmed one, and which just happens to taste like, oh, turtle cheesecake at the moment (this will likely change in five minutes).

 

[sailorman]

Oh my god, here we go again. Lighten up brother. Have a cigarette...or something.
No ..... That's how a lot of reasonable people think about the word, no matter how hard you stomp your feet and point at the dictionary.
You routinely put it in your mouth and inhale a cloud of something to get nicotine. A lot of people don't care if that definition extends to include the literal definition of smoking. It's splitting hairs to them. Think of other times people have split hairs with you.
Your sig says that you don't think it's best to vape what looks like a cig, or use the word e-cigarette. Scroll up to the top and read what ECF is an abbreviation of, then keep ranting.

And when an alcoholic is drinking a coke, he's "drinking" and fell off the wagon.
And when your teapot is ready, it "smokes"
And, as far as "reasonable" people think, that "smoke" is just as harmful as cigarette smoke.
Why do they think that? Because they are not reasonalbe. Reasonable is not synonymous with ignorant.
But evidently, some of us are so afraid of being accused of "splitting hairs" that they are content to call ignorant "reasonable".

No, that's not what reasonable people think. That's what ignorant people and children think.
It's not splitting hairs. It's the difference between being taxed, regulated and treated like a smoker or not.
You can roll over and beg the antis to pat your belly if you want. It's not my style.

As for the forum name, that's irrelevant. That genie is out of the bottle, but it does our cause not a bit of good to adopt the name that was invented by marketers for no other reason than to attract cigarette smokers.
The name "cigarette" has bad connotations and is a lightning rod for every health nazi in the country.
The same honey that attracts bees also attracts bears.

 

[NJC]

You sort of presented two questions:
1. Are you vaping inside?
2. And how do you explain vaping to people that have never heard of it?

Vaping inside?

Yes -- when not around pets, and when not around humans that don't smoke or vape or have a smoker or BBQ in their livingroom. Or really, really poor cooks addicted to high heat.

How do I explain it to others?

For the most part, I tell people that I've quit smoking, but I haven't quit nicotine.

That's my short, honest answer. It does lead to conversation and I explain what I can. I state the unknowns where they belong. But I try to be as honest and transparent as you would with anything you do. Plus, it's the most honest statement I can make until I achieve my status as the all knowing, Doctor of everything, beyond all doctors in the entire world combined, and ones that can see into the future.

After that it's a gray area. Why? I know what I know, I know what you know. Together, that's about as much as we know long-term. I'm happy but skeptical, and they are happy for me but skeptical, and all that both the slightly more informed, and newly learning people can do is....learn more and hope more.

But this also quickly transcends into the "what do we do about this delivery mechanism?", "how do you know it's safe?"

Short answer, I don't. I know I'm happy to not be smoking, and the one thing I know is the effects of that. They are too. They are also happy that it simply shows the want to quit something, some level of something bad. But they may distrust it and they rightfully should and you and I should too.

Will things be better in the end? "Common sense" tells me I will live a better life, but who knows! "Hope" tells me I will eventually stop this habit or hobby...or it will at least be either. Common sense tells me, umm, you've been through this before.

We can all read from the cue cards people have created, but honestly come on -- we all know that we want that perfect paragraph that not only gets people off your back, but also says, "Thank god, there's a solution....without actually fully quitting nicotine." And also to say "Sure, some have been smart enough to avoid nicotine, and others have been lucky enough to just plain quit, that's not me. But here's three golden sentences that made me comfortable, and you 110% a believer in my words."

But the fact that this and all the other similar threads exists.....well....we know that's not the case.

But god I hope so.

 

[sailorman]

@ sailorman : I agree with your posts as far as the fight for public perception goes whole-heartedly; however a cigarette and and e-cigarette are indeed two different things; sort of like a cat and catfish or cattail. My first PV was a disposable Blu which helped greatly to be able to put down my cigarettes and smoke that like a real cigarette. Then my Ego came in the mail which was fun and gave me the nicotine rush I needed. Then I felt that urge to have that feel of the cigarette back which a manual ego did not give me. So, I ordered an automatic 510 and rushed out to buy another disposable, while I waited for the automatic to ship, to keep myself from buying analogs to have that feeling. So, should I deny myself the automatic 510 with cartomizer, just because someone might associate that with a cigarette and possibly cave in to buying analogs? I know you said YOU wouldn't smoke ("e-cigarettes"/auto 510's), but what do you think about the people that depend on them? I personally think even those should be called auto 510 "cigarette like" devices should also be called personal vaporizers and be done with it. Like another poster said, what do you think of the name of this very forum?

