Continue vaping or quit cold turkey?

[AskJoey]

So I quickly caught on to vaping and I am very knowledgeable about it. I am also a pretty skeptical person. I have been vaping on and off for a long time, and have been vaping for the past year or so exclusively. The other day I sold off my last piece of vaping equipment because of its size. Now, I have been using snus for a few days while looking for something new, and began reading more about the health of vaping. But I stay away from bias stuff. Anyway, I know it is LESS HARMFUL than smoking, but cold turkey is undoubtedly the safest way to go (not always what addicts like myself want to believe though.)

I guess my question is are there any REAL tests factoring in metal being released from coils, cartomizer filler inhalation, silica inhalation, and the inhalation of vaporized flavorings?

Of course the addict in me wants to continue, but I am just to the point where I am so undecided and uncertain of the dangers (or lack of) from vaping. If someone credible concluded vaping was completely safe, I would most definitely continue.

Of course I could treat a vaping device like a pipe and avoid inhalation completely, but the temptation will overpower my conscious mind into making excuses to continue inhaling. But that is my 2nd go-to option.

Cold turkey is not hard to do when you are completely certain of what you are facing, without any fallback plan... If I have the mentality "maybe I'll start up again when vaping is deemed safe" I'll be doomed from the start and most definitely continue using nicotine.

What does everybody else think?

 

[Jsucool76]

Certainly don't know anything about the adverse effects from the coils or fillers, silica or anything like that, BUT

If you could work your way off of snus and be free of ANY nicotine products, it would probably be the healthiest option no matter what.

 

[six]

What does everybody else think?

I don't know of any scientific data saying vaping is 100% safe. But, I can point to plenty that says breathing air in Los Angeles is definitely not safe.

I've also read a few statements about the drinking water in LA, the most recent of which LADPH says, "Water—particularly water drawn from sources near populated or industrialized areas—also frequently contains a variety of chemical impurities. Hazardous household waste like paint thinner or antifreeze that is improperly disposed of can migrate from disposal sites and contaminate water sources; pesticides applied to crops can be carried to lakes and streams after a heavy rain." etc etc etc and goes on to say that they can only minimize the problems to the point they are required to by the Feds.

So, "Safe" is pretty subjective no matter what activity, no matter what you consume, no matter what you are exposed to, etc.

That's what I think. -- If you are capable of quitting without returning to tobacco, more power to you. You have my best wishes and the entire community is proud of folks who can give it up without returning to tobacco. --- If you are looking for some validation that vaping can be described by that very subjective idea of "safe", you won't get it because there is no way to gauge "safe" (consider what I said about the air you breathe where you live and the water you consume as examples that point to my thinking) - what I can say is that what actual science exists regarding vaping is currently indicating a pretty positive outlook as far as the worries many of us have had now and then go.

I hope that helps.

 

[KjAthena]

Quitting cold turkey is dangerous to those around me.....that has been proven and is a method that does not work for me....also proven...you may be different however. Good luck to you whatever your decision

 

[AskJoey]

But even though the air and water is harmful, I always think "why further the harm?" But I see some validation in that. And I know that most people say things like "I'll quit in a few years, I'll quit........." but I guess vaping wouldn't be too bad if it is not for extremely long periods of time.

Comparing to a smoker, someone who smoked for his college years ONLY, will probably be as healthy as a non smoker the same age...

So maybe I need to consider that while I think this through...

 

[Racehorse]

Cold turkey is not hard to do when you are completely certain of what you are facing, without any fallback plan...

What does everybody else think?

There are a number of reasons why I personally do not want to continue vaping *forever*. I used it to get off analogs, and I'm quite sure I will never return to analogs, as a matter of fact, I know I will not.

I prefer the freedom of being free from ALL of it, vaping too. I've just taken a plane trip, 11 hours in airports, didn't feel like going thru TSA scan more than once so I just didn't vape all day. then visiting a very ill elderly mom w/COPD, quite frankly, I haven't have ANY time to vape this week at all, caregiving is a full time job and it became annoying to me to spend what little leisure time I had fiddling around with vaping equipment.

