Submitted for your consideration: Smoking Replacement Therapy

[Thulium]

Smoking Replacement is the philosophy that rather than simply replacing the nicotine, we want to replace the experience of smoking through substitution or virtual reality. We are not attempting to treat, diagnose, or cure any medical condition, we are attempting to replace an unhealthy behavior with one that is equally or more rewarding. Smoking Replacement does not require FDA approval as smoking can be replaced with activities that may or may not involve food or drugs--you don't need FDA approval to publish a book designed to be read during your smoke break, but the "jury is still out" on whether you need FDA approval for smoking replacements that include nicotine. We can package this meme into a theory to be submitted for publishing in the appropriate reviews and evaluated on its legal, scientific, and medical worth.

This morning it occurred to me that this is a concept we might be able to rally behind. As an organization, we could conduct studies with MrKai's potential iPhone app to measure the relative effectiveness of various smoking replacements with or without nicotine replacement. As I mentioned above, I'd also be interested in finding various professionals (doctors, lawyers, psychologists) who might be interested in publishing a thesis for peer review.

I suspect that packaging this idea into a carefully crafted meme could make significant advances for our cause. FDA approval becomes somewhat irrelevant if our focus is on behavior replacement and self help. Smoking Replacement Therapy, like other homeopathic remedies, only advises the inclusion of pharmacologically active ingredients like nicotine when its benefit outweighs the risks.

I found this article on the topic: Replacement Therapy - Things to Do Instead of Smoking

One of the Smoking Cessation forum's spunkiest and most determined quitters has got to be Kerri (aka Wonder Woman). Kerri has an outstanding quit story on our site quitsmoking.about.com, and has always been a source of inspiration for myself and many other forum members. One of the things she has been very open about, is that at around three or four months, she experienced a real wall in her process. She realized that it had to do with the extra time we have that smoking takes up, something we don't always realize from the start.

When you think about it - it took me about 7- 10 minutes to smoke a sickorette, depending on whether I was in a rush, or lounging at home writing in my journal. I smoked about a pack a day, and was getting to the point of smoking more. There were 25 sicks in a pack. Times that by 30 and thats 300 minutes, or about 5 hours a day. So let's give some leeway and say you don't smoke as much, we'll even give more time and round it down to 3.5 hours a day. Three hours a day!! Spent feeding our addictions. OH what we could do with that precious, precious time. Not to mention the incredible life force and energy the poison sucks out of us (and we think we're the ones inhaling!).

So what does one do when one quits? For Kerri, it was discovering new hobbies and interests. First it was knitting, then it was running, now she's a marathon runner. Now that's finding a constructive way to fill your time. For Maria it was cycling with her husband and getting fit at the gym, after just over a year, she has a stomach you could slice bread on.

For me unfortunately, it's been food! But as mentioned earlier, that is definitely changing. I did start to crochet earlier on, but never really could stick to it. When we were kids, we always found time to play, time to explore, time to create. We never thought about smoking or missing a crutch. Perhaps this is like a second childhood in a way, an opportunity to re-discover new things, pour our energies into something we want to build, make or discover.

In the Nicotine Withdrawal Category of About.com Smoking Cessation is a list of 101 things to do instead of smoke. It's an excellent list, and I've copied some of my favourites below. If you're about to quit, start researching things you've always wanted to do (I really want a karaoke machine - now that I can hit those notes again, I used to love to sing!), and if you've already quit, keep exploring. There's a whole huge healthy world out there with tons to do and learn, and now you've got the money to do it, and the most precious commodity of all, time.

• Do a jigsaw puzzle, or work with clay.
• Go for a run or a swim, or even the best excercise of all...go for a walk.
• Write a poem, a short story, a love letter.
• Go outside and take pictures of your favourite park, building or statue.
• Take an exotic cooking class.
• Learn a new language.
• Organize your boxes of pictures, create memorable and interesting captions for them.
• Visit the SPCA and adopt a pet, or go get a fish - aquariums are loads of fun.
• Go to a Karaoke place and sing, sing, sing!

Find something you love. Make a list of your interests; it can even be things you wanted to do when you were a child. Anything goes, just rediscover what it was that brought you happiness and find ways to implement it into your life. Take the time you have and spend it on yourself.

It's your gift to you!

The 102nd thing to do instead of smoke? Use an e-cigarette (with or without nicotine).

 

[kinabaloo]

While that is all well and good, many people are interested in their freedom of choice and pursuit of happiness; they want to stop inhaling smoke but still be free to vape as it doesn't affect others.

