Hello Vaperers
I was just browsing the forums here and have noticed something just a little bit disturbing. It seems as though when converting to electric many vapers actually vape more than they smoked. I read one persons post that they were going thru a 30ml bottle of juice a day, arent most of those bottles at least 15.00? I myself have found I'm chain vaping
. I dont know if its because unlike a cigarette it doesnt burn out? When I was smoking , especially lately I could not finish a whole cig, sometimes Id snipe one cig 2 or 3 times. I also read about 34mg nic juices, are there even analogs that high in nic? Lately when I find myself "chaining" I can feel my pulse racing, that high from the nic and I only use 12mg. How much juice does the average vaperer use, or how long does a 30ml bottle last the average user? Just curious because I hope to save money and make things healthier for me.
For me, one of the great, great things about vaping is that I am freer than with smoking to do it more as I want than as I "have to". Sometimes I'll vape a lot, but other times I hardly think about it, and my collection of PV's can sit in front of me for an hour and I won't even think about vaping.
This morning I rushed out to a dentist appointment and didn't even remember to bring a vape with me. When I realized that when I was halfway there, I didn't get nearly the same feeling that I used to get if had left the house with no ciggies. I think we all know that feeling, where you pull over immediately to buy some, or go miles out of your way if you have to. I just thought "oh well, no biggie", and drove on. And when I got home, the first thing on my mind wasn't even vaping.
I'm fairly convinced, and I think it's scientifically sound, that nicotine by itself, when not accompanied by the naturally-occurring MAOI's (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) in tobacco smoke, is not nearly as addictive. I think that MAOI's are present in WTA's (whole tobacco alkaloids) that some people add to their juice, which I find foolish. I much prefer being more able to take or leave nicotine, and to use it more for its positive effects on mood, memory, and alertness than because my body tells me that I absolutely must have it, and how much, and when.
Of course, it is still somewhat addictive, but it is so relatively harmless all by itself that I'm far less concerned about heavy vaping than I would have been about heavy smoking. I will say that at 12mg - my current level - it raises my blood pressure far too much to be acceptable for the long haul. After vaping zero nicotine for the first six months of my now 11-month-long vaping career, I finally decided (after being convinced by smart people here) that I as punishing myself for no good reason. I'm very glad I did start vaping some nicotine, as my mood, outlook, and memory have never been better.
I'm working on a very important project right now that requires all of the mental acuity I can muster, and right now I don't dare try to get down to 6mg, or lower. And just writing that, I sound an awful lot like the person who says they're going to quit smoking .... after or when x, y, or z. After finals are over, when they're not so stressed, when they find a job, when they're not feeling so blue .... or after a big project wraps up. So maybe I'm more addicted than I think.
At least the only thing I really have to worry about is elevated blood pressure and heart rate, and not cancer, emphysema, stroke, macular degeneration, or the host of other problems brought about by tar, carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, arenic, and the hundreds of other chemicals found in tobacco smoke.
To me, the consumption of nicotine by itself, when not consumed with carbon monoxide, is a wonderful tonic for the brain. But every cell in the body needs oxygen, and is deprived of it when CO masquerading as O2 is picked up by red corpuscles in the lungs which then deliver their useless cargo to those cells. "Thanks" to carbon monoxide, the result of continued smoking is the decline of every part of the body, regardless of whether or not it falls prey to cancer.
I think the wise course of action is to be aware of the health risks involved in vaping - and there are some - and take steps to minimize it. Monitor your blood pressure and heart rate, and reduce your nicotine level as low as you can. Enjoy your vape, but do your best to take care of the only body you'll ever have. We might all be a little complacent about the health risks of vaping, having done ourselves and our bodies such a huge favor by stopping smoking. But for some of us - myself included - there might just be a little more work to do.
