Hey, I want to vape but have reservations.

[Letitia]

Hey everyone,

I’m 19 years old, male, and am about to enter college. I vaped over this summer casually and infrequently with friends and haven’t touched a cigarette in my life. I really liked vaping and am thinking about purchasing a vape mod (Smoke Alien) and plan on smoking 3mg. I do however have some reservations that I’m hoping get put to rest.

1. If I vape for the next 4 years from Smoke Alien at 3mg how badly will I age? Is it like cigarettes where I’ll get puckerface and all sorts of skin problems and wrinkles?

2. What are the health repercussions? I’ve been a competitive runner all throughout high school and even thought I won’t be running in college, I still want to maintain fitness. My question is will vaping cause lung/respiration issues or other side effects?

Thanks y’all, I really want to make the move to get this going but I just want to make sure I’m not gonna regret this 5 years from now.

You're an adult with a computer. Do the research and make your own decisions. I do agree with bypassing Smok products. The facts are there is no long term concrete evidence concerning the effects of vaping on non smokers. What studies that have been done used very small pools of participants over a short period. There is also developing the hand to mouth habit to take into consideration. This for some is harder to break than nicotine.

 

[ScottP]

Ask yourself this: WHY do you want to waste your hard earned money to start a new useless habit?

 

[Myk]

No, I gather it as partial truths.. Carbon Monoxide DOES reduce oxygen to the blood... poorer blood does hinder many things.. including cell regeneration.. not just in the skin, but other areas. On that page of identical twins, only one was wearing makeup.. look at the others... the differences were minor, but still noticeable. I have also seen a change in the way others look when they stop smoking... Me, my mother in law, my mother, my sister, my brother, and about 10 of my other friends.... I have seen the effects get better after they quit first hand as well, and multiple times.

I actually thought the smoker looked better of the men. Both sets of women have makeup.

I got much worse since I quit. But quitting also got me put on heavy duty meds. And I've got older since then.

Me too. That’s why I don’t jump on the “if you don’t smoke, don’t vape” bandwagon. Because it would have certainly changed my life to start vaping before I ever lit that first Pall Mall.

I’ll give the OP the same advice I gave my own beloved adult daughter who never smoked. It’s better that you don’t, but I get that there are a lot of smokers and vapers around. Especially on a night on the town. You can get zero nic juice, and why not, since you’ve never used nic? It’s certainly not the riskiest thing you could get up to.

If someone was thinking about smoking I'd definitely say vape instead. If someone is bumming cigarettes from friends even if only once a week I'd definitely say get a mod and use that instead.
An absolute non-smoker, I don't mind if they do but there is more risk than if they don't.

 

[stols001]

I dewrinkled a bit since I quit smoking 3 ppd, although it wasn't like "OH MY a DECADE lost on my face," and to be fair, 3 ppd is on the high side. I did shed a lot of wrinkles and I guess my theory on that (aside from the carbon monoxide) is I have better circulation so my flesh doesn't look as wizened or dried out.

With that said, IDK, I mean I had no legit real reason to start smoking cigarettes, and it's likely that if I were a teen in the age of vaping I may have picked it up, and my life overall would have been a great deal better for it. Probably.

Here's the thing though, you've already experimented with it, so you probably enjoy it since you are asking, but as far as reduced pulmonary function over the entire lifespan, well, there aren't any studies that measure that yet, vaping hasn't been around long enough. That it is less harmful than cigarettes is widely accepted. Whether it is entirely BETTER for you than clean air is a total unknown at this point.

So my advice would personally be wait a while. If you really want to continue to vape, wait 6 months and see if you still want to after "experimenting with friends."

Another thing to consider as a youth is that at least at this time in this culture, vaping is considered really obnoxious by many. I don't think it's reasonable or fair, but it is accurate. If you vape, you will likely be hanging around with the "vaping crowd" and there is a reason that many smokers wind up getting together, and it's not ALL about shared interests. A lot of nice women your age may not want to date a smoker or a vaper, and find it obnoxious or offensive.

If you wind up really enjoying vaping then yes, you are locked into some expenses that will be unavoidable, juice, batteries and coils. As a sub0hm (very cloudy) vaper which is what a smok (and many other setups are) you may be going through a fair amount of e-liquid.

