My vaping experience, consequences of too much vaping

[MikeE87]

I started smoking regular cigs at age 16. At the beginning, I would only smoke when hanging out with friends or going to a party. I could hardly smoke, because I was living with my parents. My mom had hawkeyes and a badger's nose. Anyway, when I went to college, my cigarette smoking picked up a little bit. First year of college, I would smoke reagularly and it was becoming a habit. By second year, I was at the peak of my smoking career. Compared to others, I would not say that I was smoking too much. I would try to limit my self to a pack a week. By the third year of college I was on the road to recovery. I tried using nicotine patches and just going cold turkey. There were times when I had indulgences. I also thought that switching to smoking hookah was better, but who was I kidding. Hookah may have been even worse. However, I knew in the long term that I wanted to be free from the smoking addiction/ habit completely before it took over my lifestyle. I'm happy to say that was able to get rid of my addiction towards the end of college. Sure there were again the occasional hookah sessions (maybe once or twice in a month), but I knew that I would never again turn to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

The hookah habit is what made e cigs so appealing to me. I've been hearing all the stories of how vaping is safe. I think it is true. I feel healthier and vaping seems to only have a very mild influence on my physical activity (like running in a 5k). However, vaping is nowhere as close to the out of breatheness that I used to feel in my chest when smoking regular cigarettes or even hookah.

My point of this post is ask about your experience with vaping and whether or not you see it as an addiction/ problem. I know that for some people it has helped them quit cigs, which I believe is good because of the known and tested chemicals. Vaping is still vague IMO of the long term consequences. I've also heard some people say that they never smoked before and vaping started their addicition. Of course you can get addicted to anything, like food. My question is what are your thoughts on the effects of being addicted to vaping?

 

[MikeE87]

I am currently trying to quit vaping also, but I bought so many supplies and juices.

 

[Purplepeeps]

Personally, for me, it's an addiction replacement and it's keeping me from smoking. Right now, I have no intention of quitting vaping.

 

[Miira]

I think it's preferable to smoking, but I'd rather not be addicted to nicotine at all. It's expensive, socially limiting, and it causes anxiety(when faced with the possibility of the thing you're addicted to being inaccessible). Obviously, these things can be overcome, but that doesn't make them into positives.

 

[MikeE87]

That's great. I remember the days when I used to smoke cigs. I would get bad headaches and more intense nicotine cravings. I am currently sticking to 6mg juice. I vowed to never go higher to 12 mg. For me, I find the worst part of vaping to be the cost.

Personally, for me, it's an addiction replacement and it's keeping me from smoking. Right now, I have no intention of quitting vaping.

 

[OBDave]

Cost is what you make it (I, obviously, made it a lot). It took 18mg to get me off a 15 year habit (pretty much half my life), but I've since stepped down to 12mg and then 6mg - I may eventually reach a level of 0 nic, but at this point I intend to continue vaping because it's the physical act of smoking that I enjoy more than the consumption of nicotine and smoke in and of itself - though there was a point that I believed that was what I really wanted.

 

[RogerWilco357]

I started at 24 mg down to 18mg 6 months in but not till i discovered the flavors out there as i was strictly on JC's juice that i went more for the enjoyment of vaping the custards and fruits out there. That the 12mg worked fine and now after a year I am at 6mg on the flavors I love to taste like my cola or piece of pie i have now and then..Just for the taste of it do i vape the nicotine is still there but not at the high level or frequency it was before. I find myself vaping maybe once a day and thats it..unlike when i chain smoked all day A pack A day. My wife has also followed me on this journey and she also quit smoking at the same time now its more for the flavor but she still likes the nicotine at 12mg...oh well maybe this time next year i will be nic free and vape free...never know..moderation is the key to all things even McDonalds is bad if eaten daily..lol

 

[erazzz]

I tried to smoke hookah as a cigarette alternative too LOL. Only worked because it was a pain to set up and gave me awful headaches. Ended up smoking again anyways.

At the moment, I don't plan to quit vaping. I'm almost at 0mg nic but even then, I don't think I'll quit. Maybe one day, but I'll quit when the time is right.

 

[PeppermintPatty]

I've also heard some people say that they never smoked before and vaping started their addicition.

Who is that? I am curious, I have never read that anywhere, and I am a no nic, never smoked vaper, so I often follow non-smoker vaping discussions on here. I am very interested to hear those stories. I don't doubt it is possible, if folks are using nicotine, but I am just curious as to how often it happens.

