Stop saying you quit smoking!

[PlanetScribbles]

It is not a misconception on my part that I gave up smoking, I did give up smoking.
I know this much because I no longer smoke cigarettes, I have not smoked a cigarette for eight months.
But if I am required to say that black is white, that carrots are in fact peas, then I will. If US legislatures are really that dense then I will pander to them.
So ... here goes ...

An apology ...
I have in the past stated as fact that I quit smoking by using an e-cig. This is simply not true, on contemplation.
I would like to offer a complete and utter retraction of the statement. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, was in no way fair comment and was motivated purely by my own vanity. I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused to US and UK legislatures, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such misinformation at any time in the future. At no time have I intentionally used an e-cigarette for the sole purpose of smoking cessation and I apologise for any insinuation that I may have. I would also like to apologise profusely for my neglectful behaviour in avoiding my civil duty to pay sin-tax on said addiction during my phantom quit attempt.
I would also like to say, for the record, that under no circumstances should any alternative method of obtaining nicotine, other than the wonderful smoking cessation products produced by Johnson & Johnson for the express purpose of providing nicotine, ever be used by minors and persons of under age

Yep. I think that should do it.

 

[taz3cat]

The summer of 2008 we asked the suppliers to stop making health claims and they could not see reason. They too said we want to help people quit smoking and you see what happened, they gave the FDA the opening, excuse and every reason the FDA can use to ban e-cigarettes. Everyone can do what they want and I do wish everyone luck cause the FDA is going to ban PVs cause they are used to quit smoking (drug delivery system) they really don't need much more ammo. Forums are being quoted at Research meeting and in research papers already. We are on a state by state death march now. The one or two that we have held back. will cave in when a few more states ban the PVs.

The groups working hard behind to scenes to halt the tide are getting tired of trying to keep the PV legal, while everyone is quitting smoking. I am so proud of everyone for quitting smoking.

Most people equate quitting smoking with quitting nicotine and the whole 9 yards, I guess it does sound wonderful and someone would have a lot more to be proud of that way. Since people did not quit nicotine, only gave up the combustion for vaping do they feel they have less to be proud of?

Smokers are sick and tired of all these people trying to get them to quit smoking, vapers are becoming just another bunch of nanny's. Just ask any smoker that knows any vapers.

Asking them to try vaping when they can't smoke will work better. Telling them you like vaping better than smoking is better than nagging them to quit smoking and take up vaping, unless someone doesn't feel this is not true.

I think I will go back to work on some projects that will benefit the Vaping Movement and let everyone keep quitting smoking.

By they way there are 3 or 4 groups that could use some people to help with projects they are working on.

 

[(So) Jersey Girl]

I consider myself an "accidental" quitter. I bought my first electronic cigarette solely because it would save me money and could be used indoors. If anyone asks me if I quit, I tell them I switched to a safer alternative. And yes, e-cigs are safer due to the simple fact that I no longer am burning anything and am not risking burning my house down or causing an accident fumbling around in the car looking for the matches or lighter I always seemed to lose.

I had to see a new doctor yesterday and for the first time time in over 30 years I could answer "No" to the question "do you smoke?" Hooray!

 

[kristin]

What you folks who say "I quit smoking" don't understand is that anyone who doesn't vape STILL CONSIDERS YOU A SMOKER because you are still addicted to nicotine. It doesn't matter what you say - they don't believe you have "quit smoking" unless you kick the nicotine habit too. And even those who use zero nic - they think you are still "addicts" as well, because you haven't stopped the "smoking-like" behavior.

We need to get non-vapers to understand the distinction - that "switching" is just as good as quitting and that using nicotine is not as bad as smoking. Be proud that you "switched!"

If you are planning on quitting vaping - fine, whatever, do what you want. But if you plan to continue vaping as a recreational/theraputic activity, we still need to change the public perception that vaping is not just a temporary activity meant to get people to quit nicotine.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Kristin--I really do not think people look down on nicotine use in and of itself. It is compatable to caffeine (ever see most people in the morning function without their first cup of coffee?)

