How I got started: Well, I started smoking at age 18 (now 43) when I went to England over a summer to visit my best friend, who is a terrible influence. I was a runner and biker, couldn't bring my bike and my hip was acting up. BF was *dying* to teach me to inhale, and finally I was like, "I bet this will be a good weight loss addition since I can't exercise," (I said I was 18
) and let her to teach me to inhale. I was quite convinced that I'd stop upon my return and pretty much my life up until a month ago was either quitting for periods of time or smoking intemperately, like 3 ppd sometimes. I quit when I was 23 for like 3 years but I got pregnant accidentally and was not about to be "that" pregnant person so I quit for like 3 years but I wasn't doing it for me, just the pregnancy/breastfeeding part, soon returned to tobacco. I had a few times where I tried exhaustively hard (one time, I used gum for 6 mo, tried the patch, etc. These were all major failures, and I couldn't try Chantix because I'm bioplar and my docs were like, "No, Anna, you'll live longer if you just smoke." Welbutrin worked briefly but I was like, "Oh, this is easy, I'll just take it again when I'm really ready." Only for me, Wellbutrin worked *once*. Each time the "quit effect" was weaker. I am unhypnotizable, though my mother earnestly tried accupuncture for a while.
I knew about vaping and even quit once for 2 weeks only then I got a new stressful job and smoked on the way to the interview.... I dual used on an off over the past couple years, but never with the intent to quit, only to reduce my smoking. Then, at 41--42 I basically got repeated and worsening pneumonias and my throat got so hoarse for months at a time, my doc sent me for a throat cancer scan. That being said, I started to experience the joys of what was pretty much early onset COPD and decided to vape, period. I'm a very stubborn person and it took *me* experiencing what I assume was a tiny taste of how to die by drowning ridiculously slowly and became convinced that vaping was my only option and gave it all I got, including joining here because I knew I'd need info and support. It's been like 28ish days, I guess, and I dual used the first week but now I feel AMAZING. All my docs are like, "Hallelujah" because it's not like they didn't bring up the topic of my imminent death and how it would be, for quite some time beforehand.
Cultural associations? I'm not sure what you mean. Initially, vaping in the US was kind of presented as this novel, interesting, and harm reduction thing, but the main draw at the start was "vape everywhere" and the guy who showed me it was a coworker who already had COPD and found his sx vastly improved. So he was demonstrating all over. I'd say the culture now is "this is the same as/as bad as smoking," and I don't think that really started until ppl were blowing clouds in all directions, and also sales were high enough that Big Tobacco and the FDA decided they really needed to "do something about this" (my opinion only) and vaping has become more polarized in this country due to various reasons, and now you will find people who say "this saved my life," (I am one of them) and people who say the risks are totally unknown and it will likely turn out to be worse than smoking.
I mixed my first flavor last week and I plan to continue, as well as learning to build/rebuild coils. I'm not dying to build coils but I will learn how because I don't want to be in a situation where I cannot do most of what I need, vapewise, on my own, because I don't like how BT and the FDA are handling this situation and I find it ironic that the one thing that seems sustainable may be diminished and/or so expensive that it's an incredible hassle. That said, I enjoy learning these things, but I feel bad for smokers wanting an alternative a few years from now (my opinion only).
Gov't restrictions: I'm a weird cross between a socialist and a libreratarian. I don't mind paying a tax on vaping if it were *reasonable* and some of that money were spent on harm reduction. I do mind what is happening now in the US, and I don't think there will be any "reasonableness" coming down the pike any time soon. My liberatarian side then goes, "F you and your taxes, I will find a way to do what I need." And truthfully, I am a pretty resourceful person and if I want to vape in the comfort of my own home, car, etc. then I see no reason not to (unless it becomes breaking the law or something, in which case, I will... be even more resourceful.) OK, that's all I'm going to say about that. Oh, except that I engage in some reasonable advocacy, but I don't expect it to hold much sway.
Language? Are you talking RTA/RTDA/mod/coil kind of stuff? It's perfectly understandable once you get going, and if you want a primer yourself, search for the accronym/abbreviations thing to figure out some stuff yourself, it might be useful. I think it's no different than for any other device. I think smoking was the same way, it's just been around for so long the language is more accessible. For example, pretty much any smoker is going to know what a "menthol" is, for example.
Are people well-educated? Well, for most people, I'd say "no." Vaping is percieved as more negative than it is, unless a vaper is either excited by blownig big clouds/hardware, etc., or they join a community to learn. I don't think most vape shop employees are necessarily the most educated people either, many shops just try to sell the most expensive equipment they can. They also may only carry one brand as they have a deal with the manufacturer, or whatever. So if even vape employees don't know very much, then the general public certainly doesn't.
The community: I'm not sure I'd consider vapers a "community" in real life. Most of the time if I visit my vape store it's not to hang out (which it was designed for originally and it was a massive FAIL, in fact they don't even have bathrooms now.) I guess there are cloud competitons which I don't think are GOOD for the community, harm reduction isn't about how much vapor and what shapes you can generate. So there can be something of a divide between cloud chasers and mouth to lung, less "visible" devices but I think overall vapers feel positively towards each other, and if vapers become friends they might try different flavors/mods etc. I feel NO negativity toward smokers, either, I was one for a LONG time and my husband still smokes cigarettes. I try to not rock the boat, stick to designated areas, even though in my state it's "vapeanywhere" for now. But, everyone's different. The online community *here* is helpful, but it's specifically vape focused, so that makes sense. I don't think the majority of vapers are using an online community but some certainly do.
How is vaping perceived? That's a person to person thing. My entire family was super relieved that I transitioned to vaping, especially my husband and son, but all sibs and parents are congratulatory. However, they also know the ramifications of smoking and what I've tried *before* so if I vape forever, they'll be fine with it. Sometimes, people are interested in my mod (it's pretty) and I have a fairly hefty set of vape enthusiasts but I go to AA so a lot of people transitioned to vaping the past several years, as they are aware of the harm reduction aspect. That's nice, most people don't comment and/or make faces if I'm vaping, I may educate them, or not.
I'd be happy to give you my real, full name, via PM.
Anna
