Vaping for Enjoyment, not Nic Need--Common?

[PoshRichM]

Hey all, I'm a pretty extreme n00b here, been vaping for less than a week, and enjoying it hugely. One of the things I've noticed around here after a lot of reading is that the vast (vast) majority of posters I seem to see active are those who have quit/switched from a cigarette habit to vaping, or are in the process.

Such is not my story, and I wonder how rare I am. I am a few-bowls-a-week-max pipe smoker, have never had a cigarette habit, and can and have paused my pipe smoking for months at a time (smoking a pipe in the Alabama summer is usually no fun) without difficulty or incident.

I discovered vaping when a friend at a beer club showed me his wonderful-smelling eGo unit, and my wife (also a very occasional clove-cig or flavored-cigarillo partaker) finally took my recommendation and tried them at our local vape store. That evening we were both vaping like teakettles.

Anyway, to make a long post shorter, are there others here who vape for the simple enjoyment of it, or is management/displacement of nicotine need the primary reason people begin vaping? I'm curious!

-Rich

 

[filter]

Anyway, to make a long post shorter, are there others here who vape for the simple enjoyment of it, or is management/displacement of nicotine need the primary reason people begin vaping? I'm curious!

yes and yes. yes there are others but by far the primary reason is as a replacement for cigs.

 

[redddog]

Count me as one.

I was a cigarette smoker for 20 years and quit about 8 years ago. Aside from the drunky hanging out with smokers nights where I would power down 10 or 15 of 'em, I was off them pretty reliably. I figure the "binges" would happen maybe 6-8 times a year.

I visited my brother-in-law in London this summer and he had an ego twist or something similar that he graduated up to from a joye 510 or something. He was a big smoker and one of the guys that I would always smoke his cigs (he would always buy an extra pack when he knew I was going to be around). So he threw me his 510 and said "try this, it's water vapor." I vaped that for the whole time we were there and it was really cool. When I got back to the states, I figured I'd grab a VOLT set-up for those times that I binged. Like an ..., now I do it all the time.

Of course, now I know that it's really not just water vapor and it's worse to Vape than to do nothing like I was at. I do have guilt. but I'm really not sure why. I vape about 1ml a night of 6mg juice. Not the end of the world, but still.

The one thing is that I am currently in the middle of a family health nightmare involving my son and if I wasn't smoking now, I would be soon. So I guess there's that.

 

[redddog]

But the sentiment is mixed.

One of the negatives that nay-sayers point to is that Vaping can draw non-smokers into usage because of the delicious flavors and supposed 'healthy" implications.

So if you're a non-smoker who starts vaping, you're furthering that argument.

 

[Kemosabe]

OP, you do not strike me as a non-smoker. just a responsible smoker, enjoying tobacco in moderation. if everyone were like that, im sure cancer rates wouldnt be nearly as high. however this is not what i came in here to say.

another thing i did not come in here to say was: No Nic Juice. any non smoker who likes the idea of vaping can vape 0mg liquid. its as simple as that. they wont miss the TH, because they dont crave it.

what i DID come in here to say was that i am indeed a vaping-for-pleasure person. i was a smoker for 14 years, and i do indeed crave nicotine. however, after i get my nic fix, i continue to vape. i only need a few rips off my PV in the AM. maybe a few puffs after a meal, and definitely several puffs while drinking. but all of that adds up to less than 1ml.

when i was a smoker, id try and space my cigarettes out as much as possible, in an attempt to smoke less. i didnt smoke "unneseccary cigarettes" as i called them. just key cigarettes were smoked.

but now, now that im a vaper, i just puff away all day long. after my nic fix is met (which is very quickly), i still continue to puff away guilt-free. i do enjoy the TH sensation (and i admit i enjoy it a bit too much). but i can easily do without the added nicotine stimulation effect on my body. i would actually prefer it. i wish there was a way to get a true nicotine TH without getting the nicotine stimulation in your body. ideally, if 6mg juice hit like a 24mg juice, id be in vape heaven.

 

[CommaHolly]

it wouldn't surprise me if it was up and coming,,,,,non smokers (or very light occasional smokers) vaping.

It's mixed, as some people say,,,,,,we don't REALLY know it's "healthy",,,,,,,

but IMHO, those people would probably pick up something anyway,,,,,,might as well vape as smoke.

 

[TheSneakerHoarder]

I started vaping to quit 10 months ago. Started at 36mg juice and gradually tapered down to 0mg.

