The thought of getting dementia scares the pudding out of me! It's been known since the 1960s that smoker develop Parkinson's and Alzheimer's at much lower rates than non-smokers but that benefit was not nearly enough to outweigh the bad things that come from smoking. If vaping gets rid of the bad things associated with smoking but may also protect me against dementia, I'll keep vaping.
I am so pleased to see this post. I don't often mention this line of reasoning, because I think it can sound like an excuse to remain addicted to a demonized substance. I share the fear of memory-destroying disease, but I am seeing it in my own family rather than at work. I continue to read the research on medical use of nicotine with great interest and hope.
I smoked cigarettes for decades purely due to addiction. I resented the health and social effects and hated my inability to function without cigs. I quit cold turkey several times, even for years at a time, but I always wanted one and always came back. As I approached a major birthday with a new wheeze, convinced I'd die smoking, I discovered vaping. I was shocked that it enabled me (and my partner!) to quit smoking without anguish -- with pleasure, even! I wish this alternative had existed decades ago. The desire for a cig is GONE, something I thought was simply impossible. It's a true victory and relief. I began vaping initially with the goal of becoming nicotine-free and quitting vaping within a year or so.
I live with the possibility that cigs have done irreversible damage to one or both of us, damage we don't yet know about. After quitting cigs, these thoughts motivated me to investigate the safety of vaping. I figured research would help me quit vaping, sure I'd find other health risks. I knew tar was enemy #1 but assumed nicotine was also harmful. I read with *disbelief* about positive effects on memory and focus. If ADHD were better known when I was a kid, I'd have been diagnosed ADHD. Perhaps I'd been "self-medicating" with cigs. But debilitating memory issues concern me more.
Some of my older relatives are developing memory-related issues. It's heartbreaking. And it's frightening to realize there's a good chance I am predisposed. Will this be me in 20 years? Medical research on nicotine is promising but incomplete, and IMO it's unlikely to progress quickly. If our society didn't demonize nicotine and associate it exclusively with smoking, research would accelerate. Perhaps the popularity of vaping will drive research.
I will continue vaping with nicotine as I comb scientific studies -- just as I continued caffeine when media and public opinion demonized caffeine. (I determined years ago it was in my best interest to continue the caffeine.) I will also keep current with studies concerning PG, VG, and flavorings we vape. I will not be surprised if some changes are necessary.
I would never, ever go anywhere without cigs when I smoked. I constantly worried when/where I could stealth smoke (yeah, I thought I was stealthy, lol). I usually carry a mini-eGo with me now, but I rarely use it away from home. When I am out, I do not have the overwhelming obsession as I did with cigs. I don't start crawling out of my skin if I can't vape. It's enough to know that it's handy; I don't have to actually use it. I'm sure I remain nicotine-addicted, but it's not as intrusive on my lifestyle as when I smoked, if that makes sense.
So to finally answer your question, I currently have no plan to quit vaping with nicotine, and my decision is based on current medical research.
