Older Folks and Vaping

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Ken62

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I will be the first to admit that vaping has given me the best chance to quit smoking in over 30 years. I came into it wanting to quit and it still isn't "Viola, I quit". I have been struggling with the addiction for 2 weeks, trying different systems/flavors/nic levels and only yesterday found a combination that I am sure will work - THANK GOD!

kariM, your comment "if I just continue myself - that at some point they too may decide to give this a try. It looks like you have been vaping for a longtime now" is probably your best approach :)

Don't get me wrong. I want to spread the joy to every smoker I know!!!!!!

I hope I made sense here
 
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Danidoo

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I am 38, I live in Florida, my family is in Chicago. Told my Mom I started vaping and stopped smoking cold turkey. She didn't sound too happy, especially when I told her to give it a try. I don't know how the vaping scene is in the Chicago area, but it seems like my Mom is oblivious to it, or misinformed. I tried to explain it over the phone, but she tells me there are more chemicals in ECigs. I was a smoker for 22 years, my Mom, most of her life, I know what chemicals taste like and I do not taste them in ECigs. Every non-smoker in my life gives me a tall thumbs up, but the smokers are very skeptical.

Hey Worzel - I am in the south Chicago suburbs. You do have to kinda hunt down information about vaping. There are stores here but they are not on every corner (like they are anywhere...) I wasn't the first vaper among my smoker friends but I was the first to try something other than a cheap cig-a-like. Once I got my kgo and showed them all it was super easy to get them, and many others, to convert.

The info out there is like another language when you first start looking. It is so overwhelming. My friends really appreciate the research I have done so they now don't have to and I can just tell them what to get. The real deal sealer is though when they can try mine. One puff and they all like the taste and feel. Then they see it can work. Add that to your personal story and they all wanna try too.

I think you may need to go visit!
 

MikeE3

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I am 38, I live in Florida, my family is in Chicago. Told my Mom I started vaping and stopped smoking cold turkey. She didn't sound too happy, especially when I told her to give it a try. I don't know how the vaping scene is in the Chicago area, but it seems like my Mom is oblivious to it, or misinformed. I tried to explain it over the phone, but she tells me there are more chemicals in ECigs. I was a smoker for 22 years, my Mom, most of her life, I know what chemicals taste like and I do not taste them in ECigs. Every non-smoker in my life gives me a tall thumbs up, but the smokers are very skeptical.

Here's an excerpt from an article about what's contained in tobacco cigarettes. Yikes! None of it is contained in the vapor of an e-cig which is:

  • 66% water
  • 13% alcohol
  • 3% PG
  • 1.4% nicotine
  • ...and around 17% not accounted for.

Regular cigarettes on the other hand contain literally thousands of chemicals. Over 599 chemicals are approved by the U.S. Government for use in e-cigarettes cigarettes. But when you light up, the burning causes some chemicals to change their composition…meaning, when you smoke, you’re actually ingesting some 4000 chemicals into your body!!

Of these, 69 are known carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents. Some of the most harmful include:

Acetone – found in nail polish remover
Ammonia – found in toilet bowl cleaner and other cleaning agents
Arsenic – found in rat poison and other insecticides
Benzene – found in paint stripper/mineral spirits
Cadmium – found in batteries
Carbon monoxide – commonly found in car exhaust
Hydrogen Cyanide – a substance used in gas chambers
Toluene – found in many industrial solvents
….and many more!!
To list all of the harmful chemicals in cigarettes would take all day…just listing a few though should give anyone pause, especially if they’re a smoker.

Batteries, cleaning solvents, nail polish remover? Yuck!! Most of us don’t relish the thought of ingesting those substances.

Edit: changed 'e-cigarettes' to 'cigarettes'
 
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Constance Shutts

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Funny how many of just wanted to cut down when we started vaping, only to find in time you were done with the cigarettes ...Woot!!!

I do understand how hard it is to convert some people to e-cigs. My husbands brothers and sisters seem to be vaping resistant....and keep puffing away. So on family gatherings in the cold they have to smoke outside...once I was one of those...now I'm warm and toasty at those gatherings...:)
 

Kat56

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    Funny how many of just wanted to cut down when we started vaping, only to find in time you were done with the cigarettes ...Woot!!!

    I do understand how hard it is to convert some people to e-cigs. My husbands brothers and sisters seem to be vaping resistant....and keep puffing away. So on family gatherings in the cold they have to smoke outside...once I was one of those...now I'm warm and toasty at those gatherings...:)

    That's been one of my favorite things about vaping. When I go to my daughter's or she comes here, I can still vape. She is really sensitive to cigarette smoke - for one thing it gives her a really bad headache. The vapor doesn't bother her YAY! Her hubby smokes but goes outside. I used to go out with him, but now I get to stay warm & toasty inside ~ YAYYYYY :D
     

    Janet H

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    Hi Janet

    I've considered that but I was on the gum and lozenges at one time and the 4mg
    was just fine. Maybe I don't drink enough water?

