Never smoked. Start vaping?

[Ande]

Hmmmm. I do believe that there are some psychiatric/mental/chemical conditions for which nicotine can be beneficial.

I was once a CNA in a mental hospital, and the incidence of smoking in schizophrenics, for example (100%, and all heavy, in my experience) makes you think that there MUST be something to it.

Some theorize that most of us inveterate smokers are unknowingly using nicotine to self-medicate underlying mostly-undiagnosed mental health issues, and this is one of the reasons we find it so hard to quit. I have some personal reasons to believe that this is likely true in my case, though I don't have enough info to try to generalize to the whole population.

But WE ARE NOT DOCTORS, and neither are you. Nicotine is probably good for something. Most things found in nature are.

Is it good for your condition? No idea. Is it SO good for your condition that it justifies getting involved in what is, usually, a lifelong addiction with unpredictable consequences? My gut says probably not. But I can't claim to be sure.

That's where you need to talk it over with an open-minded physician with experience with ADD/ADHD. Find one you trust. Find one who isn't knee-jerk anti-nicotine if this is something that really appeals to you.

But my guess is, a good doctor is going to say "Hell NO!"

And is going to be right.


Best,
Ande

 

[stillalive]

Hi! I was a nonsmoker who took up vaping to help manage ADD symptoms (among many other things), and I actually started a thread for people like me! The link is in my signature, but here it is again:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...t-smoker-before-vaping-discussion-thread.html

I think it is completely up to you whether to start vaping or not. I generally vape 6-16mg nicotine, and I've had some really good results. However, I agree with dopamine that it's just not as effective as prescription treatments would probably be. If your doctor will prescribe you something and that something helps, you might not need nicotine. However, for a lot of us, our doctors can't or won't prescribe anything that works, and the nicotine does seem to help a little! It's definitely better than nothing for me.

The bottom line is that you are an adult, and if you research nicotine and decide it is for you, go for it! I've found that nicotine by itself, in an ecig, seems to be a lot less addictive than cigarettes. I'm not sure if it's something to do with the tobacco itself or just some extra additive big tobacco puts in to raise profits, but either way, people seem to be able to go without vaping much more easily than a smoker has to go without analogs!

Be safe, be smart, and make the best decision for you. Oh, and if you do decide vaping is for you, let me know or check out the classified forum. I and a lot of other people have starter kit stuff and e-juice for much cheaper than you'll find at a retail store! I really wish I'd made my first order from the classified section rather than wasting a bunch of money on stuff I turned around and re-sold within a couple of weeks. Hindsight is 20/20, right?

 

[phantom2x]

I like nicotine, and anyone else who 'needs' it does too. It takes all of about a week to lose the physical nicotine addiction. Quitting nicotine isn't hard, it's as simple as NOT doing something. People are hooked because they love it.

 

[madmartyr72]

NO, NO, NO! STAY AWAY! DEAD END! TURN BACK! NO EXIT!

Trust what all of us have to say about opening dangers you don't even need to be looking into! First off, I am really glad you decided to post first with your questions to seek advice. ECF is a forum dedicated to Electronic Cigarette's sure, but the 'fine print' reveals the painful truth - it is a forum mostly dedicated to people trying to overcome the addiction of smoking.

I, like the majority of the people on these forums, am an ex-smoker. I started smoking regularly at the age of 19, well after I was already out of high school. It was the dumbest thing I ever did in my life! Of course, I didn't realize how dumb I was until years later, after I became addicted, after it was too late. That's the catch...

You see, the addiction of smoking is only about 20% physical. The other 80% is mental, and that's what keeps you sucked in. The physical addiction to nicotine leaves a person's body in about 3 days, but the mental addiction will last a lifetime! I personally know people who quit smoking 40 years ago and to this day, STILL gets a craving to smoke, usually after they eat. Statistically, breaking free from both forms of addiction to smoking is worse than any drug addiction on Earth.

So, you may be wondering why I have taken the time to relay that little piece of information instead of just simply saying 'don't do it'? Here's why. Vaping is hands down the easiest method to stop smoking the world has ever known. But the keyword there is 'stop'. In essence, what vaping allows us to do is basically substitute one addiction for one that won't continue to kill us until we have a better grasp on our addictions and are able to quit for good. Were all ex-smokers here (mainly), but once upon a time in all our pasts, there was some reason why we began the habit. We wanted to look cool, feel older, eat less, join in, calm down, etc, etc, etc, the list goes on and on. But you know what, out of a million different reasons why we started, not one was good enough. Now granted, vaping is the healthy alternative to smoking, but not to someone who has never been addicted to it in the first place.

If you start vaping nicotine, not only is it going to probably make you sick at first, it will eventually make you 'addicted'. Even if you vape 0mg and find that just the act of vaping may produce a 'calming and more focused effect' upon your condition, well that too is an oxymoron, because now you may have opened Pandora's box to the worst aspect associated with smoking - the mental addiction.

Trust me, do yourself the biggest favor ever and don't drive down this road. There are other methods to combat ADD and this is not one of them...

 

[revolver]

You may wanna see a doctor and talk to them about your possibilities. Vaping doesnt seem to be it. Furthermore, this very questions makes you sound as if you could use some counselling... Dont get me wrong... Its just that it is a no-brainer.

Vaping is stupid and not to be done by any person who is not a smoker in the first place.

Maybe you were 'honestly' curious... But even then... Reconsider how obvious a "NO" is the sensible answer.

=)

 

[DarthSnoopyFish]

You should ask your DR this question.

 

[speedjason86]

Thanks for the late replies. I will make whats best for me decision.

 

[Penner]

"Never smoked. Start vaping?

