Hello everyone, am I weird?

[gep]

As you can see, you're not weird.

However I would encourage you to drop down to zero juice. No one should have a monkey on their back. (my monkey's name is "ba$$ turd" addiction).

Seriously tho, if you want to vape, vape. But get rid of the nicotine. MHO

 

[zimirken]

As you can see, you're not weird.

However I would encourage you to drop down to zero juice. No one should have a monkey on their back. (my monkey's name is "ba$$ turd" addiction).

Seriously tho, if you want to vape, vape. But get rid of the nicotine. MHO

As I mentioned earlier I previously took a monthish long break from it with little to no ill effects. I personally have found it easy to break habits myself, and have plenty enough willpower to deal with the withdrawls from the minimal amount I actually do take in.

 

[Kurgan]

I guess I analyzd the effects of nicotine from a pharmaceutical standpoint, and not a "drug" standpoint

Well there you go.

 

[kristin]

Ah, and now we get to the root of the controversy. Why did I make a concious choice to use nicotine at all? I personally think that all the negative associations about nicotine come from tobacco usage. Before deciding to do it, I did research about the drug nicotine itself, its effects, both positive and negative, short term and long. I would assume that you all agree that starting to smoke is still a conscious decision no matter the circumstances. Does that make me worse that I made an informed decision to do it as opposed to what happens to the majority of individuals who start with a peer pressure akin to "hey, wanna try this? its cool"? Should I be looked upon with disdain because I made an intelligent yet possibly controversial decision?

From what I've read, nicotine isn't all that bad, and even has some health benefits. I guess I analyzd the effects of nicotine from a pharmaceutical standpoint, and not a "drug" standpoint, and found the benefits to outweigh the negative side effects.

Sorry for all the writing, I'm just fascinated by what you people have to say in a debate about this.

What benefits?

Sugar and caffeine are strong stimulants with low addictive qualities, sugar tastes good, hence their popularity. Nicotine is a rather weak stimulant & highly addictive. Most of the "rush" smokers get from tobacco cigarettes come from the other poisons in the burning tobacco and the relief of feeding the nicotine addiction.

So, I still don't see the attraction of adding nicotine when you aren't already addicted. The flavors are just as good without it and the vapor is just as good, so I don't see the need/desire for nicotine when you're not already hooked.

No offense, but seems pretty weird to me.

 

[zimirken]

What benefits?

Sugar and caffeine are strong stimulants with low addictive qualities, sugar tastes good, hence their popularity. Nicotine is a rather weak stimulant & highly addictive. Most of the "rush" smokers get from tobacco cigarettes come from the other poisons in the burning tobacco and the relief of feeding the nicotine addiction.

So, I still don't see the attraction of adding nicotine when you aren't already addicted. The flavors are just as good without it and the vapor is just as good, so I don't see the need/desire for nicotine when you're not already hooked.

No offense, but seems pretty weird to me.

Well, at the very minimal amounts I take in, the positive effects are small but noticable, increased wakefulness, increased ability to focus, slightly increased mood/reduced tension, and negligible to unnoticable withdrawls when I don't have any for an extended period of time.

Now keep in mind that I take in far less than most people here, and chemicals don't normally have a strong effect on me(like caffiene, for both better and worse, hardly ever makes me more awake, and I dont get headaches or anything when i dont have my normal coffee/tea). So on a case by case basis, for me personally, I don't have much of a problem with my decision. Now, if i did try it and it did have an adverse effect on me, then I wouldn't have continued, as that would not have passed my risk management.

 

[mzruzz]

You want my "opinions, comments, questions, advise" Well you asked for it! I don't know about wierd...I'll let that one go. Nicotine is addictive, STOP IT NOW! I have no idea about the buzz, high, or other positive effects you think you are getting from it. I cannot remember what a body feels like with out nicotine in it, I just know this body needs it...it is a monster! You think it is easy to stop now, but it won't be if you continue much longer. I don't think there is a single member on this board who would honestly say yes if asked: "If you could go back in time would you smoke that first analog"

"I would assume that you all agree that starting to smoke is still a conscious decision no matter the circumstances" WRONG! Starting to smoke is stupid Stop it now. I feel strongly enough about this and I'm not going to play nice.