So, as someone who is "winding down" from vaping, my plan is to keep one low-tech small vaping device around, in the event that I need some stress relief, for those times I might want to vape (an hour here or there on certain days).

You could certainly do that, or just purchase a bunch of disposables from WhiteCloud or somewhere, and not be a "full time" vaper.

Similar to your "vape like smoking a pipe, do not inhale", etc. Since vaping allows one to step down the nicotine levels, you could do that slowly and it wouldn't be so much cold turkey.

I feel vaping is safer than smoking but I really crave just breathing air. Even if vaping proves 1000% safe it still requires me being *tied* somewhat to devices and fiddling with stuff.

So between now and Christmas I suspect I will be leaving vaping behind except for a device and a little low nic juice for crisis situations, and who knows, I may never use them but they will be there so that I NEVER will have to return to smoking analogs.

I think this is different for EVERYONE here, though, many people enjoy vaping and will vape forever and others just quit altogether.

 

[Myrany]

I for one know it is the act of inhaling and exhaling that I am irrevocably addicted to. If I couldn't vape I WOULD smoke. Not for the nicotine but for the habits.

For me vaping is permanent but nicotine is transitory and frankly nearly gone from my vaping (down to 1 mg). I will NOT be quitting vaping as it is FAR less harmful than smoking which I would do in a hot second if I couldn't vape.

 

[Rickajho]

You want to read the Drexel study regarding contents of vapor. Lab Reports: ecigarettes First link at the top of the page. Summary: Not a heck of a lot to be worried about there.

 

[D. Waterhouse]

From a pragmatic point of view: Breathing stuff into your lungs is not good. It's as simple as that. Vapor isn't as bad as smoke but it's not good. If you can go cold turkey go for it, I did it for a little more than a year and realized that I don't like me without nicotine, I'm self medicating for mental health reasons. Call me an addict, call me crazy, call me a cab cause I'm not going back.

 

[ShariR]

You need to do what you are most comfortable with. I know everything is harmful if done to excess. Water studies, air studies, what is in the food we eat, the medications we take. Name your poison. That snuff you are doing is not safe either. It is a matter of which risks you are willing to take. Do you ever eat fast food? Junk food, canned food, alcohol? Just read the newspaper and listen to the news. Just about every week something new causes cancer, then a year or two later it is safe, then back again. Living is a risk. The only known outcome is to die.

 

[ScandaLeX]

I for one know it is the act of inhaling and exhaling that I am irrevocably addicted to. If I couldn't vape I WOULD smoke. Not for the nicotine but for the habits.

For me vaping is permanent but nicotine is transitory and frankly nearly gone from my vaping (down to 1 mg). I will NOT be quitting vaping as it is FAR less harmful than smoking which I would do in a hot second if I couldn't vape.

I feel like I said this. ^

I know there are a LOT of people who vape for the sole purpose of quitting smoking and once they're done, they're done while there are also people who love to vape for the sole purpose of vaping -- some have been off cigarettes for years!

I've only been vaping a little over a month and enjoy it immensely.
Just because I'm no longer a smoker, I don't see myself ever giving up vaping.
If my plan was to eventually stop vaping, I would've just stuck with eGos.

Vaping is considerably less harmful than smoking cigarettes so I don't sit around worrying about it.

 

[The Vagabond]

AskJoey,
its really a question of understanding risk...
I'm as cynical as anyone can be, but tempered with reality... as has been pointed out merely living in Los Angeles poses many risks so it is understandable to want to reduce any risks to a minimum. if you have chosen to give up coffee, sugar, bacon and the thousands of items once considered to be "high risk" then I'd say you should quit cold turkey. but be aware that many of those thousands of "risky" items have been cleared off the list and are now considered as generally safe. take eggs for instance, once touted as bad for you then cleared, latter unsafe (e-coli) then back to safe.
it really all comes down to what YOU feel safe doing. using the best information from the best sources you can find.
certainly abstinence can be the safest bet in reducing risk but taken to even moderate use it can mean a monks life. not sure what the actuaries' tables show for the average lifespan of a monk, but I'm betting its not the choice most of us would make