It is the whole "package" so to speak about blowing clouds around in a room holding this object that looks like a cigarette while their kids are watching.

These people, and that is the vast majority, do not care about our issues----all they care about is "get it out of my face". That is never going to change. I contend that efforts are better spent making sure our ability to vape is not infringed upon to the point of being rendered useless.

The FDA will have regulation over the e-cig no matter what happens. SE, NJOY and Judge Leon all concur that that is already a given. Reducing the nicotine to a level that is not acceptable to be effective will render the e-cig useless.

So these efforts are best advanced at preservation as that is where we are headed. If the FDA mandates 4 mg or even 18mg, that would destroy vaping as an alternative for many.


Sun

 

[kristin]

If they didn't have a problem with nicotine in and of itself, they wouldn't have banned nicotine lollipops and lip balm. The majority of non-vapers do not see nicotine as "innocent" as caffiene.

Go to a quit smoking site and see what they say about your continued nicotine use.

Trust me - the antis want a prohibition on nicotine if they can get it and there is still widespread misunderstanding of the dangers (or lack thereof) of nicotine in the general public.

Ask Bill Godshall - he'll tell you. He opened my eyes to just how cultish and prohibitionist these people really are.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Kristin--I am talking about the public, not the FDA. As for banning nicotine, the FDA can not do it in tobacco products. The statute specifically addresses that issue. You were talking about public perception and in my opinion it is the "smoking image" that is in issue, not the use of nicotine. I never heard anyone get up in arms over a nicotrol inhalor or gum in use.

As for the Nicotine Lollypops and the like---they folded instead if litigating the issue like SE and NJOY are doing now.


Sun

 

[kristin]

OK, Sun, we'll just have to agree to disagree about this. (love ya - don't want to fight, lol)

But it couldn't hurt to try, either!

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Kristin---Not really anything to disagree about!!! We all quit analogs and we switched to vaping. That is a good thing!! Let's just hope the FDA keeps it real as they do not listen to anyone that is not relevent to them.


Sun

 

[Janetda]

Wow, this was interesting. As I've said, I vape because I like it better, but I did expected to get kudos from my friends and family. Instead, I've yet to meet a non-smoker who thinks I quit smoking, except my doctor. I've also yet to meet a non-smoker who buys the whole 'nicotine is only as bad as caffeine' argument either. My grown kids still think it's completely disgusting and won't talk to me about it or read anything I send them. Now I'm just killing myself and everyone around me with an new device. Thank goodness my DH is 100% behind me. I don't think it matters what we call it. People are going to think what they want.

 

[DC2]

I don't think it matters what we call it. People are going to think what they want.

Exactly what I think.

My wife supports me 100% as well, and doesn't care if I ever stop vaping.
In fact, she takes a drag or two sometimes, to taste what I'm up to.


But she's never going to start using it, ever.

My father, on the other hand, keeps asking how long I'm going to keep using it.
But I continue to educate him, and he is backing off more and more.

We quit smoking, and now we need to follow that up with education.
That is the position I take.

 

[kristin]

People CAN change their minds, if they are given the right information.

Look at me - I was completely against snus until I learned more about it and it's what finally helped my husband switch over to ecigs and lower his nic level from 36mg to 12mg.

Even if these are ruled tobacco products, we still need to fight negative public perceptions or we will continue to be social pariahs. Vaping needs to be seen as a final solution, not just a step towards nicotine cessation.

If nothing else, qualify statements such as, "I was able to quit smoking by successfully switching to vaping."

 

[basic_atheist]

So these efforts are best advanced at preservation as that is where we are headed. If the FDA mandates 4 mg or even 18mg, that would destroy vaping as an alternative for many.


Sun

Thanks for bringing that up...