To put it bluntly, are you out of your mind?!? A big NO NONONONO

 

[DC2]

Nicotine is starting to look like a promising treatment for many medical conditions.
But yeah, definitely talk to your doctor.

 

[washvap]

The big question is why?? Most of the people on here, including me are fighting our addiction to cigarettes and use e-cigs purely to try and extend our lifespan because we can't quit nicotine. Pure and simple, please don't start.

You'll regret it, trust me. Honestly not proud of my addiction but I gotta do what I gotta do to stay away from smoking another cigarette. If you wanna self medicate, there's other options out there.

 

[hairball]

My first reaction to this would be to tell you NO. However, it isn't. I suggest to please talk to your dr about your problem and hammer him with questions. Just don't leave any stone unturned before you choose to start vaping. Good luck and I hope you get the answers from your dr that you need to make a decision.

 

[llvickie]

Don't start! Hard to kick the addiction.

 

[ShannonA]

I have to pipe in for just a minute here. Do any of actually know how addictive nicotine IS or ISN't when its not in tobacco? Does anybody at all know that? Not that I'm aware of.

Talk to your doctor...perhaps talk to two or three doctors. Listen to their feedback and make your own adult decision. But please be aware e-cigs are fairly new and studies on their safety are incomplete...one thing is pretty much certain not smoking AND not vaping is safer than either or.

 

[billyboyxoxox]

Really, talk to a doctor first. You're not going to get medical advice on the ECF. I think the idea of getting addicted to nicotine is very stupid. That is exactly what will happen to you if you even try an e-cig. You will be addicted after the first five minutes and you won't even know it until you've suddenly spent all year going nuts for it. Don't buy an e-cig and don't start smoking. Stay away from nicotine. The only reason we use the e-cig is because most of us have already smoked cigarettes for many (over 30 years in my case) and we NEED a cleaner nicotine delivery method. E-cigs are for smokers who want to quit traditional cigarettes. Nicotine is a HIGHLY ADDICTIVE DRUG and nobody escapes the same as before.

 

[Cyatis]

Do any of actually know how addictive nicotine IS or ISN't when its not in tobacco?

No, because it is different for different people. Its like trying to explain how my father or gf just set down analogs to be never used again, and I struggle mightily without my fix and now vape.

E-cigs are for smokers who want to quit traditional cigarettes.

I'd say vaporizers are for people who could not quit smoking, because it a healthier alternative. I see no proof I could set my pv down completely and not start smoking again at this point. Harm reduction is obvious, however cessation device is an overstatement, because that implies that I should be able to just set the pv down at some point, and I would no longer have any addiction to nicotine.

To the OP, your an adult, I would advise against it. I will completely admit, I'm a terrible person to ask that question to.

 

[girlsaint]

Absolutely not. Do not start vaping. If you have ADD and you feel that you need to be medicated for it in some way, please see your doctor. We are here because we have developed some ritual hand to mouth addictions and nicotine dependency that many of us have tried EVERY other method out there to break. PV's are meant to be an alternative to tobacco, available without the byproducts of combustion. They are just not something for a non-smoking person to pick up and treat lightly.

 

[YetiHunter]

I'll keep this terse. I have mad general anxiety (not anymore, Zoloft is great), mad adhd, hypothyroidism, and plenty
of lovely other related ailments.

If you don't have an addiction to nicotine, DON'T USE NICOTINE.

If you are addicted to nicotine, and have recently discovered that you have any sort of "mental illness", quick the cigs
and move to snus or e-cigs....you'll be using them for the rest of your life.

Concerning the OP; I'd check into the anxiety angle well before you do anything stupid like start vaping. ADD and G.A.S./OCD look remarkably similar to the trained outside observer. A good half of people with Adult ADD have got
some sort of co-morbid anxiety disorder. I repeat, check into it.

Yes, I understand that ADD meds can really suck. But trust me, they'll suck even harder when you're experiencing
stimulant induced manias thanks to the ridiculous nicotine cravings you'll experience on them.... please be smart.

 

[nocturn4l3030]

i feel like i have ADHD/ADD too.. I haven't been diagnosed but I'm pretty sure I have a form of it. .maybe mild. Everytime I study.. I can never ever concentrate and I have trouble concentrating to professors in class too

That said, nicotine does NOT help me study or concentrate more.. Nicotine is not the route to take. Addictions in general are bad, there's no reason to become addicted to nicotine.

That said if u want to play with a vapor with 0mg nicotine, sounds fine to me -.-

 

[madmartyr72]

But please be aware e-cigs are fairly new and studies on their safety are incomplete...one thing is pretty much certain not smoking AND not vaping is safer than either or.

ShannonA hit the nail right on the head with this statement. It is true, the jury is still out on just how 'safe' vaping really is, but the one thing that is for certain is that it IS safer than smoking! Keep in mind that nicotine is a stimulant and a poison and is highly addictive.

I have noticed that a lot of advice you are getting on this post is to go see a doctor before you make a decision. Understand something, these are people who just 50 years ago would tell a person to pick up smoking as a way to calm themselves! I think our society places way too much trust in doctor's. Granted, doctor's nowadays know about the dangers of nicotine and smoking so you should get sound advice on that topic from any doctor in the country, but be weary. Doctor's are the biggest drug pushers in the world, plain and simple. If a smoker who wants to quit goes to a doctor, most can't write you a prescription fast enough for Chantix, a drug that has unbelievable side effects and has helped to kill hundreds if not thousands. Bottom line is, ecigs are still too new to get any kind of sound advice from a doctor. They will however tell you all about the dangers of nicotine.

 

[starrynight]

Also lets factor in the "hand to mouth " addiction. I bought a ton of nicorrette lozengers the same day as my first pv to "mix it up" while getting off smokes. Well, guess what is sitting in a drawer untouched.