CASAA is collecting testimonials to show that vaping is effective at quitting or reducing smoking.
E-cigarettes and other Tobacco Harm Reduction strategies: a collection of success stories
Just though I would share my testimonial and hope you do also.
This is what I submitted:
I was a long time smoker of over 30 years. Some people are not predisposed to addiction and can stop cold turkey or with the help of pharmaceuticals to prevent withdrawal. I am predisposed to addiction and was able to give up other addictive substances cold turkey throughout the years, however cigarettes proved to be a tough nut to crack. Those that are not predisposed to addiction, or that have not smoked long term cannot fully understand the grip that cigarettes can have on someone.
I tried nicotine patches and nicotine gum which did prevent nicotine withdrawal, however the long term habit itself led me back to smoking within weeks. My doctor prescribed Chantix which did take care of wanting a cigarette, however it felt like my head was in a vise and I could not think straight so I stopped taking it after a week.
I tried Green Smoke and Blu e-cigarettes that looked like a real cigarette, however both just didn't quite cut the withdrawal from nicotine. Stayed with the Green Smoke for a couple of weeks but found myself smoking 1 then 2 then 3 etc. cigarettes.a day.
Then I met someone who "vaped" (used an e-cigarette that doesn't look like a cigarette) e-juice (a base liquid used in fog machines that may or may not contain nicotine of various levels and usually contains flavorings)'in a "Mod" (adjustable voltage battery that is intended to be used with various atomizers of e-juice) with a clearomizer (type of atomizer with a reservoir for e-juice). These Mods are commonly referred to as "PV's" (personal vaporizers) to distinguish the fact that they are not a cigarette to further distance oneself from cigarettes.
This vaper had tried the same things I had to quit smoking with the same negative results. He had success with PV's, so I researched and found the ECF forum which has tons of information about vaping and thousands of people that had successfully quit smoking by vaping. I ordered a Mod, various e-juice, and some clearomizers from an online store in New York that had a high rating among vapers.
Is it effective? The day I received my equipment is the last day I smoked a cigarette! Since then I have joined the ECF forum (which is like a support group to me) and have bought another mod and various other types of atomizers. I currently use a Smoktech Zmax mod and a Joyetech eVic mod. I use clearomisers, an RBA dripper, and an RBA tank style atomizers. I started with 24mg per ml nicotine content e-juice with tobacco flavoring. After about a week I no longer liked the smell of cigarettes and decided to try other flavors. I currently enjoy peanut butter, pineapple, citrus, and chocolate with peanut butter e-juices the most. I do not at all like the tobacco flavorings anymore. I have also reduced my nicotine level in e-juice to 12mg per ml and plan to reduce it even further.
Is it safe? I realize that vaping has not been proven safe, but the ad-hoc evidence that so many people have been vaping with improvement in health problems related to smoking leads me to believe that it must be safer than smoking. As an adult I feel I have the right to choose a safer alternative than smoking for myself. If you have by chance read the conclusion to the 2009 FDA study, you should dig deeper into the study itself to learn the actual results in comparison to what is considered safe. I believe you will find as I did that the study does not support the conclusion. The FDA asked health care providers to report adverse effects of e-cigarettes to the FDA MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program in 2009. A search of MedWatch came up with 1 result for e-cigarettes, which was the 2009 study itself further discrediting the conclusion to the study. The same however cannot be said for Nicorette, Zyban, and Chantix as the FDA has included numerous updated warnings due to the large amount of reported side effects. There are several studies recently out that show that vaping is a viable reduced risk alternative (RRA) to smoking. There is also evidence that there is no second hand health risks to vaping. As a side benefit, I no longer stink of cigarettes and the very small amount of smell in the air while I am vaping is pleasant, not pungent. Many renowned physicians are supporting vaping as a RRA.
The long and short of it is, I would still be smoking had I not found vaping with its diverse equipment and e-juices. I would still be inhaling the thousands of chemicals produced by the burning of a cigarette. Cigarettes are responsible for about 443,000 deaths a year in the USA alone, vaping 0. Which do you think I should choose?