Vaping IS enjoyable which makes for good harm reduction, but the status of ecigs in the USA is somewhat shaky at the moment, and whether you do or do not get addicted to nic (and I have a hunch that everyone's brain is different in that regard, I mean yes, maybe the addictiveness is on a level with caffeine, but I have never had a particularly epic time quitting caffeine frankly) if you like vaping, there will be times you need to interrupt your day to vape, you may crave or at least FEEL as strong desire to vape at inconvenient times, and etc., and the hand to mouth thing is sort of potent, too, and you may find that habit as hard to break as nicotine dependence which it's unlikely you will develop SUPER STRONLY but you could.

So I would give it some time unless you feel that lack of vaping is going to drive you in any way toward smoking and etc.

Good luck,

Anna

 

[untar]

Here's another thinker...but as a preface to reading this.. note that there is no citations when it concerns the addictive properties of Nicotine.

Note how in the first sentence of the introduction they speak of "tobacco addiction".

Then in the abstract they say NRT research has focused on rapid nicotine delivery. If that was any real highly addictive substance then that would be a recipe to get hooked, but that barely ever happens.
Where are the large numbers of NRT abusers, why isn't that a big problem?

The "evil nicotine" and "just as bad as coca" narrative has major plot holes in it but nobody seems to care.

 

[ScottP]

Whether it is entirely BETTER for you than clean air is a total unknown at this point.

I keep hearing people talk about this substance called "clean air", but I am at a loss as to where I can find some. It is definitely unavailable here in Houston.

Here is a photo of downtown Houston.

 

[djsvapour]

This thread is coming on well even without the OP at the moment.
I earn decent money but spend as little on vaping as possible.
What do I prefer - 3% of my income on vaping or 0.3%?

Buying a fat mod, expensive coils and e-juice would be 3%. I prefer to spend that on meals, entertainment, nice clothes or a game of golf and a cheap sports car.

With respect, I don't think a newbie can learn to make DiY liquid and build atomisers quickly enough to avoid some of the costs of 'a fat mod, expensive coils and e-juice'.

For smokers it really was smoking or that Mazda Miata. For vapers you can have both but not falling for guzzling equipment or rip-off products like Juul and Blu.

 

[stols001]

That is true @ScottP , LOL the term "clean air" should not be used these days, other than non ironically. Heh.

My pardon, good sir.

That would kinda be one nice thing about traveling back in time, although NOT the middle ages,, LACK OF PLUMBING but Rome, maybe but only before it burned and you'd for sure be drinking your daily allowance of lead, which kind of also puts coffee into perspective.

Anna

 

[Janusz]

Why start an addiction you don't currently have? Don't start if you've never smoked. Vaping isn't a cool thing. It's a way to break the addiction of smoking cigarettes. You don't need it and shouldn't start, IMO.

Because some addiction can benefit some people...

If second hand smoke is killing that many people and nicotine is so addictive then why is no one addicted to second hand smoke?

I believe addiction to nicotine is less dangerous than for example addiction to food, pain killers and antidepressants. Addiction to food is leading to obesity... obesity leads to poor health and depression... instead using prozac or other antidepressants sombody can use nicotine because nicotine has been shown to have effects on anxiety and depression in both human and animal studies...

Effect of nicotine and nicotinic receptors on anxiety and depression. - PubMed - NCBI

By using nicotine we not only protect ourself from depression but we also protect ourself from being obese because nicotine is also known as apettite supressant

The effect of smoking on obesity: Evidence from a randomized trial. - PubMed - NCBI

Nicotine benefits do not end here....This notorious stimulant may enhance learning and help protect us from Parkinson's, schizophrenia and other neurological diseases.

Nicotine, the Wonder Drug? | DiscoverMagazine.com

 

[stols001]

Uh, I hate to say it but I knew a couple with smoking roommates in the house and said roommates went out of town for the weekend. The couple stated that after a time, they became really irritable and short with each other, and concluded it might be the lack of smoke, and went out and like, bought cigarettes, lit them, and all became well in their world.

They said it sort of cheerful like, and honestly, I think maybe in part because they were like, college age or something. Plus allowing smokers to invade your HOUSE, well maybe they were cheerful and easygoing naturally or something.

Also, it's a fact that children of smokers have a higher rate of smoking than non smokers. I don't think ALL of it's modeling, or the access to cigarettes, if you have a smoking parent, well, you are going to have a higher exposure to smoke kind of naturally.

I never smoked in the house. I was really ashamed of being a smoking parent, but like, my kid had asthma, and I was never able to break the smoking habit in the car, even though I tried really hard.