So I really dislike the 'therapy' angle. CASAA should not be an anti-nicotine organisation. This sounds like it is just a sub-theme of the anti-pleasure, quit all 'evils' meme.

Not interested in a Vapers Anonymous. Sounds like a trojan horse straight from ASH HQ.

 

[mtndude]

I like it, but I also agree that the word therapy has some turn-offs. From the legal aspect it makes perfect sense.

+ Seems like the hip do-all word with CASAA has been "Alternatives", always something to fall back on. Not to say it would be appropriate in this case.

 

[Robert]

I take lots of pictures- mostly picture of what ever I'm currently putting my nicotine in- maybe you can send me some literature on crocheting- scarfs are nice.........lol

I dunno- I'm going with Kinabaloo on this- Soldiers hiding inside, maybe.

 

[breakfastchef]

I have no clue what CASAA is. I do not want someone representing me without having more information about what they stand for or what they are tyring to accomplish. The smae could be said about the Electronic Cigarette Association (ECA). I really do not necessarily approve of being represented by organizations that pop up out of nowhere.

kinabaloo brings up a very good point that classifying the e-cig as a 'therapy' may not be the smartest way to market or argue the reason for the product. We all know why the e-cig was developed. Since the e-cig can create a new habit while reducing the harm we do to ourselves by smoking analogs, it is still untested in the way the FDA of the U.S requires of such a product.

The issue surrounding e-cigs has been elevated from a simple marketing issue to something a lot more important. Whether it involves real safety of using the devices or lost tax revenue to the government is yet unclear.

 

[mtndude]

breakfastchef,

Welcome to the debate. CASAA is being shaped as these kinds of discussions go on. Thulium posted his notion on a new thread to keep it separate from the other ongoing discussions regarding the organization of the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association. By expressing your opinion, you are doing your part to contribute to what CASAA is ultimately to be...

Oh, what I meant to say, was.. "Hey, I live in Roan Mountain"

 

[RIMP]

How about smoking replacment options? Don't care for the word therapy either Feels like we need a shrink



RIMP

 

[kristin]

It's recreational nicotine use. Period.

If cigarette smokers are allowed to use nicotine recreationally, we should be allowed, as well.

 

[breakfastchef]

It's recreational nicotine use. Period.

Wow, I might be a drug addict, again. Thanks for minimizing the value of e-cigs as a therapeutic method to reducing the harm I was doing to myself smoking analogs.

 

[mtndude]

As far as a good legal argument, I agree that recreational use and fairness make the best case. Although I don't think those seeking to take away our therapeutic recreation could care less.

 

[kristin]

Wow, I might be a drug addict, again. Thanks for minimizing the value of e-cigs as a therapeutic method to reducing the harm I was doing to myself smoking analogs.

I didn't say it wasn't a better option for recreational nicotine use, but it's still what it is, unless you're on a set step down plan to 0 nicotine.

Based on most posts I see on these forums, most people use PVs as an alternative way around smoking tobacco, not a way to quit using nicotine. It may be "safer," but you're still using nicotine. If you're not using it to quit nicotine, you are using it for pleasure. That is recreational use.

If you are using it with 0 nicotine, then the FDA should have no qualms anyhow. But the overwhelming majority of users have some level of nicotine in their liquid.

 

[kristin]

As far as a good legal argument, I agree that recreational use and fairness make the best case. Although I don't think those seeking to take away our therapeutic recreation could care less.

Agreed.
..........

 

[Webby]

I didn't say it wasn't a better option for recreational nicotine use, but it's still what it is, unless you're on a set step down plan to 0 nicotine.

Based on most posts I see on these forums, most people use PVs as an alternative way around smoking tobacco, not a way to quit using nicotine. It may be "safer," but you're still using nicotine. If you're not using it to quit nicotine, you are using it for pleasure. That is recreational use.

If you are using it with 0 nicotine, then the FDA should have no qualms anyhow. But the overwhelming majority of users have some level of nicotine in their liquid.

The 0 nic argument gets into the whole FDA definition of "drug delivery device" although that's a discussion on another thread. Keep in mind, CASAA isn't entirely going to be ECF members. There are thousands of users who simply don't read online forums for whatever reason.

 

[Robert]

Wow, I might be a drug addict, again. Thanks for minimizing the value of e-cigs as a therapeutic method to reducing the harm I was doing to myself smoking analogs.

No- Your a Sea Urchin in a bright orange aquarium.

Harm reduction is the only thing that actually helps drug addicts.