That said, once I knew I was NEVER going back to cigarettes (6 months in at 0mg), I decided to go back to 6mg juice. I cannot put caffeine in my body for other reasons, so a tad of nic is my only stimulant. Without it, I was always tired during my long shifts and had trouble focusing on multiple tasks. Considering the possible benefits of nicotine (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, etc.) I have no issue continuing to use 6mg. Some people still argue that nicotine is indeed a poison no matter what, but so is alcohol, caffeine, ad nauseum. Moderation is key with ANY substance including water.

Just use good judgement, consult your doctors, read, REad, READ. More studies will be done as the vaping world grows and make informed decisions.

Most of all, have fun!

 

[fourthrok]

I can't speak for anyone else, and have no idea how "common" it is...but for me vaping is primarily and foremost about pleasure. The nic is an aside that is quickly fading for me. When I started a year ago...yes, I tried vaping to get off cigarettes. I was an instant success with that. I started with 18mg., jumped to 24mg.(chasing that TH everyone was squawking about on the forums) and got sick enough to end up in the ER, so I dropped to 12mg. and have been gradually dropping nicotine levels ever since. Currently on 4mg....and dropping. I expect to be at 0 nicotine within the next couple of months.

For me...it turned out that while I'd smoked cigarettes for 43 years, it wasn't the nicotine I was addicted to as much as it was the smoking habit itself. The rituals, the hand to mouth thing, the taste and smoke (now vapor). It was pleasurable...and I liked it. I didn't really even want to stop smoking before PVs came along. I was afraid that I'd miss the hand to mouth comfort and would end up eating myself into obesity. Too many of my formerly-smoking friends had done that. I like everything about smoking/vaping....but the nicotine was just something that went with it. It wasn't my primary motivation for indulging.

I am realistic enough...and hopefully wise enough...to realize that while I wasn't that rah-rah on nicotine, I had still gotten myself addicted by default. So I've gradually eased my way down with the nicotine levels so my body wouldn't rebel or go into shock. It's worked. When I do hit 0 nicotine...and I will....I will continue vaping.

I find it pleasurable. It makes me happy and helps "center" me and I smile. I like it very much. I consider whatever "risks" there might be from PG and/or VG or the flavorings I use are no worse than the chemicals routinely put in our food (they say that those faux butter spreads that people use are actually only one molecule away from plastic!) I DIY my juice. I know precisely what is in there. It's all good.

 

[PoshRichM]

Good points, all!

I have to say that at 42 I'm not particularly worried over whether vaping is healthy or not, but I know it's not as hazardous as, say, BASE jumping or for that matter a 2-pack-a-day analogs habit. I was squeaky clean for the first 30 years, and have since realized that I'd hate to get to the end and have missed out on enjoyment and pleasure that I avoided through fear.

So if you're a non-smoker who starts vaping, you're furthering that argument.

redddog, would you rather people not vape unless they're trying to escape a smoking habit? Is that all it's good for?

-Rich

 

[redddog]

Not at all, Posh. I'm one of the ones who would be the target of that statement - that vaping is bad because it will draw in the non-smoker.

As someone who wasn't smoking or even using nicotene on a regular basis, to start vaping has been a source of guilt for me - even if it's just an ml a day of 6mg juice. I know it's not even remotely as bad as tobacco is for you but it is still worse for you than nothing but air.

But as I said before, I'm in one of those stress storms right now that would almost certainly push me back into the stankie world again. So there's that.

 

[PoshRichM]

As someone who wasn't smoking or even using nicotene on a regular basis, to start vaping has been a source of guilt for me - even if it's just an ml a day of 6mg juice. I know it's not even remotely as bad as tobacco is for you but it is still worse for you than nothing but air.

Bummer. I could (and many of my Alabama neighbors do) make the same argument re: alcohol, but IMO the immense stress relief of a beer and a vape after work far outweighs any minimal health risks they carry.

-Rich

 

[redddog]

Let's go with that. I've been doing that with the beers anyway.

 

[DreamingButterfly81]

I personally started vaping to quit smoking. However. My husband quit smoking three years ago, yet has recently picked up vaping zero nic for enjoyment and flavor. Not sure where that stands in regards to the OP, though, as he is a former smoker but doesn't vape for that reason.

 

[redddog]

That's like me. Although, I have no problem with a small bit of Nic. I have alzheimers in my family and consider my Nic as preventative care.

 

[PoshRichM]

Not sure where that stands in regards to the OP, though, as he is a former smoker but doesn't vape for that reason.

Point of order: still a cheerful occasional pipe smoker.

-Rich