 

[HaploVoss]

I smoked for about 18 years before I found electronic ciggies / vaporizers. I've gone from "High" to "Medium" to most of the time using home brew no-nic mixes or cartridges, with the occasional ~8mg nic.

I've been doing this for 2 years now, the last year being on the low / no nic ping pong and I have still yet to completely kick the nic. Sometimes I will go two weeks and think I'm done, then I will have a very irritable and frustrating day out of nowhere - figure out what is happening, pop a nic cart on, vape for a few min and be fine.

I would NOT recommend the even remote possibility of addiction to anything. Nicotine included. Addiction is quite frankly just a pain in the .... outside of perhaps being addicted to the person you are spending the rest of your life with... that might actually be beneficial

You are free to make your own choices and decisions and you have obviously made up your mind on the matter. I would simply offer that you may want to reconsider the possibility that even as little as you use it, nicotine might just prove to be that achilles heel you never knew you had over time.

Take care,
- Hap

 

[Nepenthy]

Please use 0 nicotine juice. I kick myself everyday...well, used to, for not listening to my friend when he said "dont start smoking, youll never be able to stop". Once that nicotine gets ahold of ya, its very hard to kick it. 0 nic should still clear your sinuses.

 

[Snarkyone]

I don't think any of us made a conscious choice to start using nicotine, we made a choice (yes, a poor one) to start smoking cigarettes for whatever reasons, and once we started the nicotine made sure we stuck with, you know how the world hates quitters, lol!

Once addicted the tobacco companies decided that they better enhance the natural nicotine in tobacco and of course our body demands the stuff like crack to a crackhead. I would urge everyone to work on getting to 0nic or as low as possible as soon as possible. We will all be crapping kittens if a ban comes in effect and all this time so many of the E-Cig users have not taken any steps to lower their nic intake too caught up in enjoying the new found ability to partake in our nicotine at will again without the social stigma from the non smokers. I have a ways to go myself to be free but I just can't call myself a non smoker in my own heart until that nic level is down to 5 or less.

 

[Bubo]

Oh c'mon Snarky, I was five when I started smoking with my buddies.. I think I was consious...

Seriously - if I had to do it over, of course I wouldn't start. But I did, and I LIKE smoking, but I hate the stink. I've quit for years, then picked it up again, stupidly.

I don't think I could call myself a non-smoker until I was down to 0 nic... (And the 'Vaper' label doesn't' sound right yet.....) If Zimirken can keep it low - more power to him/her!

(And I gotta add - to go from a newbie to a "Full Member" in one interesting thread is pretty amazing!)

 

[NaviRahu]

Well, at the very minimal amounts I take in, the positive effects are small but noticable, increased wakefulness, increased ability to focus, slightly increased mood/reduced tension, and negligible to unnoticable withdrawls when I don't have any for an extended period of time.

Now keep in mind that I take in far less than most people here, and chemicals don't normally have a strong effect on me(like caffiene, for both better and worse, hardly ever makes me more awake, and I dont get headaches or anything when i dont have my normal coffee/tea). So on a case by case basis, for me personally, I don't have much of a problem with my decision. Now, if i did try it and it did have an adverse effect on me, then I wouldn't have continued, as that would not have passed my risk management.

Interestingly enough, I've done some of the same research you did. Back at the time, I was just smoking once or twice a month when smoking with friends, because I told myself I just would never buy a pack. I noticed the same benefits. However, what you may or may not have found is that these benefits are seen most strongly in those with mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder and ADHD. In fact, because there are benefits to nicotine in these areas, those who have disorders that can be helped by nicotine are more likely to start smoking and continue smoking, with or without being addicted. It was a very interesting study. However, even then no doctor who researched this would recommend smoking, or even using nicotine patches, to someone with these disorders.