 

[Cactus Breath]

I don't have any illusion that vaping is as safe for me as not vaping would be....but I have no doubt that it's orders of magnitude safer than smoking cigarettes, which I did for over 25 years. If you don't like the possible risks that vaping may possibly offer and are able to quit everything cold turkey, more power to you - it's undoubtedly a good choice. I'm not in the position where I have that option at this point - if I wasn't vaping, I'd be smoking, so I choose to continue to vape with the understanding that there may be risks to it.

I also eat fast food, processed foods and red meat, consume alcohol, don't work out as regularly as I should, drive over the speed limit, swim without a life preserver, ride dirt bikes and many other behaviors which I know offer elevated levels of risk, injury, illness and/or death. I'd probably be much better off without them, but I don't plan on quitting any of them even though I'm fully aware of the risks involved.

 

[grandmato5]

When someone has as much concern about the safety of vaping as you have had I think if you can, it would be a great idea to go cold turkey and give it all up. If you believe that going cold turkey would be easy for you if you were convinced that vaping wasnt 100% safe then by all means eliminate all potential risk of vaping by totally quitting.

No legitimate study is ever going to find vaping to be 100% healthy in all ways for all people, there will always be some risk involved. After all, nicotine is a vascular constrictor and that alone for some people will always be a problem while for others a very small issue.

 

[AskJoey]

I know its not 100 percent "safe." But the parts of vaping that are the "not safe" COULD be quite harmful (metal and silica inhalation.) But I still firmly believe it will be safe if one used vaping over at most a 4 year period of lung inhaling. But that is just my opinion... I guess now my dilemma is whether or not to invest in another provari (but mini this time) when I have intentions of stopping in the near future...

 

[Robino1]

If you plan on stopping vaping in the near future, I wouldn't buy it.
If you do stop vaping, don't get rid of all your vaping gear. Keep your Provari and some stuff around in case you feel the need for nic.

For short term backup, get a twist or something on that scale. Less money. I've invested in 2 Provarii (plural? ) only because I know I'm probably going to be vaping for the rest of my life. That hand to mouth habit has become so ingrained in me. Even if I get to zero nic.

 

[PhoenixD]

So I quickly caught on to vaping and I am very knowledgeable about it. I am also a pretty skeptical person. I have been vaping on and off for a long time, and have been vaping for the past year or so exclusively. The other day I sold off my last piece of vaping equipment because of its size. Now, I have been using snus for a few days while looking for something new, and began reading more about the health of vaping. But I stay away from bias stuff. Anyway, I know it is LESS HARMFUL than smoking, but cold turkey is undoubtedly the safest way to go (not always what addicts like myself want to believe though.)

I guess my question is are there any REAL tests factoring in metal being released from coils, cartomizer filler inhalation, silica inhalation, and the inhalation of vaporized flavorings?

Of course the addict in me wants to continue, but I am just to the point where I am so undecided and uncertain of the dangers (or lack of) from vaping. If someone credible concluded vaping was completely safe, I would most definitely continue.

Of course I could treat a vaping device like a pipe and avoid inhalation completely, but the temptation will overpower my conscious mind into making excuses to continue inhaling. But that is my 2nd go-to option.

Cold turkey is not hard to do when you are completely certain of what you are facing, without any fallback plan... If I have the mentality "maybe I'll start up again when vaping is deemed safe" I'll be doomed from the start and most definitely continue using nicotine.

What does everybody else think?

Hi! You have done a great job of answering your own questions. Not smoking and not vaping either is more than likely the safest thing for anyone. If safety is at the top of your list for what you want to put in your body, you need to be mindful of that. I can't imagine either smoking or vaping while constantly worrying about my health. If you have been doing snus instead of vaping and instead of smoking, and even sold off all your vaping equipment, then that is probably the right thing for you. Go for it!