Is this wrong for me?

[jonleflar]

From what I gather, the majority of the members on this board are trying to quit smoking real cigarettes. And I, an 18 year old who has never put a cigarette to my lips in my life, am thinking about buying my first kit. The aesthetic appeal of smoking is attractive to me, and I'm the sort of person who needs some sort of normal oral fixation - whether it be seeds, sucking on a straw, or biting the skin around my nails. I'm wondering, how many people here started smoking PVs without trying cigs first? Or at least, how many people smoke their PV just to smoke?

I'm not worried about addiction, and I'm not worried about my health.
I never eat fast food, rarely drink soda, and work out. I'm willing to put anything on my guess that there are more 18 year olds addicted to caffeine than to nicotine, especially with this energy drink fad. And from what it seems, nicotine is not abundantly more dangerous in small amounts in comparison to caffeine.

This may sound stupid, but ecigarettes just seem cool. There's no other way to put it, and I'm not sure if that opinion will be popular or not amongst the users trying to quit with ecigarettes as their tool. So what do you all think?

Think of it this way:
If you had an 18 y/o child, and he wanted to start using an ecigarette for recreation, would you warn him against it?

 

[Ramblin]

As long they stayed away from the nicotine I wouldn't have a problem with my child doing this. If they're old enough to fight and die for our country, they can do what the d*nm well please is my attitude.

I can think of many other things that would be worse vices. vaping PG or VG seem relatively harmless if you keep nicotine out of the equation.

It's been said that cigarettes are harder to quit than ....... After reading a couple of stories in the forum, I wonder if it is something in cigarettes other than nicotine that is so addictive.

Still - If you can avoid a poison and vape, avoid it. Stay away from the nicotine.

 

[Fruits]

This worries me. These are not to be sold to non smokers it says in the warnings. This will give the people that want to ban them exactly the ammo they need i fear. Gives the e-cig bad publicity imo.
If you don't smoke don't use the e-cig, it won't make you look cool.

 

[JustJulie]

Think of it this way:
If you had an 18 y/o child, and he wanted to start using an ecigarette for recreation, would you warn him against it?

Darn right I would.

I'm convinced that vaping is safer than smoking tobacco. But that does not at all mean that it's necessarily "safe" in and of itself. We simply do not know.

No way would I recommend this to someone who is not a smoker. No way.

 

[e-pipeman]

Don't bother - there are plenty of other enjoyable things to do. There are too many unknowns about vaping to make it an option for those without a nicotine addiction. There's nothing cool about taking needless risks.

 

[Alanae]

As a mother of 4 myself, with 4 stepchildren I have to agree with the other posts here as far as NOT using an ecig.

Nicotine is an additive substance and although we all feel that this is a "better" solution than smoking and that it just HAS to be safer, I would not reccomend it to anyone who doesn't smoke.

My husband and I both swithced over figuring that even if we didn't quit at least this was a healthier option for us AND our children.

Without adidng fuel to the fire for the FDA:

This is an untested product and no one here really knows how "safe" it is to vape nicotine, PG, or VG. We are just trying to find a better option than regular smoking and have the chance to be healthier people. As a group who is already highly addicted to far too many chemicals to count this was a better alternative if not a solution to our smoking addiction.

If you don't smoke I feel the same warning applies:

SMOKING KILLS!!! Nicotine is still a poison so just "Don't Do it".

 

[Nick O'Teen]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say "try it". Keep away from the nicotine blends - that's probably very good advice. If you wanted a pet addiction, you'd have adopted one by now - and it's a serious responsibility, not to be entered into lightly.

I can respect all the arguments against it (it'll give vaping a bad name, it's still possibly harmful to some degree, etc.) but it feels good, it tastes good, it keeps your hands occupied, it's a great stress-reliever and conversation-starter, the gadgetry and flavour experimentation is fun, blowing smoke rings is even more fun than playing with an airzooka - it has a lot going for it.

But ultimately only you can tell for sure, and this is just the opinion of an enthusiastic nicotine addict FWIW. In the end, you'll have to make your own mind up (that's why you have one.)

Apologies to anyone who thinks this is irresponsible advice - I just feel very strongly that the consensus opinion that extreme risk aversion should be considered the social norm is dehumanizing, and a big step towards oppression, intolerance and the nanny state.
Let's face it - vaping is probably safer than many extreme sports, and I certainly enjoy it more than I would base-jumping or freediving.

 

[brotha]

DON'T DO IT!!!! This is not a toy or something to be messing with if you don't smoke don't state vaping.

 

[Fruits]

Would this not be the perfect way of getting it banned? FDA or whoever saying It's encouraging non smokers to take it up, youngsters are getting in on the 'craze'. I can see it in the news as a major argument against us nicotine addicts. Im all for freedom of choice, but with the uncertain future of e-cigs i would not recommend it to anyone that doesn't already smoke tobacco. Crazy.