    No, the gum and lozenges only contain the nic. You can read about it here Whole Tobacco Alkaloids (WTA e-Liquid) FAQ | Vapelicious

    You do need to drink more water though because vaping tends to dry you out. Always a good idea to drink a lot of water though to flush out your body even if you don't vape.
     

    Janet H

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    Funny how many of just wanted to cut down when we started vaping, only to find in time you were done with the cigarettes ...Woot!!!

    I do understand how hard it is to convert some people to e-cigs. My husbands brothers and sisters seem to be vaping resistant....and keep puffing away. So on family gatherings in the cold they have to smoke outside...once I was one of those...now I'm warm and toasty at those gatherings...:)

    I agree Constance. If anybody tried to tell me how to quit it just made me want to smoke more. I think just being around them while you're vaping may cause them to ask questions and you might be able to get through to them as long as they're asking. When they know how you used to smoke and that you liked smoking they've got to wonder how you were able to give them up. We have a friend who smokes and he has a terrible cough and medical problems and knows he should quit, but so far we can't get him to try vaping. Even to just get him to cut down. Better not to push though. As with me, I tried it when I was ready. Meanwhile, I love not having to go out into the cold or feel like an outcast and I'm loving it!
     

    kariM

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    Regular cigarettes on the other hand contain literally thousands of chemicals. Over 599 chemicals are approved by the U.S. Government for use in e-cigarettes cigarettes. But when you light up, the burning causes some chemicals to change their composition…meaning, when you smoke, you’re actually ingesting some 4000 chemicals into your body!!

    Of these, 69 are known carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents. Some of the most harmful include:

    Acetone – found in nail polish remover
    Ammonia – found in toilet bowl cleaner and other cleaning agents
    Arsenic – found in rat poison and other insecticides
    Benzene – found in paint stripper/mineral spirits
    Cadmium – found in batteries
    Carbon monoxide – commonly found in car exhaust
    Hydrogen Cyanide – a substance used in gas chambers
    Toluene – found in many industrial solvents
    ….and many more!!
    To list all of the harmful chemicals in cigarettes would take all day…just listing a few though should give anyone pause, especially if they’re a smoker.

    Batteries, cleaning solvents, nail polish remover? Yuck!! Most of us don’t relish the thought of ingesting those substances.

    Edit: changed 'e-cigarettes' to 'cigarettes'

    Well my friend that so far is very resistant to e-cigarettes and I always joked that the formaldehyde must be what was "preserving" us and keeping us so young looking :D I guess if I start aging rapidly now - I will know that there must have been some true in it ;)
     
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    Old Curmudgeon

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    Constance Shutts

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    There was a time to keep at 2 PAD I used the gum and the lozenge. However they did not hold me and I would find myself edging up towards 2 1/2 PAD...I just couldn't seem to get enough nicotine. Sigh. But for some reason vaping changed that. In the first couple of weeks after I started the vaping, around the 1/2 pack a day mark I would use the gum for two or 3 hours in the afternoon and a lozenge at bedtime. Finally at about the 1 month mark I was down below 10 cigarettes and had given up the gum & lozenges. That next month every week I dropped about 3 cigarettes a week until I got down to 1 and when I got there I said this is silly. End of cigarettes...it was like my body was adjusting to the different absorbtion time from vaping and to the then 24 meg nicotine from the e-juice. Over the past year about every 3 months I dropped the e-juice level of nicotine until I am now at 6 meg.
     

    WallyO

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    ...it was like my body was adjusting to the different absorbtion time from vaping and to the then 24 meg nicotine from the e-juice. Over the past year about every 3 months I dropped the e-juice level of nicotine until I am now at 6 meg.

    That's the secret. It takes far longer for the nic in vapor to get absorbed into your body. A little patience pays off when waiting for the nic to reach your desired level.
    I used to think, what the heck, I'm not getting anything out of this. And a couple minutes later i'd get a pretty good nic buzz. I started at 18mg then went to 24 for a very short time and then back down again now mixing my DIY at around 12-14 mg. By the end of this year I would like to be at 6mg or less. Time will tell how that goes for me.
    I did pass a HUGE hurdle the other day. Took a trip to the casino and survived 6 hours just vaping. Good sign for me and after that I really do believe I'm done with burning.
     

    Old Curmudgeon

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    I did pass a HUGE hurdle the other day. Took a trip to the casino and survived 6 hours just vaping. Good sign for me and after that I really do believe I'm done with burning.

    Ah the Casino Test! I haven't been to Vegas in some time, but I would park myself
    at the slots, drink free Heineken and smoke like a forest fire.
    The next day, rinse and repeat unless it was early then I would find the nearest Barista.

    Six hours in that kind of environment is a milestone for sure.

    That's the trick I think, just allow your body to adjust to one method of nic delivery.
     

    WallyO

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    Ah the Casino Test! I haven't been to Vegas in some time, but I would park myself
    at the slots, drink free Heineken and smoke like a forest fire.
    The next day, rinse and repeat unless it was early then I would find the nearest Barista.