E-cigarettes and other Tobacco Harm Reduction strategies: a collection of success stories
Just though I would share my testimonial and hope you do also.
This is what I submitted:
I was a long time smoker of over 30 years. Some people are not predisposed to addiction and can stop cold turkey or with the help of pharmaceuticals to prevent withdrawal. I am predisposed to addiction and was able to give up other addictive substances cold turkey throughout the years, however cigarettes proved to be a tough nut to crack. Those that are not predisposed to addiction, or that have not smoked long term cannot fully understand the grip that cigarettes can have on someone.
I tried nicotine patches and nicotine gum which did prevent nicotine withdrawal, however the long term habit itself led me back to smoking within weeks. My doctor prescribed Chantix which did take care of wanting a cigarette, however it felt like my head was in a vise and I could not think straight so I stopped taking it after a week.
I tried Green Smoke and Blu e-cigarettes that looked like a real cigarette, however both just didn't quite cut the withdrawal from nicotine. Stayed with the Green Smoke for a couple of weeks but found myself smoking 1 then 2 then 3 etc. cigarettes.a day.
Then I met someone who "vaped" (used an e-cigarette that doesn't look like a cigarette) e-juice (a base liquid used in fog machines that may or may not contain nicotine of various levels and usually contains flavorings)'in a "Mod" (adjustable voltage battery that is intended to be used with various atomizers of e-juice) with a clearomizer (type of atomizer with a reservoir for e-juice). These Mods are commonly referred to as "PV's" (personal vaporizers) to distinguish the fact that they are not a cigarette to further distance oneself from cigarettes.
This vaper had tried the same things I had to quit smoking with the same negative results. He had success with PV's, so I researched and found the ECF forum which has tons of information about vaping and thousands of people that had successfully quit smoking by vaping. I ordered a Mod, various e-juice, and some clearomizers from an online store in New York that had a high rating among vapers.
Is it effective? The day I received my equipment is the last day I smoked a cigarette! Since then I have joined the ECF forum (which is like a support group to me) and have bought another mod and various other types of atomizers. I currently use a Smoktech Zmax mod and a Joyetech eVic mod. I use clearomisers, an RBA dripper, and an RBA tank style atomizers. I started with 24mg per ml nicotine content e-juice with tobacco flavoring. After about a week I no longer liked the smell of cigarettes and decided to try other flavors. I currently enjoy peanut butter, pineapple, citrus, and chocolate with peanut butter e-juices the most. I do not at all like the tobacco flavorings anymore. I have also reduced my nicotine level in e-juice to 12mg per ml and plan to reduce it even further.
Is it safe? I realize that vaping has not been proven safe, but the ad-hoc evidence that so many people have been vaping with improvement in health problems related to smoking leads me to believe that it must be safer than smoking. As an adult I feel I have the right to choose a safer alternative than smoking for myself. If you have by chance read the conclusion to the 2009 FDA study, you should dig deeper into the study itself to learn the actual results in comparison to what is considered safe. I believe you will find as I did that the study does not support the conclusion. The FDA asked health care providers to report adverse effects of e-cigarettes to the FDA MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program in 2009. A search of MedWatch came up with 1 result for e-cigarettes, which was the 2009 study itself further discrediting the conclusion to the study. The same however cannot be said for Nicorette, Zyban, and Chantix as the FDA has included numerous updated warnings due to the large amount of reported side effects. There are several studies recently out that show that vaping is a viable reduced risk alternative (RRA) to smoking. There is also evidence that there is no second hand health risks to vaping. As a side benefit, I no longer stink of cigarettes and the very small amount of smell in the air while I am vaping is pleasant, not pungent. Many renowned physicians are supporting vaping as a RRA.
The long and short of it is, I would still be smoking had I not found vaping with its diverse equipment and e-juices. I would still be inhaling the thousands of chemicals produced by the burning of a cigarette. Cigarettes are responsible for about 443,000 deaths a year in the USA alone, vaping 0. Which do you think I should choose?
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