Is the south that far behind?

[Jake1]

I live in southwest GA. Here you can still smoke in bars and even some other public places but I know many tobacco users who want to quit. However, I am the only "vaper" I know of. I got a couple of buddies who tried it out (suggested by me) but just weren't ready to take the plunge. I usually only vape it smoke-friendly areas but when people see me vaping, they seem puzzled. With e-cigs being inthe media and even in movies how do people not know what I'm doing?

I started out being somewhat embarassed but vaping is just too awesome to hide. I enjoy explaining to family, friends, and neighbors what I'm doing. It does get a little tiresome sometimes though. Sometimes a fellow just wants to sit and vape without answering 20 questions.

If I was a vendor, I would definately be marketing to the south because there are many smokers who are clueless to vaping. It would fatten vendor pockets but more importantly save lives.

 

[Levitas]

Actually, you're not alone. There are a decent amount of people in the world that are aware of the existance of electronic cigarettes. But, I'd wager that an overwhelming majority know very little to nothing about them in any detail.

Take this for an example: At work, I step outside to vape. My manager asks me, "What is that?" I tell him, an electronic cigarette. He proceeds to act the professional on the matter. "Do you really think inhaling water vapor is good for you?" (I did proceed to educate the best I could, for as long as he remained interested.)

The point is, the e-cig isn't HUGE as of yet, but it is growing Not just in the south, but everywhere.

 

[Rar]

I had never heard of an e-cigarette until February of this year. I was browsing a quit smoking site and saw an advertisement for one (something like Greensmoke, I think).

 

[untitledblue]

My nonsmoking uncle bought me my first kit. Before that I had no idea that ecigs even existed.

On another note, the 2 problems I see if the public was more aware of pvs:

1. It's called an electronic cigarette.....a cigarette!
2. FDA enforces stricter regulation.

 

[Dougiestyle]

1. It's called an electronic cigarette.....a cigarette!

When asked about mine, I call it a personal vaporizer. Associate at Walmart just informed me, "Buddy, you can't smoke in here." I told him it's not smoke. It's vapor.

 

[billyboyxoxox]

I can't respond to how different regions of the country are using vaporizers but I know it's not very much in west central Indiana yet. I, like many of you, know this is simply because people haven't been educated and made aware of how good a vaporizer can be for a nicotine user. I get plenty of chances to turn people on to what I'm doing and at least some of them seem like they will follow through. Of course I always steer them towards this forum because I learned everything I know from the kind help of those here and the links they turn me on to. I just learned last night that my dear friend Kurt from high school is a senior veteran member here and the resident chemist! I got a few of his home made mixes from him and am enjoying them as we speak! I think vaporizing is just setting foot in the world and will become so common that people won't even pay attention anymore. I know I'm with it to stay! Cigarettes, be gone!

 

[billyboyxoxox]

I forget to mention that I am against the term "electronic cigarette" or anything with "cigarette" in it to describe what my vaporizer is. I think we should move away from that terminology completely. Vaporizing is the way to go! Ho! Ho!

 

[vocr]

I had heard of ecigs, kind of in passing, the past couple of years but never gave it much thought. I had been trying to quit for many years and it didn't come on my radar as a way to quit. Earlier this year a friend of mine, a doctor who has been trying to quit since I met him, switched to PVs. It looked interesting but, I guess I never took it seriously or something, don't know, and he is not an evangelist kind of person. When asked, he answered questions but he never really enthusiastically endorsed it or did more than say it worked for him.

I was on a 18 hour flight and a guy in the next cubicle was blowing all this vapor up in the air. Here I was doing my normal sucking on nicorette and waiting for the lights went out to take a couple of ambient and knock myself out and this guy was smoking up a storm. The flight attendant told me he was using an ecig. Almost as soon as I got home I called my friend and he had me come by and pick up an ego-t starter kit he hadn't used.

I guess the point of the story is, I think it doesn't really matters if PVs are in the media or people know what it is or not. Since its a niche, untested device and can't be marketed as a smoking cessation device, unless you know someone who uses it and they are evangelical in their support of it, its may not register as a viable option compared to gum/candy and pills.

I know, unlike my friend, I am being evangelical about PVs. When asked, I say things like "miracle" and the like. Sure it may not work for everyone, bit unless someone is convinced its a viable option, smokers looking to quit will look to gum/candy and pills as the only options. Truth is I looked to acupuncture as a way to quit before I considered ecigs.

 

[gel drops]

Flip flops,shorts,tank tops and no running water here..

 

[NicLiq]

I'm in Minnesota, home of the tobacco lawsuits. I always thought the south was nicer about smoking because they grow tobacco there.

I never see any vapers here, so when I'm in public, I always go to the smoking areas to vape and everyone comes up and asks me what I'm doing - everyone has been really nice. When I can't find a smoking area, I tell anyone who asks that it's a nebulizer lol