Going from tobacco to nicotine...

[Jack Zanziber]

Using electronic cigarettes, I feel like my addiction is now to the nicotine, as opposed to when I was smoking, I was probably addicted to everything in a cigarette. I think it would be easier to use gums/patches for any (exclusively) e-cig user. Any thoughts?

 

[markfm]

There's the physical addiction and the hand-mouth behavioral part.

Having used a PV for a decent amount of time, I could probably flip over to a patch for at least periods if for some reason I couldn't vape for a while (say, a long plane trip). The hand/mouth, flavor, and physical sensation of inhaling related to vaping would be missed, but not so bad as trying to go to a patch right from smoking.

Rather than trying to stop vaping, or going to a patch, I'm just doing a gradual cut in nic level, cutting my eliquid strength by 1 mg/ml each 10 or 20 days. (I DIY a 10 day supply at a time). I saw that when I was vaping 24 mg/ml my coffee consumption during work at least was cut drastically, I was trading nicotine for caffeine. I'm at 14 mg/ml right now, coffee intake up just slightly.

I don't know if I'll step down all the way to 0 nic, I do like stimulants. I'll probably sit at 12 for a while, once I get there, before continuing downward at least a bit more.

 

[generalnars]

Yeah at first I thought I was only addicted to nicotine. So I started using gums and patches but still went back to tobacco. I researched this topic and realized that there was more to tobacco than nicotine. In tobacco there are over 4000 chemicals that cause addiction + throat hit or burn or tingling we get from smoking + the habit of puffing and blowing + flavor. Of all these chemicals, nicotine is the hardest one when going cold turkey. Lets not forget that physical habits are even harder to get rid of. So with e-cig you'll just focus on the critical addictions rather than the less important ones. It so happens that the less important addictions are carcinogens. When switching, it takes a while to remove your addiction to these chemicals but its not as big of a deal as nicotine.
After the initial phase of kicking off tobacco I assume it would be easier to go for gums or patches, and try to self control your physical habit.

 

[k3vin]

It's 99% nic in my opinion.. But getting it from cigarettes is soooo much more harmful in my opinion..

big tobacco tweaked cigarettes in such a way that the impact is much greater also inhaling a combusting cig..and getting the nicotine into ones system quicker..

 

[Koman]

Using electronic cigarettes, I feel like my addiction is now to the nicotine, as opposed to when I was smoking, I was probably addicted to everything in a cigarette. I think it would be easier to use gums/patches for any (exclusively) e-cig user. Any thoughts?

I know what you mean, I experienced the same thing at first. But it went away eventually.

 

[Faylool]

I'm coming in to vaping thru the back door and by all appearances looks like back sliding to me. I chewed Nicorette for 10 years. I was always quitting but couldn't stay quit. I mostly didn't smoke my whole life (I'm 60) then I started vaping and loved it. Fun. Gum is boring. Then I found WTA. Even more fun. Now to save money I use swedish snus and nasal snuff for my WTAs, vape less and still having a lot more fun. So today I'm looking for where to ask about if a person smoked but didn't inhale why wouldn't they get the nicotine and WTAs like we do from vape, snus and snuff? I'm NOT going to do it because it would cost more, especially since I'd want the very best most natural tobacco out there and I'd probably have to smoke but not inhale as much as I had to vape before supplementing with snus and snuff and the house would stink and walls get yellow etc and all that. But let's say nothing else was available. Could I smoke, not inhale. Or puff all day and get it all but less at a time and slower to hit and weaker

 

[KathyD26]

That fits the description of pipe or cigar smoking doesn't it?

 

[Faylool]

Yes. I googled about it. Cigars and pipe tobacco are Alkaline and that way to encourage absorb ability thru mouth and nose. Not supposed to inhale. This I never knew. I would do it as an only resort because I truely hate the smoke part, taste of the smoke too. I have read before tht 2nd hand smoke is more dangerous but who knows. My point about that is, wouldn't sitting around puffing create a lot of second hand smoke for your own self? Yes. I'm sure it does as well as yellow the walls, get on your clothes and in your hair. Also there wasn't much info about health risks compared to inhaling cigs v/s puffing pipe or cigar tobacco except they the risks are lowered but not by much. Wonder if that's true or just more negative stuff. Well, I'm not doin it! I don't miss the smoke aspect one bit! MAIOs and nic yes.

 

[Rachy_B]

A few weeks ago, I had to sit in on a very important meeting/presentation thing. I could have stealthed but I didn't want to distract the students presenting. The presentations lasted the best part of 5 hours, followed by a 2 hour seminar in the afternoon. I took along my old nicorette inhalator, more as a 'pacifier' (that's what you Americans call dummies, right?) and I was suprised that I wasn't jonesing for a cig. Now, I take that along for moments when vaping really isn't appropriate but I wouldn't want to use it full time. One of the key reasons I wouldn't want to use it full time is that the nic in them is too high for me now. I'm trying to cut down and that would just make it worse!

I've heard all sorts of stories about additives they put into tobacco (ammonia) to heighten the addiction. I really wouldn't be suprised. I think as I use less and less nicotine, I might start trying out the gum to start removing the hand-to-mouth thing but it's a few months away yet!x

 

[KathyD26]

Fay, I personally think the 2nd hand smoke theory has holes in it. First, smokers should be the first to go (die) because we are getting not only first hand, but 2nd. Also years ago when I lived in S. Calif. there was a news article in the paper about the polar bear in the LA zoo dying of lung cancer. Now, we know he didn't smoke, nor was he around any 2nd hand smoke- but at the time he had been living in a smog filled environment. Which brings up another observation to me. They won't allow smoking around parks but yet allow BBQ's. Oh, and no one says anything about what is coming out of tailpipes or fireplaces. Point is why do they see the " speck in their brothers eye but not the log in their own?" Sorry, I don't mean to get off topic and rant but I am sick of the hypocrisy of it all.

 

[Faylool]

No need to be sorry here! I'm sick of having to dig for the truth all the time myself. I'm not immune to propaganda. Getting there though!

 

[samreddevilzzz]

That means you are going from Life to Death. Simply it is.! Can you imagine what are you going to do !!