 

[Caesarea]

Well, my first reaction is : which magazine do you work for?

My second reaction: if you are what you say you are, asking the question you are asking in this forum is extremely insensitive, morally and politically.

My third reaction: go buy a Chupa lolly, a la Kojak, then only your teeth will suffer.

 

[surbitonPete]

At 18 you are old enough to do what you want, we can only give you advice and even if we all seem to 'enjoy' our addiction, the problem we all share is that we can't 'enjoy' our life without it and that's the curse of addiction. I think all of us would tell you that you are far better off avoiding it.

 

[booboo]

DON'T DO IT!! Why would you want to start something that you could be addicted to for the rest of your life? I wish I had never smoked that first cigarette and have been tortured by it for the last 20 years. I am vaping out of desperation to get that monkey off my back--by trading him for another monkey. Maybe it's not as bad, maybe in the long run it will be worse. Nobody knows. But there's no point wrecking another set of virgin lungs finding out!

 

[asidrave]

everyone please stop protecting vaping like its a delicate flower...we have to let e-cigs get their feet wet so it can endure the hurricane that will inevitably come.

the person who posted i believe knows very well the difference between a cigarette and a PV. if he came here asking the same question about smoking, everyone would be hell bent backwards saying dont start smoking....he wants to try it and most likely if he really wants to he will...give safe and sound advice about vaping...not against it

kids will see PV's more and more soon and they will get ahold of them...the same exact way they will get ahold of analogs...the same way they will get ahold of other drugs.

 

[Nick O'Teen]

Would this not be the perfect way of getting it banned? FDA or whoever saying It's encouraging non smokers to take it up, youngsters are getting in on the 'craze'.

But they do that already with analogs - where do you think smokers come from? We were all non-smokers once, before we were encouraged to get in on the tobacco 'craze' (just as kids still are.)
Far better for people to take up vaping nic-free flavours instead of getting hooked on cigarettes, surely?

And the consensus of opinion in the legal threads seems to be that nic-free can't be banned anyway, since it has no drug content.

If there were no new smokers taking up the habit year after year, it might make sense. But there are plenty of kids who take up smoking every year - probably always will be.
Clearly the OP is attracted to the smoking "ethos", and in the absence of vaping many like him are tempted to start smoking cigarettes (peer pressure, direct advertising, subliminal media influences, etc.)

I'd rather teenagers vaped something non-addictive, so if the craze wears off with them they can easily quit and move on. If it's going to do you significant harm, it will only do so if you spend a long time doing it (look how long cigarettes take to kill an average smoker!
And if you spend a long time doing it, unprompted by a chemical addiction, then it's clearly worth doing in your own estimation.

Life has got to be about more than just minimizing every conceivable risk you might be faced with as you pass through it.

 

[RW_Robert]

DON'T DO IT!!! We are the sick people that started smoking analogs in thee first place. I can say with confidence that each and everyone of us will say that we wished we didn't start smoking analogs in the first place.

Now we have found something that we "BELEVE" is better for us then smoking analogs. I for one would put it ALL down if it was easy. But it's NOT!!! So I am slowly working myself down on my nic intake. Started with 24mg and now down to 11mg. Hope to get down to 0mg and then work myself off of it all. And let me tell ya, it's still not easy.

Don't have to quit if you never start.

 

[surbitonPete]

The only reason I started smoking in the first place was that I just couldn't understand how you can become 'addicted' to anything. I think the important thing is to get across to youngsters 'exactly' what the word addiction means and then they might stay away from it.

 

[Alanae]

At 18 you are old enough to do what you want, we can only give you advice and even if we all seem to 'enjoy' our addiction, the problem we all share is that we can't 'enjoy' our life without it and that's the curse of addiction. I think all of us would tell you that you are far better off avoiding it.

Very well put Pete..very very well put. I wish I had never started myself and now I'm paying a high price for it with withdrawal from analogs while I make the transition to vaping.

 

[asidrave]

I'd rather teenagers vaped something non-addictive, so if the craze wears off with them they can easily quit and move on. If it's going to do you significant harm, it will only do so if you spend a long time doing it (look how long cigarettes take to kill an average smoker!
And if you spend a long time doing it, unprompted by a chemical addiction, then it's clearly worth doing in your own estimation.

Life has got to be about more than just minimizing every conceivable risk you might be faced with as you pass through it.

i...like many other kids tried smoking because i thought it was cool...that was 23 years ago.....i dont remember when i began not to like it anymore but by then.........well you know....all smokers know

 

[chicagobrad01]

Pass it up!
Ya made it this far in life without getting peer pressured into the "smoking" habit why start now. There are MUCH cooler gadgets out there to spend all that money on!!!

 

[CaseyNY]

I agree, I think this is a total setup, there are some questions for which there are no correct answers that someone can not use against you. That IS our warped system of courts these days. Sometimes the 'Question is WRONG and not worth answering'.