    Six hours in that kind of environment is a milestone for sure.

    That's the trick I think, just allow your body to adjust to one method of nic delivery.

    Yeah. I was pretty proud of myself. Even when I was at the 3 or 4 smokes a day point, when I'd go there it was a 2 pack sitting for sure. Glad I passed that summit and now I can just leisurely stroll back down.:)
     

    Constance Shutts

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    I had cinnamon lozenges..wow..what a bite those had. The gum would cause blisters in my mouth if I used it more than 3 hours per day.
    I quit cigarettes for 6 months once using just the gum..think my mouth is just now over that and that was about 2004..LOL Then I tried a product called "Smoke away" in the summer of 2005. That stuff stopped the cigarettes cold for about 2 or 3 months, then I seemed to need the gum and then wala..yup cigarrettes....from January 2006 to the day I went to vaping plus the other two...and the rest of the story is above. ^^
     

    Worzel

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    Welcome Worzel. I too have been trying to figure out my best friend (who has COPD) and my son. They both have been telling me for years that they want to quit smoking. Both have tried many times with the patch, nicorette, my friend with Chantix and even cold turkey. Neither have been able to quit.

    I really thought that once they saw how well I was doing with vaping that they would at least want to try - but nope they both congratulate me and say how glad they are that it is working for me. The last time I tried talking to my son - he indicated that I was lecturing him - standard "kid" behaviour - even though he is 33 - for I don't want to hear anymore. :headbang: So I now wait for him to come to me :(

    Now with my best friend - I have never once indicated that I want to quit smoking. In fact I have always smoked more than she has and basically have told her in the past - when she was trying to quit and I think wanted me to try with her - I DO NOT want to quit smoking. I like smoking and - well we all have to die from something right :ohmy:

    So that fact that I started vaping to just cut down on my smoking - but actually liked it soo much that I have not had a cigarette in over 6 weeks - just amazes me. Just last week when I was talking with her about my other son quiting with the patch (he has tried many times too) and that I gave him the information on ECF and vaping. I told him that if the patch doesn't work - please give this a try before you start smoking again. Well her response to me was - well he has to want to quit - or it won't work either. :rolleyes: Well all I said was I don't want to quit smoking - but somehow I just did ;)

    So - all I can figure out is that it just goes with the age old smokers resistance to anything or anyone "trying to make them quit. I know I have been there - in fact I was there just 6 weeks ago. Did I say I DO NOT want to quit. So for me it is just frustrating (since I wouldn't and don't even suggest to any smokers that they should try this, unless they ask about it) that neither of these two will even consider it - any they tell me all the time that they want to quit :blink:

    I was hoping that if I just continue myself - that at some point they too may decide to give this a try. It looks like you have been vaping for a longtime now - so I guess I might have to wait a long time for these too as well. Anyway - good luck with your Mom :)
    Sorry so late with this! I put up my post and run to work. I am notorious for it. Chicago may be a new thread for me. I converted two neighbors to these, one of them 62. She loves it and we have a chuckle over our quit stories. My Mom, I believe thinks that this is just too good to be real and afraid of that. My Dad is a nonsmoker and tells me all the time to talk Mom into doing it, but is so hard at such a distance! I would love to just get a nice starter kit and send it her way, I know what juice she would just love, but am afraid she would set it all in a closet or be ticked off at me. I tried vaping for a good stealth way around the smoking ban at work, but found I like it better than analogs. I had no intentions of quitting analogs when I bought that first disposable until the first time I inhaled that vapor, coughed up a lung, laughed, and enjoyed the rest of my break. Hooked from there! There is a huge difference in my breathing! My mood improved, and it is easier to go thru a workday without a break! Stopped PAD (on a good day) just like that! A miracle meant to happen!
     

    Worzel

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    Hey Worzel - I am in the south Chicago suburbs. You do have to kinda hunt down information about vaping. There are stores here but they are not on every corner (like they are anywhere...) I wasn't the first vaper among my smoker friends but I was the first to try something other than a cheap cig-a-like. Once I got my kgo and showed them all it was super easy to get them, and many others, to convert.

    The info out there is like another language when you first start looking. It is so overwhelming. My friends really appreciate the research I have done so they now don't have to and I can just tell them what to get. The real deal sealer is though when they can try mine. One puff and they all like the taste and feel. Then they see it can work. Add that to your personal story and they all wanna try too.

    I think you may need to go visit!

    I really need to visit and show this to Mom!
     

    Worzel

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    Ah the Casino Test! I haven't been to Vegas in some time, but I would park myself
    at the slots, drink free Heineken and smoke like a forest fire.
    The next day, rinse and repeat unless it was early then I would find the nearest Barista.

    Six hours in that kind of environment is a milestone for sure.

    That's the trick I think, just allow your body to adjust to one method of nic delivery.

    I did the Denny's test! Success! Sampler plate, Coke, and vape! Smokers looking at me in envy!
     
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