I completely 100% believe that my "taking to" smoking was in part my dad being a smoker while I was tiny, mostly as he attempted to quit because my mom was nagging him. But I never really and never plan to break myself of that particular habit. I just find the smell of tobacco really comforting and wonderful and fantastic, and if I'm ever super anxious or need reassurance for whatever reason, I just go bury my face in my husband's shoulder and take a nice long SNIFF and those are the times when I'm really glad he's dual using because IT WORKS. If I ever remark, "Wow you smell like smoke," he gets all shamefaced about it until I say, "That was a complement, actually."

Although I should probably stop doing it out loud, since he doesn't really need more motivations to keep smoking.


I mean, I'm not saying, like well, smoking parents of children should go around BURNING them with cigarettes or whatever, to take away the "appeal" of smoking, but I do wish that I had never smoked around my kid, who did well with his no vaping habit until well, stress hit, and he doesn't want to buy vape stuff and just wants to QUIT and is finding it far harder than he thought. He doesn't want to be a smoker, but he doesn't want to step down to vaping EITHER.

I feel a fair amount of responsibility for that situation. Etc.

Anna

 

[Janusz]

[QUOTE="stols001, post: 21096315, member: 309471"

Also, it's a fact that children of smokers have a higher rate of smoking than non smokers. I don't think ALL of it's modeling, or the access to cigarettes, if you have a smoking parent, well, you are going to have a higher exposure to smoke kind of naturally.

I never smoked in the house. I was really ashamed of being a smoking parent, but like, my kid had asthma, and I was never able to break the smoking habit in the car, even though I tried really hard.

I completely 100% believe that my "taking to" smoking was in part my dad being a smoker while I was tiny, mostly as he attempted to quit because my mom was nagging him.

Anna[/QUOTE]

I started to smoke when I was 17... but both my parents smoked in house since I was born...we lived in one bedroom apartment and my father smoke 2 packs a day... but I do not blame them for starting to smoke... it was rather peer pressure in the beginning and relaxing feel afterwards...

By all means I do not want to claim that smoking is harmless but telling the truth I believe that this harm is greatly exaggerated...

Both my sons were growing in home were smoking inside was not permitted... and it is case with majority of households currently... but with my observation new generation of kids grown without second hand exposure to cigarette smoke is much less healthy than in the past... lung cancer rates are more less the same... allergies skyrocket... obesity, diabeties, asthma, neurological disorders and depression are on steep raise...overall most kids today are less healthy than they were when parents smoked in house... at the same time average life span of those that smoked at home, at workplace, in restaurant and even in doctors office... is... the same or longer than previous generation...

Sometimes I think that kid's addiction to computers, play-stations, smart phones, social virtual media is more harfmul for their health than cigarettes smoke was when I was a kid...

 

[Myk]

I mean, I'm not saying, like well, smoking parents of children should go around BURNING them with cigarettes or whatever, to take away the "appeal" of smoking

If that includes flicking hot ash out the car window and back in into the kid's eye in the back seat, it won't work. BTDT.

 

[stols001]

OMG thank god I never did that....

It's all fine, everyone can claim or not claim responsibility for whatever they want. I can make my case but meh, it's all speculation.... I'm just still Oh So Proud of millennials for failing at something-- starting smoking!

It's like the first time they didn't get a participation trophy and it was actually GOOD for them. LOL.

Anna

 

[Brewdawg1181]

I'm with @Myk , @Eskie @Coyote628 , @DaveP , and the others:
Just substitute "vape" with:
I just want to "begin a long term, potentially life-long program of inhaling a mix of chemicals at high temperature, with largely unknown and potentially harmful effects, with those effects having only been studied for about a decade."

It's hard to believe that any good health effects discovered would outweigh the bad ones. And forgetting for a moment the health aspect- It's not just nicotine addiction to worry about. I regard nicotine as no worse than caffeine, and potentially better. But the physical addiction lasts only days - whereas a lifelong smoker can struggle to stay off cigs after quitting for months or even years.

Habits are addictive. Do you want to develop a habit so that every morning, you need to inhale this? Do you want to feel that you can't leave the house without having all your vape gear? Do you want to be in situations where you have to excuse yourself so you can go get a vape? Do you want people to look down on you for being weak, succumbing to a habit of weakness? Do you want to have that anxiety of not thinking you have enough supplies? Even when smoking, that was probably the hardest part for me - feeling as though I were a slave to a habit.