Awesome post about public perception and the fundamental difference between smoke and vapor. That really does need to be fought for.

I'm not saying don't touch a cigarette looking pv under any circumstances. My point is that as long as people associate PVs with cigarettes, either by name or by appearance, they will continue to equate the two and strong emotional feelings will be evoked. You cannot change public perception of PVs as long as the first thing people think of are cigarettes. Hate for cigarettes is too ingrained to overcome it with logic and reason. It's visceral. E-cig marketers came up with a design and a name designed to appeal to smokers. By doing so, they ignored the inevitable hate it would generate among everyone else.

Look at it like this: What would the pubic think of an energy drink that was marketed in a big syringe and was called "One Shot Energy Drink". Might be a hit among junkies and caffeine freaks, but how long do you think it would take for the panty-twisting brigade to come out in full force and call for it to be banned?

Would Gerbils be such a popular pet if they were called Syrian Desert Rats? Moms across the country would be shouting for a ban on the sale of such a disgusting rodent to their children. O.K., maybe not, but you get my point.

As I said before, all you have to do is crank up the google machine and read all the anti-ecig propaganda that exploits and emphasizes the resemblance of e-cigs to cigarettes in order to demonize them and conflate the two. And, it works. It results in comment after comment from people who would probably have no objection at all to a "vaporizer" that looked like an electric toothbrush or a flashlight.

 

[sailorman]

I do vape inside. I just say it's not smoke, it's water vapor. I think it is safe. I have read that there have been trace amounts of nicotine in the exhaled vapor, but it disopates very quickly. Nicotine in small doses is not harmful. There is nicotine in some foods such as potatoes and tomatoes.

Analysis of exhaled vapor found it contained 0.01% nicotine and no detectable level of any other harmful chemical. With even the most minimal ventilation, you cannot pack enough chain-vapers into a room to generate enough nicotine to harm someone in that room. Yes, it dissipates quickly.

I have a parrot about 8' away from where I vape constantly, and have been for the last 2 years. Because of the respiratory system of birds, they absorb anything in the air far more efficiently than any other mammal and are extremely susceptible to atmospheric pollutants (canary in a coal mine). Therefore, exhaled nicotine is extremely toxic to birds. At my bird's last physical, there was no detectable level of nicotine. That's good enough for me, and that's good enough that I can confidently say that my vaping is harmless to bystanders.

 

[Verdant]

I vaped at the table with my grandparent's at their house, I was able to explain it to an extent that they could understand and they allowed it (which i never would conceive of smoking in front of them.)

 

[Sethenes]

Analysis of exhaled vapor found it contained 0.01% nicotine and no detectable level of any other harmful chemical. With even the most minimal ventilation, you cannot pack enough chain-vapers into a room to generate enough nicotine to harm someone in that room. Yes, it dissipates quickly.

I have a parrot about 8' away from where I vape constantly, and have been for the last 2 years. Because of the respiratory system of birds, they absorb anything in the air far more efficiently than any other mammal and are extremely susceptible to atmospheric pollutants (canary in a coal mine). Therefore, exhaled nicotine is extremely toxic to birds. At my bird's last physical, there was no detectable level of nicotine. That's good enough for me, and that's good enough that I can confidently say that my vaping is harmless to bystanders.

Good enough for me also.

That reminds me of an article I read about non-stick cookware (teflon fumes) being toxic to animals, especially birds.

 

[lunchbox91]

I vape anywhere and everywhere. In the house, the car, restaurants, bars, malls you name it. The mall is my favorite place to vaoe when walking by those Green Nicotine kiosks

 

[thejavanut]

At home, I vape inside though I didn't used to smoke inside. At work, I vape outside with my friends who still smoke.

 

[Ladypixel]

Would Gerbils be such a popular pet if they were called Syrian Desert Rats? Moms across the country would be shouting for a ban on the sale of such a disgusting rodent to their children. O.K., maybe not, but you get my point.

Speak for yourself, kemosabe. I own a Syrian hamster, thank you very much. And I love rats!

(Still got your point, although that might not have been the best comparison! Hee!)

