Don't start vaping if you're a non-smoker!

[lilith79]

I've seen this statement being made over and over. I understand why, it's not recreational and surely it's not a good idea for someone to start vaping just because they can if they are not a smoker already. However, what if that person is already thinking about starting smoking and they come across this? Wouldn't it be better for them to vape rather than smoke analogs in the first place? I know I would be happier to see someone choose to vape instead of smoke if they wanted to.

Thoughts?

 

[kackourey]

I made a big mistake starting to smoke....I was 16. Anyone who is "thinking about smoking and decides it will make their lives better" isnt of age to smoke or has smoked in the past. You shouldnt smoke and you shouldnt vape. end of story

 

[bornagainst]

The prettier you make e-cigs, with flashy LED's and flashy colors, the more hipster/trendy trash you are going to find to use them.

It's just how it goes.

 

[Dmass]

I can see vaping flavors with 0 nicotine. It is kind of like smoking a Hooka for the flavor.

 

[Elfyn]

Of course it is best not to start smoking or vaping in the first place BUT, if you really must do the puffing and blowing smoke thing then vape ZERO NIC liquids and do not inhale.

This suggestion made with the caveat that we do not yet know the long term effects of PG or VG on mouth tissues and lungs. At least if you're vaping zero nic you're not addicting yourself to nicotine.

 

[Col. Gaunt]

Of course it is best not to start smoking or vaping in the first place BUT, if you really must do the puffing and blowing smoke thing then vape ZERO NIC liquids and do not inhale.

This suggestion made with the caveat that we do not yet know the long term effects of PG or VG on mouth tissues and lungs. At least if you're vaping zero nic you're not addicting yourself to nicotine.

I agree, we know that there are tons of chemicals in analogs that we know are harmful but the long term effects of vaping are not known because it has not been around long enough to determine.

It might be perhaps better for a person to vape then start doing analogs, if one MUST do anything at all, but you must ask yourself first, why have you decided that there is a need to do anything at all?

To try it? Your are curious? Fad? Think, and think well before you start up anything. I was a smoker for 29 years and I was glad to get off analogs, but if I was a non smoker why would I want to vape?

Remember, curiosity killed the cat.

 

[mel_vin]

im vaping Zero after sucessfully quitting smoking....more of habitual thing...

I will say that a hooka/water pipe smoker at my work here ordered an e-cig when he heard about the flavors...from what I can tell he doesnt inhale, but I could be wrong..

 

[borjis]

I've said before I wish e-cigs were available when I started some 20 years ago.

 

[PaulB]

For good or bad-- I think it's inevitable. If the e-cigarette remains legal, or even if it goes underground in a widespread way, there will be a certain number of non-smokers who will take it up as their introduction to nicotine. I don't know whether that number will be large or small. I think a lot depends on how un-fussy the technology becomes. Right now, I think the fussiness would be a deterrent to many.

 

[underwater goddess]

I was going to start this thread, but Lilith beat me to it

I completely agree with Lilith. If a non-smoker insists on starting up a puffing habit, I'd rather see them vape than smoke.

 

[Isla]

I've said before I wish e-cigs were available when I started some 20 years ago.

Seriously. I can't imagine I'd have switched TO analogs.

 

[AlexTM]

I don't get this "Don't start" thingy either – we all started to smoke at one point, so if somebody should know about the benefits of nicotine, it's us. Nic on its own is fairly harmless, around the same as coffeine, and who ever raises a fuss if somebody drinks their first cup of coffee?

Of course, it seems politically expedient to howl "Don't". But it also gets across the message that vaping is still a bad thing to do, and I don't think so. Not to mention that we are going to get a few "Those nasty thingies corrupted this innocent youth!" no matter what we do, so we might as well stand by what we do.

I've seen a friend starting to smoke in his mid-30s, for the known benefits of it. (And yes, he was aware of the dangers, too.) My neighbours kids start to reek of smoke more and more, they are 17 and 18. I sure wish they would have started vaping instead.

 

[underwater goddess]

I've seen a friend starting to smoke in his mid-30s, for the known benefits of it. (And yes, he was aware of the dangers, too.)

One of my friends did that too.

She was in med school, and the professor was preparing the class for a tough important test. He recommended that they all smoke a cigarette right before the test. Then he went into a biochemical explanation of nicotine's effects on the brain.

Needless to say, she's been smoking ever since.

 

[quasimod]

One of my friends did that too.

She was in med school, and the professor was preparing the class for a tough important test. He recommended that they all smoke a cigarette right before the test. Then he went into a biochemical explanation of nicotine's effects on the brain.

Needless to say, she's been smoking ever since.

Perfect example of someone who should have ignored the strident command in the title of the OP.

 

[DeaninSJ]

Nic on its own is fairly harmless, around the same as coffeine, and who ever raises a fuss if somebody drinks their first cup of coffee?

Yes and no. While caffeine is a stimulant and addictive, the phenomenon of craving associated with nicotine, as well as the potentiation (need for more of the drug to get the same effect) seem far greater than with caffeine.
Yet you're right. Caffeine is far more socially acceptable than nicotine, just as alcohol is far more acceptable than other drugs.

 

[lorikay13]

Yes and no. While caffeine is a stimulant and addictive, the phenomenon of craving associated with nicotine, as well as the potentiation (need for more of the drug to get the same effect) seem far greater than with caffeine.
Yet you're right. Caffeine is far more socially acceptable than nicotine, just as alcohol is far more acceptable than other drugs.

I have done extensive research into this for reasons I will state shortly. What I found was that while yes, nicotine is addictive because we have nicotine receptors hard wired into our brains at birth it isn't the nicotine per se that is the problem. It is the ADDITIVES that analog companies put into their products... cigs and chew and snuff....that cause the potentiation.

Also, nicotine BY ITSELF....while at one time being one of the deadliest poisons known....is also being heavily researched and used as a drug to treat inflammatory nuerological diseases like Parkinsons, Ulcerative Colitis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. The emphasis is on the major brain diseases...and it appears to be working. There are also some minor studies using nic patches to treat children with ADHD.

Which brings me to my answer to the OP. I vape for 3 reasons...1- for the anti-inflammatory effect of the nicotine. (please note that nicotine is absorbed mainly by the oral mucosa...not the lungs...so you don't have to inhale to get the nicotine) 2 Because of my medical status I cannot eat food other than one small meal a day. That means every day I go 24hrs between meals. It sucks....Vaping is a way for me to enjoy flavors I will never taste again any other way. 3 I use my e-cig as an herbal vaporizer...NO I'm not talking about "the weed"....but about true phytoinhalation therapy. I use herbal glycerites instead of e-juice, Nhalers Lung Juice and my own mixes of herbal tinctures/PG and flavorings.

I have also seen people post about using vaping simply to loose weight...I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. We can argue till the cows come home about shoulda/woulda/coulda. But at some point we just have to deal with what IS. And if vaping either with or without nic helps a person to feel healthier and happier then I can see nothing wrong with it. As long as said person is not deluding themselves into thinking it is perfectly "safe"...that we all agree remains to be seen.

Just my humble opinion.