 

[cocacola31173]

i DIY and the advantage of that I can make my nic anything I want it to be. I had started out at 18 mg and now at 6. In the beginning it was all about the throat hit but now I find I don't really like it anymore. Last night I whipped up a few bottles of 0 nic and going to adjust down to that. I too just like the act of vaping cause now I don't have any cravings...even at 6 mg. I still want to enjoy it but not have to worry about having it all the time.

 

[Dominique Hoogduin]

In enjoy vaping and alot of it. Using low nic so that explains the ALOT of it but thats just when im at home. At work i dont nearly vape as much as i smoked. Really dont need to light something and smoke it to the .... or else its a waste

Also using the lowest nic setting avaiable. if it be smoking 36 nic that much id be worried

 

[Bigflyrodder]

It's an addiction replacement for me but, at least for now, I'm not worried about that at all. I feel better now that I am not smoking two packs a day.

 

[VAscooter]

It's a replacement to help me stay off the analogs. I try and vape a lower nicotine juice but have higher nicotine for those times when I feel like I'm getting close to lighting up. My goal is to keep reducing the nicotine level to zero. I have no intention of giving up e cigs any time soon.

 

[Elim]

I can say that I agree with most here. Honestly feel like people like myself that smoked heavily have turned to vaping as a replacement. Moreso than hoping to quit vaping as well, I am just hoping to reduce my nicotine intake from 6, to 3, to 0 and hopefully by then I stopped buying vaping toys.

 

[Craybee]

when i first started vaping i bought a cig-a-like starter kit and thought i'd be vaping the same way i smoked, which was a ciggie every 4-6 hours or so. but once i realized that there was practically no smell and that i didn't have to sneak out on the balcony when my S.O. wasn't looking, or sneak in the bathroom with a can of lysol, i found myself vaping all the time. i even do it when i'm at work. at first i was really concerned about the amount of vaping i was doing but i estimate that i probably go through about 2ml a day at a nic strength of 18mg. soon i'm gonna step down to 12mg juice and see if my vaping stays the same or increases. if it stays as is then i'll just make that my standard nic level for awhile.

 

[YKruss]

For me vaping is not an addiction but a dependency, I am not worried at all:

 

[MikeE87]

I too am curious to see how often this happens, as I hear that alot of young people are starting to vape. I wonder if those that vape first and never smoked a cig before decided to do so because of the nicotine craving or just to try it. In a way Hookah did help me quit regular cigarettes, mainly because of the better tasting flavors for me and that it was a bit healthier (i think). As I became educated on the effects of cigarette tobacco and the chemicals, I told myself it was time to quit cigs for sure.

Who is that? I am curious, I have never read that anywhere, and I am a no nic, never smoked vaper, so I often follow non-smoker vaping discussions on here. I am very interested to hear those stories. I don't doubt it is possible, if folks are using nicotine, but I am just curious as to how often it happens.

 

[MikeE87]

For me vaping is not an addiction but a dependency, I am not worried at all

Nice way to describe a relationship with e-cig. I feel the same in my situation. My vaping habits are not too bad to the point that I would call it an addiction, just a reliance or dependency. I'll know when I'm addicted when I start finishing a bottle a day.

 

[Fulgurant]

I think it's preferable to smoking, but I'd rather not be addicted to nicotine at all. It's expensive, socially limiting, and it causes anxiety(when faced with the possibility of the thing you're addicted to being inaccessible). Obviously, these things can be overcome, but that doesn't make them into positives.

"Socially limiting?"

By that are you (redundantly) referring to the anxiety you mention in the same breath, or are you referring to something else? I'm curious.

 

[jcalis1394]

Non smoker vaper here, 8 months. (Was a social smoker, roughly 1-2 cigs a week if any)

I have vaped with and without nicotine, specially at the beginning where I didn't have a lot of options/knowledge and only knew a local B&M that didn't have 0 nic at the moment, lowest they had was 6mg. I mostly vape 0 nic. (And by mostly, I mean the occasional "hey bud, try this new flavor I got, it's 6mg shouldn't be harsh for you!" and when I'm mixing up a recipe and need to test the smoothness and throat hit) I'm not a fan of throat hit, and I'm not a fan of how nicotine affects the flavor in e-juices. I'm a flavor junkie and nicotine just gets in the way of that.

To me it's not an addiction or dependency. It's a hobby. I can go days without vaping and not noticing it, and I never get a real "urge" to vape. I just know, like with food, that there's something tasty in that tank, and take a vape. I love rebuilding attys and trying new crazy coils, testing the newest RDA/RTA and brands of e-juices, DIY'ing hundreds of recipes. It's quite the hobby.