Then why did you start vaping instead of just quitting smoking cold turkey? I'm not trying to be confrontational or anything I'm just saying I know I'm very addicted to nicotine that's why I switched from smoking to vaping. I couldn't just quit smoking on my own because the cravings would get so bad that I would eventually pick up cigs again. That's what addiction is. If I wasn't addicted I would have just put cigs down for good a long time ago with no problem because I wouldn't be having hardcore nic cravings.
Which is why "not addictive" doesn't work. If so, what the heck is vaping anyway? Why does it work at all? Are we all just deluding ourselves?
Since the only thing in common is the nicotine, the people who switch to vaping must--to varying degrees--be addicted to nicotine. Otherwise, why does vaping even exist?
Yeah, the ANTZ are being flatly hysterical. And, yeah, addiction is a poorly understood and complex subject. And, certainly, we know the tobacco companies got caught working to increase the addictive power of their products with chemicals other than nicotine. Some of which worked to enhance nicotine, some of which were just... addictive. But we have a
fairly decent understanding of how nicotine triggers dopamine and
that is the ultimate "addictive substance". Dopamine is the reason you got out of bed this morning. It's, basically, the reason we humans do
anything. It's called "the reward neurotransmitter. It's that satisfied, "ah" feeling when you accomplish something. So we're talking about a substance (nicotine) that can hook into a very powerful "drive". Yeah, that's addiction potential there.
But one thing the rabid self-righteous never want to talk about is there is no "universal" addiction. Actually, with
any addiction, it's
always a fraction that becomes addicted. And an even smaller fraction that becomes strongly addicted. I was always mystified by "social smokers". How could they just pick cigs up then put them down? I
craved the things. I have a relative like that. Started smoking some then stopped. Might have one here and there but go for weeks without. Got bored with 'em, never did it again.
When the big, anti-smoking push started, all we had was "will power". NRT and the rest came later. Yet our smoking rate plummeted. To whatever degree those people were addicted it was less than I was (well, "am" if you're talking nicotine). "Drug warriors" don't want to talk about the fact that most people who dabble in street drugs when young just quit as they mature. But that's the reality. It's always a minority of the total that becomes addicted. Always. Across the board.
Heh, when I was younger, I thought caffeine addiction was some kind of joke. I'm serious, I thought people were kidding around. Um... no, no they aren't. I've seen it. It didn't look fun. See, I like coffee (a lot) but if I forget to buy some and there's none in the house, I just mutter and put it on the grocery list. I've stopped drinking it cold at times in my life. Did sudden switches to decaf when I thought maybe the coffee was contributing to a run of insomnia. Thinking of dropping it now. Got put on fluid restrictions and that meant cutting waaaaay back on the morning coffee. Seems kinda pointless now.
My point in all of this is, sure, nicotine is an addictive substance but like all addictive substances, not everybody will become addicted. And those who do are on a spectrum of addiction, it's not "binary". Any addiction is a matter of degree. And a bit of a "crap shoot". In that you won't know if any substance is addictive
to you nor the degree it is addictive
for you until it's too late to back out.
My suspicions are that vaping primarily works for the strongly nicotine addicted set. The fact that my own switch was relatively easy suggests to me that mine is a straight up, very powerful nicotine addiction. There were some bumpy periods but they were nothing like the nightmares my quit attempts were. And I still feel a "craving". Not as strident as with cigs but it's there. It reared its head some weeks ago when I hadn't vaped for some... I dunno how long... period I was doing something with my truck and a plumber that came to fix a pipe was a smoker and for the first time this year, I
wanted one. It'd been long enough for the feeling to startle me. I had gotten used to the smell of smoke not affecting me.
And, yeah, the VTR came outta the pocket and I vaped the craving away. As in I was around the guy and, man, he must smoke like I did because the smell was everywhere. When he opened the door of his truck, you'd a thought he had a cig factory in there. Must be what I smelled like back then.
The ANTZ oversimplify (well, they're not the brightest bulbs on the string). There are just tons of other chemicals in tobacco smoke and different people will react differently to them. Add in the "psych" part (like the smoking "ritual"... I've adopted NJoy's rechargeable as my secondary device because sometimes I want to... play smoke?). It would be surprising if current vaping helped all remaining smokers. The addiction is too complex for any one thing to work universally. Clearly, it can help
a lot. Saving many lives. I'd bet, though, we're talking mostly the fraction (of unknown size) for whom nicotine is the central addictive element.
Okay, I'm getting offa this soap box before I slip and twist an ankle or something...
