I read this whole thread last night, and was going to bang the like button so many times on so many posts. I'll just let this post say why.
Many years ago I went through a heavy Kurt Vonnegut phase, and immediately latched onto this quote, and held it dear (up until about 3 weeks ago):
The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide.
I remember reading on or via ECF that it's been shown that folks with mental health issues and / or depression tend to smoke heavily. I know I did in the face of a long term, but basically undiagnosed and untreated depression. I'll spare the gory detail.
I also remember reading that nicotine in and of itself can potentially help with those issues, and it's perhaps why folks with mental illness or depression do smoke so heavily - they're self-medicating.
At first I was just angry about junk science like this, for the usual "look at how effed up our country operates". But vaping allowed me to step back from cigarettes and take a closer look at myself - and indeed, I'm more angry now at thinking that our country needs to step back from itself and look at why we smoke cigarettes, and why we've allowed our economy to build on it, and why a burgeoning cottage industry is being squashed, the likes of which our country's foundation is supposed to be encouraging.
All I know is this:
- I've learned so much here at ECF - about why I smoked, what nicotine really is, the definitions of "addiction" vs. "dependence" (their real-life definitions in context, not just textbook definitions), and most importantly - just how benign vaping is (or at least appears to be). I've quite literally been gifted this opportunity to quit cigarettes like I've never quit before, and I have ECF, its members, CASAA, et al to thank greatly.
- Vaping is going to save my life, at least in the near to mid term, mentally as well as physically - because of the constant stigma mental health issues carry (including depression), I'm thinking there's way more more people like me who are unaddressed as to why they continue(d) to smoke in the face of all that's wrong with it. Those are the people media and government should be first concerned with, over the BS "what about the kids" arguments.
- I just wish I was in a better financial state where I could afford to throw money at pro-vaping entities to overcome BT / BP / BG clout and cash. It really seems the only way out of this is to fight fire with fire - or at least with a few quality science studies (as opposed to junk science). One word does come to mind: crowdfunding. I would happily throw $20, $50, $100 to know a thorough, objective study was being conducted. But this is looking like "too little too late".
- With what little money I have, I'm going to my local B&M (Cignot) after this to chill out and hang for a little bit and buy some stuff to do the first rebuilds in my two eGrips' RBAs up right tonight.
Many years ago I went through a heavy Kurt Vonnegut phase, and immediately latched onto this quote, and held it dear (up until about 3 weeks ago):
The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide.
I remember reading on or via ECF that it's been shown that folks with mental health issues and / or depression tend to smoke heavily. I know I did in the face of a long term, but basically undiagnosed and untreated depression. I'll spare the gory detail.
I also remember reading that nicotine in and of itself can potentially help with those issues, and it's perhaps why folks with mental illness or depression do smoke so heavily - they're self-medicating.
At first I was just angry about junk science like this, for the usual "look at how effed up our country operates". But vaping allowed me to step back from cigarettes and take a closer look at myself - and indeed, I'm more angry now at thinking that our country needs to step back from itself and look at why we smoke cigarettes, and why we've allowed our economy to build on it, and why a burgeoning cottage industry is being squashed, the likes of which our country's foundation is supposed to be encouraging.
All I know is this:
- I've learned so much here at ECF - about why I smoked, what nicotine really is, the definitions of "addiction" vs. "dependence" (their real-life definitions in context, not just textbook definitions), and most importantly - just how benign vaping is (or at least appears to be). I've quite literally been gifted this opportunity to quit cigarettes like I've never quit before, and I have ECF, its members, CASAA, et al to thank greatly.
- Vaping is going to save my life, at least in the near to mid term, mentally as well as physically - because of the constant stigma mental health issues carry (including depression), I'm thinking there's way more more people like me who are unaddressed as to why they continue(d) to smoke in the face of all that's wrong with it. Those are the people media and government should be first concerned with, over the BS "what about the kids" arguments.
- I just wish I was in a better financial state where I could afford to throw money at pro-vaping entities to overcome BT / BP / BG clout and cash. It really seems the only way out of this is to fight fire with fire - or at least with a few quality science studies (as opposed to junk science). One word does come to mind: crowdfunding. I would happily throw $20, $50, $100 to know a thorough, objective study was being conducted. But this is looking like "too little too late".
- With what little money I have, I'm going to my local B&M (Cignot) after this to chill out and hang for a little bit and buy some stuff to do the first rebuilds in my two eGrips' RBAs up right tonight.
claims the study was made using overheated ecig.I don't see how he came to that conclusion .
.