Stiff upper lip! Your doing- GREAT

 

[Thulium]

There is a difference between "Smoking Replacement" and "Smoking Replacement Therapy". "Smoking Replacement" refers to the activity of doing something other than smoking cigarettes. It does not rely on FDA approval as it is not a medical activity any more than exercise is a medical activity--some people use it for recreational purposes, and some people (leading into my next point) exercise for therapeutic purposes. Smoking Replacement Therapy happens as we gather evidence to back up the claims of therapeutic benefit from Smoking Replacement.

I am not suggesting that all e-cigarettes are for the treatment of a disease. The point here is the exact opposite, actually. The point is that smoking replacement therapy is the theory we can put forward as a "treatment", but it is a homeopathic treatment that does not rely on pharmacologically active ingredients for its therapeutic effect. Pretty much anything can be used as a replacement for smoking--some people read, some exercise, some eat, some people chew gum, some chew on a pencil...---but e-cigarettes are specifically designed for the purpose and e-cigarettes can be used with nicotine if you choose but we are claiming no therapeutic benefit from the use of nicotine. Doing something that is not smoking is where the therapeutic benefit lies, the nicotine is entirely optional.

 

[Territoo]

Wow, I might be a drug addict, again. Thanks for minimizing the value of e-cigs as a therapeutic method to reducing the harm I was doing to myself smoking analogs.

You have chosen the e-cig for yourself as a "therapeutic method to reducing harm". You made that choice based on the information available to you at the time. Your choice is is the right one for you and you should continue, absent any new data. Most of us in this forum have made the same choice, too.

However, as CASAA is in formative stages of being an entity in view of the entire public, it has to be cautious about making such claims that have yet to be proven.

Common sense says you're right, and I look forward to the day that groups such as CASAA can prove you're right.

 

[June]

How about smoking replacment options? Don't care for the word therapy either Feels like we need a shrink



RIMP

I agree! I don't like the word "Therapy" either. I can see the health industry jumping on the therapy band wagon right quick.

In the old days you use to have to take a smoking cessation class to get some nicotine gum or patches. Of course, everyone there reeked of smoke, and all we did was talk about smoking. On breaks we would all run out to our cars and chain smoke. They should have just laid out some ash trays for us. Geez! the things we use to have to do to get some nicotine! Save me from therapy!

 

[Thulium]

I agree! I don't like the word "Therapy" either. I can see the health industry jumping on the therapy band wagon right quick.

In the old days you use to have to take a smoking cessation class to get some nicotine gum or patches. Of course, everyone there reeked of smoke, and all we did was talk about smoking. On breaks we would all run out to our cars and chain smoke. They should have just laid out some ash trays for us. Geez! the things we use to have to do to get some nicotine! Save me from therapy!

Getting the health industry on the bandwagon is kind of the idea. If "Smoking Replacement" can be recognized as a homeopathic therapy because the pharmacologically active ingredients in e-cigarettes are optional, nicotine infused e-liquid could be sold as a homeopathic remedy as part of a Smoking Replacement Therapy the way that nicotine laced gum and candy are sold as Nicotine Replacement Therapy...but without the FDA telling us that we can't use PV's because homeopathic remedies don't depend on pharmacologically active ingredients for their purported benefit.

As this relates to what we're doing here and specifically in regards to the FDA vs. SE+NJ, I propose that personal vaporizers are neither a "drug/device combo" or a "tobacco product", they are simply a vaporizer for personal use. However, if SE+NJ want to sell a vaporizer in combination with a tobacco product (tobacco-derived nicotine infused e-liquid) as a recognized replacement for smoking suitable for use in a Smoking Replacement Therapy, they don't have to jump through all the FDA hoops. Instead, they would simply need to get the electronics safety approved and the liquid should be subject to the same regulations as other tobacco products OR in a homeopathic formula depending how the company wants to produce/market their e-cig.

 

[buttercrunch]

I would prefer maybe "smoking replacement activity" or "alternative option"? For me, in this context, "therapeutic" has a less than positive ring to it, are we defective? do we need to be "fixed"?

 

[Thulium]

I would prefer maybe "smoking replacement activity" or "alternative option"? For me, in this context, "therapeutic" has a less than positive ring to it, are we defective? do we need to be "fixed"?

We don't need to be fixed, but our language and the FDA could use a little fixing. However, I think you aren't quite understanding the point of this. This isn't part of crafting the mission statement or anything like that. It is a suggestion for a new way of looking at e-cigarettes. Right now we are stuck between the FDA's view that e-cigs are a new drug/device combo and the view presented by SE/NJ/AES that e-cigarettes are a tobacco product. I am proposing a third viewpoint on e-cigarettes as a homeopathic Smoking Replacement Therapy.