Hmmm... let's look at the cessation dosages.

The Patch ranges from 7 to 21 mg, but it's a transdermal system... so count that reference out.

Nicotine Gum is 2 or 4 mg... it enters the mouth
Nicotine Lozenges are 2 or 4 mg... oral again
Nicotrol Inhaler comes in 10 mg carts, but only 4 mg is administered. It's both an oral and respiratory system, but mostly oral and throat.

There are other tobacco products (non cessation products) which are FDA regulated from 1.5 to 4 mg, but I will purposely fail to mention them here. Some of you already know what they are anyway.

So... let's say one day that a liquid nicotine solution did pass with flying FDA colors and is marketed as another tobacco product. I seriously doubt the dosage would be anything higher than 4 mg and it would probably have to be already sealed in a cartridge. Probably like a cartomizer. I hate those things!

Basic conclusion = If you haven't already done so, start stepping down right now... sh11t!... I'm still at 24mg! Where's the PANIC button on this thing?

--- EDIT ---
Correction.
Ooops... I forgot much of the PV nicotine solution is dextrorotatory (LH) nicotine. It's weaker than natural (levorotatory [RH]) nicotine. LH is about half the strength of RH as I understand. So the regulated LH version would probably be about 8 mg MAX, since it is weaker than what the FDA has already approved in a nicotrol inhaler [which is S-(RH)-]... Ummm, I think that's right. I could be wrong there again.

 

[ChipCurtis]

Over 67.74% of the respondents switched to "continue to have a "smoking-like" experience, but with reduced health risks." Only 7.68% wanted to use them as a step down program to quit their nicotine addiction ie. quit smoking. More people switched for the cost than to quit smoking. You're actually in the minority if you bought these to quit altogether.

I hadn't had a chance to look at the poll, but am wondering if you divided your responses down by age groups?

If you did, I would think that younger people, 15 to 30 (roughly) fall into the "no intention to quit" area, while most older folk looked at the PV as "the perfect excuse to quit". Both my wife and I (in our 40s) have berated each other for years for not quitting, and supported each other trying to find ways to do so. She went thru gums, inhalers and patches. Nothing worked. Nothing worked for me either, until the e-cig.

What makes the e-cig so unique in the "ways to get off real cigarettes" arena is that (and this is a big part of what's behind the anti's psychology)... It's a fun way to stop smoking analogs. This is what has the anti's pants all in a bunch. They just can't stand that there is a way to quit that makes it so easy and non-punishing, and also no way to receive $$ to keep their anti organizations afloat.

If you still use nicotine, a large part of the public still views you as smoking. We need to get "reduced harm tobacco product" to be accepted as a product and use, for exactly the reasons Taz stated.

Well, if you still use nicotine in the form of gums or patches, how can the anti's say you're "still smoking"? What are they going to do, go up to every person and check what's underneath their shirt, or check what you're chewing on? The problem with PVs is that they are out in the open, they look like smoking, and they reinforce a human behavior pattern that drives the anti's up the wall.

Another thing that drives them up the wall: when you say you "quit smoking" using the PV, in their view you are stealing their thunder and co-opting their phrase. The anti's feel that the phrase "Quit Smoking" belongs to them, and should only be used in the ways that they have pre-determined are best for you to quit. They actually feel that you are "stealing their intellectual property" by promoting the use of the phrase "Quit Smoking" without actually supporting their organizations.

I don't think most anti groups are intelligent enough to even distinguish between smoking and nicotine. They don't. BOTH words are a forbidden concept in their lexicon.

 

[similost]

People CAN change their minds, if they are given the right information.

Look at me - I was completely against snus until I learned more about it and it's what finally helped my husband switch over to ecigs and lower his nic level from 36mg to 12mg.

Even if these are ruled tobacco products, we still need to fight negative public perceptions or we will continue to be social pariahs. Vaping needs to be seen as a final solution, not just a step towards nicotine cessation.