Everyone here vapes - and almost all have told you it's wise not to start. Please listen to them.

 

[Myk]

Everyone here vapes - and almost all have told you it's wise not to start. Please listen to them.

Unless they're at the point of wondering about smoking that's how I lean.

 

[NealBJr]

Note how in the first sentence of the introduction they speak of "tobacco addiction".

Then in the abstract they say NRT research has focused on rapid nicotine delivery. If that was any real highly addictive substance then that would be a recipe to get hooked, but that barely ever happens.
Where are the large numbers of NRT abusers, why isn't that a big problem?

The "evil nicotine" and "just as bad as coca" narrative has major plot holes in it but nobody seems to care.

I agree. Since I've quit smoking and started vaping, I've started to actually READ about the subject. I've also noticed a trend in both the studies AND the media. It seems their studies are always slanted towards one way or another before the actual results are shown. I notice a lot of "maybe" or "could" is said before actual proof is shown. I was very skeptical when I started vaping. I thought it was a fad, and something for the "hipster crowd". I was actually looking for proof for me to quit vaping. Most of what I saw, however, were opinions. I wanted to see actual numbers to prove how bad vaping was.. but there were none. I looked at all the bad media press, and realized the media was slanted, and never gave any real numbers. Everyone kept pointing to research done on smoking.. not vaping. That's when I started looking at the research itself.. and that seemed to be one sided as well.

The best thing I can tell someone who is looking to start vaping, is to look at the research, and ignore the title and abstracts.. look at the actual data and how it was obtained. I've noticed the more "official sounding" it is, the more it is accepted by the FDA and the general populace...but when it comes down to the actual facts and data... vaping seems to be MUCH healthier than smoking.

 

[tara81]

No one knows all the risks, but I can say even though I vape, I feel like a non smoker and my lungs feel normal. When I was smoking, I coughed every morning, I was out of breath easily, I smelled funky etc. I do not think Vaping will age you at all. I quit smoking cigarettes for 9 years and vaped off and on for 4 years. I never use nicotine so I am not addicted and can stop at any time.

If you really want to vape, try vaping 0 nicotine. That way you can stop vaping a lot more easier should you want to , and vape a lot less then with nicotine. Nicotine is probably no worse then caffeine at low dosages - but it is always a risk. Caffeene can increase blood pressure as can nicotine.

Everything you do in life can have risks, but if you vape carefully (learn battery safety - don't buy a mech mod unless you know ohms law) the risk should be small. Then again no one has vaped longer then say 15 years so we really don't know if there are unknown risks.

Besides battery safety, you can also lower your risk by purchasing ejuices without a lot of sucralose/stevia and no diacetyl, Acetoin, Acetyl Propionyl , glucose. (In canada there is a website that shows vendors of tested ejuices called ecta, Directory | ECTA of Canada ) Or just make your own juice then you will know what is in it.

I also do not recommend smok products. Try a horizon tech falcon tank with the m1 or m2 coils and a vaporesso, innokin, or dna mod(more expensive), the flavor for me from mesh coils is amazing, and they last for 1-3 weeks. If you are a DTL (direct to lung) vaper that is.

If you are a MTL (mouth to lung) vaper try the innokin kroma + zennith kit.

 

[djsvapour]

f.w.i.w.

I personally believe am no longer addicted to Nicotine, but I am definitely addicted to the puffing...

I can vape 0mg or 18mg... it makes no difference these days. I conclude I don't do it for the Nicotine.

 

[Janusz]

I'm with @Myk , @Eskie @Coyote628 , @DaveP , and the others:
Just substitute "vape" with:

How about "eating a bread".

"
Important Warning for those who have been drawn unsuspectingly into the use of bread:

More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.
More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.
Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven that as little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The average American eats more bread than that in one month!
Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.
Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days.
Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold cuts.
Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey bread-pudding person.
Newborn babies can choke on bread.
Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.

Most American bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling.
In light of these frightening statistics, we propose the following bread restrictions:

No sale of bread to minors.
A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign, complete celebrity TV spots and bumper stickers.
A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills we might associate with bread.
No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal to children) may be used to promote bread usage.
The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools. "

Everyone here vapes - and almost all have told you it's wise not to start. Please listen to them.

 

[Brewdawg1181]

Unless they're at the point of wondering about smoking that's how I lean.

I'd agree if he were 14. He's old enough to make a reasoned decision now. I just hope he's wise enough.