Is Anyone Else Weirded Out?

[JudeD]

This whole vaping experience has been sort of surreal and I was just wondering if anyone else is as freaked out by it on occasion as I am. I mean, tonight as I was driving down the highway vaping some Swedish Fish juice, it suddenly struck me how radically my life has changed. Six weeks ago, I didn't even know what an e-cig was and now I have eGo Twists, eGo C's, a Provari Mini, cartomizers, clearomizers, tanks, tons of juice flavors, and DIY supplies. And I don't smoke anymore.

What the heck happened? I just bought a cheap e-cig in a smoke shop to use on a business trip where I knew I wouldn't have a chance to have a "real" smoke. The thought of using it to quit never entered my mind. After buying it, but before opening the package, I came online to make sure I wasn't about to inhale nerve gas or something else equally stupid and I found ECF. After reading some of the posts, I got up the courage to open the e-cig and take a puff. Hmm, not too bad. I thought, "Maybe this would work for me when I'm stuck in a non-smoking hotel room." After reading more, like most stubborn noobs, I ordered a cig lookalike and some tobacco juice. Even better, but not great. Ordered an eGo C, some refillable cartridges, some sweet-flavored juice, and a day later, I'm hooked. I haven't had an analog since. Suddenly, my whole life is juice flavors and ohms and VV and ECF.

None of this is big news. I'm sure a lot of you have a similar story. It's just that I had one of those moments tonight when you have a precious few seconds of peace and quiet and you get a chance to think. It's just all happened so fast that it doesn't feel real.

Maybe I should just stop thinking and turn on the car radio next time.

 

[Strigoi]

It's weird when I hang out with people that aren't in my usual group. Most of them don't know I vape and have maybe heard of e-cigs or have tried one from a 7-11. I've been at it for over 2 years so it's just a part of my life now for the most part.

 

[Pathfinder]

Hey Jude
As the Beatles said "it's getting better all the time." I would say it is a great weird experience. For me giving up analogs was a longer road. I fooled around with vaping for about a year before I quit smoking cigs. I continued to smoke and vape and stopped vaping for a few months at one point. It has been four months now without them.
It is a fantastic feeling when you realize those smelly sticks are out of your life. Congratulations. Keep on vaping

 

[Theken]

I have been using my provari for the better part of a year now and still enjoy the random looks and the occasional "what is that"? One guy asked me if it was a (MODERATED), which made me laugh. I wish I made commission on all the referrals I give to companies.

 

[TheBlueAdept]

Plus one on all the above, once I 'got it' I went a little nutty buying juice and gear as well. Finally got a provari now, I have put my credit cards away for a forced vacation or hand them to my wife. Problem is even though billing info isnt saved on any vendor sites I have it memorized now from ordering so much crap.

Sent from my phone; Please excuse typos / autocorrections.

 

[Filibuster]

Awesome post, OP! My wife and I have been vaping for three months. Between the two of us we have managed to amass (in order of getting them):

2 Volt Starter Kits
Volcano Magma
Provari
Reo Mini
Provari Mini
Zenesis Standard Ti
Zenesis Mini
Zenesis BAM (on order)

An unnatural amount of juice, and we are now into DIY, with over 60 flavors to mix with. Over 150 cartomizers on hand, fist fulls of various tanks, various batteries, etc. It's been quite a ride!

 

[Forkeh]

A great many things freak me out if I think about them too much. Vaping. The fact that I got promoted only about a month ago. The fact that out of a few billion people, I'm me and no one else. Why the cat always tries to sneak into the garden when the gate is open, but won't climb over the fence. Why pigeons bob their heads when they walk. The fact that there's microscopic bugs that can live anywhere and you wouldn't even know. Hampsters. When I hear the same word repeated over and over until it loses all meaning. Wtf how can a word lose meaning? The fact that we actually see in stereo, and you can trick your brain into showing you. Everything is made out of basic elements; the stuff that makes me, my coffee, and the wood my house is built out of, and all based from the same stuff. Too much and not enough oxygen is toxic. Fish can extract oxygen from water.

Life is weird. Best not to think about it too much lol.

 

[Filibuster]

A great many things freak me out if I think about them too much. Vaping. The fact that I got promoted only about a month ago. The fact that out of a few billion people, I'm me and no one else. Why the cat always tries to sneak into the garden when the gate is open, but won't climb over the fence. Why pigeons bob their heads when they walk. The fact that there's microscopic bugs that can live anywhere and you wouldn't even know. Hampsters. When I hear the same word repeated over and over until it loses all meaning. Wtf how can a word lose meaning? The fact that we actually see in stereo, and you can trick your brain into showing you. Everything is made out of basic elements; the stuff that makes me, my coffee, and the wood my house is built out of, and all based from the same stuff. Too much and not enough oxygen is toxic. Fish can extract oxygen from water.

Life is weird. Best not to think about it too much lol.

Srsly tho. Pigeons are weird.

 

[supergerbil]

Hampsters.

+1.

Damn things freak me out what with their little exercise wheels and all the running. WHY ARE YOU RUNNING!?! When will you EVER need to run that much? Is there a rodent Olympics that I wasn't aware of? Its not like you are trying maintain a runners build or anything; no matter how much you run you still look like a fuzzball! You know you're just going to give yourself a heart attack right?

Stupid hampsters.

 

[ByeByeCoffinNails]

Hmmmm... I feel the same way when I see a tide of exhausted commuters. Makes me want to sue the person(s) who confidently said that in the future, everyone would have more leisure time.

These days it's the retired and unemployed that have leisure time.

Stupid humans.

 

[Huffelpuff]

+1.