 

[cabingal]

I never smoked inside. Now when it's -20 degrees I can stay inside. I also love vaping in bed its so 1970's

 

[SM4ster]

I normally try to explain to them thoroughly because if they are smokers (like my dad, we are both vaping atm) i want to encourage them into trying it out and possibly make the switch!!

Vape on!!

 

[1poppy]

I use the fog machine kinda scenario for the non enlightened lol. If it's a smoker though, i'll explain it as much as I can-in hopes i will convert them eventually...

 

[JZXJ]

a "vaporizer" that looked like an electric toothbrush or a flashlight.

Brilliant!!! A flashligh PV!! 5 cell mag-light with triple dual coil cartos for a blanketing fog of vapor the likes of which has never been seen from a PV

 

[Down]

I usually do a brief fog machine analogy too.

 

[sailorman]

Brilliant!!! A flashligh PV!! 5 cell mag-light with triple dual coil cartos for a blanketing fog of vapor the likes of which has never been seen from a PV

Flashlight PVs are old hat. The mod section is full of them.
My fav is the mod made from a semi-automatic pistol with a carto sticking out of the barrel.
Vape that one in public for some interesting reactions.

 

[Sniper]

I live in Chicago and I actually see a lot of people smoking ecigs all around. I don't even give it a second thought I smoke mine everywhere and I recommend everyone use it where ever they want! Smoking a electronic cig is still a pretty new thing but I am always suprised that most people are more curious than anything else. I have never came across a situation where people were actually offended by it, but then again in situations such as fine dining and other close encounter situations I just hold my urge to vape till I'm in a comfortable place.

To the OP I would just explain that it's an electronic cigarette and its perfectly safe and the best alternative to smoking, then proceed to show it off as you should! Then just explain how it has helped you so much after all think about how many people have stopped smoking those disgusting things just by discovering the joy of ecigs be proud of it after all atleast your doing something about it that's the hardest part!

 

[sailorman]

I've vaped in a lot of restaurants. I usually talk to a manager or someone first, and I don't bother if it's really crowded but, so far, I haven't had a problem. I like a little vape with my after dinner drink or coffee. I will not go stand outside with the smokers. I'm not a smoker. I'll go eat somewhere else if they're not vape friendly, and I'll let them know why I'm leaving.

Once, in a restaurant, a lady came over and, in an accusing tone, asked me if I was smoking. I showed her my mod and told her no as I took a small toot. I blew the vapor slowly in her general direction and, as it disappeared said, "See, that's not cigarette smoke. It's an inhaler my doctor prescribed". She shrugged and went away. Another advantage to vaping something that doesn't look like the "real thing".

 

[sailorman]

It helped me tremendously that it looks and feels like a cigarette. Are you saying I am wrong? Perhaps you should consider that other people are entitled to their opinions.

I'm not say it's wrong. I'm saying that it was wrong in the long term to design them that way. You'll get over your security blanket when you get some experience. Meanwhile, go ahead and stay stuck in the smoker mindset. You're still a smoker in your own mind. That'll change later on.

I do. I enjoy getting away from my desk and hanging out with the smokers (or not) just like I always did. I didn't smoke in my house, and now don't vape there either. Out of respect for others, I didn't smoke in anyone else's house, or their cars, or non-smoking places. I don't vape in the same circumstances out of respect for them too. Whether it's smoking/vaping/whatever, it's my issue not theirs.

Like I said. You may have stopped smoking, but you're still a smoker. So you act like a smoker and you don't mind being treated like a smoker. It's kind of like people who have been fat all their lives and suddenly lose a lot of weight. They look in the mirror and still see themselves as fat. You equate smoking/vaping/whatever. THAT is your real issue.

I vape all kinds of places I wouldn't smoke and I've never had an objection. Of course I explain and ask permission if it's someone's house or car. And you know what? They never have objected. It's not a matter of respect. It's a matter of I'm not smoking and I'm not a smoker. I know it. Evidently you don't.

I'm not going to sit there and argue semantics with strangers or everyone I know. Life is too short, and I frankly don't care.

Who argues semantics? I don't. But I have enough self-respect to not tolerate being treated like a pariah. I've never once had to argue with a stranger, besides people like you on this forum. The whole issue of public perception has nothing whatsoever to do with arguing. The ANTZ aren't "arguing". The FDA propagandists aren't "arguing". I'm not arguing. That doesn't mean I'm a doormat either. If I want to be treated like a smoker, I'd have kept on smoking.