Most doctors will tell you: the benefits of something that can be habit-forming needs to greatly outweigh the risk of becoming addicted. I started smoking more often when I noticed that it would calm my anxiety attacks, which I had since I was 13. Like you, I've been able to put the nic down (in my case, in the form of analogs) and just walk away. More prominently when I started going on medication for my disorders. Even so, I have one drug that can be more habit-forming than nicotine, is more dangerous, and prescribed for anxiety attacks. However, it does a better job at calming the attacks and helped me sleep at the time. You'll also notice commercials of people who can't sleep, and the biggest innovation was sleep medication that is non-habit forming.

I enjoy smoking, and while I don't exactly have painful withdrawls or anything, I do crave every so often, and I'm still in a social smoker habit. I would also treat myself to cloves or flavored cigs every so often. I enjoy the act of smoking, and not just the nic, as well. So for me, PVs were the perfect choice: Nic when I feel like I need it, and none when I feel like smoking for the sake of smoking, or for social smoking. And it isn't nearly as harmful, so some of my non-smoker friends are more approving of it. My in-laws are glad I've gotten something that in the long-run will be cheaper than the analogs I was buying.

As a note, the research on the benefits of nicotine in a person, and particularly one with a mental disorder, only gives a steady enough stream to be fully beneficial if the person took a drag of a regular cigarette every five minutes.

 

[zimirken]

Interestingly enough, I've done some of the same research you did. Back at the time, I was just smoking once or twice a month when smoking with friends, because I told myself I just would never buy a pack. I noticed the same benefits. However, what you may or may not have found is that these benefits are seen most strongly in those with mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder and ADHD. In fact, because there are benefits to nicotine in these areas, those who have disorders that can be helped by nicotine are more likely to start smoking and continue smoking, with or without being addicted. It was a very interesting study. However, even then no doctor who researched this would recommend smoking, or even using nicotine patches, to someone with these disorders.

Most doctors will tell you: the benefits of something that can be habit-forming needs to greatly outweigh the risk of becoming addicted. I started smoking more often when I noticed that it would calm my anxiety attacks, which I had since I was 13. Like you, I've been able to put the nic down (in my case, in the form of analogs) and just walk away. More prominently when I started going on medication for my disorders. Even so, I have one drug that can be more habit-forming than nicotine, is more dangerous, and prescribed for anxiety attacks. However, it does a better job at calming the attacks and helped me sleep at the time. You'll also notice commercials of people who can't sleep, and the biggest innovation was sleep medication that is non-habit forming.

I enjoy smoking, and while I don't exactly have painful withdrawls or anything, I do crave every so often, and I'm still in a social smoker habit. I would also treat myself to cloves or flavored cigs every so often. I enjoy the act of smoking, and not just the nic, as well. So for me, PVs were the perfect choice: Nic when I feel like I need it, and none when I feel like smoking for the sake of smoking, or for social smoking. And it isn't nearly as harmful, so some of my non-smoker friends are more approving of it. My in-laws are glad I've gotten something that in the long-run will be cheaper than the analogs I was buying.

As a note, the research on the benefits of nicotine in a person, and particularly one with a mental disorder, only gives a steady enough stream to be fully beneficial if the person took a drag of a regular cigarette every five minutes.

Wow, I guess I didn't do through enough research, as everything you have said makes sense and applies to me(except panic attacks, i could count on one hand the number of times i've had those). Yes, I do have a bit of ADD, and the drag every 5 minutes is probably a similar amount of nicotine I've been getting. It's very helpful to be able to concentrate especially with the large amount of completely uninteresting college work that's been piled on me the last couple weeks.

 

[NaviRahu]

I can understand that. The time I smoked the most was every morning before studying for my A+ exam, during breaks, and right before the certification exam itself. However, the dean of the comp department here was very impressed that I took and passed both exams one right after the other, when most take them separately.

I'd certainly suggest no-nic carts for general use, especially since I'm finding that this is simply enjoyable. If you insist on using nic, try saving it for times when you will need it most, like for studying or focus before tests. The more sparingly you use a habit-forming drug, the less likely you are to get addicted, or more fully addicted. (I have to admit, I'm probably more addicted to chocolate and coffee than nic.) None is always best, but if you can't or won't have none, only as much as is necessary is the better option.

 

[thewomenfolk]

zimirken, were you planted here by the FDA?