Damn things freak me out what with their little exercise wheels and all the running. WHY ARE YOU RUNNING!?! When will you EVER need to run that much? Is there a rodent Olympics that I wasn't aware of? Its not like you are trying maintain a runners build or anything; no matter how much you run you still look like a fuzzball! You know you're just going to give yourself a heart attack right?

Stupid hampsters.

I just got a treadmill. Wondering if I have a hamster brain now

 

[Natron]

i too fall into the catagory of being one that tried an ecig (ego)and thought it was a cool toy. i ended up getting a kit which i shared with my girlfriend.now i have moved up to real "toys"and am currently 29 days in and not having a hard time not smoking.

 

[kwalka]

Remember the song "I'd like to buy the world a coke". I think you know what I mean. I wish someone handed me an e cig 5 yrs ago. Finally a product came along that is worthy of the phrase " best thing since sliced bread". People have killed that phrase, but it really does fit here.
BTW, vapor is much better for the hampsters and pigeons.

 

[DaveP]

Lots of people buy a gas station ecig, try it, and go back to the real thing. After being unimpressed, they decide that vaping is a fad and it won't replace cigarettes. The ones who find ECF or one of the other vaper boards end up discovering a whole new world as they find out about the decent ecig brands.

Blu, through Lorillard, will probably offer some decent gas station PV's that will attract and educate the public. It's a shame that ecigs fall into the tobacco classification now and can't be advertised on TV and in magazines.

 

[kwalka]

Lots of people buy a gas station ecig, try it, and go back to the real thing. After being unimpressed, they decide that vaping is a fad and it won't replace cigarettes. The ones who find ECF or one of the other vaper boards end up discovering a whole new world as they find out about the decent ecig brands.

Blu, through Lorillard, will probably offer some decent gas station PV's that will attract and educate the public. It's a shame that ecigs fall into the tobacco classification now and can't be advertised on TV and in magazines.

This was on a few nights ago....
blu Electronic Cigarette TV Commercial - blu e-cigs National TV Commercial - YouTube

 

[AttyPops]

I've been at this two years. It just confirms for me that I'm still a drug addict. Nicotine addict. Lots of better ways of getting the drug every day and staying off the tobacco. New products all the time.

I enjoy vaping...but I try not to think about it too much. Even if I manage to get to zero nic... will I still vape? Are many vapers OCD about it? Does it matter? If I enjoy it, who cares? Is it having any negative impact on my life? A lot better than smoking, to be sure.

 

[PaulB]

Something that still amazes me is how the e-cig industry and community is, in a sense, a celebration of addiction.

Of all the pros and cons of lifelong tobacco use, the addiction aspect has never really bothered me. It bothers me that smoking is bad for my health, now costs a lot, is a source of social condemnation, etc... It never bothered me that I was hooked on it. (Heck, to me, having yet another good reason to get up in the morning is never a bad thing.) I also have a long-time caffeine habit--not quite as insatiable, but a habit nonetheless--and that doesn't bother me either as it's easy to maintain, nobody gets on my case about it, and it's not bad for me.

So, along comes a product that reduces or eliminates most of the above bad things, yet feeds the nicotine habit--and very pleasurably. Awesome! I think that's how a lot of us look at it. How many folks here declare with delight that they're chain vapers who wouldn't have been so celebratory about declaring themselves chain smokers? (Even the often-heard-here phrase, "Happy vaping," says a lot.) And in the short 2.5 years I've been vaping, the industry has come amazingly far with products designed to enhance pleasure and improve delivery of what we crave.

Weird, yes, but in a good way!

 

[Cherryblossom]

My DH and I have only been vaping for 3 months now, and we've amassed quite a selection of vaping toys and juices. It is weird how much we're loving this. Smoking was never this fun though, and vaping just made it obsolete for us without even trying! Having such a great community here on ECF has been positive reinforcement throughout, and vaping has become something of a hobby for us. I never thought I'd be able to stop smoking...now I can't imagine ever wanting to smoke. Why would I want to smoke a smelly cig when instead I can pick up my pretty purple silver bullet, with a bella tank full of blackberry ice cream, and vape happily while ready ECF? Lol I'm honestly not sure how all this happened, but I sure am glad it did.

 

[AttyPops]

It's kind of funny really. I'm not old enough to know what it was like in the 1950's, for example. But... this whole thing is a bit of a retro flashback. You know... "More doctors vape ______ e-juice than any other brand.", or "If vaping isn't a pleasure, why bother?", "The eGo-Twist, for people that like to vape." lol.

No, or little, guilt. One aspect of vaping vs smoking... they haven't found a way to lay a massive guilt trip on you about it yet. Part of what you are experiencing is.... relief. I just hope the greatly lessened health impact holds true.

2 cents.

 

[JudeD]

A great many things freak me out if I think about them too much. Vaping. The fact that I got promoted only about a month ago. The fact that out of a few billion people, I'm me and no one else. Why the cat always tries to sneak into the garden when the gate is open, but won't climb over the fence. Why pigeons bob their heads when they walk. The fact that there's microscopic bugs that can live anywhere and you wouldn't even know. Hampsters. When I hear the same word repeated over and over until it loses all meaning. Wtf how can a word lose meaning? The fact that we actually see in stereo, and you can trick your brain into showing you. Everything is made out of basic elements; the stuff that makes me, my coffee, and the wood my house is built out of, and all based from the same stuff. Too much and not enough oxygen is toxic. Fish can extract oxygen from water.

Life is weird. Best not to think about it too much lol.

Yeah, you definitely need to drown out your thoughts with some Led Zeppelin. That's just scary. Please don't ever repeat that part about microscopic bugs around me again. I once had to leave a lecture at NASA because the guy started talking about all the organisms that live on our skin. Singing at the top of my lungs right now to abolish that memory.