If nothing else, qualify statements such as, "I was able to quit smoking by successfully switching to vaping."

Granted, people can change their minds, but as long as you have the busy bodies in the world, you will never change the perception of the whole..

We are outcasts from society so long as we are the minority, and I don't ever see the majority of the public taking up PV's..

Just something you gotta face. Try as you might to change the minds of people, but when you are talking about a habit including a drug that is used by the minority of the people, you'll never get them to understand and leave you alone. It will always be an uphill battle trying to keep it legal and unchanged.

 

[PlanetScribbles]

You only have to look at the hateful vitriol being slung about ref healthcare reform to see that the health of the majority comes a very definite second to the bank balances of the minority. It's quite sickening really.
My point is that no argument on the health merits of the e-cig v smoking matters one iota. They could be completely harmless and that wouldn't change the public's narrow perception on the issue. Smokers can crash and burn with a great big pat on the back from the antis and big pharma.
We're on our own, and it will be a no holds barred war of attrition between good and evil.

 

[JerryRM]

Granted, people can change their minds, but as long as you have the busy bodies in the world, you will never change the perception of the whole..

We are outcasts from society so long as we are the minority, and I don't ever see the majority of the public taking up PV's..

Just something you gotta face. Try as you might to change the minds of people, but when you are talking about a habit including a drug that is used by the minority of the people, you'll never get them to understand and leave you alone. It will always be an uphill battle trying to keep it legal and unchanged.

Anyone who doesn't follow the crowd, is considered an "outcast from society". I like to ride an electric bicycle in the warmer weather and I have gotten dirty looks because I am not driving a car like everyone else.

We have two choices, continue to do our own thing and be considered an outcast, or get in line and follow the sheeple and be part of "society". It's not just about e-cigs, it's about anything that the majority doesn't do.

 

[similost]

Anyone who doesn't follow the crowd, is considered an "outcast from society". I like to ride an electric bicycle in the warmer weather and I have gotten dirty looks because I am not driving a car like everyone else.

We have two choices, continue to do our own thing and be considered an outcast, or get in line and follow the sheeple and be part of "society". It's not just about e-cigs, it's about anything that the majority doesn't do.

Exactly the point I was trying to get at, and when you include even a legal drug, it becomes even more so..

It's funny when my wife and I are out on the motorcycle, especially in cool weather and we are in leathers.. The looks my wife gets from people, especially mothers with kids as they coddle the kids away from her is hilarious..

My wife is an every day normal person with a great job in the legal field.. yet you would think she was a member of Manson's family just because she looks "tough" in her leathers.. It's a hoot and we laugh about it all the time..

I'm used to living as an outcast, and as I tell others, if you don't like what you see, then look the other way, because I'm gonna be me and I don't care what you think or want me to do..

 

[tmbrown327]

For me anyway, the question has always been posed as 'do you smoke regular cigarettes anymore?', and I say no. I try to avoid the question of nicotine altogether if possible. If someone asks if the juice contains nicotine, I say 'it can', rather than answering them directly what MY juice contains.

 

[HighHeeledGoddess]

Quit sort of implies that you have overcome the 'smoking' habit and/or nico addiction.

But, I have. I see where people are going with this, but I honestly did quit smoking. The first 3 weeks with my PVs was torture. I'm not going to diminish the work I did, and the battle I won.

I do not crave my PV like I did a cigarette. Use of my PV is by deliberate choice every time, not compulsion as it was to light up a cigarette.

The people in government who would want to ban these do not care about us, and our rights anyway, so playing word games will not effect them. Their orders come from on high, not the people. Do you think the majority of citizens give a rip about PVs, or even know what they are in many cases?

These are the people who brought us warrant-less road blocks and wire tapping, cameras on the street corners, taxes on everything, smoking bans everywhere, etc. These people could care less about us whether we "switched" or "quit" is irrelevant to them.